So, what do my lawyer/law student subscribers think of the recent happenings re: federal prosecutors?
4 thoughts on “Lawyer thoughts”
They handled it very, very badly. The USAs all serve at the President’s pleasure, but dear lord, they couldn’t find a better way to switch ’em out? Please.
What everyone above me said. There’s no question that Bush was well within his powers to fire them. What I find disturbing is Republicans’ argument that, because the President has the power to dismiss the USAs at will, he also has the power to do so without any political ramifications. Just because you have the power to get rid of someone for political reasons doesn’t mean that people can’t question the politics of the whole thing.
There’s also at least reasonable suspicion, it would appear, that Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson violated US laws about interfering with ongoing investigations when they put in their pre-election calls to the USA in New Mexico.
It is one more nail in Bush’s political coffin. I think the democrats on capitol hill will make a lot of hay with this one. If not strictly a legal problem, their action was unethical and that can, politically speaking, be just as damaging to the White House.
They handled it very, very badly. The USAs all serve at the President’s pleasure, but dear lord, they couldn’t find a better way to switch ’em out? Please.
Bush can fire them if he wants. Congress can investigate why he fired them if it wants. The system is working.
What everyone above me said. There’s no question that Bush was well within his powers to fire them. What I find disturbing is Republicans’ argument that, because the President has the power to dismiss the USAs at will, he also has the power to do so without any political ramifications. Just because you have the power to get rid of someone for political reasons doesn’t mean that people can’t question the politics of the whole thing.
There’s also at least reasonable suspicion, it would appear, that Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson violated US laws about interfering with ongoing investigations when they put in their pre-election calls to the USA in New Mexico.
It is one more nail in Bush’s political coffin. I think the democrats on capitol hill will make a lot of hay with this one. If not strictly a legal problem, their action was unethical and that can, politically speaking, be just as damaging to the White House.