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The Alberto Gonzales Seven - Gone and Out - Recap Discussion

Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 11:34:07 AM EST

ePluribus Media researcher Avahome was aggravated by Arkansas U.S. Attorney Cummins' being asked to resign. She was further agitated to learn that the 2002-2005 research director of the Republican National Committee, Thomas Griffin, was appointed as Cummins' replacement, an appointment no longer requiring congressional confirmation, under the "loophole" slipped into the Patriot Act Reauthorization - that was approved by Congress in March of 2006.

So she enlisted other ePMedia and Kossack readers to help dig for information. The result is the finished ePluribus Media Journal piece: The Gonzales Seven which outlines what we know to date about the seven U.S. Attorneys who have left since the Patriot Act was reauthorized: Who they are, when they were appointed, what they were working on, cases they have prosecuted and who replaces them. Others, notably Heffelfinger in Minnesota, resigned or was fired before the March 2006 vote so he's not been included at this time.

commentary :: :: :: buzz-it!

But there've been many great tips and leads... several (AlyoshaKaramazov, carolita, wanderindiana, jenifera, macdust, greyhawk, silence, DC Pol Sci, biblio, zan, standingup, rktect, Sigrid of Horg, vinylgirl, musing graze, agent double o soul, Norm DePlume, kredwyn, Little, Homeland observer, and Market Trustee) provided information on the hierarchy in the 93 U.S. Attorneys' offices, how the attorneys and assistants are hired, the length of their terms, as well as info on specific cases, such as Griffin, Lam, and Heffelfinger.

We are still looking for information on connections among these seven (as well as the other four that make up the 11 U.S. Attorneys Gonzales himself indicated have left since the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.)

So we are asking for research help again on either of these two questions:

Who are the other 4 U.S. Attorneys who would bring the total to the 11 mentioned by Gonzales?
What connection, if any, do Lam, Ryan, Bogden, Iglesias, Cummins, Charlton, and McKay have with Jack Abramoff?

For the complete article, visit The Gonzales Seven on the ePluribus Media Journal.

If you like what ePMedia's been doing with research, reviews and interviews, please consider donating to help with our efforts.

The Alberto Gonzales Seven - Gone and Out - Recap Discussion | 30 comments (30 topical, 0 hidden)

Just posted on Dkos (5.00 / 1) (#1)

Gonzales 7

by Cho on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 11:58:37 AM EST

You asked for help... (5.00 / 3) (#16)

over at dKos.

Is there anything I can do? :)
(I'll be back to check this comment in a little while...)

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 06:12:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes... (5.00 / 3) (#17)

Can you start googling what you can find out about the resigning U.S. Attorneys (in bold) -- any one, doesn't matter -- of the two U.S. Attorneys (of the four -- two are assistants or associates) rba found below.

John Wood, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Department of Justice; vice Todd Peterson Graves, resigned.

Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, to be United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Department of Justice; vice Humberto S. Garcia, resigned.

What we are looking for right now (more later) is:
Party affiliation. Who appointed him/her and when.
What cases were they working on. What cases have they prosecuted. But also... what they weren't looking into -- for example, McKay was NOT going after the election fraud in the Washington State Governor's race where the Democrat Gregoire won.

Iglesias's transgression, perhaps, was concentrating on the smugglers, not the immigrants.

That's what we are looking for for starters. If you find stuff you can post it here...

Wow!

Thanks so much for the offer!

by Cho on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 06:35:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

OK... (5.00 / 1) (#26)

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 03:21:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I know that this is way out there (5.00 / 1) (#27)

But smuggling is where the Iran-Contra stories got busted wide open.

Drugs, money, weapons, and politics.
And Iglesias was concentrating on what? </snark> Is there possible links to trials and investigations and the BIG PICTURE a-la Sibel Edmonds? That would seriously be worth digging on, IMH"and cynical"O.

