Reid's office could provide little information as to why Bogden was apparently forced out.

Ensign, a Republican who has known about Bogden's departure since Justice Department officials told him about it during a briefing last month, would not offer any explanation.

So, why was Bodgen pushed out? From all reports, he was good at his job and respected by the people of the state of Nevada. Again from the Las Vegas Sun Article:

During his five-year reign as the highest-ranking federal prosecutor in Nevada, Bogden has scored some notable successes. His office boosted firearms prosecutions, secured the convictions of dozens of violent gang members and oversaw the cases against four former Clark County commissioners convicted of taking bribes.

Even defense lawyers, Bogden's frequent courtroom opponents, speak highly of his straightforward style and fair play.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger was shocked when he read the news about Bogden's resignation in the Review-Journal and had this to say about it:

Clark County District Attorney David Roger expressed surprise Monday at the ouster of Nevada's top federal prosecutor, Daniel Bogden, saying Bogden was an aggressive prosecutor who worked effectively with local law enforcement.

[snip]

"I was very surprised his tenure as U.S. attorney has ended," Roger said. "I thought he was a great U.S. attorney."

Nevada's Daniel G. Bogden (R) was recommended by Senator Ensign, nominated by George W. Bush on 9/5/2001 and approved by US Senate on 10/18/2001

Cases under investigation by Bogden's Office

On November 7^th, 2006 Las Vegas EyeWitness News reported on federal investigation into alleged fraud by prominent Las Vegas doctors and lawyers.

U.S. Attorney Dan Bogden won't talk about the case except to say he has a special team of prosecutors for this type of alleged fraud. When the I-Team's Colleen McCarty asked FBI honcho Steve Martinez whether the case was going away, his answer was telling.

"Well, we have ongoing investigations and I'm not really in a position where I can discuss ongoing investigations, but I can tell you those kinds of schemes exist in a lot of communities. We have white collar resources here to address those types of situations specifically, and we are very aggressive about going after that kind of thing, especially when you've got people in positions of trust who are willing to compromise that trust. We look at that very hard," said Steve Martinez,  FBI special agent in charge.

Cases prosecuted by Bogden

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.

US Senator John Ensign asked for reconsideration of the decision to replace Bogden ...

The senator asked for reconsideration, arguing to no avail against removing someone doing a good job.

And that brings us to the crux of the matter ... what is really going on with all of the shuffling in the US Attorneys division of the Justice Department. Jane Ann Morrison's column (which appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday) in the Las Vegas Review-Jounal on January 18^th, 2007 has this to say:

A GOP source said Ensign was told that the decision to remove U.S. attorneys, primarily in the West, was part of a plan to "give somebody else that experience" to build up the back bench of Republicans by giving them high-profile jobs.

ePluribus Media's February 1st article, Alberto Gonzales: Gaming the System Again in Arizona?, in the ePluribus Media series on US Attorneys asked that we "keep our eyes peeled on Nevada."

Daniel Bogden will leave office in 24 days.  Will he be allowed to stay until a senate approved candidate is named, or will we see another "interim" or "acting" US Attorney appointed, or maybe it will be a full-blown appointment -- as has happened in Alaska, Missouri, DC and other districts?