Common Cause Blog

Farewell Gonzo - Hello Mukasey?

Bush announced his new Attorney General nominee on Monday: Michael Mukasey. The nominee, who might actually be acceptable for both Democrats and Republicans, met with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) yesterday. Leahy, who will preside over Mukasey's confirmation hearing as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made positive comments about the meeting.

But Leahy is not forgetting the Gonzales scandal, or, as he calls it, "the dark period". He signaled that before the nominee can be considered, Gonzales' involvement in the U.S. attorney firings and the administration's warrantless wiretapping program needs to be resolved.

In other words: it might take a while until we see a new Attorney General.

Farewell, Alberto (and Jon)

Today is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' last day of work. However you feel about the way he acted (me: very angry), I think we can all agree that the next Attorney General needs to be a person of character who can rise above the scandal and restore integrity at the DOJ.

From the New York Times' editorial board:

To replace Alberto Gonzales, President Bush must appoint an attorney general who is above politics, and the Senate should only confirm a nonpolitical lawyer of unquestioned integrity.
Click here for the rest of the editorial.

And speaking of persons with integrity and character, today is also the last day of work for Jon Goldin-Dubois, Common Cause's Executive Vice President. He's an incredible leader and friend, and after his 10 years of service here, we'll miss him tremendously.

To Jon: all the best. To Mr. Gonzales: Well, I can't quite recall what the appropriate sentiment should be.

Gonzales faces investigation by Justice Inspector General

Alberto Gonzales may be gone from the Justice Department in a couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean his troubles are over. According to a letter DoJ Inspector General Glenn Fine sent to Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy, Gonzales is under active investigation for a number of different things, including whether or not he lied to Congress in his testimony about the US Attorney firings.

The disclosure by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine in a letter to Congress signals an expansion of the department's internal investigations into Gonzales's troubled tenure, probes that were not previously known to be focused so sharply on the attorney general and his testimony.

Fine's office has also separately expanded a probe into whether senior Gonzales aides improperly considered partisan affiliations when reviewing applicants for nonpolitical career positions. As part of that inquiry, Fine sent hundreds of questionnaires in the past week to former Justice Department job applicants.

The questionnaires are to find out if applicants for non-political positions were asked questions about party affiliation, voting histories, campaign contributions, issue opinions, etc. Take a look at the questionnaire and accompanying cover letter.

Sen. Leahy welcomed the investigation, saying "The current Attorney General is leaving, but these questions remain." Inspector General Fine is authorized to refer cases for criminal prosecution if he determines Gonzales or other officials have committed perjury or obstructed justice.

So, yeah...it ain't over.

Gonzo's greatest hits

TPM's Josh Marshall eulogizes Alberto Gonzales with a Top 10 hitlist:

What do the fired US Attorneys have to say about Gonzales' resignation?

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.

BREAKING: Alberto Gonzales is resigning

I don't know what else to say, except...

HOORAY!!!

Now that's news to brighten up a Monday morning.

Who's Who in the US Attorney Scandal: David Iglesias

Meet David Iglesias:

David Iglesias was appointed by the President on August 2, 2001, to be the US Attorney for the District of New Mexico. Prior to his appointment, Iglesias had a successful legal career as General Counsel to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department (1998 - 2001), Chief Counsel to the New Mexico Risk Management Legal Office (1995 to 1998), and as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Albuquerque (1991 - 1994) and an Assistant Attorney General in the New Mexico Attorney General's Office.

Iglesias performed his US Attorney duties to great satisfaction, according to his performance reviews, until 2005, when the Chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, Allen Weh, began pressuring him to bring voter fraud indictments against Democrats; Iglesias did not feel the case was strong enough, and declined to do so. The pressure was ratcheted up in the fall of 2006, when Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) each called Iglesias to pressure him to bring indictments against Democrats before the November elections. He did not do so, and on December 7, 2006, he was dismissed.