And While We’re Talking about Taylors at the Center of the USA Purge

/in /by

281 days. That’s how long–by my admittedly rough count–Jeff Taylor has been serving as Interim USA for DC. He’s been serving roughly 21 days since George Bush signed a law that effectively did away with the PATRIOT appointment he currently serves under. Yet there he is, a former DOJ clique-member, Counselor to the Attorney General for four years, and before that Counsel to the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee.
Yet come Wednesday, when it comes time to talk about a contempt citation for Sara Taylor, Jeff Taylor is the one who will get to choose whether or not he will serve that citation.

Now, perhaps Pat Leahy knows Taylor and is confident he’ll serve SJC’s subpoenas. But I doubt it, because if so, I’m guessing Taylor wouldn’t have that "interim" before his name still.

So why is Jeff Taylor still serving? When do we get our new USA for DC? Because, in about four days, it’ll become crystal clear that appointing a Senate-approved USA is long overdue.

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  1. Kagro X says:

    Hey, who was White House counsel last time an executive branch officer was cited for contempt after asserting executive privilege and the US Attorney for DC refused to prosecute?

    Oh yeah. Fred Fielding.

    What ever happened to that guy?

    After pulling a stunt like that — I mean, not just directing the US Attorney not to prosecute, but even filing suit against the House of Representatives to enjoin enforcement of both the contempt citation and the subpoena — he must have had his career in the federal government destroyed forever, right?

  2. Anonymous says:

    ain’t it amazin’ how all of this ties together so nicely… one hand washes the other, i’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine, frick and frack, tweedledum and tweedledee, hand and glove, thick as thieves… but, wait…! they ARE thieves…! oh, well…

    http://takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/

  3. TeddySanFran says:

    Who was Jeffrey Taylor’s predecessor and why was he removed? If this case is partly about the replacement of USAttorneys by interims, for reasons as yet undetermined at the will of those yet unrevealed, how can this Interim USAttorney not recuse himself?

  4. Anonymous says:

    TeddySF:

    â€WASHINGTON — The Justice Department today announced the appointment of Jeffrey A. Taylor to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Mr. Taylor will serve under an Attorney General appointment. He will succeed Kenneth Wainstein, who was confirmed Thursday to serve as the first Assistant Attorney General for the Department’s new National Security Division.â€
    http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/20…..g_644.html

    why was he removed?

    †WASHINGTON — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today swore in Kenneth L. Wainstein as the first Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. The Department also announced the senior members of the National Security Division leadership team including Chief of Staff Charles M. Steele, Deputy Assistant Attorneys General J. Patrick Rowan, Matthew G. Olsen, and Brett Gerry, Counsels George Z. Toscas, John C. Demers and Kathryn Haun, and Deputy Chief of Staff Jessie K. Liu.

    Wainstein will lead the National Security Division as it carries out the Department’s top priority of preventing and combating terrorism and protecting the nation’s security. He leaves his position as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he was responsible for the prosecution of all federal and serious local criminal offenses, including several important national security investigations and prosecutions. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, he supervised the prosecution of a leading member of a Colombian terrorist organization and the prosecution of individuals who conspired to send triggering devices to Pakistan.

    Prior to his service as U.S. Attorney, Wainstein served at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as General Counsel as well as Chief of Staff to the Director. Before that he served as Director of the Executive Office of United States Attorneys. In earlier assignments at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia he served as Interim U.S. Attorney, Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Chief of the Superior Court Division, and Deputy Chief and line prosecutor in the Homicide Section.â€
    sic
    â€The new division will further improve coordination within the law enforcement community and will bring the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review and the Criminal Division’s Counterterrorism and Counterespionage Sections under one authority, fulfilling a key recommendation of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is another step in eliminating the “wall†between the intelligence and law enforcement teams.â€
    http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/20…..d_655.html

  5. TeddySanFran says:

    Wainstein:

    Mr. Wainstein was confirmed on October 7, 2005 to be the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He served as the Interim United States Attorney prior to his confirmation. Prior to his appointment as Interim United States Attorney in May of 2004, Mr. Wainstein served at FBI Headquarters. He was Chief of Staff to Director Robert S. Mueller, III, from March 2003 to May 2004 and General Counsel of the FBI from July 2002 to March 2003. From August 2001 to July 2002, he served as Director of the Justice Department’s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where he provided oversight and support to the 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices around the country. Ken was the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia between April and August of 2001.

  7. readerOfTeaLeaves says:

    EW, don’t miss some of the Live Earth music streamed over the toobz, and broadcast, on 7/7. The streaming video/music site looks best in IE.

    Live Earth underscores that millions have moved, or are moving, beyond the Bush administration intellectually, psychologically, politically — not that members of BushCo shouldn’t answer for their crimes, but it’s nice to see people trying to move beyond Bush’s policies of economic, political, and resource ruin. Bu$hCo doesn’t provide leadership for what we’re facing, and the Live Earth event strikes me as a milestone in which millons (billions?) of ordinary people are acknowledging that fact.

    Wishing ’great music’ to all who post, comment, and read here.

    Live Earth streaming music is at http://liveearth.msn.com/

  8. Gosprey says:

    Marcy,

    This is great example of why the Dems have to stop spinning their wheels in circles (Mexican overdrive we called it in pre-PC days)and focus on impeaching Gonzales. As long as he is AG nothing is going to move forward of any substance, which is precisely why Bush will never fire him. With him gone and the upper levels of DOJ thinned by â€retirements†and a Senate unwilling to approve anyone Bush would propose, more of what’s coming might end up in the hands professional careerists (if any are left). In any event Gonzo’s the guy who lets Tony Blow call Conyers and the whole Dem House â€wankers†(What else did he mean by â€Go tire yourselves out†or however he put it?). So if you get a chance this coming week, the message to Conyers, Pelosi, and anyone else around should be â€Get Gonzoâ€. He’s impeachable and (unlike either Bush or Cheney for now) convictable and actually a much more significant boulder in the path of progess than folks seem to appreciate. After all, that’s why Bush keeps him.

    Thanks for all the great work. Best regards.

  10. Mimikatz says:

    Tell it to your own Congressperson and Senators, Gosprey, and get your family and friends to do so too! I really do think there will be some response to the pressure.

  11. ab initio says:

    Gosprey

    Getting 67 votes in the Senate for any conviction right now will be more than a stretch. However, it makes eminent sense to file articles of impeachment in the House and start the impeachment proceedings as that would mean no executive privilege. They could impeach both Cheney and AbuG – and run the investigation and look into every nook and cranny and essentially try them in the court of public opinion by making public all the concerted deceit and abuse of power.

    At the end of the day I think Congress and the Dems would be remiss if they go to the highly compromised Judiciary to adjudicate. As that would mean endless litigation and running out the clock. The Dems should exercise the critical power they have in the House which is to initiate all funding legislation by not initiating any legislation that funds OVP. Let Cheney sue – and the Dems can run out the clock – using the same strategy Cheney is going to use. Basically the Dems in the House should tell Cheney to go Cheney himself!