The US Attorney Firing Scandal Continues

It appears that the investigations by the DoJ'sof Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) are picking up steam.

Investigators from these offices have been questioning whether senior officials lied to Congress, violated the criminal provisions in the Hatch Act, tampered with witnesses preparing to testify to Congress, obstructed justice, took improper political considerations into account during the hiring and firing of U.S. attorneys and created widespread problems in the department’s Civil Rights Division, according to several people familiar with the investigation.

The internal Justice Department probe cannot bring charges but can refer findings to a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia or a special prosecutor, who could then pursue a criminal investigation. One source close to the investigation expects the offices to issue a scathing report within the next three months, but they have not announced a timeline for their joint inquiry.

In addition, it appears that the Senate Ethics Committee has spent money to send investigators to Arizona, where former US Attorney David Iglesias alleged that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) pressured him to engage in prosecutions for political gain.

We have allegations of violations of the Hatch Act and obstruction of Justice by some of the people involved.

The Hill expects for a report to be issued in the next few months, but I think that the DoJ will get it pushed back until after the elections.