Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Which Two GOP Members of Congress Leaned on a Prosecutor to File Charges Before the Elections? (9:56 am)

WASHINGTON - The U.S. attorney from New Mexico who was recently fired by the Bush administration said Wednesday that he believes he was forced out because he refused to rush an indictment in an ongoing probe of local Democrats a month before November’s Congressional elections.

David Iglesias said two members of Congress separately called in mid October to inquire about the timing of an ongoing probe of a kickback scheme and appeared eager for an indictment to be issued on the eve of the elections in order to benefit the Republicans. He refused to name the members of Congress because he said he feared retaliation.
(…)
“I believe that because I didn’t play ball, so to speak, I was asked to resign,” said Iglesias, who officially stepped down Wednesday.

Iglesias acknowledged that he had no proof that the pressure from the Congress members prompted his forced resignation. But he said the contact in of itself violated one of the most important tenants of a U.S. attorney’s office: Don’t mix politics with prosecutions.

via Josh Marshall

update:
Josh has Republican House member Heather Wilson in his sights.

posted by Brian Zick

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