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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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US Attorney Targeted After DoJ Brushoff

Lawyer put on pink-slip list after refusal to slow case vs. drugmaker

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(Newser) – A US attorney testified yesterday that he found himself on a firings list after rebuffing DoJ pressure to slow a case—on the eve of a guilty plea. The Post reports a Justice higher-up urged John Brownlee to stall proceedings against the manufacturer of an addictive painkiller hours before it entered a $635 million plea agreement.

Brownlee kept his job, but the call on behalf of the makers of OxyContin was pressure that “could easily have a chilling effect” on prosecutors’ work, said a former Justice official. With AG Alberto Gonzalez under scrutiny over the dismissal of attorneys, Brownlee's testimony provided more evidence into attempts by Justice brass to influence individual lawyers.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales smiles as he attends the meeting of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Asset Forfeiture Program, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at a hotel in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales smiles as he attends the meeting of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Asset Forfeiture Program, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at a hotel in Washington....   (Associated Press)
United States Attorney John L. Brownlee, talks about the guilty plea of former Henry County Sheriff H. Franklin Cassell in Roanoke, Va. Cassell pleaded guilty Thursday, May 24, 2007, to lying to authorities about a scheme to sell drugs and guns seized from criminals. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Kyle Green)
United States Attorney John L. Brownlee, talks about the guilty plea of former Henry County Sheriff H. Franklin Cassell in Roanoke, Va. Cassell pleaded guilty Thursday, May 24, 2007, to lying to authorities...   (Associated Press)
Mike Elston, then, chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, left, arrives for a closed-door meeting with members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, in this March 30, 2007, file photo on Capitol Hill in Washington. Elston, a senior Justice Department official who helped carry out the...
Mike Elston, then, chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, left, arrives for a closed-door meeting with members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, in this March 30, 2007, file...   (Associated Press)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, right, seated with outgoing Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, take part in a meeting of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Asset Forfeiture Program, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at a hotel in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, right, seated with outgoing Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, take part in a meeting of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Asset Forfeiture...   (Associated Press)
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Brownlee recounts OxyContin plea travails
Roanoke Times

WSJ blogger is unconvinced that DoJ exerted undue influence
Wall Street Journal

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ePluribus Media


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