Report: Minnesota USA Under Investigation by Office of Special Counsel

Report: Minnesota USA Under Investigation
By Laura McGann - September 18, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004221.php

The federal Office of Special Counsel is investigating the US attorney for Minnesota, Rachel Paulose, for a variety of infractions, former Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Eric Black reports on his blog.

In March, Paulose (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003175.php), a former special aide to Alberto Gonzales and Federalist Society member, replaced Tom Heffelfinger, who resigned before the mass firings of nine US attorneys, although his name was later discovered on one of the lists of prosecutors under consideration for termination. The U.S Attorney's Office went through a major staff shakeup after Paulose's arrival. Four of the top attorney's in the office resigned to rank and file prosecutor positions saying they disagreed with the young attorney's management style and lack of experience.

From Black (http://www.ericblackink.com/2007/09/18/paulose-under-investigation-by-feds/): .....

To be promoted far above the things you understand, and yet to insist that you must be obeyed completely...it's like being the evil stepmother of democracy.

Mirror, mirror...

Says it all: Via the Cleveland Plain Dealer...

36 the percentage of Federal inspectors general appointed by President George W. Bush who had prior audit experience....

66 the percentage of federal inspectors general appointed by President Bill Clinton who had prior audit experience...

45 Percentage of Bush appointees who held some prior political position...

22 Percentage of Clinton appointees who held some prior political position...

U.S. Attorneys Scandal–Minneapolis
BY Scott Horton Sept. 18, 2007
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001237

Eric Black at Minnesota Monitor offers us a detailed exploit into the adventures of “loyal Bushie” U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose in Minneapolis. As readers will recall from prior reports, the circumstances of the departure of Paulose’s predecessor are still unclear, but there is a building body of evidence that suggests he was ousted from his post because he failed to pursue a Rovian agenda with respect to voting rights matters in Minnesota—a traditional “battleground state” in presidential and congressional elections. Beyond this he was suspected of harboring too much concern for Native Americans.

Paulose, a close friend of Monica Goodling’s, ......

Timeline for a Timebomb: Rachel Paulose
Minneapolis City Pages, MN - 2 hours ago
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2007/09/timeline_for_a.php

Eric Black has been doing his homework...as usual. His post on the investigation of U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose provides a folly of a footnote to a story that ties Minnesota to the national scandal that led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales--but that's not what the investigation is about.

Of the investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, underway since June, Black writes:

"The conflicts enumerated in this matter are not explicitly political or ideological, except for one instance in which Paulose allegedly made false statements about a job candidate who had liberal associations.

"But the pattern of the matters under investigation by the special counsel may shed some light on the gray area between issue of 'management style' and issues of politics.

"When Paulose took over the office, she told several of the career officials there that she demanded total personal loyalty. At least one replied that loyalty was owed to the Constitution, ...........