DOJ Plans No Criminal Charges in Political Firings of 9 US Attorneys
A special prosecutor brought in by the Department of Justice to investigate the apparent politically motivated 2006 firings of at least nine United States attorneys has concluded that no criminal charges should be filed, reports the Blog of Legal Times.
“Based on a consideration of all the evidence and the legal standards, [Nora]. Dannehy concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish that persons knowingly made material false statements … or corruptly endeavored to obstruct justice,” writes Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ronald Weich in a letter to Congress today reporting the result of her probe. Welch heads the DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs.
A lengthy 2008 report (PDF) into the firings by the DOJ criticized a number of those involved in the firings and recommended a further investigation.
Additional coverage:
Associated Press: “Justice Dept. Opts Not to File Charges for Bush-Era U.S. Attorney Firings”
Updated at 4:39 p.m. to link to 2008 DOJ report and related ABAJournal.com post.
