US Attorneygate Update in Corrupticut (Hartford Courant)
Mort Zuckerman
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Subject: US Attorneygate Update in Corrupticut (Hartford Courant)
Date: Mar 6, 2009 7:28 AM
http://www.actionlyme.org/CRYME_DISEASE.htm
Had "US Attorney" Kevin O'Connor Insano Gonzales Suck-Up done his job
and gone after Yale and AIG in the Lyme RICO scam, we might not have
had such serious global financial and HIV fiascoes:
http://www.actionlyme.org/PAM3CYS_IMMUNE_SUPPRESSION.htm
http://www.actionlyme.org/ALDF_BOARD.htm
http://www.actionlyme.org/USDOJ_COMPLAINT_RICO.htm
Kathleen M. Dickson
http://www.actionlyme.org/CUSTOMS.htm
=================================================
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-usatty0306.artmar06,0,917721.story
U.S. Attorney Pick
Dodd And Lieberman Form Advisory Committee On Federal Appointments
By EDMUND H. MAHONY | The Hartford Courant
March 6, 2009
In a new wrinkle on some old political patronage plums, the state's
two U.S. senators say they have formed an advisory committee to screen
candidates for U.S. attorney and other highly sought-after, appointed
federal positions.
The creation of such a committee — composed of lawyers, an educator
and a businessman — is a departure from tradition, at least in
Connecticut. Traditionally, the state's senior U.S. senator from the
political party of the president has directly recommended nominees to
the White House. Almost always, one of those people who is recommended
takes office after confirmation by the Senate.
The seven-member committee's first task probably will be the screening
of Connecticut's next U.S. attorney. At least half a dozen lawyers
already have expressed interest in the position, a relatively large
and strong field of job-seekers compared with past years.
In addition to the U.S. attorney, Sens. Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph
Lieberman said they will use the committee "to solicit, screen, and
comment on candidates" for U.S. marshal and other "federal positions
as appropriate," perhaps including district judges.
Related links
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Members Of Advisory Committee To Dodd And Lieberman
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Sen. Christopher Dodd Photos
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Joseph Lieberman Joseph Lieberman Photos
Dodd's decision to turn to a committee and to consult with Lieberman
has been a subject of speculation for weeks among lawyers who practice
in federal court and closely follow events at the New Haven offices of
the U.S. attorney, the state's top federal law enforcement officer.
U.S. attorney is one of the most visible and sought-after positions in
Connecticut. Among the lawyers said to be interested in the office are
David B. Fein, former associate White House counsel during the Clinton
administration; Nora R. Dannehy, acting U.S. attorney and prosecutor
of former Gov. John G. Rowland; former state Senate Majority Leader
and Democratic Chairman George Jepsen; state Rep. William Tong, D-
Stamford; Gary Collins, a former assistant U.S. attorney who worked in
Washington for current U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; and former
assistant U.S. attorneys Jeffrey Meyer and James Glasser, both of whom
worked in New Haven.
Fein is the candidate who has flexed the most political muscle.
Several sources said that his old boss, former President Bill Clinton,
called Dodd personally on Fein's behalf. Fein could not be reached for
comment.
Dodd and Lieberman said their committee will bring a new level of
expertise to patronage appointments.
"These federal positions will play an integral role in ensuring
justice in our state and our country," Dodd and Lieberman said in a
statement. "The committee will bring a wealth of legal and
professional experience to this process and we look forward to working
with them to identify highly qualified candidates to serve our state
and our country in these important positions."
For weeks, rumors about the process by which patronage appointees will
be screened has overpowered normally lively speculation about
succession at the U.S. attorney's office. Most lawyers willing to
discuss the issue, fearful of alienating Dodd, Lieberman or whomever
ultimately becomes U.S. attorney, did so on the condition of
anonymity.
Some expressed irritation that Lieberman, an independent who backed
unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain,
was getting a voice in what, by tradition, should be a patronage post
won by Democrats in a hard-fought election. Others wondered why Dodd
was willing to dilute a political IOU by sharing it.
Some see the creation of a committee as a step toward compliance with
calls by the Obama administration to lessen the role of politics in
the U.S. Department of Justice. Following a meeting in Washington with
Holder earlier this week, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
said that Holder pressed for a selection process that emphasized
merit.
Blumenthal said that the committee is "enlarging the process by moving
in that direction."
U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy began using a screening committee in
Massachusetts in the 1990s and the first result was the 1993
appointment of former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern.
Stern said that a screening committee expanded the field of job-
seekers beyond the politically connected. In the early 1990s, he said
that he was apolitical and unknown to Kennedy. He said that he did not
consider seeking the position until after reading that a committee
would screen candidates.
Officials in Maine have announced that a five-member advisory
committee will screen U.S. attorney candidates in that state.
Elsewhere in the country, senators have in the past convened
committees to screen would-be U.S. district judges.
Although no one disputes that a committee can depoliticize federal
appointments, several lawyers interviewed said that the decision also
could have public relations value for Dodd.
These lawyers have said that he might want to distance himself from
appointing a powerful federal prosecutor in the aftermath of his
highly publicized "VIP" mortgage refinancing with Countrywide
Financial. Countrywide has since become a symbol of the subprime
mortgage debacle that has contributed to the collapse of financial
markets, and its loans reportedly are being reviewed by the FBI.
•Courant staff writer Jon Lender contributed to this story.
"[Real] scientists are *fiercely* independent. That's the good
news."-- NIH's Top Fool, Anthony Fauci