Fired U.S. Attorneys Rebut Administration Claims They Were Pushed Out For Poor Performance
Fired U.S. Attorneys Rebut Administration Claims They Were Pushed Out For Poor Performance
The administration has recently forced at least seven U.S. attorneys to resign. Several of these prosecutors were working on high-profile corruption cases, such as Carol Lam, who successfully investigated the corruption of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham. In their places, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has appointed partisan administration allies.
Earlier this week, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty admitted that the U.S. attorney in Arkansas, Bud Cummins, was pushed out to make way for a “37-year-old protege” of Karl Rove. Initially, the Justice Department tried to claim that Cummins left on his own. Cummins said the matter was “handled poorly” and he was given no explanation for his forced resignation.
According to McNulty’s Senate testimony, the other six were fired for “performance-related” issues. But of those six, two have now spoken out, rebutting McNulty’s empty excuses. They state that the Justice Department never cited poor performance — or gave any explanation at all — as a reason for being pushed out:
Daniel G. Bogden, former U.S. Attorney in Nevada:
“I was told I serve as a presidential appointee. Any further explanation than that, no, I was not giv[en] any explanation or reason for the request to step down. … We’ve done more gun cases, drug cases, gang cases, child exploitation cases, identity theft cases than any office has done in any five year period of time.”
John McKay, former U.S. Attorney in Washington:
McKay said he was called Dec. 7 by Michael A. Battle, head of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, who only months before had sent him a congratulatory letter for the laudatory report issued by the Justice Department audit team. He said Battle told him to resign by the end of January. “When I was composed enough to ask him why, he told me he couldn’t answer any of my questions. … He said nothing about performance issues or management or anything else.”
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee pushed back on the Bush administration’s attempts to install unqualified administration allies as U.S. attorneys. It passed legislation repealing a little-noticed provision in the Patriot Act that allows the attorney general to appoint U.S. attorneys for indefinite periods of time.
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61 Responses to “Fired U.S. Attorneys Rebut Administration Claims They Were Pushed Out For Poor Performance”
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This administration continues to try to install cronies in high appointment positions, just as with the Supreme Court. It’s a battle of the wits!
February 9th, 2007 at 12:09 pmhttp://www.salon.com/ opinion/ conason/ 2007/ 02/ 09/ united_states_attorneys/
February 9th, 2007 at 12:10 pmThey were purged, because bush and cheney are that afraid they might become next year’s Patrick Fitzgeralds.
Case closed.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:10 pmSSDD, eh, Zooey?
February 9th, 2007 at 12:12 pmAgain, it’s important to remember that, due to a provision in the Patriot Act, Chimpy can appoint who he likes to these vacant positions, without Senate confirmation.
More details here.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:12 pmWorth a look.
LinNM-battle of wits against the witless,eh?
this could take a while(and a few advil)
February 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm“Performance-related issues” is not the same thing as “poor performance.”
Perhaps they performed too well?
February 9th, 2007 at 12:17 pmGonzo is looking for some good corrupt lawyers to add to the team. Notice Gonzo is as dumb as a door knob and can’t even fire people without making it well known. More corrupt cases to come and Bush needs lawyers will dismiss the charges that the new Congress are doing. This is what Bush calls his new Democracy we no country that is ruled by law we’re ruled by our Dictator Bush. The Bush Administration has turned our country into everyone for himself and the crime wave is spreading in to everything.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:21 pmthe Bushies KNOW that more trials are coming.. It’s called “hedging your
February 9th, 2007 at 12:21 pmbets’
Yawn… Gee, looks like Democrats won’t be pushing for impeachment. Their such spineless cowards.
#3 - Looks like Fitzgerald’s case is a dud. Cheney is still alive. So is Bushie. Valerie Plame and her mouthpiece lying husband are sort of yesterday’s news.
Wake me when something interesting happens. OR when Democrats actually stand up to Bush on the war.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:24 pmAlberto, baby, I hope you’re among those on the scaffold when the proverbial feces hits the fan.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:25 pmYou deserve it.
