Exclusive: Shake Up at the U.S. Attorney's Office
MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s a major shakeup at the offices of new U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose.
Four of her top staff voluntarily demoted themselves Thursday, fed up with Paulose, who, after just months on the job, has earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.
Deputy U.S. Attorney John Marty is just one of the people dropping themselves in rank to simply a U.S. Attorney position. Also making the move are the heads of Paulose’s criminal and civil divisions and the top administrative officer.
The move is intended to send a message to Washington – that 33-year-old Paulose is in over her head.
Paulose was appointed before the 8 U.S. Attorneys were given their pink slips, but she has deep connections to the scandal.
She was a special assistant to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, worked as a senior counsel for deputy attorney general Paul McNulty and is best buds with Monica Goodling – the assistant U.S. Attorney who recently took the Fifth rather than testify before Congress.
Add to the suspicions the fact that Minnesota’s former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger stepped down just as the White House was developing its hit list.
Heffelfinger responds to questions whether he was forced out by saying, “emphatically no.” But there’s been a lot of speculation that Heffelfinger, a moderate Republican, may have been able to read the writing on the wall.
And indeed, some of the early White House memos indicate three people on the hit list resigned before they could be fired.
Paulose was not available for comment on the shake-up.
Full Version: Exclusive: Shake Up at the U.S. Attorney's Office
Via TPM:
There've been a few hints that something fishy was up in the Minneapolis US Attorney's office where 34-year old Rachel Paulose was sworn in to office last month in a lavish 'investiture' ceremony some have called a 'coronation'. Paulose's predecessor left under murky circumstances. And there are some hints that the Justice Department may originally have considered giving Paulose a Patriot Act appointment rather than going down the old-fashioned senate confirmation route.
Now there's this just breaking this evening...
I think we may be hearing more about this.
Late Update: The Star-Tribune adds: "The job changes followed a visit to the office by a representative from the Executive Office of the U.S. Attorney in Washington."
Still Later Update: The Pioneer Press has more quotes from an unnamed source ...
There've been a few hints that something fishy was up in the Minneapolis US Attorney's office where 34-year old Rachel Paulose was sworn in to office last month in a lavish 'investiture' ceremony some have called a 'coronation'. Paulose's predecessor left under murky circumstances. And there are some hints that the Justice Department may originally have considered giving Paulose a Patriot Act appointment rather than going down the old-fashioned senate confirmation route.
Now there's this just breaking this evening...
QUOTE
It’s a major shakeup at the offices of new U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose.
Four of her top staff voluntarily demoted themselves Thursday, fed up with Paulose, who, after just months on the job, has earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.
Deputy U.S. Attorney John Marty is just one of the people dropping themselves in rank to simply a U.S. Attorney position. Also making the move are the heads of Paulose’s criminal and civil divisions and the top administrative officer.
The move is intended to send a message to Washington – that 33-year-old Paulose is in over her head.
As the article notes, before getting the plum US Attorney spot, Paulose was a special assistant to Alberto Gonzales and apparently big buds with none other than 5th amendment invoker Monica Goodling.Four of her top staff voluntarily demoted themselves Thursday, fed up with Paulose, who, after just months on the job, has earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.
Deputy U.S. Attorney John Marty is just one of the people dropping themselves in rank to simply a U.S. Attorney position. Also making the move are the heads of Paulose’s criminal and civil divisions and the top administrative officer.
The move is intended to send a message to Washington – that 33-year-old Paulose is in over her head.
I think we may be hearing more about this.
Late Update: The Star-Tribune adds: "The job changes followed a visit to the office by a representative from the Executive Office of the U.S. Attorney in Washington."
Still Later Update: The Pioneer Press has more quotes from an unnamed source ...
QUOTE
A source said managers had been unhappy with Paulose and decided to collectively resign.
"They did it jointly because they couldn't stand her anymore," the source said, citing what been described as her "dictatorial management style and general lack of management experience."
Paulose replaced former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, who resigned in February 2006. At 34, she's the youngest current U.S. attorney. She's also the first woman to hold the post in Minnesota.
The move might have come from a disagreement in the direction of the office, but is also "indicative of how the U.S. Department of Justice is acting now," another source said.
"These are career prosecutors who wouldn't do it without a reasonable basis," the source said. "If these folks took this action en masse and all of them are well respected career prosecutors, they wouldn't do so lightly."
"They did it jointly because they couldn't stand her anymore," the source said, citing what been described as her "dictatorial management style and general lack of management experience."
Paulose replaced former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, who resigned in February 2006. At 34, she's the youngest current U.S. attorney. She's also the first woman to hold the post in Minnesota.
The move might have come from a disagreement in the direction of the office, but is also "indicative of how the U.S. Department of Justice is acting now," another source said.
"These are career prosecutors who wouldn't do it without a reasonable basis," the source said. "If these folks took this action en masse and all of them are well respected career prosecutors, they wouldn't do so lightly."
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