Report Paints Scathing Portrayal of Ex-AG Gonzales

WASHINGTON — Despite White House denials, political considerations played a part in the sacking of U.S. attorneys under former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales regime, according to a Justice Department report released Monday.

As a result, current Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to determine whether criminal charges should be brought against Gonzales and other Justice Department officials for the firings.

Department officials had said the firings were performance-related, but the report, by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine and Office of Professional Responsibility Director H. Marshall Jarrett, found otherwise.

At least one of the fired U.S. attorneys, Paul Charlton, had a porn connection.

Some have speculated that Charlton may have balked at bringing an obscenity case against JM Productions and Five Star Video when revelations surfaced that the U.S. government, through the U.S. Trustee’s Office of the Justice Department, had supervised the sale of the allegedly obscene titles while administering the bankruptcy of Arizona-based Castle Megastore.

The U.S. Attorneys office eventually dropped criminal charges against JM Productions and owner Jeff Steward, but a Phoenix jury later found Five Star Video guilty of interstate transportation of obscene materials after shipping JM’s “Gag Factor 18” to an FBI agent in Virginia. The jury acquitted on two other JM titles, “Filthy Things 6” and “American Bukkake 13.”

While the Justice Department report did not confirm nor deny Charlton’s forced resignation in connection with obscenity cases, the Justice Department said that “the process used to remove the nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 was fundamentally flawed.”

It also found that Kyle Sampson, Gonzales’ chief of staff, had wrongly weighed “political support” in deciding whether to fire the nine. His claim that they were booted out for “underperformance” was “misleading.”

The report, which found Gonzales “abdicated” his responsibility in the dismissals, said there was “substantial evidence that partisan political considerations played a part in the removal of several of the U.S. attorneys.”

Gonzales last year was forced to resign as Attorney General following accusations of political bias from Democrats in Congress.

“At a minimum, the process by which nine U.S. attorneys were removed in 2006 was haphazard, arbitrary and unprofessional,” Mukasey said in a press conference Monday.

The report, written by the Justice Department’s inspector general, said former officials, including Karl Rove, a key Bush aide, and Harriet Miers, the White House Counsel, refused to be interviewed by the investigators. The White House also refused to turn over requested internal documents, hampering the investigation, it said.

Mukasey on Monday appointed a special prosecutor — Nora Dannehy, the acting U.S. attorney in Connecticut — to determine whether criminal charges should be brought against Gonzales and others.

Dannehy will be able to subpoena witnesses to help her investigation, something the authors of the report couldn't do.

The report specifically recommends that Dannehy investigate whether Justice Department officials made false statements to Congress or to investigators or violated other federal criminal statutes, including obstruction of justice or wire fraud.

Adult industry attorney Gary Kaufman of the Los Angeles-based Kaufman Law Group wasn't surprised of the report's outcome.

“These unprecedented and illegitimate firings prove what the industry has long suspected — obscenity prosecutions under the outgoing administration were nothing more than political witch-hunts carried out in pursuit of a right-wing agenda," Kaufman told XBIZ. "Anyone who disagreed with that agenda did so at their own risk. This is really the equivalent of the president firing a federal judge for ruling against the U.S.”

View Full Report Here

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

'White Rabbit' Party Headed for XBIZ Amsterdam

XBIZ is pleased to announce the White Rabbit Party, an XBIZ Amsterdam special event set to take place Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Hailey Rose Heats Up the Fall Issue of X3 Magazine

2025 XMA Fav Female Performer Hailey Rose headlines the latest issue of X3 magazine, the industry’s premier “authenticity first” publication spotlighting the real personalities, passions and stories behind today’s top creators.

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, the latest edition of Europe’s biggest adult industry conference, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel in Amsterdam.

Angie Faith's 'Blueprint' for Success

Angie Faith has two reasons to celebrate. First, the veterinarian just gave her Japanese Chin puppy, Cheeky, a clean bill of health after Cheeky unwisely ate a stray piece of Lego.

Cherie DeVille Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Multi-XMAs winner Cherie DeVille stars with 2024 XMAs Male Performer of the Year Zac Wild in the latest Brazzers scene, titled “Cock Support Line.”

The Dungeon Store Debuts 'Thing Noir' Violet Wand Attachment

The Dungeon Store has released the Thing Noir violet wand conductive e-stim accessory.

Sara Jay, Dan Leal to Sponsor XBIZ Amsterdam Kick-Off Event

Sara Jay’s Wyde Syde Productions and Porno Dan Leal’s Market64 will co-sponsor the Bottoms Up Day Drinking kick-off event for XBIZ Amsterdam 2025 at Excalibur Café on Sept. 2, from 2-4 p.m. (CET).

Connie Perignon Fronts Latest From Brazzers VR

Connie Perignon stars in the latest release from Brazzers VR, titled "A Sugar Daddy’s Point of View."

Octokuro Leads Latest Release From Freeze

Octokuro stars with Sam Bourne in "A Dangerous Encounter" from Freeze.

Lauren Phillips Stars in Latest Episode of 'Mommy's Boy'

2024 XMAs MILF Performer of the Year Lauren Phillips stars with Lawson Jones in the latest episode of Adult Time series “Mommy’s Boy,” titled “He Doesn't Know Me...But You Do.”

Show More