Controversial Minnesota U.S. Attorney Steps Down
New Attorney General Michael Mukasey may be making his presence felt already. The Los Angeles Times reports that the resignation of the U.S. attorney for Minnesota on Monday was being seen as "an early illustration of how Mukasey was moving quickly to address some of the lingering problems of the politically charged Gonzales era."
Rachel Paulose, 34, was one of several Bush administration insiders who took over U.S. attorneys' offices around the country during former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' tenure. She was the nation's youngest federal prosecutor and one of the most controversial.
The Washington Post reports that she drew criticism from the lawyers who worked with her and for her "outspoken conservative, Christian beliefs."
The Justice Department's Office of Special Counsel had been investigating allegations that she had mishandled classified material and made a racist remark to a staff member. An internal department audit found that her employees said she treated subordinates harshly and lacked the experience for her job.
Paulose denied making a racist remark in an interview that appeared on National Review Online last week. But that interview has prompted "at least one and as many as three of her current staff managers" to resign or threaten to resign, Thomas Heffelfinger, who Paulose replaced as Minnesota U.S. attorney, told the Post.
Paulose will return to work in the Justice Department in Washington.
11:49 AM ET | 11-20-2007 | permalink
