Obama to replace U.S. Attorneys

Source: Politico

President Barack Obama plans to replace a "batch" of U.S. Attorneys in the next few weeks and more prosecutors thereafter, according to Attorney General Eric Holder.

"I expect that we’ll have an announcement in the next couple of weeks with regard to our first batch of U.S attorneys," Holder said Thursday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing which stretched out over most of the day due to breaks for members' votes. "One of the things that we didn’t want to do was to disrupt the continuity of the offices and pull people out of positions where we thought there might be a danger that that might have on the continuity--the effectiveness of the offices.But...elections matter--it is our intention to have the U.S. Attorneys that are selected by President Obama in place as quickly as they can."

Holder's comments begin to resolve questions in the legal community about whether the new administration would hesitate to replace the chief prosecutors en masse because of the intense controversy that surrounded President George W. Bush's unusual mid-term replacement of nine U.S. attorneys in late 2006. In addition, legal sources said some Bush appointees were looking to burrow in, in part to avoid a grim economic climate for private-sector legal jobs.

However, by using terms like "elections matter," Holder seems to be signaling that Obama plans to install new leadership in most offices.

Pressure from lawmakers and local Democrats to replace the sitting prosecutors has been significant. Holder's comments Thursday came in response to a question from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) "Many jurisdictions are waiting desperately to see what is going to be done. As we understand it, the protocol has been that U.S. Attorneys would hand in their resignations and would give the new administration an opportunity to make new appointments, we don’t see that happening quite fast enough," she said, pointing to complaints about prosecutors in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0509/Obama_to_replace_US_Attorneys.html

:applause:

Trust NOT any Bush appointed judge.

Maybe we'll get a whole new direction from the Justice Department after all.

The trustworthy prosecutors were already purged by Bush.

it's normal to replace them all or almost all. I've heard that he's going to ask Patrick Fitzgerald to stay on in Illinois.

None of them will resist, or should resist I should say. These are shrubbo apointees and who knows how many of them fresh with "degrees" from such notable institutions as Regent "University" or other bible-thumping degree mills feel that their position is ordained from Gawd, kind of like Joan of Arc.

It is pretty common to replace them all, or most of them, anyway at the beginning of a new term.

But I don't really trust many Bush appointees. I imagine there are a few good ones out there that should be kept on, but any of them that followed BuchCo orders to run false investigations of "voter fraud" in the runup to the 2k4 election should be fired out of hand. Hopefully, we can get back, at least part way, to a Justice Department that cares about the law and not politics.

It's just standard practice. As we all got so sick of hearing over the last few years. These people serve at the pleasure of the President, he tells them to quit, they quit, they have no choice and no opportunity for redress.

The one's I'm more worried about are the "moles" that were shrubbo appointees converted to career positions in a practice called burrowing. These aren't US attorneys but other lawyers in the department that can cause no end of trouble. These are the people that need to be rooted out and fired.

evidence that a lot of Bush hires were from Christian schools, including Christian law schools that were not accredited. That came out when the AG firings first came out.

I wouldn't trust one person that the chimp appointed. And the sooner Panetta cleans out the cesspool of puke employees at the cia, the better.

Thursday, December 04, 2008
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Mary Beth Buchanan -- "I am open to considering further service to the United States."

Despite a new administration coming into power, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said she plans to stick around ... When a new president is elected, U.S. attorneys of both parties generally tender their resignations. Instead, the Republican said she plans to continue her work in the Western District of Pennsylvania ... http://post-gazette.com/pg/08339/932615-181.stm

but if the Justice Department at the direction of Eric Holder and President Obama tell her to pack her bags, she's packing her bags.

I didn't know about her, haven't been following it too closely, but now that she's gone begging for support from that POS Sessions I think Obama ought to have security pack her shit up and leave in on the curb Monday at 8:00 AM.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht said he's elated and feels a great sense of relief. He made those comments to reporters hours after a federal judge in Erie dismissed evidence obtained from search warrants that built the government's case against the world-famous forensic pathologist. After his offices were raided and boxes of records, personal files and his computer were seized, Wecht was indicted by the government in 2006, accused of using his public staff and resources, for his private practice ... http://kdka.com/kdkainvestigators/Cyril.Wecht.case.2.1009970.html

Wecht ruling could end his trial
Prosecution loses key decision on search warrants
Friday, May 15, 2009
By Paula Reed Ward and Sadie Gurman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
... Dr. Wecht was indicted in January 2006 on 84 counts in which the government claimed he used his public office for private gain. On the eve of trial nearly two years later, the government dismissed 43 of those counts. The case was tried before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab over several weeks in early 2008 before ending with a hung jury in April of that year ... Late last summer, the appeals court sent the case back to the district court, but ordered that a new judge be appointed to hear it. In January, Judge McLaughlin held an entire day of oral arguments, which he then followed with additional arguments in March. In the meantime, the government had further pared the case down to 14 counts ... http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09135/970382-455.stm

FBI Agents Contacted Wecht Jurors
By Paul Kiel - April 11, 2008, 1:40PM
The latest from Pittsburgh, where the U.S. attorneys' office continues to drop jaws with its handling of the case. From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Two jurors said Thursday they were unnerved by FBI requests for home visits to explain why they deadlocked in the federal public corruption trial of former Allegheny County coroner Cyril H. Wecht... http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/fbi_agents_contacted_wecht_jur.php

The sooner Buchanan's shown the door, the better

sometimes if a US attorney is in the middle of something big they are allowed to stay for certain periods of time but it's up to the Obama administration whether or not it's allowed. She's asking Sessions to plead her case to Justice it looks like, now we'll see what happens.

on edit: I'm not at all familiar with the case she's talking about. Is it something big, that may need support from a standing US Attorney? She likely has her fingers in the Siegelman debacle so I kind of doubt she'll be there for any length of time all of course IMHO.

