JOHN W. DEAN The Strong Message Attorney General Eric Holder Sent to All Federal Prosecutors When He Dismissed the Indictment Against Senator Ted Stevens, and the Apparent Basis for the Dismissal FindLaw columnist and former counsel to the president John Dean discusses the basis for Attorney General Eric Holder's recent decision to dismiss the indictment, based on allegations of corruption, that the Department of Justice had brought against Senator Ted Stevens, and which had resulted in a conviction. Dean praises Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for issuing a series of rulings that brought apparent DOJ misconduct to light and that served as a basis for Holder's decision. He also faults Bush Administration Attorney General Michael Mukasey for not addressing Sullivan's rulings by taking strong action, as his successor, Holder, later did.