how many attorney generals of the us have been fired

by Rogers Sauer Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read

How many 5 star generals have been fired?

· March 14, 2007 / 5:17 PM / CBS News (CBS) Last night, Fox News' Brit Hume kicked off his show by criticizing the media for " news stories reporting that the Bush administration had considered...

How common are mass firings of US attorneys during presidential terms?

· Probably not many in people in Washington remember that Harry Truman once fired an attorney general for, in his view, suborning corruption. In early 1952 the Truman administration was plagued by ...

Why were attorneys fired from the Department of Justice?

· 10 Generals/Admirals That Got Fired. By Major Dan April 11, 2016 Updated: March 7, 2020 3 Comments 7 Mins Read. On April 11, 1951 President Harry Truman had had enough, and fired General of the Army (5 star general) Douglas MacArthur . Firing the senior American general during a war, especially one that had been awarded the Medal of Honor (in World War II) and …

Who made up the list of eight prosecutors to be fired?

Here is the list of our military elite who have been purged or fired under Obama: Commanding Generals fired: · General John R. Allen-U.S. Marines Commander International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] (Nov 2012) · Major General Ralph Baker (2 Star)-U.S. Army Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn in Africa (April 2013) · Major ...

How many US attorneys did bush fire?

On December 7, 2006, the George W. Bush Administration's Department of Justice ordered the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States attorneys. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage.

How can a US attorney general be removed from office?

Technically, no sitting President has ever fired an Attorney General they nominated to office with Senate approval. But President Trump clearly has the power to remove Sessions, based on the Constitution and past legal decisions. And most importantly, he can ask for his resignation.

Has there ever been a black US attorney general?

Eric Himpton Holder Jr. Holder, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama, was the first African American to hold the position of U.S. attorney general.

How long do US attorney generals serve?

four-yearUnder the state Constitution, the Attorney General is elected to a four-year term in the same statewide election as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner.

Who can remove Attorney General?

the PresidentHe can be removed by the President at any time. He can quit by submitting his resignation only to the President. Since he is appointed by the President on the advice of the Council of Ministers, conventionally he is removed when the council is dissolved or replaced.

Can the President remove inferior Officers?

In the absence of specific legislative provision to the contrary, the President may at his discretion remove an inferior officer whose term is limited by statute, 606 or one appointed with the consent of the Senate.

Who was the first African American US Supreme Court justice?

Thurgood MarshallOn June 13, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated distinguished civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Who was the first African American woman Attorney General of the United States?

Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017.

Who was the first black lawyer in the United States?

Macon Bolling AllenFreedom Center honors lasting legacy of nation's first African American lawyer. CINCINNATI – Macon Bolling Allen became the first African American licensed to practice law in the United States in 1844, a full 18 years before the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Who has more power governor or Attorney General?

The vast majority of state attorneys general are elected separately from the governor, which means they're free to make their own decisions about which cases to prosecute. Governors can try to influence them informally—and in most cases, their interests line up—but they have no formal power over the AGs.

Who is the boss of the US attorney general?

United States Attorney GeneralIncumbent Merrick Garland since March 11, 2021United States Department of JusticeStyleMr. Attorney General (informal) The Honorable (formal)Member ofCabinet National Security Council13 more rows

How many attorney generals are there in the US?

Of the 50 Attorneys General, 25 do not have a formal provision specifying the number of terms allowed. Of the 44 elected attorneys general, all serve four-year terms with the exception of Vermont, who serves a two-year term. 11 face a two term limit, otherwise unspecified.

Why were the seven attorneys fired?

Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 6. He said that the seven were fired for job performance issues and not political considerations; these statements lead several of the dismissed attorneys, who had been previously silent, to come forward with questions about their dismissals, partially because their performance reviews prior to their dismissal had been highly favorable.

Why are emails about the firing of attorneys lost?

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel stated that some of the emails that had involved official correspondence relating to the firing of attorneys may have been lost because they were conducted on Republican party accounts and not stored properly. "Some official e-mails have potentially been lost and that is a mistake the White House is aggressively working to correct." said Stanzel, a White House spokesman. Stonzel said that they could not rule out the possibility that some of the lost emails dealt with the firing of U.S. attorneys. For example, J. Scott Jennings, an aide to Karl Rove communicated with Justice Department officials "concerning the appointment of Tim Griffin, a former Rove aide, as U.S. attorney in Little Rock, according to e-mails released in March, 2007. For that exchange, Jennings, although working at the White House, used an e-mail account registered to the Republican National Committee, where Griffin had worked as a political opposition researcher."

What did Gonzales say about the dismissal of the attorneys?

