It All Depends on What You Mean By ‘Integrity’
Jan 27th, 2006 at 7:19 am by Susie
Interesting timing, no? That’s the funny thing about the appearance of conflict - you may not be guilty, but you undermine your own integrity by making choices that allow the question to arise:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 — The investigation of Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Republican lobbyist, took a surprising new turn on Thursday when the Justice Department said the chief prosecutor in the inquiry would step down next week because he had been nominated to a federal judgeship by President Bush.
The prosecutor, Noel L. Hillman, is chief of the department’s public integrity division, and the move ends his involvement in an inquiry that has reached into the administration as well as the top ranks of the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill.
The administration said that the appointment was routine and that it would not affect the investigation, but Democrats swiftly questioned the timing of the move and called for a special prosecutor.
i think the purpose was to delay the investigation to beyond the mid-terms elections. you’ll notice that the press release by the office of the prosecuter said something like “we will be able to continue the new investigation without missing a beat.” they made a point of saying there would be no delays.