Schumer: "New And Serious Questions" Raised In Firing Of Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton

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Schumer: "New And Serious Questions" Raised In Firing Of Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton

In light of media reports today that describe previously undisclosed contact between Congressman Renzi's office and the office of former Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, today Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) said that the revelations raise "new and serious questions" about Charlton's dismissal, namely whether Charlton's firing was connected to the ongoing Renzi probe. In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Schumer requested that the Justice Department disclose all contacts related to the Renzi investigation with the White House, Renzi's office, or other parties so that the Senate Judiciary Committee may investigative whether improper political motivations played a role in Charlton's dismissal.

Specifically, media reports today indicate that - just weeks before the November 2006 midterm elections - Renzi's Chief of Staff called Paul Charlton's office to discuss media reports of a pending indictment related to Renzi's role in a 2005 land deal. According to another report, the Justice Department failed to issue key approvals in the Renzi investigation - approvals requested by Charlton's office - until after the 2006 midterm elections. The next month, in December 2006, Paul Charlton was asked to resign.

The full text of Senator Schumer's letter is reproduced below.

April 25, 2007

The Honorable Alberto Gonzales
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Attorney General Gonzales:

I read this morning, with grave concern, media reports describing previously undisclosed contacts between the office of Congressman Renzi and dismissed Arizona United States Attorney Paul Charlton. In particular, the Associated Press reports that Mr. Renzi's chief of staff has acknowledged that he called Mr. Charlton's office shortly after learning that Mr. Charlton had opened an investigation into Mr. Renzi's conduct in a 2005 land exchange. Based on preliminary reports, at least, these contacts could potentially be construed as designed to inappropriately affect the timing of charging decisions in a politically sensitive investigation around the time of the November election.

Moreover, in another troubling story, the Wall Street Journal today reports that "[a]s midterm elections approached last November, federal investigators in Arizona faced unexpected obstacles in getting needed Justice Department approvals to advance a corruption investigation" of Mr. Renzi.

Taken together, today's reports raise new and serious questions about whether improper political motivations were involved in your decision to force Mr. Charlton to resign just a few weeks after the election. To date, there has not been a compelling case made that Mr. Charlton deserved to be dismissed based on his performance as the chief federal prosecutor in Arizona.

I am troubled by the possibility that the practice of having U.S. attorneys coordinate with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section in cases involving lawmakers, which is intended to be a check on politicization, may have been used in this instance for the contrary purpose of influencing a case for political reasons.

Given the sensitivity of this matter and the declining public confidence in your handling of the U.S. Attorney firings, please provide answers to the following questions no later than the close of business on Friday:

o Please explain why the alleged contacts between Representative Renzi's office and Mr. Charlton's, which appear to have been reported to the Department, have not been previously disclosed.

o Please describe with particularity any and all contacts that occurred between anyone in Representative Renzi's office and the Justice Department.

o Please describe with particularity any and all contacts that occurred between anyone at the White House and the Justice Department about any investigation involving Representative Renzi.

o Please describe with particularity any and all contacts that occurred between any third party (including lobbyists, party officials, or other outsiders) and the Justice Department about any investigation involving Representative Renzi.

I thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

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