How many U.S. Attorneys were fired?

August 15, 2007

It’s been a little while, but the last time we checked in with the purge scandal, about a month ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked the AG how many U.S. Attorneys he’d fired during his tenure. He said he didn’t know.

After acknowledging the nine we know about from the purge, Gonzales said, “I’m not aware, sitting here today, of any other U.S. Attorney who was asked to leave — except there were some instances people were asked to leave, quite frankly, because there was legitimate cause.” (Given that he’d just named nine other U.S. Attorneys who’d been fired, it sounded like he was conceding that they’d been fired for illegitimate causes.)

He added, “Senator, there may have been others [fired prosecutors]. I would be happy to get back to you with that kind of information about who has left. But I don’t know the answer to your question. But I can certainly find out.”

Since Gonzales was a little confused, and wasn’t able to answer the question, Feinstein waited for additional information. She didn’t hear back. So, Feinstein followed up with the Justice Department, asking officials to fill in the blanks. It’s not a trick question: beyond the nine we already know about, how many U.S. Attorneys have been fired during Gonzales’ tenure.

The good news is, Feinstein finally heard back from the Justice Department. The bad news is, DoJ officials have decided not to cooperate with the request.

Paul Kiel reported:

“We believe that information responsive to Senator Feinstein’s question was provided to the Committee in the course of the staff’s confidential, transcribed interviews of Department officials,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski wrote to Feinstein in a letter last week.

But if her question was answered, Sen. Feinstein must have missed it. The Justice Department’s reply is “wholly unsatisfactory,” Feinstein says.

Of course it is. Feinstein, who has oversight jurisdiction over the Justice Department, has a simple, factual question. It’s hard to screw up — count the number of fired U.S. Attorneys and share the number with the senator. Indeed, it’s worth remembering that the DoJ doesn’t actually have a choice here — officials can either provide Feinstein with an accurate answer, they can provide her with an inaccurate answer, or they can claim executive privilege.

These clowns have decided to look behind Door #4 — pretend that Gonzales deal with the unanswered question when he said, “I don’t know the answer to your question.”

Remember, these are the top law-enforcement officials in the United States.

What’s wrong with America?

  • This is what they get for taking impeachment off the table. The administration has no reason to comply.

    A bully grabs a kid’s lunch money. The kid says “give it back.”
    The bully says “you gonna make me?”

    Why should Gonzales answer shit? Who’s gonna make him? Huh? HUH?!

    It’s not the actions of evil people that put us in danger. It’s the inaction of everyone else.

  • I think the facsist bahstahds are up to something big – I’m finally on board with the “they’re not planning to leave in January 2009” school of thought. I think maybe even Karl got scared (or that he wasn’t going to get that Information Czar position in the New Reich).

  • This is why I refer to the Bush Administration as a Private Corporate Cabal. The People have nothing to do with this administration except as props. Even basic information is privileged.

    It was at least nine plus one U.S. Attorneys that were canned.

    Wayne Madsen Report May 13-14 [emphasis added]

    The focus on the DC Hookergate story has now moved to Baltimore, and the firing by the Justice Department in December 2004 of the US Attorney for Maryland, Thomas DiBiagio. DiBiagio was fired, along with a number of other US attorneys, after George W. Bush’s re-election for political reasons. One of DiBiagio’s public corruption targets was the staff of then-Republican Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, some of whom had engaged the services of Madam Palfrey’s escorts.

  • But even door #3, in any world on this side of the Looking Glass, isn’t an option. the number of Asst AGs removed from office or asked to leave is hardly confidential — one could ask each AAG who is no longer on the job. This is really a pure thumbing of the nose at Congress by saying “you want it, you can go work for it.” I continue to be amazed that COngress puts up with this. . . stuff.

  • Colonpowwow (#3), I’m starting to wonder if you’re right.

    If the Clinton administration had acted this way, it would have been headlines every damn day. Now, this happens and there’s not even a raised eyebrow.

    I’m so damn tired of this.

  • Man, now they’re just yanking their chain for the fun of it!

    It’s amazing the way the Senate has allowed its status to diminish so badly. In the old days, Senators had ego and pride, and if a bureaucratic lackey pulled a stunt like that, watch out! Even if you’d already told a Senator the answer, if they asked you, you’d repeat the answer, and respectfully.

    I can’t imagine a single reason why the number and names of US Attorneys dismissed during Gonzo’s tenure shouldn’t be simple public information. This is still a democracy, not a corporation, and we have a right to know.

    Scum.

  • Passive resistance is a very effective, but horribly maddening, tactic, which the administration has used since Day One. It boils down to, “You can’t make me,” and so far, that’s been the case – no one has been able to “make” them do anything they don’t want to do, including answering questions and providing documentation.

    This might not be the case if there were a consequence for their refusal, but so far, all we’ve heard are threats which come up empty – and as long as the WH knows the threats are empty, they have no reason to comply.

    I could kind of make the argument that the Democrats are going by the book, building a case and a record, except that I see no indication that whatever case they are building or record they are making is going anywhere, either.

    Time to fish or cut bait – if there is nothing going to come of this, they ought to stop wasting everyone’s time; otherwise, it’s just getting our hopes up that these criminals will finally suffer the consequences of their actions.

  • Okay, I know I’m hopelessly naive, but isn’t there someway of putting a little fear into these people without resorting to impeachment? Benczkowski is essentially taking the fifth but hasn’t formally done so. If we can throw a reporter into jail for failing to cooperate why not one of these “officials?” Citing executive privilege for this should be utterly absurd and irrelevant. After all, it’s a simple FACT!

  • And so Diane just voted to give Gonzo more authority to spy on us over the next 6 months. Which I don’t understand given her realization of what he is. Can anyone explain that to me?

  • They’re just screwing with Congress and Congress is letting them get away with it. Censure? Impeach? Complain loudly? Oh I forgot; they are on vacation. None of them deserve to get their jobs back, especially Dianne Feinstein who voted away our fourth amendment rights..

  • Feinstein has been climbing the political ladder over dead bodies since she became mayor of SF when a homophobic pig, shot Mayor Moscone & Supervisor Harvey Milk.
    That she sees fit to endanger everyone by repeatedly voting with Leibershame & the bushco administration comes as no surprise to this old time DFH.

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