You’ve worked hard to lie to the American people.
You need recognition for your ‘job performance’.
Not only do you give minorities a bad name, you’re giving America a bad name.
Ass-kisser.
McNulty is yet another Republican perjurer.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:28 pmSSDD, eh, Zooey?
Comment by Zimzone
Another day in paradise…
February 9th, 2007 at 12:29 pmA new collegue recently started and she came from the EPA. In our conversations she stated that she is not a political junkie but one of the reasons she left after 10 years is the things that she has seen in the Bush administration. She said that there has been a huge difference between the Clinton and Bush years. Contractor and lobbyist access to high level management has been tremendously increased and in meetings with them the midlevel people have been kept out and couldn’t provide information or even discuss the topic. Decisions were based on the lobbyist information. So sad to see and yet so common now.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:33 pmWhy does this administration love criminals??
February 9th, 2007 at 12:35 pmYawn… Gee, looks like Democrats won’t be pushing for impeachment. Their such spineless cowards.
Comment by Liberals Heart Terrorists — February 9, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
I lead you to this:
The Pentagon’s Inspector General has found that Rumsfeld aide Douglas Feith’s rogue pre-war intel group was an “inappropriate†use of intelligence by Pentagon civilians, and was “predisposed to finding a significant relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda.†Senate intel chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) says he will probe whether the Pentagon broke the law by “failing to notify Congress about the group’s work.â€
Yep, spineless and cowardly indeed, but not from the Democrats
Valerie Plame and her mouthpiece lying husband are sort of yesterday’s news.
do you even think before posting? What trial is going on right now, involving Libby? and Why? Please research and report back!
Wake me when something interesting happens. OR when Democrats actually stand up to Bush on the war.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:36 pmWell, at least we know the deaths of our brave soldiers in no way interests you. Typical. As for when the Democrats actually stand up, I take you way back to election day, Nov 2006. That’s when The citizens of the United States of America actually made a stand.
Thank you for another nonsensical post, IHL
The best legal system money can buy…
February 9th, 2007 at 12:37 pmWhy does this administration love criminals??
Comment by RUCerious
Because they are too.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:44 pmLiberals Heart Terrorists — February 9, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
How’d that electoral smacking taste on November 7th, the one where you and the rest of the rapidly dwindling number of W lackeys and quislings were shown, by the voters themselves, that you and your ilk do NOT represent the political, social and religious mainstream in this country?
Actually, those who love the terrorists are W and Cheney, seeing as how they gave Usama bin Laden a free pass to bankroll further terrorist attacks on US soil by cutting and running into Iraq instead of finishing off the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan
And if you still support W & Cheney, then you obviously support UbL and further terrorist attacks on US soil as well
But hey, maybe you’re right, maybe the Libby trial will actually get more people to approve of W than they do now, after all, what better shows loyalty to the US than outing intel operatives for nothing more than a hissy fit of political pique?
February 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pmCan always hope the next administration uses the current corrupt laws to lock up Team Terror in Gitmo …. forever.
Unfortunately it’ll more then likely it’ll be more of the same.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:49 pmLet’s make sure the criminal backer judges are in power in case they need to decide something like, oh, I don’t know, a too close to call election in 2008 maybe?
February 9th, 2007 at 12:57 pmI am hardly surprised.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:57 pmBut there are many, many useful things partisan federal judges can do in their spare time besides that…..
February 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pmKingC!!!! LOL, you called them “quislings” - haven’t seen that one used in a long time…might be lost on your target though - I’ve found that most of them are very unfamiliar with dictionaries.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:05 pmTom,
the very term Quisling, would not be lost on a Norwegian. Generally speaking however, I don’t think most non-scandahoovians would get it.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:08 pmSo this “new” legislation needs to be retroactive to undo these “firings”.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:11 pmAnd it needs to be done quickly with a vetoproof majority in both houses.
Will all of this happen, I doubt it. This is line in the sand time!
