No Criminal Charges in Firing of US Attorneys

The Bush administration's Justice Department didn't commit any crimes when it fired nine federal attorneys in 2006, a two-year investigation has concluded. The internal report removes the possibility that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who resigned in part because of the controversy, will face prosecution. The report did fault him for making misleading statements.

Investigators looked into whether the Bush administration improperly dismissed nine US attorneys, and in particular New Mexico's David Iglesias, who said the firings were politically motivated. "Evidence did not demonstrate that any prosecutable criminal offense was committed with regard to the removal of David Iglesias," the Justice Department said in a letter to lawmakers. "The investigative team also determined that the evidence did not warrant expanding the scope of the investigation beyond the removal of Iglesias." (More Justice Department stories.)