What I have found so far about these 2 republicans:

Todd Peterson Graves:
Nominations Sent to the Senate:

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 31, 2001
Nominations Sent to the Senate
John L. Brownlee, of Virginia, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of
Virginia for the term of four years, vice Robert P. Crouch, Jr., resigned.
Brian E. Carlson, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service Class of
Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of Latvia.
Paul K. Charlton, of Arizona, to be United States Attorney for the District of Arizona
for the term of four years, vice Jose de Jesus Rivera, resigned.
Todd Peterson Graves, of Missouri, to be United States Attorney for the Western
District of Missouri for the term of four years, vice Stephen Lawrence Hill, Jr., resigned.
Michael G. Heavican, of Nebraska, to be United States Attorney for the District of
Nebraska for the term of four years, vice Thomas Justin Monaghan, resigned.
Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Finland.
William Walter Mercer, of Montana, to be United States Attorney for the District of
Montana for the term of four years, vice Sherry Scheel Matteucci, resigned.
Thomas E. Moss, of Idaho, to be United States Attorney for the District of Idaho for
the term of four years, vice Betty Hansen Richardson, resigned.
John N. Palmer, of Michigan, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of Portugal.
Mattie R. Sharpless, of North Carolina, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United
States of America to the Central African Republic.
Martin J. Silverstein, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
John W. Suthers, of Colorado, to be United States Attorney for the District of Colorado
for the term of four years, vice Thomas Lee Strickland, resigned.
John F. Turner, of Wyoming, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, vice David B. Sandalow.
Anna Mills S. Wagoner, of North Carolina, to be United States Attorney for the Middle
District of North Carolina for the term of four years, vice Walter Clinton Holton, Jr.,
resigned.
R. Barrie Walkley, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United
States of America to the Republic of Guinea.

Sen. Leahy oversaw the nomination:(is that the same Iglesias?)

October 4, 2001
The executive business meeting scheduled by the Committee on the Judiciary will take place
in The President's Room, S-216 of The Capitol, at 12:00 p.m. today, October 4, 2001.
Chairman Leahy will preside.
By order of the Chairman
AGENDA
Executive Business Meeting
Senate Judiciary Committee
Thursday, October 4, 2001
The President's Room, S-216 of The Capitol
12:00 p.m.
I. Nominations
Barrington Parker, Jr. to be U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the
2nd Circuit
Michael P. Mills to be District Court Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi
Jay Stephens to be Associate Attorney General
Benigno G. Reyna to be Director of the U.S. Marshal Service
To Be United States Attorney:
Susan W. Brooks, Southern District of Indiana
John L. Brownlee, Western District of Virginia
Timothy M. Burgess, District of Arkansas
Steven M. Colloton, Southern District of Iowa
Todd Peterson Graves, Western District of Missouri
Terrell Lee Harris, Western District of Tennessee
David C. Iglesias, District of New Mexico
Charles W. Larson, Sr., Northern District of Iowa
Gregory G. Lockhart, Southern District of Ohio
Henry S. Mattice, Jr., Eastern District of Tennessee
Robert G. McCampbell, Western District of Oklahoma Matthew H. Mead, District of Wyoming
Michael Mosman, District of Oregon
John Suthers, District of Colorado

HE IS A FRIGGIN' REPUBLICAN!

lol

Graves, Todd P.
    CANDIDATE DETAILS
Affiliation    Republican
Name    Todd P. Graves
Address
, Missouri , United States
Email    None
Website    [Link]
Born     Unknown
Died     Still Living (2007 years)
Contributor    MCPM
Last Modifed    Ben
May 19, 2005 11:27am
Tags
Info    Todd Peterson Graves
Todd P. Graves, 38, is the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Graves was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the top federal law enforcement official for western Missouri on July 30, 2001. Graves took his oath of office on an interim appointment as U.S. Attorney by the U.S. District Court on September 17, 2001, and his presidential appointment was formally confirmed by the United States Senate on October 11, 2001.
Graves came to the U.S. Attorney's Office from his position as Platte County Prosecuting Attorney, an office to which he was elected in 1994 and 1998. At the time of his election to that post in 1994, he was the youngest full-time prosecuting attorney in Missouri. In that position, he managed six assistant prosecutors and a yearly caseload of approximately 400 felonies, 2,500 misdemeanors and 14,000 traffic offenses.
Prior to his service as Platte County Prosecuting Attorney, from 1992 to 1994, Graves was in private practice with the law firm of Bryan Cave. In 1991, he was employed as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri, and served that year as a staff assistant on the Governor's Commission on Crime.
In 1988, Graves received an undergraduate degree in agricultural economics, with a minor in political science, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He received his law degree and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Virginia in 1991.
Raised on a family farm near Tarkio, Mo., Graves has been married 13 years to his wife, Tracy. The couple have four children, and reside on a 270-acre farm north of Kansas City that has been in the family since 1867.
As U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Graves oversees a staff of 120, including 60 attorneys and 60 non-attorney support personnel. The district is headquartered in Kansas City, with staffed branch offices in Springfield and Jefferson City. The district is comprised of 66 of Missouri's 114 counties, and encompasses the metropolitan areas of St. Joseph, Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield, Joplin and Kansas City, Mo.
The nation's 93 United States Attorneys are responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes such as firearms, narcotics, public corruption, money laundering, child pornography and fraud; the defense of civil cases brought against the United States; and the collection of debts owed to the United States and restitution owed by criminals to their victims.
RACES
    10/11/2001     US Attorney - MO Western District     Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
    11/07/2000     MO Treasurer     Lost 45.91% (-5.61%)
    08/08/2000     MO Treasurer - R Primary     Won 77.29% (+54.59%)

