Wanted: U.S. Attorneys, Senior DoJ OfficialsAs McClatchy reported last month, the administration — for some reason — is having a difficult time filling U.S. attorney vacancies. And as The Washington Post reports this morning, the string of resignations in the Justice Department leadership just compounds the problem:
The Justice Department is scrambling to find willing replacements for nearly two dozen temporary U.S. attorneys, whose time in office is now limited under a law signed last week by President Bush.
The developments add to growing personnel problems at the Justice Department in the wake of last year’s firings of nine U.S. attorneys, which led to a political confrontation with Congress, lowered morale and contributed to an exodus of officials from the upper ranks of the department.
A quarter of all federal prosecutors are now on the job on an interim or acting basis — reflecting a vacancy rate that is much higher than normal, according to department statistics. Five senior Justice Department officials have also resigned since March, including one who announced his departure Friday.
