Not Political

At least half a dozen, and perhaps as many as ten U.S. Attorneys in cities around the country have been suddenly replaced in recent weeks. Thanks to a provision included in the Patriot Act reauthorization, the previous system for appointing U.S Attorneys which required Senate confirmation, has been replaced by a system whereby the President can appoint them to serve 'interim' terms indefinitely, without confirmation.

Democrats were concerned about this sudden rash of replacements, since some of the U.S. Attorneys involved were in the middle of serious investigations, including some of Republican corruption. Carol Lam, the San Diego prosecutor who just indicted the former number 3 man at the CIA in part of a growing military contracting scandal is only one example.

It also didn't look good that attorneys who were well-qualified, well-liked and well-respected in their cities, by colleagues of both parties, were being replaced with people whose resumes seemed, well, strong on involvement with Republican political work.

But the Justice Department was quick to tell Democratic Senators that there was nothing to be concerned about. The Judiciary Committee was told that most of them had been replaced for "performance related" reasons. It was all just part of a normal personnel process, supposedly.

"Allegations that politics inappropriately interfere with personnel decisions made about U.S. attorneys are reckless and plainly wrong," department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

To their credit, Democratic Senators refused to take their word for it, and pressed the Justice Department for more information.

Which is how we are now hearing about this:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 — A United States attorney in Arkansas who was dismissed from his job last year by the Justice Department was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who replaced him, according to Congressional aides briefed on the matter.

Ms. Miers, the aides said, phoned an aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggesting the appointment of J. Timothy Griffin, a former military and civilian prosecutor who was a political director for the Republican National Committee and a deputy to Karl Rove, the White House political adviser.

Later, the incumbent United States attorney, H. E. Cummins III, was removed without explanation and replaced on an interim basis by Mr. Griffin. Officials at the White House and Justice Department declined to comment on Ms. Miers’s role in the matter.

Paul J. McNulty, the deputy attorney general, said at a hearing last week that Mr. Cummins had done nothing wrong but was removed to make room for Mr. Griffin.

So you could see why it would be "reckless and plainly wrong" to suggest that there might be politics involved, just because the White House counsel phoned the AG's office to suggest that a former RNC political director and deputy to Karl Rove ought to get a job as a U.S. Attorney, summarily replacing an established incumbent who had done nothing wrong, and that happened.