Confirmation on a voice vote:

Office    US Attorney
Type    General Election
Filing Deadline    September 04, 2001 - 05:00am
Polls Open    October 11, 2001 - 06:00am
Polls Close    October 11, 2001 - 11:00am
Term Start    September 17, 2001 - 12:00pm
Term End    September 17, 2005 - 12:00pm
Contributor    Ben
Last Modified    Ben May 19, 2005 11:26am
Data Sources    October 12, 2001 - Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.
NOMINATION: PN949-107
Link

-------------------------------

Garcia, Humberto S.:

Office    US Attorney
Type    General Election
Filing Deadline    January 09, 2003 - 05:00am
Polls Open    March 07, 2003 - 06:00am
Polls Close    March 07, 2003 - 11:00am
Term Start    March 07, 2003 - 12:00pm
Term End    March 07, 2007 - 12:00pm
Data Sources    March 07, 2003 - Confirmed by the Senate by Unanimous Consent Vote.
NOMINATION: PN128-108
LINK

Party Affiliation:

Affiliation    Republican
Name    Humberto S. Garcia
Address
, Texas , United States
Email    None
Website    None
Born     Unknown
Died     Still Living (2007 years)
LINK

archived Wayback Machine story from Puertorico-herald.org:

Humberto Garcia Confirms Designation As U.S. DA
May 14, 2002
Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
SAN JUAN (AP) - Texas District Attorney Humberto Garcia confirmed that he will replace interim U.S. District Attorney Guillermo Gil Bonar on June 3.
Although the White House has not made any official announcement regarding Garcia's designation, the U.S. Justice Department ordered Gil Bonar's interim replacement until the confirmation process starts, according to published reports.
Garcia will be on the island Thursday and Friday to visit his new office, get to know his working group, and initiate procedures to establish residence.
The Texas native said he has not had any sessions with Gil Bonar regarding pending cases.
The designated district attorney declined to react to criticism regarding his appointment, including from Popular Democratic Party Sen. Eudaldo Baez Galib, leader of the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico, and U.S. Appellate Court in Boston Judge Juan Torruella, who said the position should be occupied by a Puerto Rican, who would have better knowledge of the jurisdiction.

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 05:12:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: This is the sort of stuff that (5.00 / 1) (#28)

would catch my eye if I were looking for a BIG PICTURE conspiracy:

June 15, 2005
Copyright © 2005 EFE. All rights reserved.
SAN JUAN (EFE) -- A grand jury indicted 81 people of different nationalities, including Colombians, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans who allegedly participated in drug-trafficking and money-laundering activities, U.S. District Attorney for Puerto Rico Humberto Garcia said Tuesday.
In the so-called Operation Malloca, 39 people were arrested after a U.S. grand jury issued the indictments of nine drug organizations linked to the Colombia cartel, Garcia said.
He noted that eight of them were Puerto Rican, 16 were Colombian, and 13 Dominican. The group also included two individuals from Cuba and Costa Rica, respectively.
Garcia added that the indictment doesn't include people who will also be arrested in New York and Canada. Drug & Enforcement Administration agents are expected to participate in the operation.
The district attorney said these groups funneled money from Puerto Rico, Florida, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic into international and domestic accounts in the U.S., Colombia, and Venezuela.
Garcia also said these groups face 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million.
But this sort of overall digging would take forever to see if there could even be a link. lol

