Elle Woods, Is That You?

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove was intimately involved in the firing of at least three of the US Attorneys sacked for purportedly political reasons during the Bush administration, emails obtained by the Washington Post show. One note mentions a senator who “asked that we remove the US Atty” and “couldn’t be more serious about this request.” Though Rove says, “I’m not even sure I was still there”—he was—the attorney was fired. More»

Earlier rulings made conviction unlikely: gov't

(NEWSER) - Government prosecutors say they will move to dismiss the espionage case against a pair of former AIPAC lobbyists linked to Rep. Jane Harman, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors said they probably wouldn’t be able to secure a conviction because of the “additional intent requirement imposed by the court,” and were worried about the “inevitable disclosure of classified information” a trial would bring. More»

FDA, Justice Dept. team up for investigation of Georgia peanut plant

(NEWSER) - The federal government has begun a criminal investigation into the peanut-driven salmonella outbreak, after it was revealed that a supplier shipped product that initially tested positive for the bacteria, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The House has called representatives from two testing labs, which certified negative results, to testify. Peanut Corp. of America denies it “sought favorable results from any lab.” More»

From twin towers to Valerie Plame, Fitzgerald is relentless

(NEWSER) - With the arrest of Rod Blagojevich, federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald notched up his second indictment against an Illinois governor in five years. But it's just another scalp for the US attorney who's brought down everyone from World Trade Center bomber Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman to media mogul Conrad Black, not to mention Scooter Libby. "People see him as the only ally we have against political corruption," one activist told the New York Times. More»

US Attorney continued to guide case after recusing herself over GOP ties

(NEWSER) - New court documents call further into question the actions of Justice Department officials in their prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman on corruption charges, Time reports. With the Democrat’s appeal scheduled for next month, the House Judiciary Committee disclosed violations by the Bush-appointed US Attorney, Leura Canary, who publicly recused herself from the case but continued to privately advise prosecutors. More»