Administration snubbing Democrats and appointing GOP candidates for US Attorney

[nichomachus]

http://www.mainjustice.com/2011/07/11/administration-ignores-dems-in-utah-u-s-attorney-vetting/

The Barack Obama administration will consider another Republican nomination for a U.S. Attorney position – the latest case of the Democratic administration deferring to Republican-recommended appointees.

The Obama administration is vetting David Barlow, currently the legal counsel to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), for potential appointment as U.S. Attorney for Utah, the Salt Lake Tribute reported.

On Friday, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced that he recommended Barlow to the White House. ... Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, told the Tribune that Barlow’s nomination ignored the state's many talented Democratic attorneys, some of whom he recommended to the White House himself.

And this isn't the first time the White House has ignored its party's suggestions for U.S. attorney nominees. President Barack Obama snubbed Texas Democrats last month by nominating Republican picks for all four U.S. Attorney's Offices in Texas. ... Home-state senators typically recommend candidates to the White House, unless both of the state's senators are of different parties than the president – as in the case of Utah and Texas. In those cases, the administration usually looks to its party's House members for recommendations, but Obama has bucked that trend with recent nominations.