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 07:15:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
: interesting (5.00 / 1) (#29)

verry interesting:

Garcia said in a press release that he was pleased that President George W. Bush had announced his intention to nominate him as chief of the U.S. District Attorney's Office in San Juan and was sending his appointment to the U.S. Senate.
He said he was sure that he will be confirmed by the Senate and will not make any more comments about the process going on in the Senate.
Garcia has been the interim chief at the office since he was transferred there in June.
Before Garcia's appointment, almost a decade had passed without a U.S. District Attorney because prosecutor Guillermo Gil occupied the interim post for nine years.
Garcia, of Mexican descent, was U.S. District Attorney in Texas for 19 years.

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 07:21:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
: I don't know how useful this is? (5.00 / 2) (#30)

U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Humberto Garcia said Wednesday that he will act with all the force of the law against those who might have committed a crime in Vieques on May 1.
snip
Garcia acknowledged that the jurisdiction to legally process anyone for the violence that occurred in Vieques is strictly federal because it occurred on land that now belongs to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
snip
"The events occurred on federal land. It is up to the federal agencies to do the investigation. We are at their disposition to help them in anything they need," Rodriguez said.
Rivera's cooperation with federal authorities, on the other hand, included handing them video footage of the May 1 events.
snip
Both Rivera and Bird acknowledged that this would be the first of many meetings to discuss investigations with common interests.
Garcia refused to say if the charges would be filed based only on the video handed in by Rivera.
and from the same link:

Representatives Demand Information On Vieques Violent Acts
New Progressive Party (NPP) representatives Jose Aponte, Albita Rivera, Antonio Silva and Epifanio Jimenez demanded law enforcement authorities reveal the status of their investigations regarding the violent incidents which occurred in Vieques during government events to celebrate the transfer of the former 3,100 acre-military facility to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The legislators also condemned the use of public funds in the activity that turned into chaos on May 1st.
"Images of people with hammers, destroying vehicles that were set on fire are a shame and caused consternation to the Puerto Ricans," said Aponte during the press conference, at which lawmakers presented pictures and newspaper clippings portraying the violent events.
snip
They also pointed out that violent acts occurred in front of the Governor Sila M. Calderon and Police Superintendent Victor Rivera, "who didn't do anything to stop this regretful incident."
Jimenez additionally, questioned the use of more than $250,000 in public funds assigned by the Legislature to broadcast events on Vieques, and the laxity of the Family Department to proceed against those adults who had minors with them and participated in the disturbances. He described the incidents as "previously planned" and as an anti-American message that was send to the mainland.
"In the same manner they (referring to Calderon's administration) go to Washington to discredit the good name of Puerto Rico, they have to clarify and defend that the majority of Puerto Ricans don't support these violent incidents," concluded Jimenez.

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
by Connecticut Man1 on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 09:16:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Question #2 re Jack Abramoff (5.00 / 2) (#2)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/27/12639/6791
See the second to the last post in the dKos diary on
"The Alberto Gonzales 8" by Market Trustee......... http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/1/27/12639/6791/?pid=0#c165
reflects something about:

"the massacre is not simply payback. shrub llp has always been and always will be aloof

from party backbiting and circus productions for the base.
it's about covering up international money laundering and using the office
of the president to do so." (my emphasis added)

He gives link and text reference to Patriot Act-and regarding Negroponte's move
is Market Trustee filling in a blank....a blind spot?

And now I am thinking Wolfowitz..........

because my pea brain cannot figure Cheney & Halliburton into this mix............!

by avahome on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 12:20:54 PM EST

: D.O.I. - Sue Ellen Woodbridge-Abramoff (5.00 / 2) (#4)

January 10, 2007
With Abramoff Scandal Still Swirling, a DOJ Lawyer Resigns
wsj
Posted by Peter Lattman

