Former Prosecutor Says Departure Was Pressured

[Rose Siding]

The former federal prosecutor in Maryland said Monday that he was forced out in early 2005 because of political pressure stemming from public corruption investigations involving associates of the state’s governor, a Republican.

“There was direct pressure not to pursue these investigations,” said the former prosecutor, Thomas M. DiBiagio. “The practical impact was to intimidate my office and shut down the investigations.”

Mr. DiBiagio, a controversial figure who clashed with a number of Maryland politicians, had never publicly discussed the reasons behind his departure. But he agreed to an interview with The New York Times because he said he was concerned about what he saw as similarities with the recent firings of eight United States attorneys.
...
His office had been looking into whether associates of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. had improperly funneled money from gambling interests to promote legalized slot machines in Maryland. Mr. DiBiagio said that several prominent Maryland Republicans had pressed him to back away from the inquiries and that one conversation had so troubled him that he reported it to an F.B.I. official as a threat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06prosecutor.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[Ian David]

1. "Whether ours shall be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress...

"...and ultimately the American people." -- Archibald Cox


Archibald Cox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Archibald Cox, Jr., (May 12, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American lawyer who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy, and later became best known as the first special prosecutor for the Watergate scandal. In a legal career of more than 60 years that began with clerking for the legendary federal court Judge Learned Hand, Archibald Cox was often part of the "establishment."



<snip>

Watergate special prosecutor

In May 1973, Cox took another leave to accept appointment as the first Watergate special prosecutor. Less than two months following his appointment, Cox learned with the rest of America of Nixon's secret tapes. Over the next few months, Cox, the Senate Watergate committee, and Judge John Sirica battled with the White House over those tapes. During the fight, after Sirica ordered Nixon to comply with the committee and Cox's demand, Cox offered the President a compromise. On October 20, 1973, in an event termed the Saturday Night Massacre, U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered Cox fired, due to Cox's insistence on obtaining secret White House tapes. Rather than comply with this order, both Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resigned. The order was ultimately carried out by the Solicitor General, Robert Bork. Upon being fired, Cox stated, "whether ours shall be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people."

The firing of Cox illustrated the need for independent counsels — prosecutors specifically appointed to investigate official misconduct. After Nixon's resignation, Cox became chairman of Common Cause, became the founding chair of the Health Effects Institute, and was made an honorary member of the Order of the Coif in 1991. Besides the Paul Douglas Ethics in Government Award, Professor Cox was also the recipient of the Thomas "Tip" O'Neill Citizenship Award.

[maddezmom]

2. not surprising but simply amazing

Our own gov't doesn't want US attornies to uncover corruption. :eyes:

[Judi Lynn]

3. Fired U.S. attorneys tell of 'pressure' by Republican lawmakers and Justice Department

Fired U.S. attorneys tell of 'pressure' by Republican lawmakers and Justice Department
International Herald Tribune, The Associated Press

Published: March 6, 2007

WASHINGTON: One of the U.S. attorneys who was dismissed by the Justice Department said at a Senate hearing Tuesday that a senior agency official warned the ousted prosecutors against speaking out publicly, while two others testified that Republican lawmakers contacted them about politically sensitive cases.

H.E. Cummins 3rd, who was removed last summer as a U.S. attorney in Arkansas, said that the chief of staff to Paul McNulty, the deputy attorney general, told him in a phone call that any of the prosecutors who spoke to reporters could face retaliation by the Justice Department.

In an e-mail to several other dismissed prosecutors that was disclosed at the hearing, Cummins wrote: "They feel they like they are taking unnecessary flak to avoid trashing each of us specifically or further, but if they feel like any of us intend to continue to offer quotes to the press, or to organize behind the scenes congressional pressure, then they would feel forced to somehow pull their gloves off."

The hearing offered a revealing glimpse into the backstairs infighting and intrigue over the dismissals, an issue that has become a serious distraction for the Bush administration. At the hearing, senators pledged to continue to investigate the personnel decisions by the management team under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
(snip/...)

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/06/news/justice.php

[Judi Lynn]

4. List of 8 dismissed U.S. prosecutors

List of 8 dismissed U.S. prosecutors
3/6/2007, 2:55 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

(AP) — U.S. attorneys whose resignations have been sought by the Justice Department in recent months:

_Carol Lam, the U.S. attorney in San Diego, who successfully prosecuted former Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in federal prison. Her last day in office was Feb. 15.

_Bud Cummins, the U.S. attorney in Little Rock, Ark., resigned Dec. 20 and was replaced by former Karl Rove assistant Timothy Griffin.

_Paul Charlton, the U.S. attorney in Arizona, announced Dec. 19 that he was resigning at the end of January.

_John McKay, the U.S. attorney in Seattle, said he was ordered by the Justice Department on Dec. 7 to resign.

_Kevin Ryan, the U.S. attorney in San Francisco, announced his resignation Jan. 16. Ryan was overseeing investigations into steroids use by major league baseball players and the backdating of stock options by Apple Inc., and other firms.

_Daniel Bogden, the U.S. attorney for Nevada, announced Jan. 18 he will resign effective Feb. 28.

_David Iglesias, the U.S. attorney for New Mexico. An assistant announced Iglesias' resignation Dec. 19.

_Margaret Chiara, the U.S. attorney in Grand Rapids, Mich., announced Feb. 23 she will resign on March 16.
(snip/)

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/base/politics-11/1173193748211560.xml&storylist=washington

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

5. Saw an article about how rare it is for these prosecutors to be dismissed

I have to find it, but the number for the last 20 yrs (excluding this administration) was in the single digits I believe.

I'll have to find it somewhere in my stack here. It was in the last two weeks, so hoepfully I can at least reference an article on paper.