CREW Goes After Elston and McDonald’s Bar Memberships
Remember when I complained that DOJ IG had concluded it could do nothing to punish Mike Elston and Esther McDonald? Well, CREW’s not satisied with that, so they’re lodging complaints in all the states in which the two alleged law-breakers have bar memberships.
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed bar complaints against former Department of Justice officials Michael J. Elston and Esther Slater McDonald. CREW based its complaint on the report recently released by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility, An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring in the Department of Justice Honors Program and Summer Law Intern Program (DOJ Report).
According to the DOJ Report, Mr. Elston, formerly Chief of Staff and Counselor to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, and Ms. McDonald, formerly Counsel to Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer, violated federal law and DOJ policy by making hiring decisions based on political and ideological affiliations. Both Ms. McDonald and Mr. Elston rejected applicants who they believed to be liberal or who had worked for Democrats.
Mr. Elston is a member of the Virginia, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri state bars and Ms. McDonald is a member of the District of Columbia and Virginia bars. CREW filed its complaints, with the DOJ Report attached, against Ms. McDonald in the District of Columbia and the complaint against Mr. Elston in Virginia, but sent copies to the other jurisdictions.
At the very least, one would hope this would embarrass the big corporate firms these two alleged law-breakers work for. After all, it appears that Alberto Gonzales still has only temporary employment. If all these hacks found themselves unemployable because of what they did, that’d be a start.
F I T Z !!!
Where is the Gonzo Report, are they watering it down as we wait?
Brilliant
I wonder if they’re big enough fish that the rethuglican good ol boy’s network will kick in.
I wonder if it’s possible to flood the network with too many neer do wells for it to keep up?
Here’s hoping.
I had a very similar thought this weekend about Mrs. McDonald. Kudos to CREW.
I spent some time looking into Mrs. McDonald’s background. She was an undergraduate at Pensacola Christian College, an unaccredited 4-year school.
I won’t argue with Mrs. McDonald’s right to choose the course of her schooling, but PCC’s rules/policies and orientation sure wouldn’t seem to cultivate someone well adapted to the US mainstream.
And this seems to be the least of that institution’s issues. From what I’ve read, PCC makes Regent U look like Animal House’s Faber College.
At PCC you can get thrown out for just “looking into the eyes” of someone of the opposite sex.
Based on this, I’m guessing Mrs. McDonald may still be a virgin…and not even know it. *g*
Where did she go to law school? What law school accepts students from unaccredited American Taliban Schools? I’m thinking Regent and Regent only.
University of Notre Dame Law School (2003)
Permanantly unemployed is quite a penalty. I would hope that the lawbreakers are summarily disbarred and shamed.
Cutting them off from $$$ is the only way to stop these and future criminals.
Good for CREW! They are sending a message that needs to be sent. There are a few more that need that treatment.
Outstanding – good on CREW. I wonder how Seyfarth, Shaw is doing these days – that is the DC firm that Ms. McDonald is supposedly with as an associate. Can you believe a law firm associate had that much influence in DOJ. I did some expert witness stuff for Seyfarth and had their associates helping me prep. What a world!
lets stop dickin around and start a nation DISBARMENT campaign NOW
we got lawyers (looking your way bmaz) and we got organizers
let;s start an effort to provide the legal mechanism to file disbarment complaints to everybody
as a Citizen of the State of California, I got a right to file an ethics complaint against john yoo, but I got no idea how to do it
anybody else in favor of creating a one-stop disbarment page ???
it’s a “State” thing, so we’d need to organize a plan for each state we were planning to file in
Yo FP, didja see my comment down thread @ 36 ?
*runs and ducks under Kryptonite Desk*
so what, I’m some kinda asset now ???
never been called that before
and btw, you might wanna check, some of that ink didn’t dry right …
(wink)
so why can’t crew do the same thing for yoo?
if anyone needs to lose their bar membership it is yoo, this would send the message, yoo’s opinion do not meet legal standards for the the bar and therefore the constition
yoo deserves this much more then these two
16 – right now, CREW has the internal review report that makes a specific finding of fault and that’s why they can proceed. So far, no govt related body has made any finding whatsoever of Yoo having done anything unethical by soliciting torture, kidnap and disappearances. Not only that – but courts have been tossing the suits for el-Masir and Arar so fast it makes your head spin. Apparently, DOJ arranged torture isn’t something our courts will grant any remedy against.
Contra: having a finger in that pie seems to be an excellent way to get a top ivy league teaching position, mega law firm partnership slot, or ubercorporation general counsel gig.
Think about it. Everything that’s known about Arar and Larry Thompson’s direct role in sendig Arar to Syria (right after he got back from his GITMO torture field trip) and yet Pepsico doesn’t flinch to have him as general counsel. I guess if Mugabe weren’t having such successful elections, they’d find a nice slot for him too.
The “can’t make this up” point on Elston is that the firm touted his expertise in “government investigations” for his profile. Wrap that up with getting the Amjur book award “Praying to Pictures of The Decider, 101″ and he just couldn’t be a more attractive addition to the office.
I wish there was more focus on McNulty (let’s face it, what kind of report nails Elston but leave McNulty on dry ground – especially after Monica’s testimony, or leaves Gonzales on dry ground after that as well???) for not only the firings but also some probing into what he did with the Libby/Rove etc. investigations once he became DAG
But it is what it is.
some might call me crazy, but the repuglitards just moved the goal post again
now, redistricting is the gop’s salvation
now we’re talking bout 2010, that’s how BAAAAAAAD the repuglitards got it in 2008
too bad we don’t redistrict Senate seats
if we did, this plan might just have me worried
ROTFLMAO
Man, I hate to rain on everybody’s parade, but I don’t see this bar complaint action going anywhere. Especially not as to McDonald in DC. If I recall correctly, the DC Bar ethical rules and canons are extremely weak, to the point of being generally ineffectual, for course and scope matters of Federally employed attorneys. As to Virginia, I don’t recall having specifically reviewed those in the past, but would note that the Virginia Bar could not find any sanctionable conduct on the part of Monica Goodling. Hope I am wrong….