The last time this many US Attorneys have been forced out in one fell swoop was back in, well, as Sen. Feinstein quoted Peter Nunez: "This is like nothing I have ever seen in my 35-plus years." Nunez, who served as the San Diego U.S. Attorney from 1982 to 1988, has also stated: "I've heard nothing but complaints over the last six years about how many things the Justice Department is demanding relating to bureaucracy and red tape." Notably, in these eight cases there appears to be no allegations of wrong doing.

So who are the eight and who replaces them?

California: Carol Lam
Appointed by George W. Bush-9/4/2002

The most reported on is Carol Lam, the US Attorney in San Diego who was forced to resign after successfully investigating and prosecuting Duke Cunningham, as well as his connection to Jack Abramhoff.  Her dismissal comes in the midst of her"massive investigation of public corruption that has already lead to high officials in the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, the Congress, and perhaps even the White House." Since 1989, Lam's been a specialist in white collar crime and major fraud. It's not clear yet by whom she's been replaced, but McClatchy's Washington Bureau article Gonzales appoints political loyalists into vacant U.S. attorneys slots lists the new Gonzales appointees.

California: Kevin Ryan
Appointed by George W. Bush-5/15/2002

Ryan, the US Attorney based in Northern California (one of only two offices with a stand alone Securities Fraud Section), worked in conjunction with the FBI. And what was Ryan working on?  "Options related transgressions, such as backdating ... 'around that time, he also created a backdating task force'" ... Peter Burrows reports for Business Week.

As Burrows continues, "Still my guess is that Ryan's departure means the odds of criminal charges against Apple or Steve Jobs got a bit longer today."   Like Lam, Ryan has a long history of specializing in white collar crime and fraud. According to McClatchy's Washington Bureau's article, Ryan was also overseeing high-profile investigations into steroids use by major league baseball players.

Nevada: Daniel G. Bogden (R)
Appointed by George W. Bush-9/4/2001

Just last year, Bodgen's office won corruption convictions against two Clark County, Nevada Commissioners and who may be "looking into campaign law violations by at least one member of the state's Congressional delegation."

But Bogden also had three major setbacks in Las Vegas last year.

• the federal racketeering case against about 40 Hells Angels members unraveled;
• In February, U.S. District Judge James Mahan threw out a $14 million securities fraud case for failure to provide the defense with documents;
• Also in February, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones dismissed charges against Dr. R.D. Prabhu. Prosecutors alleged Prabhu submitted false Medicare claims.

New Mexico: David C. Iglesias (R)
Appointed by George W. Bush-8/2/2001

Iglesias, working with the FBI, was responsible for charging two state treasurers with extortion.

Additionally, he wrote recently in 2/17/06 The Washington Times in support of the House Bill on Immigration reform, specifically citing the need to crack down on the smugglers who traffic in illegal immigrants while displaying concern for the immigrants themselves: "Our existing alien smuggling laws are inadequate, outdated and unnecessarily complicated."

So, who is replacing Iglesias? In a statement, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici said,

"It is my pleasure to recommend four individuals that I believe would serve New Mexico and the nation with distinction as U.S. Attorney for our state. I am familiar with each of them, and I believe that they have the necessary legal backgrounds and right temperaments for the job. I look forward to President Bush's choice."

All four mentioned by Domenici are lawyers: Jim Bibb, Glenn Ellington, Charles Peifer and Pat Rogers.

Arkansas: H.E. (Bud) Cummins
Appointed by George W. Bush-11/2001

According to FBI probe targets governor, Bud Cummins had been investigating Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's Administration to see if he "abused his power by forming a system of umbrella companies established through Kansas City law firm Lathrop & Gage LC to run the state’s licensing network." The paper continues: "Though the investigation is common knowledge, spokesmen in the FBI’s Kansas City and St. Louis offices would neither confirm nor deny its existence. As a matter of policy, they can’t comment unless charges are filed." Amidst the ensuing nightmare of bad publicity for Blunt, Cummins denied that he was investigating the governor, and in fact closed the investigation in October of 2006.

But all that stopped in December when US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the appointment of Thomas Griffin as his replacement.   In keeping with this Administration's disregard of qualifications (see Harriet Miers, for example), 38-year old Griffin's main qualification to become US Attorney seems to be his 2002-2005 stint as research director for the Republican National Committee. He's also been a Judge Advocate in Iraq and a former advisor to Karl Rove.

Arizona: Paul K. Charlton
Appointed by George W. Bush-11/12/2001

"As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Charlton served as the Chairman for the Border Subcommittee, comprised of U.S. Attorney’s from around the nation who also advise the Attorney General of the United States on border issues."

