Virtually unprecedented

January 16, 2007 8:20 PM

Carol Lam was the first one to receive much publicity. A federal prosecutor fired for not making guns and drugs a top priority. She was also Duke Cunningham's prosecutor. No big deal, she just hadn't prosecuted many cases during her tenure. Except that Lawyers called the firing "virtually unprecedented And FBI people claimed the firing would jeopardize cases. Then there was Daniel Bogden, a federal prosecutor in Nevada was also canned for "fostering low morale". And actually it turns out that as many as many as eight federal prosecutors have been fired in the past two months.
posted by delmoi (44 comments total)

More dots, please. Will connect.
posted by mds35 at 8:41 PM on January 16, 2007

youtube vid of Feinstein discussing plans to address this.
posted by sourbrew at 8:47 PM on January 16, 2007

All I know right now is from Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo blog. Does anyone else know any evidence to back this up?
posted by suckerpunch at 8:48 PM on January 16, 2007

Also, my speculation is two fold, the one in San Fransisco could be a bid to launch investigations into Pelosi in an attempt to bring her house to a screeching halt. The rest seem to be either attempts to protect dirty senators from future "embarrassments," and or bush co's dirty corporate masters.
posted by sourbrew at 8:49 PM on January 16, 2007

One more links : from TMP Muckraker, detailing the laws in play with respect to the interim replacements.
posted by suckerpunch at 8:52 PM on January 16, 2007

Son of a bitch. "One more link", not "One more links", and the actual link is here, not above.
posted by suckerpunch at 8:53 PM on January 16, 2007

the clot thickens...
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 8:58 PM on January 16, 2007

sourbrew - The rest seem to be either attempts to protect dirty senators from future "embarrassments," and or bush co's dirty corporate masters.

you don't think making an RNC oppo researcher US Attorney for the Eastern district of Arkansas might have something to do with Hillary Clinton's expected White House bid?
posted by pruner at 8:58 PM on January 16, 2007

"you don't think making an RNC oppo researcher US Attorney for the Eastern district of Arkansas might have something to do with Hillary Clinton's expected White House bid?"

That's true, that would make some solid sense. I guess I just consider her candidacy so laughable I glossed over that.
posted by sourbrew at 9:00 PM on January 16, 2007

here's another link to TPM regarding my above comment.
posted by pruner at 9:00 PM on January 16, 2007

uhhh... call your senators please tomorrow? and maybe your local media (like that is really going to make a difference).
posted by specialk420 at 9:14 PM on January 16, 2007

It would make sense for the GOP to begin to place foot soldiers in place to open up trumped up phony investigations of prominent Democrats. Seems to me that after Watergate the strategy was to even the score on the executive level by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Clinton (and all they got was a guy who likes the ladies. Yawn.). I imagine now that the house and the senate are in Dem hands they need to staunch the flood of corruption charges that are going to begin hitting the light of day. What better way to do this. This is one to watch as the pattern of "gaming the system" on this has a unique imprint on it (i.e. Rove). And you know how we joke around here about Bush declaring a third term and all that...well I'm starting to think it might not be beyond the realm of possibility. Kudos on Fienstein.
posted by Skygazer at 9:19 PM on January 16, 2007

Hmm, turns out the ability to appoint attorneys on an 'interim basis' is part of the patriot act Cute.
posted by delmoi at 9:22 PM on January 16, 2007

I kindly request that the "shenanigans" tag be added to this post.
posted by pruner at 9:39 PM on January 16, 2007

So the Patriot Act is a weapon against terrorists and federal prosecutors? What an amazing law.
posted by homunculus at 10:21 PM on January 16, 2007

He's appointing a bunch of little Ken Starrs.

Bush is sending the Dems a very simple and straightforward message: "go after me and my dogs will go after you."

No act of corruption is beyond this degraded administration.

Great post.
posted by jamjam at 10:36 PM on January 16, 2007

Yeah, I'd love to hear the argument for why it's in the Patriot act. And what in the hell else is in there?
posted by Skygazer at 10:36 PM on January 16, 2007

“She has shown a certain tunnel vision in her prosecutions and has exercised an appalling lack of discretion in terms of the individuals she has targeted for prosecution and the classes of crimes that she has chosen to direct her resources at,” said criminal defense attorney Geoffrey C. Morrison, who represented a defendant in the City Hall corruption case prosecuted by Lam's office.

i can't think of a way to translate this statement that wouldn't be utterly offensive, can you?
posted by pyramid termite at 10:37 PM on January 16, 2007

This is why Riders on bills should be limited. End of PAC's and Riders on bills NOW! Also, isnt this misconduct or abuse of power of the whitehouse?
posted by IronWolve at 10:39 PM on January 16, 2007

you know our president ... he can't imagine what the hell power would be for if he couldn't abuse it
posted by pyramid termite at 10:40 PM on January 16, 2007

I've said it before:

Spandau for every last member of Bush's cabinet and those that enabled them.
posted by Relay at 11:27 PM on January 16, 2007

I wouldn't doubt for a moment that Rove is gunning to give Bush another kick at the Presidency, by hook or by crook.

