Justice Department picks ex-Brooklyn prosecutor to lead public integrity unit

[maddezmom]

Source: WaPo


By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 12, 2010

Justice Department officials have selected a veteran federal prosecutor with experience in death penalty and corruption cases to lead the public integrity section, which has struggled under intense scrutiny after a series of missteps last year.

Jack Smith, a former longtime assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn who is known for his courtroom skills, could join the public integrity unit within several weeks, officials said. For the past few years, Smith has coordinated sensitive investigations of foreign leaders accused of war crimes and genocide in his role as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Smith's selection opens a new chapter for the public integrity unit, a special corps of prosecutors who attack corruption in the judiciary, state legislatures and Congress.

Smith's deputy will be Raymond N. Hulser, who has been acting chief for months, since the departure of the previous leader in the aftermath of the abandoned conviction of former senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. dropped the public corruption case against Stevens last year after reviewing irregularities in the way prosecutors shared evidence and witness statements with defense attorneys.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/11/AR2010031102091.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[MsLeopard]

1. Dare we hope

that with his experience of coordinating "sensitive investigations of foreign leaders accused of war crimes and genocide in his role as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague" he might be inclined to hold BushCo accountable? Wait until Rahm hears about this.

[Wizard777]

2. Excellent choice. I like this. I REALLY like this.