Change or Continuity for the Bush Justice Department?
DEPARTMENT
BY Scott Horton
PUBLISHED November 17, 2007
Bush, the Movement Conservatives and Justice: The Pact
But a far more serious concern from Mukasey’s first week goes to nominations to fill the numerous senior vacancies in the Department of Justice.
A well-placed source informed me at the time of Mukasey’s hearing that the President Bush, who is deeply committed to “keeping the base happy,” had struck a compact of sorts with disgruntled “movement conservatives” who wanted to see Ted Olson become attorney general. (1) They would get a private meeting with Mukasey (that occurred, and has been reported on in some more depth in a recent column by Sid Blumenthal.) (2) Bush would personally address the Federalist Society’s annual meeting (that also occurred). And (3) the major open vacancies at the top of Justice would be filled with “movement conservatives,”
limiting the risk that Mukasey would be able to set much of a new course. more at:
http://harpers.org/archive/2007/11/hbc-90001683