- U.S. Attorneys
- Selection of U.S. Attorneys
- Department Evaluation and Interaction with U.S. Attorneys
- Backgrounds of Department Officials
CHAPTER THREE FACTUAL OVERVIEW
- Development of U.S. Attorney Removal Lists
- Genesis of Plan to Remove U.S. Attorneys
- Process to Identify U.S. Attorneys for Removal
- The First List – March 2, 2005
- Input from Comey and Margolis
- Reaction to the List from the Office of the White House Counsel
- Fall 2005 – Further Consultations about the Removal of U.S. Attorneys
- The Second List – January 2006
- Sampson’s January 1, 2006, Draft List
- The January 9, 2006, Memorandum from Sampson to the White House
- The First Removal: Todd Graves
- The Third List – April 14, 2006
- Heffelfinger
- Ryan
- The Plan to Replace Cummins with Griffin
- Sampson Suggests that Patrick Fitzgerald Be Removed
- The Fourth List – September 13, 2006
- Elston’s List – November 1, 2006
- The Fifth List – November 7, 2006
- The Sixth List – November 15, 2006
- The Revised Plan
- Execution of the Plan is Postponed
- The November 27, 2006, Meeting in the Attorney General’s Office
- The Seventh and Final List – December 4, 2006
- The Aftermath of the Removals
- The U.S. Attorneys’ Initial Reactions
- Concern that the Department Intended to Bypass Senate Confirmation for Replacement U.S. Attorneys
- The Department Begins to Publicly Respond to Concerns About the Removals
- Articles About Cummins’s Removal
- Senators Express Concern About the Removals
- Sampson’s January 2007 Briefing of Senate Judiciary Committee Staff
- Elston’s Telephone Calls to Charlton and McKay on January 17, 2007
- Attorney General Gonzales’s January 18, 2007, Testimony Before the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Cummins Seeks Advice from Elston
- McNulty’s February 6, 2007, Testimony Before the Senate Judiciary Committee
- McNulty’s Use of the Term “Performance-Related” to Describe the Removals
- Attorney General Gonzales’s Reaction to McNulty’s Testimony
- U.S. Attorneys’ Reaction to McNulty’s Testimony
- The February 8 Letter from Several Senators
- McNulty’s February 14 Closed Briefing for the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Elston’s Alleged Threat to Cummins
- The Department’s Response to the Senators’ Letter
- Events in March 2007
- March 3 Washington Post Article
- House and Senate Hearings
- Cummins’s February 20 E-mail Surfaces
- Moschella’s Testimony Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee
- Attorney General Gonzales’s March 7 Op-Ed Article
- Additional Documents Come to Light
- Sampson’s Resignation
- The Scudder Memorandum
- Attorney General Gonzales’s March 13 Press Conference
- Attorney General Gonzales Directs an Investigation
- Attorney General Gonzales’s Conversation with Goodling
- Goodling Resigns from the Department
- Subsequent Events
- Introduction
- Chronology of Events Related to Graves’s Removal
- The Misconduct Allegations
- Complaints About Graves
- Senator Bond’s Congressional Staff Complain About Graves to White House Staff
- The Department Learns About Bond’s Staff’s Complaints
- Graves is Told to Resign
- Department Comments About Graves’s Resignation
- Analysis
CHAPTER FIVE H.E. “BUD” CUMMINS
- Introduction
- Cummins’s Background
- The EARS Evaluations of Cummins’s Office
- Cummins’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Cummins’s Removal
- Chronology of Events Related to Cummins’s Removal
- Cummins’s Performance
- Cummins’s Removal and Griffin’s Appointment
- Griffin’s Background
- Griffin Learns Cummins’s Name is on the Removal List
- Griffin Expresses Interest in the U.S. Attorney Position
- January 2006 Removal List Identifies Griffin as Cummins’s Replacement
- Griffin’s Nomination Process
- Attorney General Gonzales Appoints Griffin Interim U.S. Attorney
- Public Concerns About Griffin’s Appointment
- The Attorney General’s and the Deputy Attorney General’s Testimony
- The Department’s Written Response to Congressional Concerns About Griffin’s Appointment
- Griffin Withdraws
- Taylor’s Comment Concerning Cummins
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Iglesias’s Background
- The EARS Evaluations of Iglesias’s Office
- Iglesias’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Iglesias’s Removal
- Investigative Limitations
- Chronology of Events Related to Iglesias’s Removal
- Alleged Concerns about Iglesias’s Management
- Voter Fraud and Public Corruption Matters
- Initial Complaints of Voter Fraud
- Representative Wilson’s Complaint Concerning Voter Fraud
- Formation of the Election Fraud Task Force
- Continuing Complaints About Voter Fraud
- Election Fraud Task Force Review of Complaints
- Iglesias’s Meeting with Weh Regarding his Handling of Voter Fraud Complaintsx
- Complaints to the White House Regarding Iglesias’s Handling of Voter Fraud Cases
- Complaints Concerning Iglesias’s Handling of Public Corruption Cases
- Senator Domenici’s Calls to Attorney General Gonzales Regarding Iglesias
