US attorneys scandal

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No Criminal Charges in Firing of US Attorneys

Justice Dept. won't press Gonzales case

(Newser) - 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

Nevada prosecutor to get old job back

(Newser) - 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

Image of corruption-busting prosecutor plays well in recession

(Newser) - 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

On torture, wiretapping, and more, Bush legacy rests with successor

(Newser) - 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
...

Rove Will Cooperate in US Attorney Firings Inquiry

Had refused to take part in earlier investigation

(Newser) - 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...

Rove Slapped With Another Subpoena
Rove Slapped With Another Subpoena
Jan 26, 2009 8:40 PM CST

Rove Slapped With Another Subpoena

Conyers demands ex-Bush adviser talk about attorney firings

(Newser) - 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
10 Democrats
Obama Must
Watch Out For
ANALYSIS
Jan 22, 2009 1:05 PM CST

10 Democrats Obama Must Watch Out For

Conyers, Feinstein, Biden could be pains in president's rear

(Newser) - 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
...

Proof Mounts of Impropriety by Feds in Siegelman Case

US Attorney continued to guide case after recusing herself over GOP ties

(Newser) - 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...

Mukasey Taps Prosecutor for Attorney Firings Case

Conn. official Dannehy could force likes of Rove to testify

(Newser) - 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.

Probe Finds Bias in Justice Dept. Hiring

Perceived Democratic ties sank applicants for prestigious programs

(Newser) - The Justice Department screened applicants to its internship and recruitment programs for conservative attitudes and credentials, rejecting applicants with liberal-sounding resumes, the Washington Post reports. Today's report by the department’s inspector general details a history of partisan hiring practices beginning in 2002 and concludes that the process "undermined...

House Panel Subpoenas Karl Rove
House Panel Subpoenas
Karl Rove
May 22, 2008 4:42 PM CDT

House Panel Subpoenas Karl Rove

Lawmakers want to know if attorneys were fired over politics

(Newser) - A House panel slapped Karl Rove with a subpoena today to compel his testimony on the White House's role in the firing of federal attorneys and the prosecution of Democratic Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, the Chicago Tribune reports. Rove, due to appear July 10, refused requests to speak voluntarily to...

No Joy in Job Hunt for Ex-Attorney General

Employers say thanks, but no thanks to Alberto Gonzales

(Newser) - Ex-attorneys general often enjoy elite private sector jobs, but disgraced Alberto Gonzales is still job-hunting since he resigned last August, the New York Times reports. Lawyers say perjury allegations concerning testimony about eavesdropping and his role in the politically motivated firing of federal prosecutors are the biggest problems with Gonzales'...

Bush Lashes Out at Gonzales Critics
Bush Lashes Out at Gonzales Critics
Aug 27, 2007 1:41 PM CDT

Bush Lashes Out at Gonzales Critics

Prez says AG's 'good name was dragged through the mud'

(Newser) - Remaining loyal to his old Texas pal, President Bush fiercely defended Alberto Gonzales today despite grudgingly accepting his resignation. Bush said the AG suffered "unfair treatment" and that his "good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." Some Republican lawmakers echoed Bush's statements while others...

Miers May Face Contempt
Miers May Face Contempt
Jul 12, 2007 5:37 PM CDT

Miers May Face Contempt

House panel finds former attorney to Bush was out of order in stiffing subpoena

(Newser) - In a 7-5 vote, a House panel found that former White House counsel Harriet Miers was out of order when she rebuffed a subpoena calling for her to testify about her involvement in the US attorney firings last year. Miers declined to appear before the Judiciary Committee  under orders from...

Ex-Aide Stays Tight Lipped on Attorneys

Sara Taylor respects former boss's executive privilege claim

(Newser) - Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing for...

White House Orders Miers to Clam Up
White House Orders Miers
to Clam Up
Jul 11, 2007 3:12 PM CDT

White House Orders Miers to Clam Up

Bush instructs ex-official to defy congressional subpoena

(Newser) - On President Bush's orders, Harriet Miers will ignore a subpoena and will not appear tomorrow before a House committee investigating the US attorney firings. The ex-White house counsel "has absolute immunity from compelled congressional testimony," current counsel Fred Fielding wrote to her lawyer in a letter made public...

Bush Aide Will Invoke Exec Privilege

Promises to answer limited questions as "willing private citizen"

(Newser) - Former Bush political director Sara Taylor will answer limited questions from Congress but steer clear of anything she thinks would violate executive privilege, according to a copy of her opening statement released early this morning. Taylor is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee later today as part of...

Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas

Cites executive privilege in bid to stop Miers, Taylor testimony

(Newser) - In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer...

Leahy Ready to Take White House to Court

Senator stands behind subpoenas in US attorney probe

(Newser) - Patrick Leahy has a message for White House officials who object to subpoenas issued in the US attorney firing investigation: See you in court. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman took the dispute over executive privilege to the airwaves today, saying, "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far"...

Democrats Dole Out Subpoenas
Democrats Dole Out Subpoenas
Apr 26, 2007 8:58 AM CDT

Democrats Dole Out Subpoenas

Congress gets tough on U.S. attorneys players—and calls Condi in to talk Iraq

(Newser) - The Democratic Congress flexed its oversight muscle today, with both houses dishing out subpoenas all the way up to Condi Rice. A House committee subpoenaed the Secretary of State to discuss the lead-up to the Iraq War, while both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees summoned aides involved in the...

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