This is very dangerous ground. Gonzales needs to be investigated.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:17 pm#16 - Old news. Bush lied, kids died. Intel was botched. AND you don’t even realize the hatefulness in your argument - BushCo went to war for $$. That’s a disgusting charge and explains why you don’t have the White House (or Supreme Court!)
As for Rockefeller - puh-leeze, investigate. AND then he can explain why he supported the war in the first place. As chairmen of the senate intel during the 2002 vote, he either a.) wasn’t doing his job or b.) really believe Sadam had WMD.
But go ahead, embolden the enemy so more Americans die. There is a special place in hell for your kind.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:18 pmThere is a special place in hell for your kind.
Comment by Liberals Heart Terrorists — February 9, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
There is a special place in hell for quislings like you. frankly the idea of bringing troops home so they don’t get shot at, what a concept is a much smarter move then leaving them in the middle of a civil war, but if you want to believe I want more americans to die go for it. There is a special place in the loony bin for you and the rest of the marginalized 30%
February 9th, 2007 at 1:26 pmWelcome to your occupation. America is an occupied territory.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:27 pmAND you don’t even realize the hatefulness in your argument - BushCo went to war for $$. That’s a disgusting charge and explains why you don’t have the White House (or Supreme Court!)
Comment by Liberals Heart Terrorists/IHL — February 9, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
Please point out, where in my argument (debate) of your post was hateful or disgusting. And please point out where I said BushCo went to war for dollar signs.
Keep pushing the goal posts, buddy ol pal, keep pushing!
puh-leeze, investigate. AND then he can explain why he supported the war in the first place.
Well, this shouldn’t be too hard. Let’s see, he supported the war over faulty intelligence from certain people, that he is now investigating.
boggles the brain, doesn’t it, IHL?
But go ahead, embolden the enemy so more Americans die. There is a special place in hell for your kind.
He says with a grin, as he declares American soldiers dying doesn’t interest him.
Let’s see, I donate clothes and supplies to the military, and I pray for their immediate and safe return. Yep, if I truly am going to hell, at least I know I’ll be next door to you, labeled as the pseudo-christian hypocrite.
But hey, thanks for playin’ and not debatin’!!!
February 9th, 2007 at 1:30 pmLHT is a special kind of idiot. Since it’s not the latest hot Fox News it’s not important. So how many more soldiers will die because of Democrats? And how many more soldiers will die because of inadequate equipment when the “Surge” takes place. Where’s the accountability in this administration?
Answer that before you hoist your “I Love Rove” flag you hack.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:35 pmLHT re: #10 - don’t come here, we’ll call you when it turns out you were right all along, mm’K?
February 9th, 2007 at 1:36 pmGood Morning America, how are ya.? Just another Friday in bull shit bush bizarro world…
#29..Krazny…Love your post’s, keep it going……Blessings all I’m going to hug a bunch of trees..
February 9th, 2007 at 1:38 pmDictators purge government employees with impunity don’t they?
February 9th, 2007 at 1:42 pmImpeach AG put him on trial for his crimes against the U.S. Government.
Treason.
Bush is the enemy of America and is out to destroy American Governemnt.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:51 pm#36 - I wish Democrats were as stupid as you were. Impeachment would give us a chance to highlight Queen Nancy - she would be next in line if you got rid of Bush and Cheney. That would send Americans back in Bush’s fold almost immediately.
Besides, America did not vote for impeachment. They voted for new ideas and a way out of Iraq - neither of which the left wing offers. You just offer hate for Bush and your country and the troops.
February 9th, 2007 at 2:10 pm#19 King Cranky, that’s gonna leave a mark
February 9th, 2007 at 2:15 pm#37
February 9th, 2007 at 2:18 pmHey IHL!
Care to debate my post #31, or is it just easier for you to name call.
Typical
LHT - nice hysteria….keep it up.
I’m sure Shooter is proud of you, whether he goes to Red Lobster with you or not.
February 9th, 2007 at 2:28 pmThe pukes are hiding something.
