Matt Ortega

The initial defense in the prosecutor firings from last December was that the eight U.S. attorneys were canned due to “performance-related issues.” TPMmuckraker found yet another hold in that claim. Paul Kiel writes:

U.S. News reports that Comey, when he was still with the department (he left in August of 2005), produced his own list of “weak U.S. attorneys” who, in his opinion, were under performing.

Only, it was, well, different:

…a former Justice official says that Comey’s list bore little resemblance to the list of those fired last year. The only prosecutor on the fired list who also was on Comey’s list was Kevin Ryan, in San Francisco, who, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, had “widespread management and morale problems in his office.”

As we pointed out before, Alberto Gonzales’ chief of staff Kyle Sampson had Ryan on his list as a “strong” U.S. attorney. In other words, not only was he not to be fired, he was to be commended.

Kiel notes that the basis for a “strong” classification by the chief of staff to the Attorney General, Kyle Sampson was described as loyalty to President George W. Bush and Alberto Gonzales. (Speaking of Comey’s list of “weak U.S. attorneys,” San Diego-based prosecutor, Carol Lam? Not on it.)

It is another sign that the White House, in conjunction with highest levels of the Department of Justice, were going after U.S. attorneys that were not “playing ball” and making the party proud.

As for the “resigned” chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, it turns out that the administration is so upset his behavior that while he looks for another job, Sampson will remain at his post indefinitely.

Good eye, or good ear, from TPM Reader JB. Apparently, the White House and Alberto Gonzales are so miffed with Kyle Sampson for doing the whole Attorney Purge on his own that they’re letting him stay on the job — from which he supposedly resigned on Monday — indefinitely as he “goes job hunting.”

The chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, Chris Vance, said he contacted the U.S. attorney, John McKay, who was fired last year.

TPMmuckraker reported that Lam was targeted prior to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune that exposed the corruption scandal of Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham (R-San Diego, Calif.). However, it would be difficult to dispute the correspondence regarding Lam being a pain to the administration in May 2006, when the Cunningham scandal was expanding.

Will they appear? Karl Rove, Harriet Miers and William Kelley.