Shake-up has U.S. attorneys all shook up
How's this for a bit of double-speak -- getting rid of the anti-corruption unit in the U.S. attorney's office is a great way to fight corruption. Ummm -- what?
That's how office spokesman, Thom Mrozek, explained the move to disband the group of 17 lawyers who focused on high-profile corruption cases. But workers within the unit say it's all about retaliation. Scott Glover reports:
The lawyers described a meeting last week in which an angry [U.S. Atty. Thomas] O'Brien derided attorneys in the office for working too few hours, filing too few cases and for speaking ill of him to subordinates.
They said O'Brien also threatened to tarnish their reputations if they challenged the official explanation for the unit's dismantling in conversations with reporters. Members of the unit contacted by The Times either spoke on the condition that they not be named or declined to comment. Several said they wanted to talk about the situation but feared reprisals if they did so.
What happens now to the unit that went after crooked politicians in South Gate and Lynwood and took on rogue cops? Full story here.
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In light of the untoward politicization of DOJ by Gonzales and his being chased out of office as a result, shouldn't there be zero tolerance for this type of thing? Big investigation of corrupt Republican Congressman and DOJ Republican appointee disbands the unit investigating the Congressman? Maybe the US Atty should spend less time in SWAT gear at search warrants and more time with the ethics handbook.
Posted by: Concerned | March 20, 2008 at 09:12 PM