Former D.C. U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova rebuked New Mexico U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Fouratt for remarks the prosecutor made about the decision not to file charges against Gov. Bill Richardson, The Associated Press reported last week.
Joseph diGenova (diGenova & Toensing)
diGenova, a Reagan U.S. Attorney, told The AP that a letter Fouratt sent to grand jury witnesses about the decision was “stupid.” The ex-D.C. U.S. Attorney said the letter made accusations of dishonesty after the investigation was over.
“That letter is an outrage and the U.S. Attorney who wrote it should be fired,” diGenova told The AP. “The case is closed. If he had charges, bring them. Otherwise, he should shut up. He’s being a politician now, not a prosecutor.”
Gregory Fouratt (Gov)
Fouratt, a Bush holdover, wrote that “pressure from the governor’s office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process” and said that the letter “should not be interpreted as exoneration of any party’s conduct in that matter.”
Richardson, a Democrat, was being investigated for a pay-to-play scheme involving one of his donors. He was appointed commerce secretary in the Obama administration, but withdrew his nomination as a result of the inquiry.
Bill Richardson (Gov)
The governor said he was innocent. Richardson said he decided to withdraw his nomination to prevent a delay on his confirmation.
Officials were probing whether political contributions played a role in the selection of California-based CDR Financial Products as an adviser on state transportation bond transactions.
