GQ gets a Q&A with canned New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias.
A few choice nuggets: Mike Battle, the apparently apolitical former Director of the Executive Office of the United States Attorney, was the one who actually placed the firing calls to the seven US Attorneys. During Iglesias’s call, Iglesias asked Battle what was going on. “I don’t know, and I don’t wanna know. All I know is that this came from on high,” Battle told Iglesias.
Battle resigned his post in early February.
One telling question and answer …
Q: Do you feel as if this scandal is of a piece with how the White House seems to view executive power? There’s been the unitary executive theory, the suspension of habeas corpusâ¦
A: Which you can do during wartime and not get the court’s restrictive powers. You can do that when your party has the House and Senate. Butâand I don’t think the White House factored this in enoughâthere was a significant sea change when the Democrats came back to power last November. The White House wasn’t used to any real Congressional oversight because there hadn’t been for any for six years.
And another …
Q: Do you still consider yourself a Republican?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you consider the people in the White House to be Republicans?
A: I think they’ve lost their way. They’ve lost their moral compass. On paper, we would probably be in agreement on most of the major issues, but in terms of actual practice and treating people fairly and respectfully and decently, I’ve lost my faith in our leadership.