February 9th, 2007 at 2:32 pmWe’ve done more gun cases, drug cases, gang cases, child exploitation cases, identity theft cases than any office has done in any five year period of time.â€
Daniel G. Bogden, former U.S. Attorney in Nevada
Mr. Bogden,
Your prosecutorial successes in this criminal Bushite junta…
…actually sealed your doom…
…”starving the beast” is the right wing Repulsivescum inbred TRAITORS’…
…ideological agenda to destroy the people’s faith in our system of governance…
…Katrina, Iraq, Afghanistan and every other misstep this criminal bushite cabal have taken…
…have all been with the ultimate aim of DESTROYING our way of life…
…Bush, Cheney, et al are the enemy…
February 9th, 2007 at 2:39 pmoops!
my apologies for the double post…
…didn’t see the first one had taken…
…this delay is maddening!
February 9th, 2007 at 2:40 pm#37 In case you were out of the country during the mid-terms, americans voted, unequivocally, to rid this country of the corruption of this administration and to stop the Iraq insanity immediately! I guess you were otherwise indisposed since you did not get the message which everyone else heard loud and clear??
February 9th, 2007 at 2:51 pmYep, Big Pappa……it’s always the “ENEMY WITHIN” we must be more careful about, isn’t it? The “enemy without” in this case is a trumped-up enigma and/or non-human ideology. Ever try fighting an ideology with guns and ammo? It’s a lose/lose.
February 9th, 2007 at 2:52 pmBUSH LIES/AMERICAN CONTINUE TO DIE! HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE CONTINUE TO ENABLE THIS INSANITY? (A must-read: “Bush On The Couch” by Justin A. Frank, M.D.) And, if you’re not convinced enough after you finish it, try reading “The New Pearl Harbor” by David Ray Griffin regarding 911. If that’s not enough to convince you that something smells putrid in the highest places of this country, try Arthur Schlessinger’s now-antique work but even more apropos than it was in the 70’s (Nixon era)….THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY. This stuff will make a normal person’s skin crawl!
February 9th, 2007 at 2:55 pmLHT - A very pedestrian (paid?) troll of the GOP…yeparoo….Let’s not feed the trolls. Thanks for the tip-off….just got it!
February 9th, 2007 at 2:56 pmLet’s see: What would happen if these maligned attorneys who were fired for no reason (other than going after corrupt GOP mobsters) got together in a class action suit against this white house for their dismissal? Now that could become quite fascinating, indeed. And they certainly have the legal expertise to really bring items this administration would probably rather not have the public know about - front and center. Let the games begin!
February 9th, 2007 at 2:58 pm48 - I’m pretty sure the Fed judges that have been railroaded onto the benches would throw their case out. - These crafty bastards are always thinking one machiavellian step ahead…..
February 9th, 2007 at 3:04 pmBut go ahead, embolden the enemy so more Americans die. There is a special place in hell for your kind.
Just what kind of twisted logic is this? Republicans put the troops in danger but since Democrats want them out of danger, then more Americans die? This is so stupid it defies explanation. If someone wants the war to end, it does not “embolden the enemy” and make more Americans die. In fact, I’ll bet the enemy (who ever that is) doesn’t even know that the poster wants the war to stop.
People like “Liberals Heart Terrorists ” who try to disquise their hatred by putting blame on others are the worst kind of scoundrels on this planet. They just want to kill anyone who is not their race. They are racists plain and simple. They want to kill ALL the Muslims because somewhere, someone blamed a false flag operation on a few of them. They want to Kill everyone of that race because they all need a lynching to satisfy thier lust for blood and violence. These kind of people are the worse in the world and should be elliminated or they will cause more bloodshed up the road.
February 9th, 2007 at 3:19 pm“Besides, America did not vote for impeachment. They voted for new ideas and a way out of Iraq - neither of which the left wing offers. You just offer hate for Bush and your country and the troops.”
How twisted. Do you have amnesia? America did vote for impeachment. But Nancy doesn’t want to recognise that. But she will have no choice soon. And Dems have quite a few ways to get out of Iraq, but Georgie doesn’t want to listen and wants to do it his way.
