March 3rd 2023.
Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, has employed a former Justice Department inspector general to defend her amid an ongoing ethics inquiry into her participation in a political fundraiser and her travel
. Michael Bromwich, an attorney from Steptoe & Johnson LLP who served as top internal watchdog of the Justice Department from 1994 to 1999, has disclosed he is representing Rollins in the extensive ethics investigation spearheaded by current inspector general Michael Horowitz.
The source of the probe began with Rollins' July attendance at a Democratic National Committee gathering and has since extended to examining her travels and use of her personal cellphone for official purposes, according to seven people familiar with the situation. Bromwich noted he and Rollins are "very troubled" by the series of leaks from the investigation, some of which have been inaccurate, but he refused to go into details.
The 93 U.S. attorneys, who are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, are the primary federal prosecutors for their regions, and the controversy has threatened to damage Attorney General Merrick Garland's promise to guard the Justice Department from political influence, as well as Rollins' effort to bring her progressive criminal justice policies to the federal level.
Bromwich, who has previously represented former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Christine Blasey-Ford during her Senate hearing to accuse Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, declined to comment. Rollins has publicly accepted the investigation in the past, saying her only regret was that it had caused her team of prosecutors to be distracted.
It remains unclear what the inspector general's probe will uncover, or when it will be completed. A spokesperson for Horowitz's office declined to comment, claiming they cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, has employed a former Justice Department inspector general to defend her in a widening inquiry into her presence at a political fundraiser and her travels. Michael Bromwich, an attorney from Steptoe & Johnson LLP who was the Justice Department's top internal auditor from 1994 to 1999, has informed Reuters that he is representing Rollins in the investigation being spearheaded by the office's current Inspector General, Michael Horowitz. This probe was initiated due to Rollins' July
attendance at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser and has been expanded to encompass her travels and utilization of her personalized cellphone for official business, as reported by seven individuals familiar with the matter.
"We are very worried about the chain of leaks that have been coming out of this investigation, some of them quite incorrect in substance," Bromwich commented, but declined to provide further information. The 93 U.S. attorneys appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate serve as the primary federal prosecutors in their areas. This controversy has the potential to undermine Attorney General Merrick Garland's promise to protect the Justice Department from partisan influence and the attempt to extend the progressive criminal justice policies promoted by Rollins to the federal level.
Bromwich has formerly represented Andrew McCabe, the former FBI Deputy Director fired during the Trump administration, as well as Christine Blasey Ford when she testified before the Senate about her allegation that now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. A spokesperson for Rollins declined to comment. She has publicly admitted the investigation in the past, informing reporters in December that her "only regret" was that she did not want the prosecutors working for her to be "distracted by what is happening with respect to me."
It is uncertain what the IG's investigation will find or when it will be concluded. A spokesperson for Horowitz's office declined to comment, stating that they are unable to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
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