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It seems like ages ago when we at Lofty Donkey broke the story about Charlton’s investigation of Rick Renzi’s shady land-swap deals and other things. Actually it was just last October, but so many things have happened since then that makes it seem like forever.
Arizona US Attorney Paul Charlton, who was investigating Rick Renzi, was among 8 attorneys fired in a Department of Justice purge authorized by the White House. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the DOJ claimed that the attorneys were removed because of “performance reasons.” However, the story did not end there when people realized that the US attorneys that were targeted for “pushing out” were investigating Republican Congressman for corruption throughout the country.
Much more below the fold.
DOJ documents and emails released to the House Judiciary Committee has helped illuminate the situation a bit. The Washington Post says “the dismissal process itself, the documents show, was chaotic and spiked with petty cruelties.”
The Nation reports:
Stacks of internal Justice Department e-mails subpoenaed by Congress in early March from the White House provided evidence that the dismissals of Charlton and seven other US Attorneys was a political purge orchestrated to install “loyal Bushies,” as Sampson called them, into their posts and to protect Republican lawmakers like Renzi from indictments for corruption. The Administration’s explanation that the ousters were “performance-related” has been discredited in light of the exposure of the e-mails—and especially proved false in Charlton’s case. A model of professionalism, Charlton’s office was honored with the Federal Service Award and hailed by the Justice Department as a “Model Program” for its protection of crime victims.
According to an Arizona Republic article, “a December 2003 performance evaluation was cited even though it said he was ‘well respected by…staff, investigative and civil client agencies, local law enforcement community, Native American nations and judiciary.’” Former Deputy Attorney General Jim Comey, Charlton’s former boss, called him “a star among U.S. attorneys” and in an email to him added that ”[he] ran an office with a staggering caseload, in both numbers and variety, and did it beautifully.”
KTAR has the prosecution data for Charlton’s office. According to this data, Charlton’s district was among the top third of the 93 U.S. attorneys in prosecutions, convictions, and immigration prosecutions, in the top 20 for drug prosecutions, and ranked tenth in weapons prosecutions. This data shows that Charlton ran one of the most effective and versatile district offices in the country, yet still was removed for “performance reasons.”
Sounds fishy, doesn’t it. It didn’t make it any less fishy when AG COS Kyle Sampson resigned over the situation. Scapegoat central. It appears DOJ and the Bush administration were hoping that people would drop the story if a sacrificial lamb was offered in place of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. It didn’t work.
So why would the White House and Department of Justice want to get rid of Paul Charlton as quickly as possible? It seems pretty clear that it was to protect Bush’s dear friend Congressman Rick Renzi. This tactic has worked in the past for them.
The Arizona Republic:
When the first list of U.S. attorneys targeted for ouster was drafted, Charlton’s name was not on it. But his name was on a subsequent list, drafted in September. Although the Renzi inquiry was not yet public, it is likely the Justice Department was aware of the investigation, said a former U.S. attorney who is familiar with the protocol when a sitting lawmaker is involved.
This isn’t a big surprise, since Rick Renzi and George W. Bush are pretty close. Even the Republic writes that “Renzi is a Bush loyalist. When Renzi was locked in a battle for his congressional seat last year, the president came to Arizona to campaign for him.”
Bush and Vice-President Cheney have come in support of their good buddy a number of times in the last few elections. In 2002, at a Renzi rally in Flagstaff, President Bush said Renzi is a “good fellow” and “a good man,” and how much he “look[s] forward to working with Rick on some important issues that matter.” (He also said during his speech that “the forest policy of the United States is not commonsensical”).
In 2004 Vice-President Cheney came out to the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa to hold a luncheon for Renzi.
We’re delighted to be back in Arizona once again. And I want to thank my friend Rick Renzi for the tremendous work he does every day on behalf of his district, on behalf of his state, and on behalf of the nation. In just one term in the House, Rick has shown himself to be a skilled legislator and a superb representative for the people of Arizona.
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I was proud to campaign with Rick in October of 2002, just a few weeks before the election.
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It’s an honor to stand with you in supporting Rick Renzi. You are united behind a strong leader and a congressman with the right priorities for his state. Rick is showing his talent, and dedication, and reflecting great credit on the people of the first district of Arizona. President Bush and I look forward to working with him for a long time to come.
The Arizona Democratic Party has been looking in to Charlton’s forced resignation and is determined to ensure that the nominee for the replacement of Charlton “will fairly pursue the investigation into Congressman Rick Renzi that was left open with Charlton’s dismissal.” Party Chairman David Waid sent a letter to Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter on the issue as well as a letter to nominee Diane Humetewa “asking her to publicly state that she has been under no political pressure and has made no deals with the administration to drop the investigation into Congressman Rick Renzi in order to receive the nomination.
They have already generated some media coverage from this.
The Bush administration, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Department of Justice, and all those who have politicized the judiciary need to be held accountable. If they are successful in protecting their corrupt friends by purging attorneys that are not “loyal Bushies,” there will be no stopping them in the future.