We know that the Republicans do not support the troops in action. They just say that they do, and then cut off their supplies and stuff. Republicans think that the more soldiers that die, then the better America is. Twisted.
Liberals Heart Terrorists, Are you even paying attention or just spouting crap out of your mouth?
February 9th, 2007 at 3:25 pmAs it was in Hitler’s Third Reich, Bushland Uber Allies in the Fourth Reich rewards faithful butt-licking toadies of CHIMPya by giving them cushy positions in an overt display of partisan politics. The Inquisitor General Alberto VO5 Gonzales, that nervous, sweaty-browed, insane, grinning ghoul of INJUSTICE and UNLAWFULNESS, should be the ONE to GO along with other criminal members of Bushland Uber Allies! Their single-minded credo is “Heil CHIMPya!” Well, I have a salute for them–the Arm and Hammer(tm) gesture with an extended middle finger thrown in for good measure!
February 9th, 2007 at 3:43 pmIt is amusing to see how much outrage there is on the left over the firing of some US attorneys. Somehow this is an unprecedented political move by the evil Chimpy Bushitler (TM). And yet, not a single peep was heard when an earlier president fired every single US attorney in one day. Anyone care to guess which recent president did that? Perhaps the current outrage is less a matter of principle than of raw partisanship.
February 9th, 2007 at 4:56 pmTom, you make a good point. But, keep in mind that at that point, none of these attorneys were involved with cases involving corruption related to his administration. In this case, it’s not so much politics as it is corruption. After all, this is over 6 years into the Bush administration, and many of these attorneys are involved with cases potentially embarassing to Bush. That was not the case in 1993. They were “cleaning house” after 12 years of Reagan and Bush. There is a difference, although it is the National Review’s job to blur the distinction.
February 9th, 2007 at 6:10 pmOne is left to wonder what other little gems were stuck into the re-authorization of the USA Patriot Act and/or other laws in the middle of the night at the behest of the Justice department or whomever. I find it shocking that Senator Spector had no idea that his staff member did this. Who is making the laws in this congress? It would seem the answer is lobbyists and staff members. So what exactly are we paying these congressmen and senators for then? Since when can staff members just insert provisions into laws without anyone knowing anyway?
I agree that had the administration followed in the steps of the Clinton administration and fired all the AGs outright at the beginning of his term, this would not have been such a big deal. But to explicitly fire them regardless of the quality of the job they are doing to install “proteges” is at best suspect and at worst the height of corruption and arrogance signalling the end of the empire.
February 9th, 2007 at 6:34 pmramifys: “Liberals Heart Terrorists, Are you even paying attention or just spouting crap out of your mouth?”
Wait, wait, I know the answer. Is it “spouting crap out of your mouth?”
February 9th, 2007 at 7:10 pmre # 54
Bluedog49, I readily agree that there is a difference between firing some US attorneys 6+ years into an administration and firing all at the beginning of one.
Perhaps there was a need for “cleaning house” (as you put it) when Mr. Clinton took office that justified firing every sitting US attorney on day 1, but then again, perhaps it was just political payback. No matter what the justification, it was an action that ignored 200+ years of restraint by Democratic and Republican administrations, alike. In fact, not even the Federalists and anti-Federalists saw fit to conduct wholesale dismissals of US attorneys when administrations changed. I find it odd that those on the left, generally considered to be good-government types, had nothing to say about that action at the time.
We will have to part company on your other contention that “none of these attorneys were involved with cases involving corruption related to his administration”. Although technically correct the way you stated it (His administration has just begun and therefore had no opportunity for corruption.) there were active investigations into Mr./Mrs. Clinton at the time of the mass firing. A quick check of the history of the Resolution Trust Corporation will show that several criminal referrals involving the Clintons and/or their business partners and acquaintances were in process at the time.
