-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: January 14, 2007 2:34:33 AM PST
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Too Much Pork in the Patriot Act
Legislation introduced in response to U.S. attorney appointments
Friday, Jan 12, 2007
By Aaron Sadler
Stephens Washington Bureau
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/01/12/WashingtonDCBureau/
339592.html
WASHINGTON - Days after the attorney general named a former White
House official to serve an interim U.S. attorney in Little Rock,
Sen. Mark Pryor added his name Thursday to a bill to restrict the
attorney general's appointment power.
Pryor, D-Ark., joined Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif., in introducing legislation to change a
provision of the Patriot Act that allows for indefinite
appointments without Senate confirmation.
The senators said the law circumvents the traditional process of
Senate consent of executive branch appointments.
In December, Pryor and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., protested the
appointment of Tim Griffin as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern
District of Arkansas.
Griffin, 38, is an Arkansas native who was White House deputy
director of political affairs under Karl Rove. He also served as
head of opposition research for the Republican National Committee.
Pryor said Griffin should have to face the Senate for a
confirmation vote, especially because of his political connections.
"Arkansas has learned first hand the unintended consequence of a
little-known provision in the Patriot Act," Pryor said.
"Unfortunately, the spirit and intent in which this provision was
constructed has been abused and needs to be corrected."
Griffin declined to comment Wednesday on the proposed legislation.
The Patriot Act, reauthorized last year, gives attorneys general
power to fill vacancies for an indefinite period of time. Before
that, the attorney general could make interim appointments for no
more than 120 days.
Before 1986, the district courts within which vacancies arise had
authority to appoint interim U.S. attorneys.
Pryor's legislation would again give district courts interim
appointment authority.
"It appears that the administration has chosen to use this
provision, which was intended to help protect our nation, to
circumvent the transparent constitutional Senate confirmation
process (and) reward political allies," Pryor said.
President Bush can appoint Griffin permanently, triggering the
confirmation process; or, conceivably, Griffin can serve indefinitely.
The Griffin appointment is not the only one being questioned by
senators, according to a joint statement from Feinstein, Leahy and
Pryor.
They said several U.S. attorneys have been asked by the Department
of Justice to resign without cause. They are unaware of the
specific number who have resigned.
"We believe that this use of expanded executive authority to
appoint interim replacements indefinitely undermines essential
constitutional checks and balances," Feinstein said.
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the moves
"political gerrymandering."
Former Eastern District attorney Bud Cummins had announced plans to
step down months before Griffin's nomination.
The Eastern District consists of 41 Arkansas counties, including
the cities of Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
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