We read this morning in the Washington Post that federal prosecutors have notified a former deputy secretary of the interior, Steven Griles, that he is a target in the public corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff's lobbying activities. He and his attorneys had no comment.
But what really jumped off the page was this: <b?"With the prospect of Griles's indictment, a senior DOJ official -- who Interior employees said has been dating Griles -- tendered her resignation this week. Sue Ellen Wooldridge</b>, assistant attorney general for environment and natural resources . . . submitted a letter of resignation Monday saying that she intends to return to the private sector."
Wooldridge -- who previously worked as a lawyer in Interior -- didn't comment to the Post on her departure, and a DOJ spokeswoman told the Post she resigned on her own volition. According to her DOJ bio, the 1987 Harvard Law graduate worked as a litigator for Diepenbrock, Wulff, Plant & Hannegan in Sacramento and later was a founding partner of Riegels Campos & Kenyon, where she represented the National Association of Attorneys General in the enforcement of the 1998 tobacco settlement.

(my emphasis added)

by avahome on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 12:56:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Keep up the great work on this... (5.00 / 3) (#3)

I'm so glad to see ePluribus has taken on this project.

Best to all,

Jeff

by Jeff Huber on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 12:36:20 PM EST

: Thanks Jeff... (5.00 / 1) (#6)

it's that energizer bunny Avahome -- somehow I get the feeling it's going to wrap around the stuff you are so expert at revealing...

by Cho on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 01:07:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

"Missing" 4? (5.00 / 3) (#5)

Listing of 4 Items containing exact words attorney in the same order.

1 . Nomination: PN185-110
John Wood, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Department of Justice; vice Todd Peterson Graves, resigned.
Received: January 16, 2007
Referred: Senate Judiciary
Latest Action: January 16, 2007 - Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2 . Nomination: PN184-110
Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, to be United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Department of Justice; vice Humberto S. Garcia, resigned.
Received: January 16, 2007
Referred: Senate Judiciary
Latest Action: January 16, 2007 - Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

3 . Nomination: PN39-110
Steven G. Bradbury, to be Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice; vice Jack Landman Goldsmith III, resigned.
Received: January 09, 2007
Referred: Senate Judiciary
Latest Action: January 09, 2007 - Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

4 . Nomination: PN38-110
William W. Mercer, to be Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice; vice Robert D. McCallum, Jr.
Received: January 09, 2007
Referred: Senate Judiciary
Latest Action: January 09, 2007 - Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

[Source: thomas, nominations, judiciary]

by rba on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 01:04:55 PM EST

Abramoff Interactive (5.00 / 1) (#7)

I found this cool little tool on MSNBC.

Gives a great interactive overview to Abramoff and his connections ....

by roxy317 on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 01:58:07 PM EST

I love this... (5.00 / 3) (#8)

...great example of Citizen Journalism.

Keep it up.

by News Corpse on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 02:27:56 PM EST

: News Corpse (5.00 / 2) (#9)

... and if you see anything that seems even remotely related in your on-going news watching... please let us know, post here or even on the Kos version, we will be checking both for any possible leads!

by Cho on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 02:38:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Would someone please check (5.00 / 2) (#10)

to see if Nelson P. Cohen, U.S. Attorney in Alaska, was ever confirmed by the Senate? I have run across the press release announcing his appointment:

The Justice Department today announced the appointment of Nelson Cohen to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Alaska. Mr. Cohen will serve under an Attorney General Appointment. He succeeds First Assistant United States Attorney Deborah Smith, who has served as Acting United States Attorney under the Vacancy Reform Act since U.S. District Court Judge Tim Burgess resigned from the position to take a seat on the federal bench in 2005. Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorneys can only serve for 210 days as Acting United States Attorneys and Ms. Smith's appointment expires on August 22, 2006.

I have done a couple of google searches and don't find anything about confirmation hearings or a vote. I am curious about the Attorney General Appointment, more specifically, is that what was added to the PATRIOT act that allows the AG to make appointments? Congress was on recess August 22 when Cohen was appointed.

by standingup on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 04:54:46 PM EST

Partial explanation (5.00 / 1) (#11)

"But Gonzales overrode Stevens' objection and put in Cohen to be U.S. Attorney in Alaska on a temporary basis. As such, the Cohen appointment does not require Senate confirmation."

