Paulose ‘provoked’ staff with National Review comments.
Paulose ‘provoked’ staff with National Review comments.
Last Friday, Power Line’s Scott Johnson published a National Review piece defending U.S. attorney Rachel Paulose, who stepped down yesterday. In the article, Paulose says that allegations she used a racial epithet against an employee are “McCarthyite hysteria”:
In her first on the record statement regarding this charge, Paulose states: “I NEVER made any such statement. I have told the department so, and the department is defending me against this outrageous and defamatory lie.”
Paulose adds: “The McCarthyite hysteria that permits the anonymous smearing of any public servant who is now, or ever may have been, a member of the Federalist Society; a person of faith; and/or a conservative (especially a young, conservative woman of color) is truly a disservice to our country.”
According to Paulose’s predecessor, Thomas Heffelfinger, the interview “provoked some of Paulose’s staff.” On the same day as the National Review article, at least “one senior lawyer resigned” from Paulose’s office.
UPDATE: The Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that the Bush administration has been “slow to submit the names of U.S. attorneys for confirmation.” “As of late October, there were 23 acting or interim U.S. attorneys out of 93 districts, according to numbers provided by the Senate panel.”
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Paulose has classic conservative victimhood syndrome. Paulose, was not “attacked” because she has “faith”, because she is a conservative, or because she is a woman or a person of color. She was criticized for being a political crony who put the political needs of her benefactors above the needs of the department she ran and the citizens who she served.
I think it is highly amusing that she plays both the race and sex cards. If this petty parting shot, accusing her critics of being rascist and sexist, not to mention McCarthyist, is indicative of how she responded to criticism and challenges in the conduct of her job, then I am very glad she no longer serves this country.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:11 pmYeah, but she gets to “depart” right into the bowels of the Justice Department where she can do even more harm to America.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:54 pmWhat a b!tch!
November 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pmIf the Red-baiting fits…….
November 20th, 2007 at 1:00 pmPaulose: a”… person of faith; and/or a conservative (especially a young, conservative woman of color) is truly a disservice to our country.†– – Geeze, it’s almost as bad as pitting brothers Buzzy and Cookie against each other.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:01 pmHow come Hillary can’t use that gender crap but Pa-louse can?
When your entire legal staff threatens to resign en masse, that would remove the ‘anonymous’ portion of the rant. I especially like the ‘a person of faith’ line. That one is rich. These folks no nothing of Jesus’ teachings. They revere an idealogue (Bush), not the bible.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:04 pmI count six victim cards: woman, color, young, Christian, conservative, Federalist. What a pathetic crybaby. Some ironies worth noting:
1. The person who accused her of racist slurs is a woman of color (note that this accusation was corroborated by another staff member and that the allegation is being taken seriously enough to be under investigation).
2. Heffelfinger, a staunch conservative, has been forthright that her dismissal is a good thing for the office, where morale has plummeted under this bible-verse spouting incompetent brat.
3. DOJ headquarters had to perform an emergency extraction to avoid the embarrassment of another mass resignation by senior staff, which came about as a direct response to her inflammatory and defamatory quotes in the National Review article written by her friend, partisan hack lowlife Scott Johnson of Powerline. Heckuva job inciting a near riot in the USA office, Scott, you pathetic little freak. I’ll bet there is a lot of chatter about that going around Minnesota legal circles.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:21 pmSeems to me when you have career civil servants retiring due to her management practices, you might want to reconsider if she has the right experience and acumen for the job…oh darn I forget this is the bush administration…as long as you’re a loyal sycophant who can recite Bible verses, that’s all the qualifications you need!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:21 pmAmazing. The wingnuts conitinually argue that that racism has been eradicated so Afirmative Action is no longer needed, that feminists who cry foul are just whiny women who can’t play with the big boys. Until they get in trouble.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:23 pm“Waaaaauuuugggghhhh. Me. It’s all about meeeeeee. I’m a victim…………”
<*bleeeeecccchhhh*>
At least Brownie had the good sense to STFU.
But what gives with Mukasey giving her a job? Does he need to beef up his political operative/FedSoc staff? If so, why? Di? Chuck? Any idea?
Cheers,
November 20th, 2007 at 1:25 pmAs for that part about anonymous people smearing her, I say b*llsh*t, Rachel: those four senior managers who resigned sure weren’t anonymous. Heffelfinger, a harsh critic, isn’t anonymous. The manager who submitted his resignation on Friday isn’t anonymous, nor is the other manager who threatened to do so on Monday.