Charlton's US Attorney's Office and the FBI's Phoenix office are investigating two land deals and influence peddling related to Arizona House of Representative's Renzi (who has the dubious distinction of for two years running, being on the Most Corrupt Members of Congress list compiled by the Center for Responsibility and Ethics, according to the Daily Courier and The Washington Post.)   Historically, land deals (especially those involving water rights) in Arizona equate to organized crime, corruption, and murder (See Don Bolles for an example).  No wonder Charlton went quietly and did not have to be officially dismissed.

Aside from Charlton's investigation, Renzi has been the subject of two Federal Election Commission (FEC) cases, one of which involves not disclosing campaign contribution receipts.

UPDATE: Possible replacement from the AP via Arizona Daily Star: "Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl on Thursday recommended Diane J. Humetewa, a member of the Hopi Indian tribe who currently is senior litigation counsel and tribal liaison for the U.S. Attorney's office in Arizona, to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for Arizona."

Washington State: John McKay
Appointed by George W. Bush-9/19/2001

Apparently McKay's transgression what he was not investigating: The King County Voting Scandal. The Democratic candidate Christine Gregoire won that Gubernatorial race in 2004, but by only 129 votes. As a April 2005 Wall Street Journal article reported:

Slade Gorton, a Republican former state attorney general and U.S. senator, has joined with six Republican members of the King County Council in calling for a Justice Department investigation of the county's handling of ballots. Records indicate that some election officials in King County knew that the absentee ballot report they filed in November was inaccurate because there was evidence at least 86 ballots had been misplaced. Ignoring the requirement that they count the number of ballots received, instead they simply added together the number counted and rejected.

Other articles looked into the notion of 8 Dead voters.

Minnesota:Tom Heffelfinger
Appointed by George W. Bush-9/4/2001

Heffelfinger led the probe into the March 21, 2005, shootings at Red Lake. His investigation led to a guilty plea for a non-violent crime.

Heffelfinger also served in the same position under President George H. W. Bush, the father of the current president.

On December 9^th Tom Heffelfinger was officially replaced by Rachel Paulose, 33, the first South Asian woman ever named a U.S. Attorney.

The New Kids on the Block:

According to this McClatchy article, eight of the nine new U.S. Attorneys have been appointed via the "recess appointment" strategy most famously "beta'd" with John Bolton.

Since last March, the administration has named at least nine U.S. attorneys with administration ties. None of them would agree to an interview. They include:

• Tim Griffin, 37, a former aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove and a former spokesman for the Republican National Committee, the U.S. attorney for Arkansas. [Replaces Cummins]

• Rachel Paulose, 33, who served briefly as a counselor to the deputy attorney general and who, according to a former boss, has been a member of the secretive, ideologically conservative Federalist Society, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota. [Replaces Heffelfinger]

• Jeff Taylor, 42, a former aide to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. Taylor worked as a counselor to Gonzales and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

• John Wood, the husband of assistant secretary of homeland security Julie Myers and an ex-deputy general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, U.S. attorney in Kansas City.

• Deborah Rhodes, 47, a former Justice Department counselor, in Mobile, Ala.

• Alexander Acosta, 37, a former assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division and a protege of conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, in Miami.

• John Richter, 43, chief of staff for the Justice Department’s criminal division and acting assistant attorney general, in Oklahoma City.

• Edward McNally, senior associate counsel to President Bush, in southern Illinois.

• Matt Dummermuth, a Justice Department civil rights lawyer, in Iowa.

Friends in High Places:

To the cynical, it seems that the Bush administration, in the face of a Democratic controlled house, senate and states - with newly regained subpoena and investigative powers - is rolling out the tactic it "beta'd" with Frederick Black, the U.S. Attorney in Guam, who was demoted in the midst of his investigation into Abramhoff.  On November 18^th 2002, Black's office issued a federal grand jury subpoena "which required the Guam Superior Court Administrative Director to release records." (from John Conyers August 23^rd 2005 letter to  Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General.) The day after the subpoena was issued, November 19^th, President Bush demoted Attorney Black.

For those old enough to remember President Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre - firing Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox as he got too close to the truth in Watergate - the firing of federal prosecutors signals that someone in high places has something to hide.

Or perhaps an agenda to push: We believe that all of the fired Attorneys were Republicans and Bush appointments. That makes it important to try and figure out the why these Attorneys were forced out. Possibilities include:

• investigating political corruption
• immigration
• gun control

What more were the eight who resigned working on? Who are the other three U.S. Attorneys who have resigned? Where were they digging? Help us fill in these "holes."