He also stood by his decision to dismiss the attorneys, saying "I stand by the decision and I think it was the right decision". Gonzales admitted that "incomplete information was communicated or may have been communicated to Congress" by Justice Department officials, and said that "I never saw documents. We never had a discussion about where things stood."

What was the process used to fire the first seven attorneys and two others dismissed around the same time?

A subsequent report by the Justice Department Inspector General in October 2008 found that the process used to fire the first seven attorneys and two others dismissed around the same time was "arbitrary", "fundamentally flawed" and "raised doubts about the integrity of Department prosecution decisions".

Why were some of the attorneys targeted for dismissal?

Allegations were that some of the attorneys were targeted for dismissal to impede investigations of Republican politicians or that some were targeted for their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters.

How long can an interim attorney serve?

Attorneys by deleting two provisions: (a) the 120-day maximum term for the Attorney General's interim appointees, and (b) the subsequent interim appointment authority of Federal District Courts. With the revision, an interim appointee can potentially serve indefinitely (though still removable by the President), if the President declines to nominate a U.S. Attorney for a vacancy, or the Senate either fails to act on a Presidential nomination, or rejects a nominee that is different than the interim appointee.

What did the change in the law do to the Attorney General?

The change in the law undermined the confirmation authority of the Senate and gave the Attorney General greater appointment powers than the President, since the President's U.S. Attorney appointees are required to be confirmed by the Senate and those of the Attorney General did not require confirmation.

Who was the Attorney General fired by Trump?

President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, replacing the head of the Department of Justice with his chief of staff Matthew G. Whitaker.

How many people clapped when Sessions left the Justice Department?

Sessions left the Justice Department Wednesday afternoon after meeting with staff. About 150 people, including many longtime career attorneys, clapped as he walked out, gave him a thumbs up, and shook hands.

Why did Sessions send more judges and prosecutors to the southern border?

Sessions also sent more judges and prosecutors to the southern border to help with processing illegal border crossers. AP. In his resignation letter, Sessions described restoring and upholding the "rule of law" as his most important legacy as attorney general.

What are the President's priorities and Sessions' mirrored each other?

The president's priorities and Sessions' mirrored each other. Both tough on immigration, the opioid crisis, and crime, both men have a pro-law enforcement perspective.

When did Jeff Sessions speak at the 8th District Conference?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions waits to speak at the Eighth Judicial District Conference, Aug. 17, 2018, in Des Moines, Iowa. Following Sessions' resignation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Whitaker to recuse himself from the probe. "Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on ...

Does Whitaker need to be sworn in?

A DOJ spokeswoman said that Whitaker does not need to be sworn in and is therefore already the acting attorney general. Tensions developed between Trump and Sessions in March 2017, when Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein took over.

Who is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee?

15, 2017. Rep. Jerry Nadler , the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, also called for accountability.

How many attorneys will Biden resign?

President Joe Biden will ask for resignations of 55 of the 56 U.S. attorneys currently in office. Pictured: Biden delivers remarks on the national economy in the State Dining Room at the White House Feb. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

How many errors did the FBI make in the Carter Page case?

Horowitz found that the FBI made at least 17 “significant” errors and omissions in applications for warrants to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Many of the errors involved the FBI’s handling of the Steele dossier, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

When did Trump ask Obama holdovers to resign?

Former President Donald Trump asked 46 Obama-era holdovers to tender their resignations on March 10, 2017. The maneuver generated some scrutiny for Trump even though the decision was not unprecedented.

Who is the special counsel for the Trump-Russia investigation?

John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, will be asked to resign his position, but will remain as a special counsel to continue an investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. Joe Biden’s move is not unusual as presidents have historically ousted prosecutors held over from their predecessors.

Who replaced every sitting attorney general?

Attorneys at the beginning of a term. Ronald Reagan replaced every sitting U.S. Attorney when he appointed his first Attorney General.

Who kicked off Fox News?

attorneys across the country [that] failed to mention that that is exactly what Bill Clinton did soon after taking office back in 1993."

Who appointed Newbold Morris as the Attorney General?

Attorney General J. Howard McGrath, a former governor of and senator from Rhode Island, appointed Newbold Morris as a special assistant attorney general in the Justice Department to investigate corruption.

Who can determine if a prosecution would undermine national security?

The attorney general serves at the pleasure of the president, and the president can determine that a prosecution would undermine the national security—a subject on which he has a wider perspective and a greater responsibility than the attorney general—and order that it not go forward.

Can the President fire the Attorney General?

The president can fire the attorney general. O bama administration spokesmen are portraying the president as unable to overrule Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to have a special prosecutor determine whether to prosecute CIA interrogators who were cleared by Department of Justice career attorneys back in 2004.

Who was the 5 star general that was fired?