People in the office don’t hate your guts because you are a woman of color, a conservative, a Federalist, young, or a Christian, Rachel: they hate your guts because you are YOU.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:26 pmI think Mukasey had to get her the hell out of there, but didn’t want to outright fire her. Put a quiet end to the madness.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:33 pmAccording to the Star Tribune, Paulose won’t depart the Minnesota office immediately, but instead will leave sometime later this year. Eric Black, former Strib reporter and political insider says that Paulose had already isolated herself from the staff before this latest blowup. Clearly she isn’t actually running the office anymore, except in name. So why delay her departure for Washington? Could it be that Mukasey plans to dump her after the investigation sustains the charges, and is just buying time to placate the Minnesota office?
Bye bye, Rachel.
And I want to extend a hand of thanks to Scott Johnson for making it all possible. Way to go, Scott!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:34 pmShe failed her department, her co-workers, and her country.
Time for a promotion!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:42 pmJust want to note that the incredible prevalence of interim and acting officers in Justice is a recurring pattern in the Bush Administration. They don’t want a confirmation fight so they just slip people in under the radar, either through recess appointments or through the use of “interim” officeholders. The Bush Administration should be known as the Temp Administration.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:08 pmName one liberal woman of color in the public eye that the Right hasn’t attacked.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:35 pmIt is amazing that so many of the President’s minions find themselves victims. Have we ever seen so many victimized appointees in any previous administration, Republican or Democratic? It seems as if all of these career civil servants have been closet liberals for years just waiting to pounce on a conservative Republican. Its not like former Regan administration officials criticize the DoJ under this administration or want to see the President impeached. Oh yes, they do. These people are corrupt scum that deserve to be hunted down, rounded up, given a drum head court and executed.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:47 pmShe’s channeling Karl Rove. Pure and simple.
She’s doing the attacking, but then claims to be a victim of those she attacked.
Karl Rove bugged his own office, then blamed the other guy.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:47 pmCitiDC,
DARVO = ROVD
November 20th, 2007 at 2:49 pm16 – Conservatism is wrong, destructive, and completely ineffective, and that’s why its cheerleaders get attacked, in EEOC-approved ways.
You’re not very good at the “spinning” thing.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:59 pmName one conservative woman of color in the public eye that the Left hasn’t attacked.
Comment by cold_hard_left — November 20, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
Name one that isn’t a chimpy-blowing, immoral, moronic half-wit. just one. you think we don’t know that these conservative women of color are chosen because they will do a terrible job, thus strengthening the Republican position that “women and coloreds” don’t belong? We’re not a dumb as you look.
November 20th, 2007 at 3:15 pmI think it is highly amusing that she plays both the race and sex cards. If this petty parting shot, accusing her critics of being rascist and sexist, not to mention McCarthyist, is indicative of how she responded to criticism and challenges in the conduct of her job, then I am very glad she no longer serves this country.
Comment by fletc3her — November 20, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Unfortunately, she’s only leaving that position and will hold one in the Office of Legal Council (Justice Department) in D.C. As for “serving this country,” none of these people have ever done anything except serve themselves and their own ideology.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:31 pmName one conservative woman of color in the public eye that the Left hasn’t attacked.
Comment by cold_hard_left — November 20, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
Name one liberal woman of color in the public eye that the Right hasn’t attacked.
Comment by pinson — November 20, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
I’m one of them thar “equal opportunity” attackers. I don’t hesitate to scourge male/female or black/white/yellow/brown/red (or green) persons in government if they are dishonest, manipulative, corrupt or incompetent. When such a person pulls one of these “cards,” you know damn well they are trying to justify and defend their actions.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:43 pmHa! Ha! La Paulose is playing the victim card (I am a woman; I am a woman of colour). Leave it to the Republican ideologues to always play the persecution card.
Face it, Paulose. You are an incompetent little twerp who was given this job because you are a cronie of Gonzales and a religious right crackpot.
You are not qualified for the job. Three of your most senior prosecutors willingly demoted themselves so that they would not have to be involved with your extraordinarily stupid decisions and your totally incompetent style of management.
That’s what happens when people are not willing to pay their dues to acquire the experience necessary to acceed to a higher position and instead rely on cronyism and nepotism to move up in their job.
Anyway, don’t worry, Rachel. The end of nepotism and incompetence is approaching quite fast. You will be back where you belong, at the bottom of the totem scale, and you will have then have to learn what it really takes to move up in your chosen field: competence, humility, and hard work. Hopefully you’ll learn your lesson. If you don’t, there will be plenty of spots in arch-conservative places where you’ll be able to nurture your delusions of intelligence and competence.
November 21st, 2007 at 5:31 pm