In April, when U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Rachel Paulose was appointed, the controversy was almost immediate. First, her predecessor, Thomas Heffelfinger, resigned under suspicious circumstances. Second, Paulose treated herself to an elaborate “coronation,” complete with a Marine Corps honor guard and choir. Third, she clashed with her top three deputy prosecutors, all of whom resigned in frustration. (“They did it jointly because they couldn’t stand her anymore,” one source said, citing what was described as her “dictatorial management style and general lack of management experience.”)
At the time, officials at the Justice Department blamed some kind of systemic prejudice. The New York Times reported, “Ms. Paulose’s defenders at Justice Department headquarters said the criticism of her was unwarranted. They said older lawyers had difficulty dealing with a young, aggressive woman who had tried to put into place policies important to Mr. Gonzales like programs to combat child exploitation.” Even then, it was a pretty weak defense.
The Times added today that conditions in Minnesota have gone from bad to worse.
Now, the 34-year-old Yale University Law School graduate is the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel into allegations that she mishandled classified information, retaliated against those who crossed her, and made racist remarks about a support staff employee, said multiple sources in Minnesota and Washington, who declined to be identified because the probe is still under way.
In addition, an internal Justice Department audit completed last month said her employees gave her very low marks, alleging that she treats subordinates harshly and lacks the requisite experience for the job, said several sources familiar with the audit. Her performance review was so poor that Kenneth E. Melson, head of the department’s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, took the unusual step of meeting with her in Minnesota several weeks ago, two sources said.
Maybe the concerns about Paulose weren’t driven by older lawyers who couldn’t deal with a “young, aggressive woman”?