Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a special prosecutor to look into why nine U.S. Attorneys including San Diego's Carol Lam were fired 18 months ago. The Justice Department's investigation found politics played a role in some of the sackings. KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma has more.
The inspector general concluded there was no evidence that Lam's prosecution of ex-Congressman Randy Cunningham for corruption led to her removal as some had speculated. But the probe also found nothing to back up claims poor management was the cause. Justice Department officials say they were concerned about the low number of immigration and gun prosecutions by Lam. However, former U.S. Attorney Pete Nunez says they failed to adequately discuss the issue with her.
Nunez: Nobody ever told her either change or get out, they never gave her an ultimatum, they never told her failure to increase those cases would lead to her being removed.
The report says Lam was devastated when she found out she had been fired, in part because she thought she was the only U-S attorney who was let go. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
