why did that attorney general get fired

Why were attorneys fired from the Department of Justice?

Nov 08, 2018 · US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been fired by President Donald Trump. Mr Trump had criticised his top law official for months, mainly over his refusal to oversee the investigation into...

Who is the Attorney General who fired Geoffrey Berman?

Dec 28, 2021 · Frustration over the lack of prosecution in the Jan. 6 investigation has bubbled over into online outrage from liberals demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland be replaced. The furor was fomented by a screed issued by former congresswoman Clare McCaskill on MSNBC where she outlined Democrats' accusations against former President Donald …

Why did Attorney General Gonzales fire eight prosecutors?

Nov 09, 2018 · Why was Jeff Sessions fired? For being loyal to his office, not Trump Lawrence Douglas When Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, he failed to keep investigators off the president’s tail....

Why was former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired?

Mar 19, 2018 · McCabe has said his firing is the latest salvo in an “ongoing war” on the FBI and the special counsel investigating Trump-Russia connections. President Trump immediately pivoted from McCabe's...

Can the U.S. president 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.

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.

When did William Barr leave office?

William BarrIn office February 14, 2019 – December 23, 2020PresidentDonald TrumpDeputyRod Rosenstein Ed O'Callaghan (acting) Jeffrey A. RosenPreceded byJeff Sessions30 more rows

Who succeeded Geoffrey Berman?

On June 19, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced that he would replace Berman on July 3 and that Jay Clayton, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, would be nominated as his replacement.

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.

How can a US attorney general be removed?

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.Jul 26, 2017

Who succeeded William Barr?

Jeffrey A. RosenPreceded byWilliam BarrSucceeded byMonty Wilkinson (acting)38th United States Deputy Attorney GeneralIn office May 22, 2019 – December 23, 202027 more rows

Who is William Barr wife?

Christine BarrWilliam Barr / Wife (m. 1973)

Who was Obama's attorney general?

Eric HolderOfficial portrait, 200982nd United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 3, 2009 – April 27, 2015PresidentBarack Obama31 more rows

Who replaced Jay Clayton?

Jay Clayton (attorney)Jay ClaytonIn office May 4, 2017 – December 23, 2020PresidentDonald TrumpPreceded byMichael Piwowar (acting)Succeeded byElad L. Roisman (acting)10 more rows

Who is the US attorney in Manhattan?

Damian Williams Williams is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District, which was established in 1789 and encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City, along with Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Westchester counties. As United States Attorney, Mr.

Who runs Sdny?

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New YorkDepartment overviewJurisdictionSouthern District of New YorkHeadquartersManhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.Department executivesDamian Williams, U.S. Attorney Margaret Garnett, Deputy U.S. AttorneyParent DepartmentUnited States Department of Justice6 more rows

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Who has the authority to subpoena the Justice Department?

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy stated that Congress has the authority to subpoena Justice Department and White House officials including chief political advisor to the president Karl Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. On March 20, President Bush declared in a press conference that his aides would not testify under oath on the matter if subpoenaed by Congress. Bush explained his position saying,

Why did Trump oust Sessions?

Even though Sessions was one of Trump's earliest supporters, the president has been laser-focused on targeting Sessions, going as far as to appearing to completely disassociate Sessions with the administration.

What does it mean for the Russia investigation and Robert Mueller?

Sessions' ouster immediately moves oversight of the ongoing investigation to interim successor Whitaker, who once called for the inquiry to be dramatically scaled back.

Who is interim AG Matthew Whitaker?

Whitaker, a former football player in Iowa who rose there to become a federal prosecutor and chief of staff at the Justice Department, had been considered for a variety of jobs in the Trump administration.

How did Sessions take the news?

In a resignation letter sent to the president, Sessions thanked Trump "for the opportunity" to be attorney general. He also listed what he considered his accomplishments during his tenure.

What are Democrats saying?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to protect Mueller, saying it would create a constitutional crisis if Session’s departure were a prelude to ending, or greatly limiting, Mueller’s investigation.

Who took over the Russia investigation?

In recusing himself, the attorney general took control of the Russia inquiry out of the hands of a Trump loyalist, and handed it to Rod Rosenstein, where it remained until today. Sessions placed loyalty to his office above fealty to his chief, the same sin that got James Comey axed.

How long did it take Trump to sack Jeff Sessions?

I n an act of unusual forbearance, Donald Trump waited a full 12 hours after the end of the midterm elections to sack Jeff Sessions. Clearly the president had been itching to get rid of Sessions for months. No matter that Sessions had been one of Trump’s earliest and most vocal supporters, endorsing him when no other Republican senator was willing to embrace the untethered reality TV star as a serious political force. But the early bromance quickly soured, and for most of his unhappy tenure at the helm of the justice department, Sessions became one of Trump’s favorite targets of ritualistic humiliation.

When was Shokin fired?

KYIV -- When Viktor Shokin was fired as Ukraine's prosecutor-general in March 2016, after less than 14 months in the post, it was seen as a crucial development in a country under pressure to curb corruption and get serious about reforms.

What did Biden say about Ukraine?

At an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in 2018, Biden seemed to boast about it, saying that during a visit to Kyiv -- likely in December 2015 -- he told Ukrainian officials: "We're leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor's not fired, you're not getting the money.". "Well, son of a bitch," Biden continued.

What happens if the prosecutor is not fired?

If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time," he said. Pifer, who also oversaw diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine under President George W. Bush, said it was appropriate for Biden to use U.S. aid as leverage.

Why did Biden fire the prosecutor?

At the heart of Congress' probe into the president's actions is his claim that former Vice President and 2020 Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden strong-armed the Ukrainian government to fire its top prosecutor in order to thwart an investigation into a company tied to his son, Hunter Biden.

Who is the owner of Burisma?

Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani claim Biden did this to quash Shokin's investigation into Ukraine's largest gas company, Burisma Holdings, and its owner, oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky. They say this benefited Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who served on Burisma's board of directors – for which he was paid $50,000 a month.

What did Biden say about corruption?

In December 2015, Biden railed against the "cancer of corrupt ion" in a speech before the country's parliament and called out Shokin's office. Besides Biden's threat over the $1 billion in aid, the International Monetary Fund threatened to delay $40 billion in aid for similar reasons.

Who investigated Burisma?

Shokin's office had investigated Burisma, but the probe focused on a period before Hunter Biden joined the company, according to the anti-corruption bureau. The investigation dealt with the Ministry of Ecology, which allegedly granted special permits to Burisma between 2010 and 2012, the agency said.

Did Biden take an interest in Ukraine?

Biden took an interest in Ukraine, said Steven Pifer, a William J. Perry fellow at Stanford University and former ambassador to Ukraine under President Bill Clinton. "You saw the vice president begin to emerge as really sort of the senior policy lead on Ukraine," Pifer said. "It's good to have attention at that level.".

Was Shokin fired?

Without pressure from Joe Biden, European diplomats, the International Monetary Fund and other international organizations, Shokin would not have been fired , said Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder and executive director of the Anti Corruption Action Centre in Kiev.

Overview

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

Replacement of the U.S. Attorneys

Reactions and congressional investigation

Aftermath

See also

Notes