Alleged Involvement in U.S. Attorney Dismissal Controversy
See also: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy| Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy ( ) |
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| G. W. Bush administration officials involved |
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| Involved administration officials who resigned |
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| U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary 110th Congress |
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| U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary 110th Congress |
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Buchanan was allegedly involved in the firing of the U.S. Attorneys for not embarking on politically motivated prosecutions. The congressional committee investigation has focused on whether nine U.S. attorneys were fired by the Justice Department because they had prosecuted Republicans or did not press charges against Democrats. The controversy is known as the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy.
In April 2007, Kyle Sampson, the former Gonzales aide, mentioned Buchanan's name to judiciary committee investigators during his April testimony. Sampson said that Buchanan was among the DOJ officials he consulted about which of the U.S. attorneys should be asked to resign.
In May 2007, Monica Goodling told committee members that she knew Buchanan had discussed the firings with Sampson. Before Goodling joined the White House, Goodling was hired by Buchanan to work in the executive office. In addition to having Goodling and Sampson allege she was involved in the firing decisions, critics of Buchanan have claimed that she has embarked on several high profile public corruption cases that exclusively targeted Democratic politicians such as former Sheriff Pete DeFazio, former Mayor Tom Murphy and former Allegheny County Medical Examiner Cyril Wecht.
One critic, Allegheny County Democratic Chairman Jim Burn, said that ”Her record speaks for itself. I've seen a long line of Democrats and mistakes aren't made based on party affiliation but I haven't seen anybody from the other side going though that system." Burn pointed to the fact that Buchanan’s Office refused to investigate former Republican Senator Rick Santorum, who got a tuition reimbursement for his children by claiming a Penn Hills, Pennsylvania residency while his family spent most of its time in Virginia, as an example of an alleged double standard. "You have to ask yourself the misrepresentations of a Republican such as Rick Santorum made about his alleged residency in Penn Hills were significant," said Burn.
After learning this information, the House Judiciary Committee requested an interview with Buchanan in June 2006. Committee staff members privately questioned Buchanan. She had served as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in 2004 and 2005 when discussions were held within the Justice Department concerning which of the country's 93 top federal prosecutors should be dismissed. Buchanan has denied any involvement in the firings. Buchanan has also denied that the prosecutions of key Democratic politicians in the Western PA area was driven by political factors.
Since the interview, the Judiciary Committee has continued its investigation. On April 17, 2008, the Judiciary Committee released a report which provided some of the details into the investigation into the US Attorney firings. The report stated it was impossible to know if Wecht's prosecution was politically motivated because the Justice Department has not turned over certain documents to committee investigators, and U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab has refused to hold a hearing on Wecht's claim of selective prosecution.
Read more about this topic: Mary Beth Buchanan
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