California Senator eyes another attorney departure
Senator eyes another attorney departure
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-20-feinstein_N.htm?csp=34
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday she wants answers about the departure of the former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, who resigned last October before the Justice Department’s dismissal of eight other U.S. attorneys sparked controversy.
“I have questions about Debra Yang’s departure and I can’t answer those questions right at this time,” Feinstein, D-Calif. and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters in response to a question. “Was she asked to resign, and if so, why? We have to ferret that out.”
Debra Wong Yang went to work for a private law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and has said she left of her own accord.
A Gibson Dunn spokeswoman issued a statement on Yang’s behalf Tuesday night. “Debra Wong Yang’s decision to leave her post as U.S. attorney to pursue a private practice was entirely her own, and she had many options to choose from. We are delighted that she chose Gibson Dunn,” it said.
Justice spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Yang was not asked to leave.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Tuesday | Justice Department | Gibson | Dunn | Debra | Carol Lam | Rep. Jerry Lewis | Debra Wong Yang
“Debra Yang was a highly regarded and well-respected prosecutor for the Justice Department,” he said.
Feinstein noted Tuesday that there are numerous names blacked out in documents the Justice Department has released in recent days in response to the controversy. Feinstein did not specify what her concerns were about Yang, but she has complained repeatedly that six of the eight U.S. attorneys dismissed last year were in the midst of prosecuting public corruption cases, mostly focused on Republicans.
About five months before Yang’s departure, her office had opened an investigation into ties between Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and a lobbyist. Gibson Dunn, the firm that hired her, is also the firm where Lewis’ legal team works, but government rules required that she step aside in that case or any other she was involved with while a government prosecutor.
The Lewis case is connected to the corruption investigation in San Diego that began with the 2005 conviction of former GOP Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who is serving jail time for bribery. Former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam in San Diego, who was among those dismissed last year, was prosecuting that case. Feinstein contends that Lam’s dismissal had something to do with her role in the Cunningham investigation, though the Justice Department denies it.