"U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the U.S. President and typically offer their resignations at the change in presidential administrations." Jeff Sessions may run Alabama but that's it. I hope Obama fires all the US attorneys there before they hang Don Siegelman.

was in response to a post that suggested all the US Attorneys had submitted there resignations -- but actually, Buchanan and Martin refused to. Martin went running to Sessions because she hoped he'd have the clout to DC to cover for her -- though, of course, 2009 may not be the best time to be a white racist dimwit in our nation's capitol

:thumbsup:

something

Goodbye to bad rubbish! :thumbsup:

She the one who set up Tommy Chong with the total entrapment case "Operation Pipe Dreams". Her priorities are completely at odds with Obama's.

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/mary_beth_buchanan_a_us_attorney_that_just_wont_quit/

http://www.cannabisnews.org/united-states-cannabis-news/tommy-chong-the-unanticipated-warrior/

http://blog.buzzflash.com/analysis/552 (When Justice Got Bonged: Mary Beth Buchanan Vs. Tommy Chong)

After all the disappointment of the past week or more, I hate to be cynical but the timing of the announcement just makes me think he's trying to deflect criticism. Sort of like the past eight years have been..... Like I said, I'm sorry to be cynical, but after the war continuing, no torture investigations, gazillions of dollars continuing to go to the banksters, etc., etc., it just seems like more of the same old same old.

Obama was supposed to end the wars in the Middle-east? Jeesh..and here I thought Iraq was supposed to be 18 months and Afghanistan was going to be the primary focus. What? No torture investigations? My Congressman is involved in investigations. Does that count? The bailouts that happened in October? I know that every action our government takes has some hidden goodies tucked away in it..but did the bailout under Bush do what it was supposed to? I know people don't like Geithner and Summers, but what are the latest actions that remind you of the last 8 years? What is your timetable for the expectations you have? Obviously things have to be done, when you want and how you want, regardless of what else is going on.

You have valid points - my comment came from what I see as regular contradictions of what was promised during the campaign and the actions taken once in office. He promised to close Gitmo, now it's open and running military tribunals. His justice department is employing Bush/Cheney legal arguments in trying to keep detainees in, not trying to work on a way to get them out and close the place down. Being talked out of releasing the latest torture photos for whatever reason goes against the transparency he promised, and not releasing them stalls the kinds of investigations that will lead to real discovery of facts - which should then lead to accountability.

I'm still waiting to see something happen for the people, but all I'm seeing is corporations getting everything as under Bush/Cheney, and we the people being told there's no money for single payer health care, for Social Security (see DK on the front page - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x312613), for helping people stay in their homes. It's business as usual on Wall St., not so much on Main St.

Granted Congress has the most to do with that, but I would like the presidential bully pulpit used to speak up for we the people - like he did with the insurance companies and Big Pharma when they promised not to gouge us so much. He tried to sell us on what great idea it was, how generous of them. If he wanted to do something for the people rather than continue the corporatocracy as it is, he would do the same thing for us, tell Congress tell, or sell, them on change. I'm just seeing it.

nor do you think. Everything you cite is a talking point, a brief synopsis like a to-do list. If you look behind every single item you mention there are your distortions. As in Gitmo. Yes it's closing, and yes there are new tribunals. We knew all of that. Single-payer? Never an option. A wish? Yes. A viable option, No. Not by this President. Obviously you did not listen to a thing he said throughout this campaign..and you are very selective in your reading. By the way, do your representatives support all that you expect? Are you demanding from them a timetable by which you want your demands to be met?

:yourock:

I can hear them now - "Look, Obama fired ALL of the U.S. Attorneys! Bush didn't do anything wrong!"

I mean, with Rove being interviewed today, the crackpots are all over the place reminding everybody that Clinton fired 93 U.S. Attorneys, so Bush and Rove didn't do anything. And they are completely incapable (unwilling) to see that all presidents get rid of all the U.S. Attorneys when they start their term. Now that Obama's replacing a batch of Attorneys, here we go again.

don't understand that the chimp firing prosecutors that he himself hired was unprecedented. At the beginning of the term he got all the resignations just like all the presidents before him. You really can't expect complex thinking from pukes.

Please read and sign his latest petition.



Justice for Don Siegelman!

am filling out anything for Don. USAone has one too for your reps. I like this one better though.

Thank you for standing with Don.

Can we get a few more people to sign and write and donate? Siegelman's case has been weighing heavily on my conscience as a newly minted US citizen.

Its about time, and I really hope he doesn't run into impediments because he did not signal this at first. But this is the sort of thing he needs to do. "Bipartisanship" only works when both sides act in good faith...the republicans are a far fucking cry from "good faith".

We need to purge the political appointees Bush put in....they are giving Obama a bad name and they are running off of the reservation. Of course, that is why Bush put them there, isn't it?

U.S. attorneys to submit their resignations all at one time," she said yesterday.


Mary, that's not your decision. Stop overstepping and submit that resignation. If the President wants to accept it later, rather than sooner, that's up to him. If he wants to accept it immediately, that's up to him, too.

We need him here.

:thumbsup:

a sign of life in the WH.

Obama would get this matter at some point that, I think more proof that people need to be patient.

Maxine must be a real hoot to hang out with, but I wouldn't ever cross her on purpose.