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)
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Prosecutor Is Named in Dismissal of Attorneys (The New York Times 9/30)
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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)
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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)

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