President: Morford is New Deputy AG
A career federal prosecutor will serve at least temporarily as the new deputy attorney general in the troubled Justice Department, replacing one of a half-dozen senior officials who have announced their departures in the midst of ongoing controversy over alleged politicization of the prosecutorial process.
The White House announced today that President George W. Bush has named Craig S. Morford to the deputy AG post. Currently serving temporarily as U.S. attorney in Nashville, Tenn., he will step into the shoes of Paul J. McNulty when he leaves. A permanent appointment requires Senate confirmation, but the administration didn’t say whether Morford will be nominated to serve in this job permanently, reports the Washington Post.
A 20-year career prosecutor, Morford is known for prosecuting organized crime cases in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. He is perhaps best known for trying former Congressman James D. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, convicted in 2002 of taking bribes and gifts to intercede for businesses with government agencies, reports the Associated Press. Traficant is now serving an eight-year term in a Pennsylvania federal prison.
