Indianz.Com > News > Prosecutor named for US Attorney firings

Prosecutor named for US Attorney firings
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Filed Under: Law | Politics

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a federal prosecutor to continue an investigation into the firings of several U.S. Attorneys.

Nora R. Dannehy is expected to make a preliminary report within 60 days about the firing of David Iglesias, the former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico. Iglesias, whose father is from a tribe in Panama, was removed after Sen. Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico), who is retiring this year, complained that he wouldn't prosecute state Democrats before the November 2006 election.

Dannehy also will try to determine whether former Department of Justice officials lied about their involvement in the scandal. Potential targets include former attorney general Alberto Gonzales and Kyle Sampson, a former Bush administration aide who played a role in the 2002 firing of former special trustee Tom Slonaker.

The appointment came after the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility at DOJ released a long-awaited report into the firings. It said political factors played a role in the removal of some of the prosecutors but cited stonewalling from the White House and some of the people involved.

Get the Story:
Lawyer to Continue Inquiry Into Prosecutor's Firing (The Washington Post 9/30)
Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianz
Prosecutor Is Named in Dismissal of Attorneys (The New York Times 9/30)
Username: indianzcom, Password: indianzcom
Prosecutor to examine firings of U.S. attorneys (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/30)
Domenici Key in Firing of Iglesias, Report Says (The Albuquerque Journal 9/30)
Acting U.S. Attorney To Investigate Justice Department Dismissals (The Hartford Courant 9/30)
Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianzcom
Report: Ex-U.S. Attorney John McKay likely fired because he angered his boss (The Seattle Times 9/30)

DOJ Report:
An Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 (September 2008)

Related Stories:
DOJ releases report on firings of US Attorneys (9/29)
No charges for former attorney general Gonzales (9/2)
No charges for illegal hirings at Justice Department (8/13)
HuffPo: Civil rights probe targets DOJ attorneys (8/6)
Column: High school kids ran DOJ, says Heffelfinger (7/31)
Indian Country advocate hindered by top DOJ aides (7/29)
Report: DOJ appointees broke law on hiring (7/28)
Report: DOJ broke law in hiring young attorneys (6/25)
Indian Country prosecutor ousted over gay rumor (4/9)
Gonzales cites commitment to Indian Country (08/15)
DOJ denies US Attorneys were fired for Indian work (6/22)
Gonzales not committed to Indian Country (6/13)
Editorial: DOJ firing squad targets Indian Country (6/8)
Top DOJ aide denies Native voting claims (6/6)
DOJ cut off Indian voting rights probe in Minnesota (5/31)
White Earth chairwoman seeks ouster of Gonzales (5/30)
NCAI concerned about DOJ's commitment to tribes (5/29)
Heffelfinger supports probe into 'broken' DOJ (5/25)
Ex-DOJ aide cites 'concern' about Indian focus (5/24)
Fired U.S. Attorney of New Mexico has Native roots (5/22)
Heffelfinger was a target in U.S. Attorney purge (4/27)
Attorney firings reviewed at Senate hearing (4/20)
Indian Country crime an issue in US Attorney firing (4/2)
Opinion: Fired U.S. Attorney helped Michigan tribes (3/30)
Documents shed light on US Attorney firings (3/20)
E-mails shed new details on US Attorney for Arizona (3/14)