who has authority to fire the attorney general

What happens if you get a grand jury subpoena?

By issuing a grand jury subpoena, a U.S. attorney may destroy a hard-won reputation. In some instances, a U.S. attorney may use the power of the government to intentionally and methodically take another person's life.

Who was the attorney general of New Mexico in 2005?

At the other end of that spectrum, consider a former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David Iglesias. In 2005, a Republican senator from that state, Pete Domenici, wanted Iglesias to initiate prosecutions against certain Democrats. When Iglesias declined because the cases lacked merit, Domenici voiced his unhappiness with the decision. What followed had long-lasting impact at the Department of Justice: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fired Iglesias and a number of other U.S. attorneys, I among them, for what many found to be politically motivated reasons.

Can a grand jury subpoena destroy a reputation?

That makes the U.S. attorney more than a mere gatekeeper. By issuing a grand jury subpoena, a U.S. attorney may destroy a hard-won reputation. In some instances, a U.S. attorney may use the power of the government to intentionally and methodically take another person's life.

Do U.S. attorneys have to be confirmed?

This broad authority makes the selection of a U.S. attorney an important process that must be done with much care. Appointment to the position requires full Senate confirmation. Background checks are done not by government contractors but by special agents of the FBI, and they are most thorough: Given the threat of terrorism, and that terrorism cases arise throughout the country, each U.S. attorney must qualify to receive the highest of security clearances.

Who has the authority to fire Mueller?

But Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the administration official who actually has the authority to fire Mueller, threw cold water on that prospect in Senate testimony Tuesday morning. Rosenstein explained how he interpreted Mueller’s authority, the regulations governing the special counsel’s office, and how he viewed his investigation so far.

Can Mueller be fired?

Under the regulation, special counsel Mueller may be fired only for good cause. And I am required to put that cause in writing. And so that’s what I would do — if there were good cause, I would consider it. If there were not good cause, it wouldn’t matter to me what anybody says.

Did Rosenstein fire Mueller?

Essentially, Rosenstein is saying he would not approach a presidential order to fire Mueller in the same way that he approached the president’s request to come up with a pretext for firing FBI Director James Comey.