After an 18-month investigation, the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility released a report today on the Bush administration’s controversial removal of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006. Though the report finds that three of the attorneys were fired for political reasons, “former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales will not be referred to a federal grand jury for his role” in the firings.
Instead, the report recommends that Attorney General Michael Mukasey appoint a special prosecutor to “determine whether the evidence demonstrates that any criminal offense was committed” in any of the firings. In a statement today, Mukasey named Nora Dannehy, the acting U.S. attorney of Connecticut, as the special prosecutor:
The Report leaves some important questions unanswered and recommends that I appoint an attorney to assess the facts uncovered, to conduct further investigation as needed, and ultimately to determine whether any prosecutable offense was committed with regard to the removal of a U.S. Attorney or the testimony of any witness related to the U.S. Attorney removals. [...]
Therefore, I have asked Nora Dannehy to exercise the authority of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia for purposes of this matter. In that capacity, Ms. Dannehy will report to me through the Deputy Attorney General.
According to the Washington Post, Mukasey’s decision to appoint a special prosecutor ensures “that the politically charged issue will extend into the next administration.”
While Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has said in the past that he would support investigations into potential crimes by the Bush administration, McCain has hinted that he isn’t interested in reviewing Bush’s corruption. McCain’s top strategist, Steve Schmidt, has also previously dismissed the seriousness of the U.S. attorney scandal, calling it “a combination of nonsense and politics.”
Potential crimes described in IG report include lying to investigators, obstruction of justice and wire fraud. Will McCain pledge to continue the investigation?
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