Prosecutor purge raises questions for Enzi, Thomas

Contact:  Bill Luckett, Executive Director   307-473-1457 (office)   307-473-1459 (fax)  

From the Wyoming Democratic Party

For immediate release

May 30, 2007

Contact: Bill Luckett

Communications director

307-631-7638

Prosecutor purge raises questions for Sens. Enzi and Thomas

CASPER - The recent revelation that Matt Mead, U.S. attorney for Wyoming, was on the Justice department's "hit list" of attorneys to be fired raises several questions to which the people of Wyoming deserve answers. Sens. Mike Enzi and Craig Thomas should tell the people of this state what they know and what they have learned since they found out Mead's name was on the list. The Wyoming Democratic Party specifically calls on our two senators to answer the following questions relating to the U.S. attorney firing scandal:

1. Sen. Thomas said he "would be interested in hearing any justification from the administration about why (Mead's) name would appear on the list of attorneys to be fired." Has the administration come forward with its explanation for why it placed Mead on the list?

2. In some states, the Justice department fired attorneys who refused to launch investigations against Democrats immediately prior to elections. Did anyone ever contact Mead to urge him to launch investigations against Democrats?

3. Sen. Enzi said he recommended Mead for the job of U.S. attorney, yet in at least one other state, the Justice department fired a duly appointed prosecutor to replace him with a friend of presidential advisor Karl Rove. Do Sen. Enzi or Sen. Thomas know whether Mead was scheduled to be pushed out to make room for another friend of Rove's or someone else in the administration?

4. Many senators from both parties have called on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. Do Sens. Enzi and Thomas believe Gonzales should resign as attorney general?

5. The Senate has scheduled a "no confidence" vote in Attorney General Gonzales for mid-June. Do Sens. Enzi and Thomas have confidence in Gonzales' ability to continue to lead the Justice department in light of the U.S. attorney firing scandal?

The people of Wyoming deserve answers to these questions. The Wyoming Democratic Party urges Sens. Enzi and Thomas to answer to the people of this state and tell us what they know about the Wyoming aspect of this scandal and whether they think Attorney General Alberto Gonzales can effectively lead the Justice department.

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