what the attorney general did before he got fired

Should Attorney General William Barr be fired by the end of business?

Jul 10, 2020 · Geoffrey Berman, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York fired by President Donald Trump, told House lawmakers on Thursday that Attorney General Bill Barr repeatedly asked him to resign in a private meeting before his removal, and warned that his firing could damage his reputation.

Why were attorneys fired from the Department of Justice?

Jan 17, 2022 · One day before being sworn in as Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares gave 30 staff members in the office notice that they would no …

Did Virginia’s new Attorney General just fire the Civil Rights Division?

Nov 08, 2018 · 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. "At your request, I am ...

Why did Attorney General Gonzales fire eight prosecutors?

Dec 14, 2020 · Attorney General William Barr, the head of the Department of Justice, will leave office before Christmas, President Donald Trump said Monday.. The widely anticipated announcement of Barr's ...

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

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.

Can a US attorney general be impeached?

Attorneys General. While impeachment proceedings against cabinet secretaries is an exceedingly rare event, no office has provoked the ire of the House of Representatives than that of Attorney General. During the first fifth of the 21st century, no less than three Attorneys General have been subjected to the process.

Who was attorney general before Barr?

William BarrPresidentDonald TrumpDeputyRod Rosenstein Ed O'Callaghan (acting) Jeffrey A. RosenPreceded byJeff SessionsSucceeded byMerrick Garland30 more rows

Who is the US Attorney General boss?

Merrick GarlandIncumbent. Merrick Garland Washington, D.C. The United States attorney general (AG) leads the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief lawyer of the federal government of the United States.

How is Attorney General removed?

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.

Who has been impeached in american history?

Three United States presidents have been impeached, although none were convicted: Andrew Johnson was in 1868, Bill Clinton was in 1998, and Donald Trump twice, in 2019 and 2021.

Who was attorney general under George W Bush?

Alberto GonzalesOfficial portrait, 200580th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 3, 2005 – September 17, 2007PresidentGeorge W. Bush31 more rows

Who was the 1980s Attorney General?

California Former Attorneys GeneralMatthew Rodriguez2021 – 2021John K. Van de Kamp1983 – 1991George Deukemejian1979 – 1983Evelle J. Younger1971 – 1979Thomas C. Lynch1964 – 197129 more rows

Who was trumps attorney general?

Jeff SessionsOfficial portrait, 201784th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 9, 2017 – November 7, 2018PresidentDonald Trump33 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.

Who was the last US attorney general?

List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentLoretta Lynch2015-2017Eric Holder2009-2015Michael B. Mukasey2007-200982 more rows

Who is the current DOJ?

Merrick GarlandThe department is headed by the U.S. Attorney General, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn on March 11, 2021.

Who is Jeff Sessions' former chief of staff?

Jeff Sessions' former chief of staff, Matt Whitaker, now the acting attorney general, has in the past publicly criticized the Special Counsel's probe. Alex Wong/Getty Images, FILE.

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 did Whitaker say about Sessions?

Whitaker in a statement called Sessions as a dedicated public servant and said he is committed to leading the Justice Department with the "highest ethical standards.". "It is a true honor that the President has confidence in my ability to lead the Department of Justice as Acting Attorney General. I am committed to leading a fair Department with ...

What role did Sessions play in Alabama?

Sessions parlayed that support to become attorney general, a role he held at the state level in Alabama. 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 ...

When was the EOIR training program?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is introduced during the Justice Department's Executive Officer for Immigration Review (EOIR) Annual Legal Training Program June 11, 2018 in Tysons, Va. When Sessions announced the policy in May, he warned those coming to the country illegally that the administration would prosecute them.

Is Bob Mueller conflicted?

Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018. Sessions was the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse then-candidate Trump.

When will Barr leave office?

Attorney General William Barr, the head of the Department of Justice, will leave office before Christmas, President Donald Trump said Monday. The widely anticipated announcement of Barr’s departure came just moments after President-elect Joe Biden ’s victory over Trump was formalized by the Electoral College.

