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Paulose Move Averted More Resignations?
So what provoked U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Rachel Paulose's sudden move back to Washington? The Washington Post reports that Paulose's interview with the National Review might have something to do with it. In the interview, a response to the variety of employee complaints against her, she decried the "McCarthyite hysteria that permits the anonymous smearing of any public servant who is now, or ever may have been, a member of the Federalist Society; a person of faith; and/or a conservative (especially a young, conservative woman of color)."
From the Post:
The brief interview provoked some of Paulose's staff, according to her predecessor as Minnesota U.S. attorney, Thomas W. Heffelfinger. He said in an interview last night that "at least one and as many as three of her current staff managers either had resigned or were threatening to resign today."Such defections would have been the second in Paulose's office in less than a year. This spring, her top assistant and two other senior prosecutors stepped down from their management responsibilities, saying they no longer could work with her.
"Last week she was talking about staying, and today she is leaving," said Heffelfinger, a state and federal prosecutor for nearly 20 years before he resigned last year to enter private practice. "So something happened."
Her departure "was a mutual decision" between Paulose and officials in Justice's headquarters, said one source familiar with the decision, speaking about a personnel matter on the condition of anonymity.
Comments (18)
Dale wrote on November 20, 2007 10:28 AM:Surely the last part of that quote was missing.
"McCarthyite hysteria that permits the anonymous smearing of any public servant who is now, or ever may have been, a member of the Federalist Society; a person of faith; and/or a conservative (especially a young, conservative woman of color)[with neither competence, integrity, nor awareness of the lack of both]."
rabbit wrote on November 20, 2007 10:34 AM:Doesn't Paulose know that Saint Joe was recently rehabilitated by Ann Coulter? You just don't go around slandering Joe McCarthy if you want to succeed in the through-the-looking-glass world of conservative victimspeak.
Ad Absurdum wrote on November 20, 2007 10:41 AM:She must feel great pride in being the Shelley Sekula-Gibbs of US attorneys.
moondancer wrote on November 20, 2007 10:43 AM:Again, the classic result of hiring based on ideology and/or religious belief.
W Action wrote on November 20, 2007 10:44 AM:Like this Patrick Henry College, supposed right wing religious Harvard for home schooled. I wouldn't hire someone whose education was based on avoiding exposure to science, alternative views. I dont care if they got 800s' on their boards, they are poorly educated, and not ready for prime time.
Bushs' attempt to stock the government with these hothouse flowers is a cautionary tale.
Paulose will continue to be nurtured by Federalist no-necks working to make the judiciary a branch of the GOP. A self-hating minority woman is such a valuable figurehead that she was boosted up the ladder before ready. At Main DOJ Paulose is being slotted into a junior administrator position safe from actual responsibility, oversight or accountability until GOoPers regain a majority. She's on the short list for a boost into a judgeship ASAP, where she can screw around with immigration law and women's rights, and cry "victim" if called on it. Another Medal of Freedom candidate!
biff diggerence wrote on November 20, 2007 11:11 AM:especially a young, conservative woman of a high caste.
erica wrote on November 20, 2007 11:12 AM:Rachel Paulose was hired because she fit the description for a "Republican of Diversity." (It's the Republicans' special brand of affirmative action. You qualify by looking slightly, but not uncomfortably, different from other Republicans while screeching the required set of beliefs. A willingness to sell out the group you come from is a prerequisite.)
It is both funny and sad that this young woman doesn't realize that she is a foot soldier for tokenism. She erroneously assumed a real-world competence that she simply doesn't have.
Even Norm Coleman doesn't like her, which says a lot.
Joe Bonham wrote on November 20, 2007 11:29 AM:I chuckled at how accurately and easily she regurgitated the entire McCarthy phrasebook, turned it on its head, and wrapped herself in the Martyrs Cloak. Joe would be proud of her... well, that is once he climbed out of his grave.
Jacqueline wrote on November 20, 2007 11:47 AM:Sounds like right out of the mouth of Karl Rove .
journalschism wrote on November 20, 2007 11:47 AM:This girl is to young to even remember who Joe McCarthy is .
Add Condi, Powell, and Alphonso to that brigade of foot soldiers.
"Foot soldiers of tokenism." Classic. May I borrow that, Erica?
Jacqueline wrote on November 20, 2007 11:51 AM:Sounds like right out of the mouth of Karl Rove .
Anonymous wrote on November 20, 2007 12:23 PM:This girl is to young to even remember who Joe McCarthy is .
It sure would be great to see those e-mails between DOJ and the White House (Office of Presidential Personnel) on where to place Paulose, how much she should be paid and for how long these discussions have been going on.
Anyone want to FOIA DOJ for this?
Presidential Personnel is the key office that gets people in to politically appointed jobs. All political slot hiring decisions run through there.
iggy wrote on November 20, 2007 12:37 PM:Don't let the door knob hit ya where the good Lord split ya!!!!!!
brook wrote on November 20, 2007 12:38 PM:The previous MN USA Tom Heffelfinger was very good on dealing with Native American issues, and likely would have been opposed to trying to disenfranchise native voters. This is why he had to go.
mo2 wrote on November 20, 2007 12:54 PM:The previous sec of state Mary Kiffmyer was a rovebot who tried every way to disenfranchise native voters, loosing every court case she filed or had to be part of. Had she won reelection in 06 she and Paulouse could have thrown a very close senate and /or presidential race, Florida style. With Paulose and Kiffmyere gone, I feel my vote is a safe here in Minnesota.
"The nominee for assistant attorney general to run the department’s civil division, Gregory G. Katsas, is now the acting associate attorney general. Earlier, as an appellate lawyer for the administration, Mr. Katsas had argued for the government in trying to deny basic legal rights to terrorism suspects imprisoned at the Guantánamo Bay naval base."
Katsas is a member of the Federalist Society. He just got appointed last week.
John Dillinger wrote on November 20, 2007 1:36 PM:Scott Johnson basically cost her her job. Does anyone actually pay that man for such judgment?
Eric Ferguson wrote on November 20, 2007 2:59 PM:According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, anonymous sources are saying staff threatened to resign after an interview Paulose did for the conservative blog Powerline. http://www.startribune.com/10216/story/1561365.html
Matt wrote on November 20, 2007 5:27 PM:I wonder why anyone would resign over that interview.
It seems like a pretty innocuous thing.
I wouldn't resign if my boss said that.