It took longer than it should have, but in 2003, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from any involvement in Patrick Fitzgerald’s Plame investigation. Before he was confirmed by the Senate, Alberto Gonzales vowed to do the same. Deputy Attorney General James Comey, therefore, has been the Justice Department official to whom Fitzgerald answers, and to his credit, Comey has taken a hands-off approach.
Comey, however, is heading off to a lucrative gig at Lockheed Martin. To whom will Fitzgerald report now? Well, that could be a small problem.
Comey was the only official overseeing special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s leak investigation. With Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recused, department officials say they are still trying to resolve whom Fitzgerald will now report to. Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum is “likely” to be named as acting deputy A.G., a DOJ official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter tells Newsweek.
But McCallum may be seen as having his own conflicts: he is an old friend of President Bush’s and a member of his Skull and Bones class at Yale. One question: how much authority Comey’s successor will have over Fitzgerald.
And quite a question that is. Steve Soto explained a while back that McCallum, a former tobacco industry lawyer, has a colorful conservative background, in addition to his close ties to the president.
There are still plenty of uncertainties here. McCallum has not officially been tapped to replace Comey and McCallum may feel it necessary to recuse himself from the Plame probe.
Still, the situation is disconcerting, to say the least. We may soon have a close Bush ally overseeing the federal criminal investigation into the Bush White House. Insert joke about foxes and henhouses here.