SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES….Courtesy of the Washington Post, an example of how the Bush administration’s governing philosophy is apparently the result of too many viewings of The Godfather:
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On October 24th of last year, U.S. Attorney John Brownlee, after years of effort and with the approval of the head of the DOJ criminal division, is a day away from securing a guilty plea from the manufacturer of OxyContin.
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Mary Jo White, a defense lawyer representing an executive for OxyContin’s manufacturer, calls Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty to beg for a postponement.
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McNulty tells his chief of staff, Paul Elston, to call Brownlee and ask him to slow down.
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Brownlee declines and announces the settlement.
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Eight days later, Elston puts Brownlee’s name on a list of U.S. Attorneys to be fired.
Brownlee dodged the bullet and is still a U.S. Attorney. But I’m sure he and his colleagues got the message.
