KSTP-TV in St. Paul broadcast a nice investigative piece last night on what is being called the “coronation” of the new U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Rachel Paulose.
Since the purge scandal broke, Minnesota readers of TPM have been insisting that we look more closely at the interim appointment of Paulose and her eventual confirmation by the Senate. Paulose was just 33 years old at the time of her appointment. Her previous experience has included time in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and a stint as senior counsel to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, for two months before her interim appointment, according to the Star-Tribune.
Aside from being one of the legal neophytes with strong connections to Bush political appointees at Main Justice who, as McClatchy reported, has landed U.S. attorney positions in the past year, I haven’t seen anything yet connecting Paulose directly to the purge, although the circumstances of her predecessor’s resignation remain murky.
Still, there’s plenty of smoke there. For instance, the Star-Tribune noted that her Senate confirmation was almost derailed because, though Paulose had Administration backing, “she and her supporters had neglected to seek the support of both home-state senators,” an oversight so unbelievable as to suggest that perhaps the Administration did not originally intend to submit her nomination for Senate approval but rather planned to rely on the attorney general’s appointment authority under the Patriot Act. You can find more on Paulose here.
Regardless, the KSTP report shows that her lack of experience didn’t keep Paulose from putting on the dog at her swearing-in, complete with honor guard and choir. There was also reportedly a list compiled of “potential problem reporters” who might attend the event. In an interview with the station, Paulose bobbed and weaved when questioned about the existence of such a list.
It’s quite a good report, so go take a look.
