More Cummins: Bush "Fired" Prosecutor in Midst of Fee Office Investigation

Yesterday, we reported here on the nexus between the rash of United States Attorneys forced out of their posts around the nation and the investigation of Matt Blunt's administration of the license office system. That post noted that one of the US Attorneys forced from his job was Bud Cummins, from Arkansas's Eastern District, who was responsible for the lengthy investigation of the Missouri Governor's fee office operation.

Today's Wall Street Journal stirs even more intrigue by revealing that the Bush administration cut the legs out from under Cummins in June of 2006, while the federal prosecutor was in the midst of his investigation of Governor Blunt. This information makes even more compelling the case that Bush was pushing out federal prosecutors who were pursuing cases the Republican administration felt were politically damaging.

The WSJ writes (subscription only):

The departure that started the uproar is that of Bud Cummins in Little Rock, Ark., whose replacement, Timothy Griffin, is a former political official in the Bush White House and the Republican National Committee. Mr. Cummins, in an interview, said a top Justice official asked for his resignation in June, saying the White House wanted to give another person the opportunity to serve.

Whatever the stated intentions of the White House, the facts of the matter are as follows: a spokeswoman for Cummins office inadvertently confirmed the investigation of Blunt's fee offices in a story published May 1, 2006; the conclusion of the investigation was announced by Cummins on October 4, 2006. There is no question, then, that when high-level officials in the Bush Justice Department asked for Cummins resignation in June, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, the investigation of Blunt was still ongoing.

Clearly the Blunt investigation was a matter of concern within the Bush administration and his Justice Department. The idea that they "didn't realize" Cummins was investigating a GOP Governor at the time he was asked to resign is simply not plausible.

In and of themselves, acts such as this undertaken by the Bush administration are plainly violative of Americans' expectations for a fair, impartial, and non-partisan system of justice. The President should not purge prosecutors for doing their jobs, even if their targets are the President's political allies. But on a more narrow scale, the President's move could likely have had tremendous practical legal implications for our state as well.

Who knows whether Cummins may have reached a different conclusion on whether to file for indictments against figures in Missouri government had he not received a loud, clear message from the highest levels that his fee office investigation was counter to the wishes of the Attorney General and President?