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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

U.S. Attorney probe again Internet fodder

Former Star Tribune reporter Eric Black has a new post on his blog about U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose just in time for U.S. Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearing tomorrow. (See "Is Rachel Paulose in her final days?”) Black does not have much to add to his prior report that the Office of Special Counsel is investigating Paulose – other than an allegation that a second person may (or may not) have heard Paulose make the alleged racial remark (or at least something(s?) similar).

Now it’s pretty apparent that Paulose is not going to win any popularity contests in her office. Given the decision of three of her deputies and an administrator to resign their leadership posts last April (but to stay on staff), it’s not surprising that things there have been pretty choppy there from a managerial point of view -- particularly given the leadership vacuum currently atop the Department of Justice. However, something still strikes me as inherently unfair about the steady flow of leaked snippets from the internal investigation that keep being strategically calculated to be released at the moment they will do the maximum amount of damage. (The last one came a few weeks after Alberto Gonzales resigned.) And, of course, whoever is leaking that internal information is flouting with apparent impunity a DOJ policy designed to ensure the integrity of the process.

Whatever the result of the internal investigation is will be fair game for the media. But I am uneasy about one side using the Internet to make its case when the other cannot respond without violating DOJ policy. Maybe I am a bit old-fashioned in this age of new technology, but I like to see things fairer than that.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

these cruel morons don't have anything better to do. they are not going to leave that poor woman alone. i hope, one of these days
ms paulose would come out and state all the facts. looks like DOJ has her hands tied and mouth taped. the cruel beasts in the office have a prey in their hands. let them play their game for a while.

Anonymous said...

just remember that the tax payers are paying the fat (oops..) salary for the two sr prosecutors who are leaking the info to the media.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I have known Ms.Paulose for a very long time. I know that she does not use ANY racial epithets and swear words. So whom ever is saying that she used such words is a BIG FAT LIAR - oOOOPS! (I used the 'F' word(Fat)and the 'race' word in the same paragraph.)

I agree with the last comment. It is cruel that Ms. Paulose cannot make any comments becuase of the investigation and at the same time somebody is sending false information to the media ---I wonder WHO that is--