which presidents have fired their attorney general

by Jarrett Quitzon Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 8 min read

Why were attorneys fired from the Department of Justice?

Though there have been several instances of attorneys general resigning, it's quite rare for a president to actually fire one. Richard Nixon's turbulent presidency, in this case, should ring a bell.

Who was the Attorney General during the Clinton administration?

Dec 17, 2020 · Presidents Trump, Bush and Clinton all did so at the beginning of their time in office, and Eric Holder, President Obama’s attorney general in May of 2009, announced plans to dismiss a “batch ...

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

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.The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States. ...

Can the President fire the attorneys chosen by the predecessors?

Jul 03, 2017 · A Brief History of Presidents Firing People 1. Best Known, Worst Bungled. Amid the Watergate investigation, Richard Nixon asked attorney general Elliot Richardson... 2. Biggest Turnaround. On April 11, 1951, Harry S. Truman replaced popular general Douglas MacArthur with General... 3. Most Victims. ...

Which president fired all the US attorneys?

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.

Can the U.S. 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.

How many US attorneys did Trump replace?

This is a list of United States attorneys appointed by the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump. President Trump nominated 86 people to be U.S. attorneys, and 84 of them were confirmed.

Who is the boss of the U.S. Attorney general?

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 can the US attorney general be removed from office?

The Attorney General is supposed to defend our nation by making sure no one is above the law -- but time and time again, Barr has abused his power to serve our lawless president. That's why Congress has a duty to impeach him and remove him from office.

Can Supreme Court justices be impeached?

The Constitution states that Justices "shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour." This means that the Justices hold office as long as they choose and can only be removed from office by impeachment. Has a Justice ever been impeached? The only Justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805.

Who was the last U.S. Attorney general?

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

Was Durham fired?

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. He remains Special Counsel as of September 2021.

Who is Trump's attorney?

Michael Cohen (lawyer)Michael CohenCohen in 2019BornMichael Dean Cohen August 25, 1966 Lawrence, New York, U.S.EducationAmerican University (BA) Cooley Law School (JD)Political partyDemocratic (before 2002, 2004–2017, 2018–present) Republican (2002–2004, 2017–2018)10 more rows

Who is the DOJ now?

Merrick B. GarlandMeet the Attorney General Attorney General Merrick B. Garland was sworn in as the 86th Attorney General of the United States on March 11, 2021.6 days ago

How long does the US attorney general serve?

Under 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 was the attorney general in the 1980s?

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

Overview

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…

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 …

Aftermath

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 …

Notes

1. ^ "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
2. ^ Bowermaster, David (2007-05-09). "Charges may result from firings, say two former U.S. attorneys". The Seattle Times. …