10 Generals/Admirals That Got Fired. On April 11, 1951 President Harry Truman had had enough, and fired General of the Army (5 star general) Douglas MacArthur . Firing the senior American general during a war, especially one that had been awarded the Medal of Honor (in World War II) and that was a national hero is not to be taken lightly; however, ...

Who was in charge of the Union forces during the Civil War?

Bearing the lofty title, General-in-Chief, McClellan was in charge of the Union forces for the first part of the Civil War. His indecision and slow reactions, combined with a seemingly reluctance to prosecute the war drove President Lincoln to distraction.

Who was the Field Marshall in 1942?

Field Marshall Claude Auchinleck, 1942. In charge of the British North African and Middle East war effort early in World War II, Auchinleck was relieved of command and replaced by Generals Alexander and Montgomery. Auchinleck had actually been a replacement himself when General Wavell was relieved.

Who was the general who bungled the invasion of Canada?

General William Hull, 1812. In charge of American forces in the Northwest during the War of 1812, Hull bungled an invasion of Canada and then surrendered Fort Detroit to an inferior force. For his ineptitude, Hull was court-martialed and sentenced to be shot, but was spared only by a reprieve from President Madison. 7.

Was Auchinleck fired?

Auchinleck was accused by the Britiish General Staff of losing battles due to “nothing less than bad generalship.”. Sadly, Auchinleck was also fired by his wife, who left him in 1944 for Air Chief Marshall Pierse. 5.

Why was Douglas MacArthur fired?

Harry S. Truman. Douglas MacArthur, Commander of U.N. forces in Korea. Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination after privately pushing for a wider war with China and publicly criticizing Truman. After being dismissed, he was invited to address a joint session of Congress.

Why was McGrath fired?

McGrath was fired amidst charges that the Justice Department was blocking tax investigations of members of Congress and other government officials.

Why did Bush lose the majority in Congress?

President Bush lost his majority in congress in 2006, largely due to the public’s opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A day after the election, Rumsfeld was out and former CIA director Robert Gates was in.

When did the Supreme Court Justice's mother resign?

The mother of the newest Supreme Court justice resigned under fire in 1983 , amid charges of mismanagement of a $1.6 billion hazardous waste cleanup program.

When did McNamara leave office?

After presiding over the escalation of the Vietnam war, McNamara recommended a negotiated peace and withdrawal in 1967 . His recommendations were rejected and he left office, later saying, “I do not know to this day whether I quit or was fired.”

Who were the scapegoats for the Watergate scandal?

Nixon fired Kleindienst, Haldeman, Erlichman and Dean as scapegoats for the Watergate break-in and subsequent scandal, declaring “there can be no whitewash at the White House.”

Who was the secretary of defense after the Black Hawk massacre?

Les Aspin , Secretary of Defense. After the massacre of the Black Hawk unit in Somalia, the former McNamara protege and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee twice offered Clinton his resignation. On the second occasion, Clinton accepted. Joycelyn Elders, Surgeon General.

Overview

Aftermath

Issues in brief

By tradition, all U.S. Attorneys are asked to resign at the start of a new administration. The new President may elect to keep or remove any U.S. Attorney. They are traditionally replaced collectively only at the start of a new White House administration. U.S. Attorneys hold a political office, in which the President nominates candidates to office and the Senate confirms, and consequently, they serve at the pleasure of the President. When a new President is from a differ…

Fallout

By April 2007, there was some speculation that the dismissal of the US attorneys might affect cases of public corruption and voter fraud. According to the National Law Journal,
Just the appearance of political influence in cases related to those firings, combined with the recent, unusual reversal of a federal public corruption convi…

Replacement of the U.S. Attorneys

On January 6, 2005, Colin Newman, an assistant in the White House counsels office, wrote to David Leitch stating, "Karl Rovestopped by to ask you (roughly quoting) 'how we planned to proceed regarding U.S. Attorneys, whether we were going to allow all to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them or selectively replace them, etc.'". The email was then forwarded to Kyle …

Reactions and congressional investigation

The initial reaction was from the senators of the affected states. In a letter to Gonzales on January 9, 2007, Senators Feinstein (D, California) and Leahy (D, Vermont; Chair of the Committee) of the Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concern that the confirmation process for U.S. attorneys would be bypassed, and on January 11, they, together with Senator Pryor (D, Arkansas), introduced legislation "to prevent circumvention of the Senate's constitutional prerogative to con…

Notes

1. ^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. ^ "Although Bush and President Bill Clinton each dismissed nearly all U.S. attorneys upon taking office, legal experts and former prosecutors say the firing of a large number of prosecutors in the middle of a term appears to be unprecedented and threatens the independence of prosecutors." Gonzales: 'Mistakes Were Made' The Washington Post, March 14, 2007