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Another US Atty Scandal: Missouri

Are you ready for another U.S. attorney scandal? We haven't talked about Bradley Schlozman, but this NY Times editorial tells the story:

From the facts available, it looks like a main reason for installing Mr. Schlozman [as US Attorney in Missouri] was to help Republicans win a pivotal Missouri Senate race.

Jim Talent, the Republican incumbent, was facing a strong challenge from Claire McCaskill last year when the United States attorney, Todd Graves, resigned suddenly. Mr. Graves suspects that he may have been pushed out in part because he refused to support a baseless lawsuit against the state of Missouri that could have led to voters’ being wrongly removed from the rolls.

Schlozman had no reservations about interfering with the election.

Days before the election, he announced indictments of four people who were registering voters for the liberal group Acorn on charges of submitting false registration forms.

What were Schlozman's qualifications?

More....

Schlozman, a high-level Justice Department lawyer who had made his name in the Bush administration by helping to turn the department away from its historic commitment to protecting the voting rights of minorities. Mr. Schlozman was one of the political appointees who approved Tom DeLay’s Texas redistricting plan and Georgia’s voter ID law, over the objection of career lawyers on the staff, who insisted that both violated the Voting Rights Act. McClatchy Newspapers reported that Mr. Schlozman also has been accused of hiring Justice Department lawyers based on their political party.

Update (TL): The Washington Post has more on Graves, calling him the 9th fired U.S. Attorney.

The former U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Mo., Todd P. Graves, said yesterday that he was asked to step down from his job by a senior Justice Department official in January 2006, months before eight other federal prosecutors would be fired by the Bush administration.

Graves said he was told simply that he should resign to "give another person a chance." He said he did not oppose the department's request, because he had already been planning to return to private practice. He did appeal to Missouri's senior senator to try to persuade the White House to allow him to remain long enough to prosecute a final, important case -- involving the slaying of a pregnant woman and kidnapping of her 8-month fetus. Justice officials rejected the request.

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    This relates to David Iglesias matter (none / 0) (#1)
    by Oliver W Holmes the 3rd on Thu May 10, 2007 at 09:01:14 AM EST
    The article mentions "Acorn" and while I do not have the time to do the research, I believe David Iglesias was terminated (ok he served at the pleasure of the prez.), because there was an issue in New Mexico and republicians wanting to have people indicted for questionable voter registrations.  Again my belief was "Acorn" was also a target in New Mexico as well as the Missouri matters.  Allegedly Acorn staff aquired or submitted fictitious voter registrations to increaase fees paid per registration.

    from april 1 wapo article on prosecutor purge (none / 0) (#2)
    by conchita on Thu May 10, 2007 at 09:34:27 AM EST
    Missouri had for years been a hub of GOP allegations of election fraud -- long disputed by Democrats -- when Schlozman arrived a year ago from Justice's civil rights division. Six days before the November elections, he announced indictments of four voter-registration recruiters for a left-leaning group, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, for allegedly submitting fraudulent registrations to the election board in Kansas City, Mo. Democrats have protested.

    link

    How about the ones that resigned? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Sailor on Thu May 10, 2007 at 12:56:21 PM EST
    USA Debra Yang, who was investigating Rep Jerry Lewis for corruption resigned to get a $1.5 mill signing bonus with a private firm.

    The firm just happened to be the one defending Rep lewis.