Tom Fudge: This morning U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is being grilled a by Senate Committee. One subject on the agenda is the Justice Department’s decision to force the resignations of several U.S. attorneys. Those included San Diego’s Carol Lam, who resigned this week without comment.
Lam built a reputation for prosecuting white collar fraud cases. And she’s been criticized for not focusing enough on day to day smuggling cases, which are a staple of the border region. Most notably, Carol Lam prosecuted the case that sent Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham to prison. And her investigation of possible Congressional corruption was still underway.
Yesterday, Congressman Howard Berman, a Democrat from L.A., wrote a letter to Gonzalez that was signed by several other Congressmen. In the letter, Berman wrote, “forcing Ms. Lam's resignation leaves the appearance that this growing public corruption probe may be part of the administration's motivation in removing her.”
U.S. Attorney Carol Lam will leave her position as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, which includes San Diego and Imperial Counties, effective February 15, 2007.
Guest
- Amita Sharma, reporter for Full Focus on KPBS-TV.
