thinkprogress.org — Today during a press briefing in Mexico, President Bush attempted to defend his prosecutor purge, stating that firing prosecutors ?has been a customary practice by presidents. U.S. attorneys and others serve at the pleasure of the President. Past administrations have removed U.S. attorneys.
Mar 14, 2007 View in Crawl 4
anastropheMar 14, 2007
US attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. period. *when* they are fired may have some nominal 'customary' practice, but that's utterly meaningless in the context of what is legal or not. that incoming presidents tend to clear out past administration US attorneys after coming into office is no less or more "wrong" than doing it at any other time."United States Attorneys are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for a four-year term. See 28 U.S.C. Sec. 541. Upon expiration of this term, the United States Attorney continues to perform the duties of the office until a successor is confirmed. United States Attorneys are subject to removal at the will of the President. See Parsons v. United States, 167 U.S. 314 (1897). "i see nothing in there stating "are subject to removal at the will of the president so long as it is right after the new administration comes into office. at any other time, it is considered malfeasance and will be cause for much uproar and righteous indignation".do you?
closedcaptionMar 14, 2007
So, the emails promoting firing an attny because he wouldnt prosecute dems is ok? The attnys fired got calls saying dont go in front of the congress "unless" and they (all republican) said that that was Obstruction of Justice is ok? and Gonzalez first sayin that it was because of performance in front of congress, which he later took back, is ok too even tho its a felony?
anastropheMar 14, 2007
one more time: everything you cite is within the bounds of 'at the will of the President'. dropping all 93 US attorneys at the start of a term is 100% purely politically motivated - it has nothing to do with the US attorney's actual performance, it's a mini political purge.do you have a citation for gonzalez testifying before congress that they were fired for performance? if so, then you may have some basis for suggesting a 'felony' has occurred.
Closed AccountMar 14, 2007
Care for some cheese with this whine?
closedcaptionMar 14, 2007
And the calls from Republican senators applying pressure on Attnys is common too huh? And the obstruction of justice accusations from republican prosecutors is common too right?"Yes it is" - Stalin <a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge</a>
doctechnicalMar 15, 2007
Dear God! You mean there's... POLITICS going on in Washington DC?I swoon....