Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
One of the reasons that they said-- that the Justice Department said-- that you had a performance problem, was that you were an "absentee landlord". Just to get the record clear here: isn't it true that you served in the Navy Reserve which required you to serve your country approximately forty days per year?Fmr. U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: That's correct sir. In fact, I took my call from
Mike Battle (the call where Battle informed Iglesias he was fired) ironically on Pearl Harbor Day as I was coming back from Navy duty in Newport, Rhode Island. I'm required to serve at least 36 days per year. Sometimes I add a little extra duty so it probably averages out to 40, maybe 45 days of duty per year.
Schumer: Didn't the Department know you were a Reservist when they recommended you for U.S. Attorney position in the first place?
Iglesias: I'm very proud of my Navy service and it was on my resume-- featured very prominently.
Schumer: How did you feel when they accused you of absenteeism and you knew that the primary reason that you were out of your office was to be in the Reserve?
Iglesias: Well, it's very ironic, since the Department of Justice enforces USERRA, the Uniform Services Employment Rights and Reemployment Act, which ensures that Guard members and Reserve members have full employment rights and are not discriminated against on the basis of their military affiliation.
Schumer: And were you ever before that told that you were in danger of being fired or that your absences were hurting the U.S. Attorney's office in New Mexico or anything to that effect?
Iglesias: Never, sir.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/3/7/15828/22888
As the ko diarist notes, "absenteeism wasn't the real reason that Iglesias was thrown under the bus". When the administration's cover story is this sleazy, you know they must be desparate to hide the real motivations behind the purge.
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