February 9th, 2007 at 9:36 pm[…] Think Progress, we found out that some of the attorneys were never told why they were fired asked to resign: […]
February 13th, 2007 at 10:47 am[…] Bogden, McKay, and Charlton have all confirmed that the Justice Department did not cite any performance-related issues when it told them to resign. […]
February 13th, 2007 at 11:07 am[…] sufficiently lockstep with policy at the “national level” (although a number of them got no explanation for their […]
February 13th, 2007 at 6:52 pmDear Congress:
Although I am glad to see you rushing in to protect our wrongly fired U.S. Attorneys, I must ask you - WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? The very same political network, “good old boy clique,†that fired these attorneys, has been around for years attacking other federal government employees who dare to speak out against wrongdoing. Yet you, dear Congress, have done nothing to protect these brave souls who dare become National Security Whistleblowers.
Currently there is no real whistleblower protection for government employees on the front line of our national security (Border Patrol Agents, Customs Agents, Transportation Security Agents, etc.). Many of these government employees have endured wrongful firings, harassment, threats, and other retaliation on an enormous scale for simply doing the right thing. They have witnessed extreme instances of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption that they are required by law to report. For many of them, what they have witnessed are criminal acts by their mid-level and sometimes very high-level managers. If they don’t report these abuses, they the employees may be criminally charged with a felony (Misprision of Felony). Yet when they do the right thing, the whistleblowers are most certain to be severely retaliated against by the people benefiting from the wrongdoing.
Moreover, this has been documented and presented to Congress repeatedly by numerous organizations like The Government Accountability Project (GAP), the Project On Government Oversite (POGO), and the Patrick Henry Center. All three of these organizations list scores of National Security Whistleblowers that have testified repeatedly before Congress in different forums (e.g. the 911 Commission; the Blue Ribbon Commission; Whistleblower Counsel). Yet the Whistleblower Protection Act that was authored and sponsored by Senators Akaka and Grassley, and has passed the Senate, sits idle for months now on the House floor.
As you rush to protect these more powerful federal government employees (U.S Attorneys) who are often hand picked by their home state Senators, remember, there are others who have suffered much more because they have risks much more via the national security issues that they have reported. I doubt that these U.S. Attorneys will have to file bankruptcy because they are being “blackballed†by corrupt government officials, in the same way that National Security Whistleblowers do. I doubt that these U.S. Attorneys will fear the threats and intimidation to themselves and their families; repeated frivolous internal affairs investigations; the passing over of earned promotions, and numerous other tools that government managers have at their disposal to discredit whistleblowers and SHUT THEM UP.
Yet you, Congress, point the “Political Finger†at the folks who have fired these U.S. Attorneys, while you sit and allow much worse behavior to continue for others. Maybe someone should wave that same “Political Finger†back at themselves. Why is it that the U.S. Attorneys have been given preferential treatment over other government employees who, quite frankly, have put their necks much more on the line for this country than the U.S. Attorneys?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that the firing of these attorneys is political, morally wrong, and perhaps illegal - BUT SO WHAT! Why are you rushing to their aid over the dead bodies of National Security Whistleblowers who were also government employees - and I do mean literally dead bodies. Numerous whistleblowers have had their lives so destroyed by doing the right thing, that they have died of heart problems due to stress, and/or have committed suicide. The whistleblower cases that I have witnessed, including my own, are much more egregious and appalling than what has happened to the U.S. Attorneys. One may conclude that the answer to this question is that U.S. Attorneys are simply more powerful in their positions, and can be of more assistance to Congress in said positions - hence fostering the notion that this sudden interest for Congress to protect them is merely POLITICAL! Therefore, while you waive the “Political Finger†at this administration for firing these attorneys, please take a close look in the mirror at the other end of that very same finger - which is pointing straight back at you! I would encourage you to provide protection to ALL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, not just the influential ones.
Sincerely,
Darlene Fitzgerald
March 14th, 2007 at 5:24 pmNational Security Whistleblower & proud of it
Author: “BorderGate, the story the government doesn’t want you to readâ€
http://www.BorderGate.net