Cummins Demands Apology

Source: The Morning News

Cummins Demands Apology
This article was published on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 7:30 PM CDT in News
By Aaron Sadler
THE MORNING NEWS
Email this story Print this story Comment on this story WASHINGTON -- Former Arkansas federal prosecutor Bud Cummins demanded an apology from the Bush administration on Wednesday over a former White House aide's assertion he was fired last summer for being "lazy."

Sara Taylor, President Bush's political director, made the comment in a Feb. 16 e-mail that was made public on Tuesday as part of a congressional investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.

Among them was Cummins, who was forced aside to make way for Tim Griffin, a Magnolia native who once worked in the White House political office and retained connections there.

"I deserve one, an apology, if somehow this 'lazy' issue is a suggestion I was fired for a performance reason," Cummins said Wednesday. He said other fired prosecutors have been "drug through the mud in ways similar to what happened to me through the revelation of that e-mail."



Read more: http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/06/13/news/061407dclazy.txt

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Fired U.S. attorney: 'I may be dumb, but I'm not lazy'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the federal prosecutors fired in a now-controversial shakeup dismissed a White House official's description of him as "lazy" Wednesday, saying those behind the firings don't have enough credibility left to bother him.

"I may be dumb, but I'm not lazy," H.E. "Bud" Cummins told CNN. "We all worked hard there, in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Nobody had ever brought an issue like that to our attention in the office."

Cummins was asked to resign as the top federal prosecutor in Little Rock, Ark., in June 2006. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told a Senate committee in February that Harriet Miers, then White House counsel, had recommended replacing Cummins to give ex-Rove aide Tim Griffin a chance to serve as U.S. attorney. McNulty's account triggered a furious reaction from Rove deputy Sara Taylor, then director of the White House political office.

more:http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/13/wednesday/index.html?section=cnn_latest

He was sort of mild in his opposition to the Bush Admin tossing him out, but this suggestion is going to piss him off.

here's what Todd Graves (a real bonafide republican - brother to Sam Graves (puke a-hole deluxe) R-MO) said in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 5:

When I received a call from Mike Battle in January of 2006 telling me that I had served honorably and that I had performed well, but that the decision had been made at the highest levels of government that it was time to give another person a chance to serve in my district, I accepted that without complaint.

<snip>

WHITEHOUSE: Thank you, Mr. Graves.
As somebody who has served in a similar seat, I accept and agree with your statements that it presents the prosecutor a nearly sacred responsibility. And I think Deputy Attorney General Comey has not only in the statement that you quoted but in other statements he has made, publicly and before these committees, set the bar where it should be.
Let me go back to the call from Michael Battle. Did he, when he indicated that they would be asking you to resign, suggest there was any performance-related reason?
GRAVES: He made it very clear that there wasn't. That's the first thing he said, "There are no performance issues, you have" -- I quoted from what he said, "You've served honorably and you've performed well. But the decision's been made at the highest levels of government to give another person a chance."
WHITEHOUSE: And so no reference to misconduct, either?
GRAVES: None whatsoever.
WHITEHOUSE: So do you have any idea what Ms. Goodling was getting at last month when she testified before the House Judiciary Committee that the decision to remove you as U.S. attorney may have been related to an investigation by the department's Office of the Inspector General?
GRAVES: Yes, that -- I know exactly what she was talking about.
I was immediately angry over that comment.
GRAVES: I think it is another example of those who have a bright spotlight cast on them for their conduct attempt to shift those things to the people that were asked to leave.
I immediately contacted the Office of Inspector General. I got a copy of that report. I released it to the press.