And what's Bush got to lose by going along with it? The American people are too gutless to impeach him, let alone execute him for treason.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:20 AM on January 17, 2007

I love it when reading Metafilter makes me nauseous. Strange to think these prosecutors were most likely all appointed by turdblossom et al in the first place; a quick check already confirms that this is the case for Daniel Bogden and John Mckay. Ce que le salaud veut, Dieu veut, I guess.

While we're on cute, this is particularly juicy, if true: " Conceivably, Griffin could serve as interim U.S. attorney indefinitely."
posted by rudster at 1:10 AM on January 17, 2007

These are dark days.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:01 AM on January 17, 2007

Here's another one "stepping down" today.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:20 AM on January 17, 2007

Goddamm, Canada really is looking better and better every day.
posted by loquacious at 4:29 AM on January 17, 2007

From the second link: "Lam, 47, has been criticized by members of the Border Patrol agents union and by members of Congress, including Vista Republican Darrell Issa, who accused her office of 'an appalling record of refusal to prosecute even the worst criminal alien offenders.'".

Darrell Issa? Hmmmmm.
posted by intermod at 5:30 AM on January 17, 2007

So, is this reward-friends-and-punish-enemies partisan politics as usual, or is there some conspiracy theory here that I'm not getting, or some of both? I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm wondering what the reaction would be if the shoes were all on other feet here.
posted by pax digita at 5:44 AM on January 17, 2007

Let me give you a brief summary pax digita : unprecedented.
posted by nofundy at 6:02 AM on January 17, 2007

Well, I guess our sniveling little eunuchs in the Congress shouldn't have been so hasty to vote on the Patriot Act without reading it. This is what they wanted, right?
posted by Optimus Chyme at 6:14 AM on January 17, 2007

"Unprecedented" aye. And with a thumb firmly on the fast-forward button. So -- next we'll see the 22nd Amendment repealed as unconstitutional, I wonder?
posted by pax digita at 6:29 AM on January 17, 2007

It's just a cheerleader looking out for rugby players.
posted by srboisvert at 7:13 AM on January 17, 2007

Specter, you're doing a heck of a job.
posted by homunculus at 9:53 AM on January 17, 2007

Alberto Gonzales Should Be Impeached
posted by homunculus at 10:03 AM on January 17, 2007

Andrew Jackson is green with envy (and mold.)
posted by nofundy at 11:02 AM on January 17, 2007

Earlier versions of the bill did not contain the provision, which grants authority to the Attorney General to replace U.S. Attorneys without Senate approval. When the House and the Senate first voted in favor of the legislation, the provision did not exist.


Instead, the tweak was inserted during the conference committee(at the request of the justice department), where lawmakers from the House and Senate reconcile discrepancies in the two versions and craft a final bill.


In an unusual move, Republicans blocked Democrats from participating in many of the committee's activities.



This needs to be de-blogged and put front and center of the American public. (Hello Newshour? Washington Post? New York Times? Are you there??)
posted by Skygazer at 12:07 PM on January 17, 2007

In other news: Gonzales: NSA Wiretapping Now Subject to Court Approval
posted by homunculus at 4:30 PM on January 17, 2007

Dems to AG: How Many Prosecutors Have You Pushed Out?
posted by homunculus at 4:18 PM on January 18, 2007

FLASHBACK: Bush Administration Pushed Out Lead Prosecutor On Abramoff Case
posted by homunculus at 2:22 PM on January 19, 2007

The Bush administration is trying to protect itself by purging independent-minded prosecutors.
posted by homunculus at 8:01 PM on January 19, 2007

GOP Antics May Have Led to Destroyed Scandal Evidence
posted by homunculus at 6:54 PM on January 23, 2007

Gonzales appoints political loyalists into vacant U.S. attorneys slots
posted by homunculus at 9:41 AM on January 27, 2007

pax digita: So, is this reward-friends-and-punish-enemies partisan politics as usual, or is there some conspiracy theory here that I'm not getting, or some of both?

Not politics as usual. All of these federal prosecutors were appointed by the President. The difference is that in the past they had to be confirmed by the Senate, so they couldn't be too partisan. But as of March, appointments of federal prosecutors no longer require Senate approval. List of replacements from McClatchy Newspapers (formerly Knight-Ridder).
posted by russilwvong at 3:46 PM on February 5, 2007

Ousted Prosecutor to Hold Presser on Indictments

Contractor, CIA Former #3 Indicted
posted by homunculus at 12:40 PM on February 13, 2007