Source: CorporateCrimeReporter (6 Sep '06). Captured on the AlaskaForum.org.
Search Terms: "appointments"+"george w. bush"+"nelson cohen"

by rba on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 05:09:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: Thanks rba! (5.00 / 3) (#14)

I think this is a bit of a mini-scoop here. Everything that has been reported on this recently would lead you to believe the first time anyone realized that litte provision had been slipped into the Patriot Act to be used this way was after Griffin's appointment. But this happened in plain sight in August 2006.

by standingup on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 05:30:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

TPMMuckraker..............comment (5.00 / 2) (#12)

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002409.php

Check out the appointment below of Nelson Cohen in Alaska after Bush fired Deborah Snith in August 06. The interesting part is that it was over Sen Ted Stevens objections. Maybe. At the time the FBI was busy tearing apart Ted's son Ben Stevens Alaska state legislative office looking for evidence of the Corrupt Bastards Club (I'm not making that up, it was in the supeona, check out the Anchorage Daily news archives).
Rumors in Alaska are presuming that Cohen was sent here to take out Ted. Read his resume' below. I'll bet he was really sent here to make sure the FBI's raids doesn't touch Ted. And, a nice federal judgeship could be in store for Mr. Cohen if he does his master's well. Time will tell...
He is doing very well for the Bush Administration so far. He is fully ignoring Civil Rights violations by none other then the US Army on a 100% disabled veteran in one federal case before the court in Anchorage. Very Bush like. Ignore Civil Rights, go Army!
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:_IJ5SwVaF5UJ:corporatecrimereporter.com/documents/cohen.pdf+nels on+cohen+alaska&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&ie=UTF-8
United States Attorney's Office
District of Alaska
222 West 7th Avenue, #9
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7567
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah M. Smith
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
907-271-5071 / Fax: 271-2345
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NELSON COHEN
AS UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF ALASKA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today announced the appointment of Nelson Cohen to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Alaska. Mr. Cohen will serve under an Attorney General Appointment. He succeeds First Assistant United States Attorney Deborah Smith, who has served as Acting United States Attorney under the Vacancy Reform Act since U.S. District Court Judge Tim Burgess resigned from the position to take a seat on the federal bench in 2005. Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorneys can only serve for 210 days as Acting United States Attorneys and Ms. Smith's appointment expires on August 22, 2006. Mr. Cohen comes to the District of Alaska with a varied and impressive history of service to the Department of Justice and to the legal community. Since 1987, Mr. Cohen has been an Assistant UnitedStates Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania, where he presently serves as the Deputy Criminal Division Chief overseeing the White Collar Crimes Section. Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, Mr. Cohen practiced law for 10 years inAlaska: first as an Assistant United States Attorney responsible for both criminal and civil cases, with anemphasis on drug prosecutions, medical malpractice defense and appellate practice, and later as a private practitioner in Anchorage. Mr. Cohen started his career as a trial attorney in the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted robbery and homicide cases.In addition to his legal experience, Mr. Cohen has been a presenter at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has also served as a Continuing Legal Education Instructor.Mr. Cohen earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh,and his law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law. # # #
Posted by: Robin Boerner
Date: January 26, 2007 02:55 AM

by avahome on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 05:10:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Might be worthwhile checking into (5.00 / 3) (#13)

that 100% disabled Army vet re civil rights? Maybe there's a story there!!!!!!!!

by avahome on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 05:17:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: Ava (5.00 / 4) (#15)

I think there is a story there beginning with Cohen being appointed as the U.S. Attorney for Alaska by the U.S. Attorney General. This is before Griffin's appointment and everyone seems to have missed it, therefore, missing that Specter had slipped the provision into the bill at the last minute.

by standingup on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 05:40:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Here are the 10 who have been replaced recently (5.00 / 1) (#18)

Todd Peterson Graves (western Missouri)
Humberto S. Garcia (Puerto Rico)
Acting Deborah Smith (Alaska)

Can someone find the dates for when Graves, Garcia and Smith "resigned"?

