Why Two Bush Appointees Are Refusing to Leave

[sabra]

Source: The Daily Beast

Two U.S. attorneys appointed by Dubya are refusing to leave the Justice Department when Obama takes office. Their explanation: they've got too many corrupt Democrats to prosecute!

An internal report issued this week by the Justice Department brought attention to the Bush Administration’s efforts to “burrow” partisan ideologues deep in career civil service positions at the department. But even a few of Bush’s political appointees at Justice are giving the new Obama administration trouble. Though their lease may technically run out on January 20, U.S. Attorneys Mary Beth Buchanan of Pittsburgh and Alice Martin of Birmingham are resolved to stay in their posts. The Daily Beast has learned that both are arguing to the Obama transition team that their efforts to convict Democrats should guarantee them an extended stay into the Obama presidency.

...

Last month, Buchanan released a letter stating that she had no intention of submitting her resignation. An ideologically committed Federalist Society member, Buchanan is close to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who actively promoted her as U.S. attorney. Following her appointment in 2001, Buchanan quickly gained the favor and approval of the White House. In the key period of 2004-05, while groundwork was laid for what later became the U.S. attorney's scandal, Buchanan served as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the key position at Justice that oversaw all the 94 U.S. attorneys. A later internal Justice Department probe, in which Buchanan figures prominently, highlights the role played by that office in Karl Rove’s plan to sack U.S. attorneys.

...

Buchanan’s colleague in tenacity is Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin gained a nationwide reputation through two failed prosecutions: the first of HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy for fraud relating to the collapse of the former health insurance giant; and the other of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. Her conduct has been the subject of repeated investigations by Congress and the Justice Department’s ethics office, several of which are still pending. In the course of the last year, Martin has undertaken sweeping investigations targeting a large part of the state’s Democratic legislators and the Democratic mayor and city administration in Birmingham. She manages these cases in close collaboration with friendly Republican oriented media, which usually feature detailed accounts of her investigations and her proposed proof as the investigations conclude and arrests are undertaken.

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-01-... /

[liberal N proud]

1. Figures, Santorum is close to one of them.

[wyldwolf]

2. Obama, put Rahm on this. The'll be out of your hair in no time.

[Raster]

9. No shit. Let him go commando on their traitorous asses.

And then work to disbar them. They are a disgrace to attorneys everywhere.

[RamboLiberal]

40. As a DU'er from Pittsburgh area I'd love to see Rahm

go commando on Mary Beth! Really made me feel safer her prosecuting Tommy Chong and our ex-coroner Cyril Wecht. Wecht is no angel and in some ways yes he abused his power but most of it was small crap. If he was to be prosecuted it should've been by the county or the state. Mary Beth didn't need to bring the power of the federal courts down on him. Meanwhile she ignored the murders going down in this area where she could've brought the fuller power of the feds in guns and drug violations.

[bdamomma]

3. all of bushies trolls are still in those positions to cause problems

I do not trust any of them.

[Solly Mack]

4. lol

unreal

"both are arguing to the Obama transition team that their efforts to convict Democrats should guarantee them an extended stay into the Obama presidency."

Talk about unstable minds

[Jim__]

5. If they had too many corrupt politicians to prosecute, they might have an argument.

The fact that they seem to only want to prosecute democrats tells us that they are part of the corruption that bush brought to the Justice Dept.

[BattyDem]

11. Exactly!

The fact that they say they are needed because Democrats have to be prosecuted proves that they are partisan hacks who have no business being in the Justice Department.

[peacetalksforall]

6. Are we dealing with policy, tradition, courtesies - or the law?

What do the other Federalist Society lawyer-members think?

This is amazing. Not predictable, but not a surprise when you think about it.

Republicans playing by their rules - again? At the direction of the WH or the Federalist Society?

[Jefferson23]

7. I can't wait to hear the response by Obama on this one, unbelievable brass set by those two.

[stillcool]

8. egotistical, arrogant assholes..

who declare themselves above the law and government protocol...typical Bush appointees.

[Doctor_J]

10. That's what handcuffs, tasers, and night sticks are for

Then it's off to Gitmo or Leavenworth, and even though, there is no need to actually charge them, I would go ahead and book them for tresspassing, obstruction of government business, and impersonating a federal official.

[NOW tense]

12. Rats should run away when they get a chance

If there is an actual probe into the DOJ they will probably get swept up in the house cleaning.

