What do the fired US Attorneys have to say about Gonzales' resignation?
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 04:36:41 PM EST
It's been a long and tiring road for the eight US attorneys fired last year for political reasons. Alberto Gonzales announcing his resignation yesterday, news outlets across the country called up the former prosecutors at the center of the scandal to find out what they were thinking.
Inside you'll find a sampling of their comments. Needless to say, they don't go easy on the soon-to-be Former Attorney General.
Sen. John Kyl took issue with a US attorney firing
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 04:38:40 PM EST
Documents recently rleased by the House Judiciary Committee show that Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) disagreed with the Bush administration's decision to fire the US attorney from his state, Paul Charlton.
The latest e-mails refer to Kyl, who was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was notified by the administration about the plan to force Charlton out. Though one message released in the spring characterized Kyl as "fine" with the plan, he has always maintained that he opposed it. Wednesday's batch of e-mails supports that.
"I understand that Kyl is significantly disturbed over the Charlton issue," Rebecca Seidel, a deputy assistant attorney general, wrote to several other top Justice Department officials. "We need to ensure that (Attorney General Alberto Gonzales) is adequately prepared to deal with a question over the firings of the (U.S. attorneys)....I am hoping that Kyl would not bring it up in an open hearing."...
..."Kyl was not at all pleased with the way the Justice Department conducted its dismissal of several U.S. attorneys, including Paul Charlton from Arizona. Kyl supported Mr. Charlton's nomination," said the spokesman, Andrew Wilder. "And when informed of the department's decision to dismiss him, Kyl requested that the Justice Department reconsider its decision."
Perhaps Sen. Kyl thought that firing Charlton because he was investigating Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) wasn't justified? Pity the Attorney General didn't see it that way.
"The Justice Department doesn't care" about crime in Indian Country
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Fri Jun 15, 2007 at 02:51:53 PM EST
More depressing information on the connection between the fired US Attorneys' work on Native American issues and their dismissals:
Three former U.S. Attorneys fired by the U.S. Justice Department last December told tribal leaders attending the National Congress of the American Indian convention that the potential for justice in Indian country had declined under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
"Alberto Gonzales doesn't know anything about crime in Indian country," Paul Charlton, the former U.S. Attorney from Arizona, told leaders. "And the Justice Department doesn't care."
The three attorneys (Paul Charlton - AZ, Margaret Chiara - MI, and Dan Bogden - NV) stopped short of saying they were fired because of their work on native issues, but former USA for Minnesota Tom Heffelfinger was slated for firing repotedly because of "spending an excessive amount of time" on such work. He quit earlier last year without knowing he was on the dismissal list.
The broader issue of commitment to solving the crime problem on reservations is even more worrisome.
"A Scandal That Keeps Growing"
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Mon May 07, 2007 at 12:32:39 PM EST
Yesterday's New York Times ran an editorial summarizing what's come to light about the firing of eight US Attorneys in recent weeks. They lay out the conclusions that are becoming more and more difficult to ignore:
At best, the firing of eight United States attorneys, most of them highly respected, is an example of such profound incompetence that it should cost Mr. Gonzales his job. At worst, it was a political purge followed by a cover-up. In either case, the scandal is only getting bigger and more disturbing.
New reports of possible malfeasance keep coming fast and furious. They all seem to make it more likely than ever that the firings were part of an attempt to turn the Justice Department into a partisan political operation. There is, to start, the very strong appearance that United States attorneys were fired because they were investigating powerful Republicans or refused to bring baseless charges against Democrats.
Such as Carol Lam, who put Duke Cunningham (R-CA) behind bars...or Paul Charlton, who was investigating Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ). Given last week's revelations from former dupty attorney general James Comey (2003-2005) that most of the prosecutors performed well - or even exceptionally - and from some of the fired attorneys that they were pressured, or even threatened, by Michael Elston, an aide to the deputy attorney general, the NYT challenges our representatives to do what's right and pursue the whole truth.
It is long past time for President Bush to fire Mr. Gonzales. But Congress, especially the Republicans who have dared confront the White House on this issue, should not be satisfied with that. There are strong indications that the purge was ordered out of the White House, involving at the very least the former counsel, Harriet Miers, and Karl Rove.
It is the duty of Congress to compel them and other officials to finally tell the truth to the American people.
DoJ launches internal investigation of hiring practices
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Thu May 03, 2007 at 03:35:05 PM EST
The media is abuzz today about the announcement that the Justice Department is launching an internal investigation into whether or not Monica Goodling, Gonzales' former White House liason who resigned in April, illegally took partisan affiliation into account when hiring nonpolitical career federal prosecutors.
Additionally, statements released by some of the fired US attorneys raise new questions about how their dismissal was handled. From the Washington Post:
In newly released statements, the two alleged that they were threatened by Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty's chief of staff immediately before Gonzales testified in the Senate in January.
Paul K. Charlton of Phoenix and John McKay of Seattle said that Michael J. Elston called them on Jan. 17 and offered an implicit agreement of Gonzales's silence in exchange for their continuing not to publicly discuss their removals. Gonzales testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee the next day and refused to provide details about the firings.
"My handwritten and dated notes of this call reflect that I believed Mr. Elston's tone was sinister and that he was prepared to threaten me further if he concluded I did not intend to continue to remain silent about my dismissal," McKay wrote in response to questions from the House Judiciary Committee.
Elston is denying this, of course. But that's not the end of it:
Rep. Renzi speaks
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Wed May 02, 2007 at 01:24:52 PM EST
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) has finally broken his silence about the FBI investigation of a land deal. In an interview with a local NBC affiliate, what did he have to say? Well...
Renzi tells 12 News that he is the victim of a smear campaign by the U.S. Department of Justice and says he'd welcome an independent investigation into his actions....
...Renzi says the reports [in the media about the federal probe] were based on "leaks" by federal employees he says are lying.
"And to make that up and put that out means the Department of Justice was engaged in electioneering and it needs to be investigated," Renzi said.
Renzi says he did nothing wrong with regards to the land deal and his disclosure forms. In fact, seeking to quell the resignation rumors that began circulating last week, he hinted that he's considering whether or not to run for a fourth term next year.
And about those additional questions regarding the US Attorney scandal and the firing of Paul Charlton, Renzi issued equally strong denials.
Renzi situation explodes
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Thu Apr 26, 2007 at 03:24:11 PM EST
The hits just keep on coming in the case of Representative Rick Renzi (R-AZ). Amid broader questions of whether or not the firings of eight US Attorneys were politically-motivated comes closer scrutiny in one of the instances.
US Attorney Paul Charlton of Arizona was investigating Renzi for a suspicious land deal, and the case was heating up just before the November 2006 elections. When Charlton went to the Justice Department for authorization for search warrants, subpoenas, and wiretaps in order to further the case, he was met with delay after delay. In September of 2006, Charlton's name was added to the list of prosecutors to be fired - months after the rest of the other prosecutors' names on the list. Renzi won reelection with just 51% of the vote, and Charlton was fired on December 7.
Today we learn that Renzi's chief of staff, Brian Murrary, called Charlton's office six weeks before the firings to ask about the investigation into his boss' activities. Charlton thought this was a tad improper, and reported the call to the Justice Department. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is pretty angry about this, too - he sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday demanding full disclosure of any and all such contact:
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