Acting AG Was Last Minute White House PickOn Monday, we noted that Peter Keisler was unexpectedly slotted in as the man to replace Alberto Gonzales until the President’s nominee, Michael Mukasey, was confirmed by the Senate. This morning, The Washington Post is the first paper to take much notice of the move, and reports that it caught pretty much everyone, including officials in the Justice Department, by surprise:
While Mukasey’s nomination is pending, the Justice Department will be run by former civil division chief Peter D. Keisler, a conservative appointee who this week was a surprise replacement in that role for Solicitor General Paul D. Clement. Clement, who was publicly tagged last month as the temporary replacement for Gonzales, wound up officially taking the helm at 12:01 a.m. Monday and relinquishing it 24 hours later, officials said.
The switch was made on Sunday by the White House with no input from Justice Department officials, said two sources with knowledge of the matter. The change added another level of uncertainty to life at the Justice Department, where nearly every top senior official has resigned in the wake of controversies under Gonzales….
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The move raised eyebrows among liberal advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers who had stalled Keisler’s nomination by Bush for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Keisler’s earlier nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit was blocked by Maryland’s senators….
“It’s interesting that the White House chose to appoint a lawyer in this way . . . something that would be pleasing to ultraconservatives,” said Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, a liberal group.
