Reply #30: Was AR USA Cummins Fired for Investigation of MO Gov. Matt Blunt ??

[L. Coyote]

U.S. Atty. H.E. “Bud” Cummins III, uncertain exactly why he was fired, wonders whether it had to do with probing alleged corruption by Missouri Republican officials. His January 2006 inquiry into allegations that Gov. Matt Blunt had rewarded GOP supporters with lucrative contracts to run the state’s driver’s license offices. U.S. attorneys in Missouri had recused themselves due to conflicts of interest. MO USA Graves, now fired, is related to a recipient of the contracts. The MO US Senate set was narrowly won by Democrats in 2006. Scandals may have played a role in that change.

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Former Bush aides subpoenaed
A showdown between the White House and Congress is seen as the pair are called to testify on U.S. attorney firings.
By Richard B. Schmitt, Times Staff Writer
June 14, 2007 - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-usattys14jun14,1,5414592.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

WASHINGTON — Two former senior White House officials were subpoenaed Wednesday by congressional committees investigating the firing last year of eight U.S. attorneys. The subpoenas of former counsel Harriet E. Miers and political affairs director Sara M. Taylor set the stage for a new confrontation between Congress and the White House.

The White House has declined to provide unfettered access to testimony and documents that lawmakers have sought as part of the three-month probe, even as Justice Department documents and testimony have shown that the White House was deeply involved in the firings.

Democrats believe the dismissals were calculated to affect public corruption and voter registration cases in ways that would benefit Republicans. ...

Miers, a longtime friend and advisor of Bush, was involved in the genesis of the prosecutor purge ...

Taylor closely monitored the firing of Arkansas prosecutor H.E. "Bud" Cummins III, who was replaced by Timothy Griffin ...

"Ms. Taylor takes her responsibilities as a citizen very seriously, and she is hopeful the White House and Congress are quickly able to work out an appropriate agreement on her cooperation with the Senate's proceedings," W. Neil Eggleston, her attorney, said in a prepared statement.