how many presidents fired the old attorney general

by Lucio Anderson Sr. 10 min read

Why did Virginia’s new Attorney General fire the University of Virginia counsel?

Aug 27, 2009 · 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?

Jul 03, 2017 · Before he was the President, Donald Trump was most famous for booting people on TV—a habit that has proved hard to quit. So far, acting attorney general Sally Yates, national-security adviser Michael Flynn, and FBI director James Comey (above) have all found themselves on the receiving end of the onetime TV host’s catchphrase, “You’re fired.” ...

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

Jan 31, 2017 · On Aug. 27, 2007, just two years after being appointed by former President George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales resigned as attorney general, expressing that he believed it …

Is it weird to ask an attorney general to leave office?

Jan 17, 2019 · The deputy attorney general refused and was fired. But more recently, there's the case of John Ashcroft refusing to certify the legality …

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Can the President of the United States fire the attorney general?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney.

Who removed Attorney General?

He 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.

How many US attorneys did Trump get rid of?

On March 10, 2017, Jeff Sessions, who was appointed United States Attorney General by President Donald Trump, requested the resignations of 46 United States Attorneys. Some resignations were declined by Sessions or Trump.

Can attorney general be removed by impeachment?

1) He is appointed by President of India. 2) He holds office during the pleasure of the President. 3) He must be member of either House of Parliament. 4) He can be removed by impeachment by Parliament.

Who is the highest law officer of a state?

Advocate General of the StateAdvocate General of the State is the highest law officer in the state. The Constitution of India (Article 165) has provided for the office of the Advocate General for the states. Also, he corresponds to the Attorney General of India.

What is the Article 78?

Article 78 of the Constitution of India deals with the duties of the Prime Minister in respect to the furnishing of information to the President.

Was Durham fired?

In 2008, Durham led an inquiry into allegations that FBI agents and Boston Police had ties with the mafia. ... Durham resigned as U.S. Attorney effective February 28, 2021. He was one of 56 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys President Joe Biden asked to resign in February 2021.

What is Preet Bharara nationality?

AmericanPreet Bharara / NationalityPreetinder Singh Bharara (/priːt bəˈrɑːrə/; born October 13, 1968) is an Indian-born American lawyer, author, podcaster and former federal prosecutor who served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017.

Can the postmaster general be removed by the president?

The PMG does not serve at the pleasure of the president, and can be dismissed by the Board of Governors. The appointment of the postmaster general does not require Senate confirmation.

Can the president remove a Supreme Court justice?

To insulate the federal judiciary from political influence, the Constitution specifies that Supreme Court Justices “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.” While the Constitution does not define “good Behaviour,” the prevailing interpretation is that Congress cannot remove Supreme Court Justices from office ...Mar 24, 2021

What are the grounds for removing the president and vice president?

The President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public ...

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 Flynn fired?

Flynn was fired the first time for sharing sensitive information with foreign intelligence officials without authorization. Donald Trump. Sally Yates, Acting Attorney General. Trump fired Yates when she sent out a memo instructing Justice staff not to defend the executive order banning travel by certain populations.

Who was the secretary of defense during the Vietnam War?

Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense. 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.”. Richard Nixon.

Why did Mike Espy resign?

Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy was asked to resign a month before the 1994 midterms, under fire for his use of government perks and acceptance of gifts. Alberto Gonzales (CQ Roll Call Archive Photo) George W. Bush. Paul O ’ Neill, Secretary of Treasury.

Who replaced Tillerson?

Trump responded “FAKE NEWS!” to reports in late 2017 that he was planning to fire his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Three and a half months later, a Trump tweet informed Tillerson he would indeed be replaced by Pompeo. Jeff Sessions , Attorney General.

What is Donald Trump's signature line?

President Donald Trump, long known for his reality television show’s signature line, “You’re fired,” has continued its use during his time in office. Here, Roll Call catalogues the last 70 years or so of presidents notably telling top officials to “take a hike.”. President Harry S. Truman through Trump:

Who was the attorney general that fired Richard Nixon?

Amid the Watergate investigation, Richard Nixon asked attorney general Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who months earlier had subpoenaed Nixon’s Oval Office recordings. Both lawyers opted to resign instead. In the wake of what was dubbed the Saturday Night Massacre, the President’s approval rating dropped to 27 percent. Four decades on, the presidential oustings are still the most infamous.

Who did Lincoln fire?

Abraham Lincoln fired General George McClellan, who wrote to his wife: “There never was a truer epithet applied to a certain individual than that of the ‘Gorilla.’ ” For his part, Lincoln said, “If General McClellan does not want to use the Army, I would like to borrow it.” In the 1864 election, McClellan ran against his old boss and lost. Lincoln then gave command of the army to future two-term President Ulysses S. Grant.

When did Reagan fire the Air Traffic Controllers?

In 1981 , Ronald Reagan fired 11,400 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization 48 hours after offering them an ultimatum: end their illegal strike or forfeit their jobs. The workers, seeking better pay and working conditions, were banned from federal employment.

Who replaced Douglas MacArthur?

Biggest Turnaround. On April 11, 1951, Harry S. Truman replaced popular general Douglas MacArthur with General Matthew Ridgway over what Truman called MacArthur’s “rank insubordination” during the Korean War. Enjoying a hero’s welcome back home, MacArthur was invited to speak to a joint session of Congress.

What was Donald Trump famous for?

Before he was the President, Donald Trump was most famous for booting people on TV —a habit that has proved hard to quit.

Who replaced Sampson as Attorney General?

