Clues Leak Out: How Obama Will Deal With Bush-Appointed US Attorneys

[No Passaran]

In a meeting last month with the Barack Obama’s transition staff, representatives of the nation’s top prosecutors caught a glimpse of the president-elect’s thinking on the politically fraught issue of what to do with the the current 93 U.S. attorneys.

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/01/transition-staff-briefly-addresses-the-us-attorney-question.html

[Luminous Animal]

1. This is total propaganda...

evidence, this phrase... " is going to be smart and be cautious. My gut feeling is it won’t be like it was in 1993,” said U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton of Texas’"

That would be Johnny Sutton, Bush appointee, making a baseless accusation against Democrat Bill Clinton, president in 1993.

He is insinuating that Bill Clinton's request that U.S. Attys. submit their resignations, en masse, was an anomaly, when, if fact, it is the standard. That is, an incoming president "fires" U.S. Attys, and then rehires them back on a case by case basis.


As usual, the Republicans are trying to change the rules. Democrats really really need to learn how to play this game.

[Lasher]

2. Good call.

US Attorney political appointments aside, I have been wondering what, if anything, Obama will do about the politicized DOJ career appointments that have occurred in the past 8 years. Probably nothing, methinks.

[Luminous Animal]

3. Hope springs eternal!

Haha! Not so optimistic, myself.

[Igel]

5. Don't think of submitting resignations;

think of accepting resignations.

The only thing I can remember is that the turnover was fairly complete (total?) and fast, and that was the anomaly. IIRC, it's usually less total and takes a bit more time. Less of a shock on the system.

That's what I would do, and what I would expect a cautious and wise president to do. (Then again, the way most people use "cautious and wise" is usually as synonyms for "what I would do", so I'm merely being redundant.)

[LiberalFighter]

4. Here is the email the US Attorneys received 11/4/2004 regarding their status

My Journal -- Link

In effect the US Attorneys already KNOW that their resignation can be demanded.

I even included all the recipients of the email in my journal.

The link at my journal doesn't work any more but the House Judiciary should have the document.