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No Charges in US Attorney Firings: Report

Gonzales won't face grand jury from internal Justice investigation

By Gabriel Winant,  Newser User

Posted Sep 29, 2008 9:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – A Justice Department probe of the firings of a group of US attorneys is ending without recommending charges against former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or anyone else, the New York Times reports. The investigators' report, to be released today, is nonetheless said to be scathing on the politically motivated firings, and to recommend that a prosecutor look into the role of lawmakers and the White House.

Without power to subpoena people outside the department, Justice investigators were unable to effectively trace where the firing plan originated, and whether perjury or obstruction-of-justice laws were broken, the Washington Post reports. The investigation focused on Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson, who carried out the firings of eight prosecutors, the Times says.

Karl Rove leaves CBS studios after appearing on  Face the Nation in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007.
Karl Rove leaves CBS studios after appearing on "Face the Nation" in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gestures as he addresses reporters during a media availability in Boston, Friday, March 30, 2007.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gestures as he addresses reporters during a media availability in Boston, Friday, March 30, 2007.   (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 23, 2008, before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight at the Justice Department.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 23, 2008, before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight at the Justice Department.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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