Sampson's replacement as the Attorney General's temporary chief of staff was U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Chuck Rosenberg. Rosenberg initiated a DOJ inquiry into possibly inappropriate political considerations in Monica Goodling's hiring practices for civil service staff. Civil service positions are not political appointments and must be made on a nonpartisan basis. In one example, Jeffrey A. Taylor, former interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, tried to hire a new career prosecutor, Seth Adam Meinero, in the fall of 2006. Goodling judged Meinero too "liberal" and declined to approve the hire. Meinero, a Howard University law school graduate who had worked on civil rights cases at the Environmental Protection Agency, was serving as a special assistant prosecutor in Taylor's office. Taylor went around Goodling, and demanded Sampson's approval to make the hire. In another example, Goodling removed an attorney from her job at the Department of Justice because she was rumored to be a lesbian, and, further, blocked the attorney from getting other Justice Department jobs she was qualified for. Rules concerning hiring at the Justice department forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Who was the DOJ attorney general in 2006?

Attorney General Gonzales, in a confidential memorandum dated March 1, 2006, delegated authority to senior DOJ staff Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson to hire and dismiss political appointees and some civil service positions.

Why was Kevin Ryan fired?

Kevin Ryan (R) Though described as "loyal to the Bush administration," he was allegedly fired for the possible controversy that negative job performance evaluations might cause if they were released. John McKay (R) Was given a positive job evaluation 7 months before he was fired.

Who resigned from the White House?

Officials who resigned. Alberto Gonzales, United States Attorney General, former White House Counsel. Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. Michael A. Battle, Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Michael Elston, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General.

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."

Who can appoint an attorney?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney. Before March 9, 2006, such interim appointments expired after 120 days, if a Presidential appointment had not been approved by the Senate. Vacancies that persisted beyond 120 days were filled through interim appointments made by the Federal District Court for the district of the vacant office.

Was the White House misled by the Department of Justice?

Members of Congress investigating the dismissals found that sworn testimony from Department of Justice officials appeared to be contradicted by internal Department memoranda and e-mail, and that possibly Congress was deliberately misled. The White House role in the dismissals remained unclear despite hours of testimony by Attorney General Gonzales and senior Department of Justice staff in congressional committee hearings.

How many presidents served in the military?

The presidency demands inspiring leadership and decisive action. It’s no surprise that of the 26 presidents who served in the military, twelve were generals. Presidents have been lauded and derided for their actions on the battlefield. Some even became national heroes at war’s end.

Who served as generals in the Civil War?

After the Civil War, it seemed that military service (for the Union) was a prerequisite to become president. Andrew Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and Harrison all served in the Civil War as generals – in the broadest sense of the word.

What was George Washington's role in the Revolutionary War?

From 1775 to 1783 George Washington served as general and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the war, Washington relinquished his power by resigning his commission. The General retired to his Mount Vernon plantation, but this retirement wasn’t long.

When did General Pierce join the army?

Pierce joined the army as private in 1846, and – due in part to his connections with President James K. Polk – Pierce was a brigadier general by mid-1847. The new brigadier general commanded over 2,000 troops, despite a blank military record.

Who was the President of the United States in 1976?

Washington was called to the highest office in the land in 1789 with a unanimous electoral vote. In 1976 President Gerald Ford promoted Washington to “General of the Armies of the United States,” out-ranking all past and present officers in the United States Army.

What was Andrew Jackson's role in the Revolution?

Andrew Jackson’s fighting days began at a young age. At fourteen he served in the Revolution as a messenger from 1780-81. As the well-known story goes, after being captured by the British, a young Andrew refused to shine the boots of a British officer. For his defiance, the officer slashed Jackson in the face with his sword.

How old was Ulysses S. Grant when he died?

Weeks after completing his memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885 at the age of sixty-three.

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Issues in Brief

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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 nomi…
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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, By mid-September 2007, nine senior staff of the Department of Justice associated with the controversy had resigned.The most prominent resignations include: 1. 1.1. Attorney General Alberto Gonzale…
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Replacement of The U.S. Attorneys

  • Initial planning
    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 resignation…
  • Implementation: The U.S. Attorney Removal List
    In October 2006, George W. Bushtold Alberto Gonzales that he had received complaints that some of the U.S. Attorneys had not pursued certain voter-fraud investigations. The complaints came from Republican officials, who demanded fraud investigations into a number of Democratic cam…
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Reactions and Congressional Investigation

  • Initial reaction
    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 proces…
  • Contempt of Congress charges
    On July 11, 2007, as Sara Taylor testified, George Manning, the attorney to former White House CounselHarriet Miers, announced that Miers intended to follow the request of the Bush Administration and not appear before the Committee the following day. Manning stated Miers "c…
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Aftermath

  • Subpoenas and lost emails
    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 po…
  • Appointment of U.S. Attorneys and the 2005 Patriot Act reauthorization
    The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office. In the event of a vacancy, the United States Attorney General is authorized to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney. …
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See Also

References and External Links

  1. Resignation letters and emails, and other related documents hosted by WSJ
  2. Taylor, Marissa; Margaret Talev (2007-06-18). "A Q&A for the U.S. Attorneys saga". McClatchy Washington Bureau. McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. The Washington Post in-depth coverage site on firings: "Special Reports: U.S. Attorney Firing…
  1. Resignation letters and emails, and other related documents hosted by WSJ
  2. Taylor, Marissa; Margaret Talev (2007-06-18). "A Q&A for the U.S. Attorneys saga". McClatchy Washington Bureau. McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. The Washington Post in-depth coverage site on firings: "Special Reports: U.S. Attorney Firings Investigation". The Washington Post. 2007-03-05. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  4. Inside the U.S. Attorneys Emails: Major Players and Themes The Wall Street Journal(review of the most significant of the emails).