What we had before:
Carol Lam
Kevin Ryan
Daniel G. Bogden
David C. Iglesias
H.E. (Bud) Cummins
Paul K. Charlton
John McKay

by Cho on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 11:34:45 AM EST

: Graves (5.00 / 1) (#19)

is now in private practice, and resigned without much notice. A number of articles on the firm's website, including an "exit interview" in the KC Star (.pdf). ("Prosecutor's prosecutor leaves office").
From the news stories it appears he wants to work in the political arena.

by rba on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 01:54:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
: Humberto S. Garcia......a beginning... (none / 0) (#20)

Here's a blurb about his beginnings...he's a Texan! http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2002/vol6n20/Media2-en.html

SAN JUAN (AP) - Texas District Attorney Humberto Garcia confirmed that he will replace interim U.S. District Attorney Guillermo Gil Bonar on June 3.
Although the White House has not made any official announcement regarding Garcia's designation, the U.S. Justice Department ordered Gil Bonar's interim replacement until the confirmation process starts, according to published reports.
Garcia will be on the island Thursday and Friday to visit his new office, get to know his working group, and initiate procedures to establish residence.
The Texas native said he has not had any sessions with Gil Bonar regarding pending cases.
The designated district attorney declined to react to criticism regarding his appointment, including from Popular Democratic Party Sen. Eudaldo Baez Galib, leader of the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico, and U.S. Appellate Court in Boston Judge Juan Torruella, who said the position should be occupied by a Puerto Rican, who would have better knowledge of the jurisdiction.
There's a whole bunch more here:
http://macondolaw.blogspot.com/ (many links)
here
Chief Judge Steven J. McAuliffe (D.N.H.) to sit by designation in Marquez-Marin v. Gonzales, et al.
First Circuit Chief Judge Michael Boudin, at the request of District of Puerto Rico Chief Judge José Antonio Fusté, has designated Chief Judge Steven J. McAuliffe, District of New Hampshire, to preside over Marquez-Marín v. Gonzales, et al., Civil No. 05-1619, a case brought by Carmen Marquez-Marín, a former Assistat U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico, against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Humberto Garcia a/k/a "Bert". You can see the designation here, and our previous post (with link to the Complaint) here.
They call him "bert"..........

by avahome on Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 04:35:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Deborah Smith - she's very impressive: (5.00 / 2) (#21)

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/1997/July97/300enr.htm

Deborah Smith received her J.D. from Northeastern University
School of Law in 1978, and her B.A. from the University of Florida
in 1974. Prior to joining the Section, she was the Director of the
New England Bank Fraud Task Force for the Department's Criminal
Division from 1993 to 1995. Before that, she was a Senior
Litigation Counsel and Trial Attorney in the Fraud Section from
1987 to 1993, where she successfully prosecuted televangelist Jim
Bakker for mail fraud and conspiracy in Charlotte, N.C. Ms. Smith
was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Alaska United States
Attorney's Office from 1982 until 1987, and was First Assistant for
two years. Ms. Smith has also been a Public Defender and Staff
Attorney to the Alaska Court of Appeals. She has received numerous
awards for her work for the Department.

She went after BP in '99.......you know the guys that didn't take care of that darn Alaska pipeline....
here
BP Exploration [Alaska] Pleads Guilty To Hazardous Substance Crime Will Pay $22 Million, Establish Nationwide Environmental Management System

Going to keep looking for her resignation date...

by avahome on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 08:01:57 AM EST

Announcement of Cohen from DOJ: (5.00 / 2) (#22)

The appointment of Cohen coincides with the expiration of Ms. Smiths term of 210 days......08/22/06

http://corporatecrimereporter.com/documents/cohen.pdf

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorneys can only serve for 210 days as Acting United States Attorneys and Ms. Smith's appointment expires on August 22, 2006.

(my emphasis added)

by avahome on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 08:10:45 AM EST

Via the WaPo (5.00 / 4) (#23)

They are going to raise the fees for citizenship applications by a huge amount. Cho tells me you're looking into the immigration angle of this whole fiasco.

The Bush administration will announce an increase today in immigration application fees of more than 80 percent, federal officials said yesterday.
The cost of applying for naturalization, for example, would rise from $330 to $595, and a required fingerprint check would go from $70 to $80. - linkage

by Man Eegee on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 11:15:03 AM EST

: thanks, Manny! (5.00 / 1) (#24)

unbelievable... but they balk at raising the minimum wage. sheesh.

by Cho on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 12:24:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
: WaPo title says it all, doesn't it (5.00 / 2) (#25)

Immigration Application Fees to Rise By 80 Percent

by Cho on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 12:30:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]