- Complaints to the Department Regarding Voter Fraud and Corruption Cases
- Complaints to Senator Domenici
- Complaints to Karl Rove about Delays in the Courthouse Case
- Senator Domenici’s Telephone Call to Deputy Attorney General McNulty
- White House Communications with Attorney General Gonzales
- Iglesias’s Meeting with Rogers
- Representative Wilson’s Telephone Call to Iglesias
- Senator Domenici’s Telephone Call to Iglesias
- Allegation Concerning Representative Wilson’s Telephone Call to Harriet Miers
- Iglesias’s Removal
- Iglesias is Added to Sampson’s List
- White House Knowledge of the Decision to Remove Iglesias
- Iglesias is Told to Resign
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Bogden’s Background
- The EARS Evaluation of Bogden’s Office
- Bogden’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Bogden’s Removal
- Chronology of Events Related to Bogden’s Removal
- Obscenity Prosecution
- Bogden’s Alleged Lack of Energy and Leadership
- Patriot Act Criticism
- McNulty’s Qualms About Removing Bogden
- Bogden’s Removal and Gonzales’s Concerns
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Charlton’s Background
- The EARS Evaluation of Charlton’s Office
- Charlton’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Chronology of Events Related to Charlton’s Removal
- Charlton’s Discussions With Senator Kyl
- Tape Recording Interrogations
- Department Considers Tape Recording Policy
- Charlton Implements a Taping Policy in His District
- Pilot Project for Charlton’s District
- The Death Penalty Case
- The Department’s Procedure for Death Penalty Cases
- The Death Penalty Decision
- Charlton Seeks Reconsideration of the Decision
- Charlton Asks to Speak to Attorney General Gonzales About the Decision
- Attorney General Gonzales Denies Charlton’s Request to Reconsider
- Sampson Places Charlton’s Name on the September 2006 Removal List
- Obscenity Prosecutions
- The Obscenity Prosecution Task Force Requests Charlton’s Assistance
- Task Force Complaints About Charlton
- Investigation of Congressman Renzi
- Charlton’s Resignation
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Chronology of Events Related to McKay’s Removal
- The Wales Murder Investigationx
- The Northwest LInX Project
- The Washington State Gubernatorial Election
- McKay’s Office Initiates a Preliminary Inquiry
- Telephone Call to McKay from Congressman Hastings’s Chief of Staff
- Complaints About McKay’s Handling of Voter Fraud Allegations
- Statements of Department Officials
- 2006 LInX Issues
- Contentious Meeting with McNulty and Mercer
- McKay’s Bid for a Judicial Nomination
- McKay’s August 30 Letter to McNulty
- McNulty’s Response to McKay’s letter
- McKay Appears on the September 2006 Removal List
- McKay is Told to Resign
- Allegation that McKay was Removed Because His District’s Sentencing Statistics Were Out of Line
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Lam’s Background
- The EARS Evaluation of Lam’s Office
- Lam’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Lam’s Removal
- Chronology of Events Related to Lam’s Removal
- Analysis
CHAPTER ELEVEN MARGARET CHIARA
- Introduction
- Background
- The EARS Evaluation of Chiara’s Office/a>
- Chiara’s Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Chiara’s Removal
- Chronology of Events Related to Chiara’s Removal
- Chiara’s Inclusion on the Removal Lists
- Factual Chronology Relating to Conflict in Western District of Michigan U.S. Attorney’s Office
- U.S. Attorney’s Office
- Senior Management Conflicts in Chiara’s Office
- Rumors and Allegations Regarding Relationship with AUSA and Favoritism
- Meyer Confronts Chiara About her Relationship with the AUSA
- Chiara Requests Assistance from EOUSA
- Additional Incidents
- The Relationship Rumors Spread
- Chiara’s Request for an OPR Investigation
- Chiara is Given Advance Notice of Her Removal
- Chiara’s Removal
- Analysis
- Introduction
- Background
- The EARS Evaluations of Ryan’s Office
- Status on the Removal Lists
- Reasons Proffered for Ryan’s Removal
- Chronology of Events Related to Ryan’s Removal
- Concerns About Ryan’s Management
- Sampson’s Discussions About Ryan in Early 2005
- Fall 2005 EARS Evaluation is Postponed
- Events in 2006
- Ryan is on Sampson’s January 9, 2006, List of U.S. Attorneys Recommended for Removal
- Controversy Concerning the Methodology of the EARS Evaluation
- The March 2006 EARS Evaluation
- The Special EARS Evaluation
- The Removal Lists
- Analysis
- Removal Process
- Oversight of the Process
- Implementation of the Removal Plan
- Reasons for the Removals of Individual U.S. Attorneys
- Notification to the U.S. Attorneys
- White House Involvement in the Removal Process
- The Attorney General’s Interim Appointment Authority
- The Conduct of Senior Department Officials
- Alberto Gonzales
- Paul McNulty
- Kyle Sampson
- Misleading Statements to the White House
- Misleading Statements to Congress
- Misleading Department Officials
- Monica Goodling
- David Margolis
- Michael Elston
- William Moschella
- Conclusion