Breaking news: DOJ replacing 85 prosecutors

by: dfa_lewis

Sun Apr 01, 2007 at 08:17:22 AM EDT

A source inside the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Newark office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Christopher Christie is cleaning out his desk. "The mood here is pretty glum. We weren't expecting this, especially after what we did for [gubernatorial candidate Tom Kean] Junior in 2005." Christie had been considered the front-runner for the 2009 Republican nomination for governor of the Garden State.

The significance of the news was not lost on BlueJersey Investigative Reporter huntsu, who noted, "This is the first time a leak from Christie's office was not related to the investigation of a Democrat during an election cycle. Apparently, being a loyal Bushie has its limits when your job is on the chopping block."

The additional firings would appear to affect all prosecutors who were not part of the original wave of dismissals, without regard to loyalty or performance. Spokesmen for both the Department of Justice and the White House declined comment. However, political pundits were quick to weigh in.

Michael Quinn, director of the American Taxpayer Forum (ATF) said that the move made sense. "These prosecutors were making salaries well above market rates. The President is saving the American taxpayer millions of dollars. That's got to be a good thing."

Regina Sandler, a senior policy fellow at the Eagle Institute of Politics, was more skeptical. "This looks like the latest chapter in the [Bush] administration's ever-changing rationale for Attorneygate. If they think they can stymie investigations into the initial eight [dismissals], they are sadly mistaken. I'd also worry about the effects on the Justice Department in the long term. You just can't get decent lawyers for $8 an hour without outsourcing."

Reached at home just before press time, Mr. Christie's brother Howard K. Christie said, "This news has been a shock to the entire Christie family, especially coming as it did, on April Fools Day."