[From Between the Lines]
Firing of U.S. Attorneys Fits White House Pattern of Abusing Power
RealAudio
Interview with David Becker, People for the American Way, conducted by Scott Harris
In the swirl of scandals engulfing President Bush’s second term, one of the latest involves the Justice Department firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Although these federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president, it appears that the post-election termination of these loyal Republicans was linked to partisan political maneuvering. Many of the eight attorneys fired had either been engaged in prosecuting Republicans or were deemed by the Bush administration as insufficiently aggressive when it came to prosecuting Democrats.
Allegations of misconduct include GOP legislators making calls to U.S attorneys in order to speed up the indictment of Democrats prior to the November 2006 Congressional election. When complaints about attorneys reached the White House, decisions allegedly were made to fire them. Although the White House and Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez originally denied any involvement in the firings, email messages confirmed that presidential advisor Karl Rove was involved in communicating some of these complaints to Gonzalez.
A little-known provision of the Patriot Act put in place last year, which allows the Justice Department to bypass Senate confirmation for U.S. attorneys appointed to replace terminated predecessors, may have motivated the firings. Now, Democrats chairing key congressional committees are working to forcefully investigate the scandal, and intend to subpoena Karl Rove and other administration officials. Many Democrats and some Republicans are calling for the resignation of Attorney General Gonzalez. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris, spoke with David Becker, director of People for the American Way’s Democracy Campaign, who was a senior trial attorney with the Justice Department for seven years in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. He examines the growing U.S. attorney firing scandal and how this conduct fits into a Bush administration pattern of abusing power.
David Becker is senior litigation counselor with People for the American Way. Contact People for the American Way by calling (202) 467-4999 or visit their website at www.pfaw.org
Related links:
- “Making a List of Reasons for Firing US Attorneys,” by Richard A. Serrano, The Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2007
- “Bush Clashes With Congress on Prosecutors,” by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times, March 21, 2007
- “House OKs subpoenas for top Bush aides,” by Laurie Kellman, Associated Press, March 21,2007
- “White House Offers Interview With Rove,” by Pete Yost, The Associated Press, March 20, 2007
- “Why I Was Fired,” by David C. Iglesias, New York Times Op-Ed, March 21, 2007
- “DOJ Threatened Retaliation Against Fired Attorneys,” by Jason Leopold, Truthout.com Report, March 21, 2007
- Transcript of Bush’s Speech, Truthout.org Transcript, March 20, 2007
- “CRS Report Reveals Audacity of Dismissals,” by Scott Lilly, Center for American Progress, March 20, 2007
- “Fitzgerald Ranked During Leak Case: Justice Dept. Fired 2 With Same Rating,” by Dan Eggen and John Solomon, Washington Post, March 20, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - “White House Seeks Gonzales Replacements,” by Mike Allen, The Politico.com, March 20, 2007
Tags: democracy, justice, election, president <BR/>