[shireen]

13. easy solution

fire Buchanan
prosecute Martin (for filing false charges against Siegelman)

[No Elephants]

36. I like the way you think! Email change.gov!

[pattmarty]

14. Get the NRA's backing, and shoot the motherfuckers!!!!!!!

[Rebubula]

15. Who Fucking cares...

...they do not have that right.

They can submit the standard resignation or get thrown the fuck out. They have no choice if President Obama (damn that feels good to write and say - reminds me of the scene in Back to the Future 'Mayor Goldie Wilson, I like the SOUND of that') wants them gone.

This is a non-issue.

[hedgehog]

16. Whatever happened to the notion that US Attorneys " serve at the pleasure of the President"?

I guess memory loss is common to all Republicans!

[CatholicEdHead]

18. No, they want to stay on to impeach the Obama Adminstration from the inside

They want to restart the Clinton witch-hunts updated for the times.

[byronius]

17. Lovely. See the fingernail marks on the floor, as they're dragged out and thrown into the street?

Nice design. Leave it there. Wax it. It's art.

Goodbye, you fucking fucks.

[bluestateguy]

19. They're setting themselves up to be martyrs

Let me save you the suspense:

1) Obama asks nicely for these two trolls to please resign.

2) They ignore him.

3) He fires them.

4) The Right Wing Noise Machine screams bloody murder.

5) Republicans in Congress demand investigations and hearings.

6) No investigations and hearings result because it's a Democratic Congress.

7) The Right Wing Noise Machine then generates a new conspiracy theory to keep them busy for the
next 4-8 years.

That's how it works.

[Chulanowa]

20. Keeps 'm from being productive, at least

There's nothing worse than a Republican who gets shit done.

[Robb]

27. Not to be contrarian

...but how exactly would we know that?

[No Elephants]

38. LOL

[Usrename]

22. When Obama fires them, the right-wingnuts respond with...

... "See, Obama did it too! Why are you guys hounding Bush and Gonzales for firing U.S. Attys?"

[No Elephants]

39. Easy. Bush fired his OWN appointees.

[glitch]

25. That is exactly how it has worked. I am guessing Obama has a workaround this time. :) nt

[High Plains]

21. Mary Beth Buchanan loves to prosecute bong sellers.

That is one of her major claims to fame.

[jkirch]

29. She entrapped and prosecuted

Tommy Chong.

[timtom]

23. What's the problem here?

Just have Eric fire their scuzzy butts January 21 for malfeasance.

[okiru109]

24. Their explanation: they've got too many corrupt Democrats to prosecute! - lol

make sure everything is ALL well documented and handed over to the adults in charge on tuesday.

pass the word to your boss man, too

[Joanne98]

26. The NERVE!

[mbperrin]

28. Ummm, in private practice, you simply change the locks on their offices

and throw their personal shit out at the curb.

I'll be glad to demonstrate if I can get a little authorization to proceed...

[No Elephants]

37. Wait a minute there, cowboy. First, you BOX their personal shit. (No sense making a messy curb.)

[santamargarita]

30. I hope they leave the door closed when they toss these assholes...

...out of their offices.

[ManiacJoe]

34. That would be

destruction of government property.

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. Dipshits obviously forgot " serve at the pleasure of the President"

the excuse they used over and over and over for firing the 8 USA attorneys.

Saying they will not leave their positions is chutzpah beyond belief.


edit: spelling

[AndyTiedye]

32. If They Don't Leave, Frog-March Them Out

[GoddessOfGuinness]

33. Maybe they want to help with the prosecution of bushco.

Of course, if they don't do their job, just fire them.

[creeksneakers2]

35. A little off topic, but

what are they going to do about Patrick Fitzgerald? Firing a GOPer who is prosecuting Democrats is not easy.

[No Elephants]

41. Firing a GOP'er who is prosecuting other GOP'ers is hard. Firing anyone else is easy, unless

theyare smack in the middle of a trial. Even then, you get them to ask the court for a continuance for the United States before you fire them. If the court grants it, no problemo.

[RamboLiberal]

42. Mary Beth had a hung jury on the first trial of Cyril Wecht

Idiot should've never went for a retrial. Motions are only being heard at end of month. The case just should be dropped period! Obama needs to fire Mary Beth's ass.

[struggle4progress]

43. Alice Martin belongs in jail

[GetTheRightVote]

44. I do see how they can keep a job when they are told to leave, so no worries

but good posting for knowledge sharing and action taken, tell Obama's people.