Who is leaving the Trump administration?

Attorney General William Barr, the head of the Department of Justice, will depart the Trump administration before Christmas, President Donald Trump said. The widely anticipated announcement of Barr’s departure came just moments after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump was formalized by the Electoral College.

What was the impact of Barr's ouster?

Barr’s ouster deepens an ongoing leadership crisis at the Justice Department. The attorney general had faced intense criticism, including from current and former DOJ officials, that he had politicized the department.

When is Barr's appointment?

William Barr takes a seat after a break in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be attorney general of the United States on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2019. Yuri Gripas | Reuters.

Did Barr conceal Hunter Biden's business dealings?

The Wall Street Journal reported that Barr had worked to conceal the probes involving Hunter Biden’s business dealings and finances during the election season, despite pressure from Trump and Republicans seeking information on the Democratic nominee’s son.

Who is the No. 2 Justice Department official?

Richard Donoghue , former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will take over Rosen’s role as the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, Trump wrote.

Who was Roger Stone?

After federal prosecutors suggested a harsh prison term for GOP operative Roger Stone, a friend of Trump’s who had been convicted of seven felonies related to lying to Congress, Barr stepped in to lighten that proposed sentence. Four of the federal attorneys on Stone’s case quit the prosecution shortly thereafter.

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.

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 was the Inspector General Report on the 2008 firings?

On September 29, 2008 the Justice Department's Inspector General (IG) released a report on the matter that found most of the firings were politically motivated and improper.

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.

What did the IG report say about the firings?

The IG's report contained "substantial evidence" that party politics drove a number of the firings, and IG Glenn Fine said in a statement that Gonzales had "abdicated his responsibility to safeguard the integrity and independence of the department.".

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 is the attorney general who resigned?

Attorney General William Barr announced his resignation on Monday, effective next week, shortly after the Electoral College formally confirmed that Joe Biden would be the next president.

Why was Alfred Bourgeois executed?

In the other case, Alfred Bourgeois was executed although he had a strong claim for being mentally handicapped, which would make his execution illegal both under federal statute and controlling Supreme Court precedent. But Barr was determined to make sure all of these prisoners died on his watch.

What is Barr's original sin?

Barr's resignation letter, in fact, reminds us of his original sin: covering up the Trump campaign’s cooperation (if not collusion) with Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, which Barr referred to as “the effort to cripple, if not oust your administration with frenzied and baseless accusations” in his letter.

How many people will be executed by Trump?

Barring any highly unlikely last-minute judicial interventions in the next five weeks, 15 people will have been executed by the Trump administration by the time he leaves office, which will be five times the three executions that had been carried out by the federal government in the past 50 years.

Did Barr make the Clinton emails public?

While in marked contrast to the disastrous decision by then-FBI Director James Comey (who was fired by Trump in 2017) to ignore departmental norms and inform Congress about the briefly reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server in 2016, Barr did not make these investigations public during the campaign.

Did Brandon Bernard get executed?

And what’s worse, both of the most recent executions are legally shaky. As observed in the dissenting opinions of the indefatigable Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Brandon Bernard was executed despite the fact that the prosecution made patently false claims about his involvement in a gang, and those claims were critical to his capital sentence for a murder that he did not personally commit. In the other case, Alfred Bourgeois was executed although he had a strong claim for being mentally handicapped, which would make his execution illegal both under federal statute and controlling Supreme Court precedent. But Barr was determined to make sure all of these prisoners died on his watch.

Was Barr a bad attorney general?

Bill Barr was a historically bad attorney general. His resignation shouldn't rehabilitate him. Bill Barr was a historically bad attorney general. His resignation shouldn't rehabilitate him. Trump wanted an attorney general who would act like his personal attorney rather than serve the interests of the American people. In Barr, he got that.