US attorneys scandal news stories on Newser

No Criminal Charges in Firing of US Attorneys

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:01:46 CDT

The Bush administration's Justice Department didn't commit any crimes when it fired nine federal attorneys in 2006, a two-year investigation has concluded. The internal report removes the possibility that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who resigned in part because of the controversy, will face prosecution. The report did fault him...

Obama Nominates US Attorney Fired Under Bush

Rob Quinn — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:49:29 CDT

A US attorney fired by the Bush administration is set to get his old job back, the Washington Post reports. Daniel Bolger, whose 2006 firing is among those being probed for partisan motivation, has been nominated by President Obama to again be the federal prosecutor for Nevada. Former Attorney General...

GOP Finds Promising Candidates in US Attorneys

Nick McMaster — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:18:01 CST

US attorneys have been a sore subject for Republicans since the Bush administration's politically motivated dismissal of eight prosecutors in 2006. But in the Obama age, the office is becoming a wellspring of strong Republican candidates, Politico reports. The current climate of public distrust toward government and financial institutions means...

Obama Could Expose Secrets of the Bush Years

Gabriel Winant — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:19:00 CST

Good government groups spent years suing and lobbying to expose the Bush administration’s secrets. Will President Obama spill the beans on his predecessor? Politico outlines major secrets Obama can choose to air or keep: US attorney firings: Claiming executive privilege, Karl Rove refused to testify. But Rove has been re-subpoenaed,...

Rove Will Cooperate in US Attorney Firings Inquiry

Matt Cantor — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:49:35 CST

In a reversal, Karl Rove will cooperate with a federal investigation into the firings of nine US attorneys, Talking Points Memo reports. Rove had refused to cooperate in an earlier inquiry on the firings, which Justice Department officials said severely “hindered” the inquiry. A lawyer for Rove says the earlier...

Rove Slapped With Another Subpoena

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:40:00 CST

House Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers subpoenaed Karl Rove today to testify about alleged politicization of the Justice Department, USA Today reports. Subpoenaed for the first time last Congress, Rove claimed executive privilege and refused to show. Conyers said that unlike former President Bush, President Obama does not support immunity...

10 Democrats Obama Must Watch Out For

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:05:01 CST

The good vibrations can’t last forever. Sooner or later, President Obama is bound to run afoul of members of his own party. Glenn Thrush, in Politico, scopes out the suspects: John Conyers: The irrepressible House Judiciary chairman wants to investigate the US attorneys scandal and other potential Bush-era malfeasance, despite...

Proof Mounts of Impropriety by Feds in Siegelman Case

Nick McMaster — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:40:01 CST

New court documents call further into question the actions of Justice Department officials in their prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman on corruption charges, Time reports. With the Democrat’s appeal scheduled for next month, the House Judiciary Committee disclosed violations by the Bush-appointed US Attorney, Leura Canary, who publicly...

Mukasey Taps Prosecutor for Attorney Firings Case

Kevin Spak — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:08:01 CDT

Michael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor today to look into the attorney firing scandal today, Reuters reports, after an internal investigation came up empty-handed. Many top witnesses, such as Karl Rove, didn’t cooperate, but could now be subpoenaed by Connecticut prosecutor Nora Dannehy.