(CA) US Attorney Defies White House

[Jesus Malverde]

Melinda Haag, the US Attorney for Northern California, is flouting new federal guidelines in her continued attempts to shut down legal medical marijuana dispensaries in the Bay Area

Despite new federal guidelines that purportedly were designed to ease enforcement of marijuana laws in states in which pot is legal for adult or medicinal uses, US Attorney Melinda Haag is plowing ahead with attempts to close two of the most prominent medical cannabis dispensaries in California — Oakland's Harborside Health Center and Berkeley Patients Group.

According to BPG attorney Henry Wykowski, Haag is ignoring the new federal guidelines spelled out in a memo issued on August 29 by the Obama Justice Department and authored by Assistant Attorney General James Cole. Wykowski said he met with a federal judge and Haag's office on October 29 for a case management conference involving Haag's efforts to close BPG. Like in the Harborside case, Haag is attempting to shutter BPG by seizing the property it occupies via a process known as forfeiture. But Wykowski said the "judge questioned why this case was proceeding in light of the Cole Memo. The US Attorney had a very difficult time articulating an answer."

BPG requested the matter be sent to mediation, but Haag's office refused, saying it intended to proceed with the forfeiture case. A trial is set for December 2014, and the next court date is next month. "I just don't understand what's going on," Wykowski said.

Haag spokesperson Lili Arauzhaase didn't respond to questions for this report.

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/us-attorney-defies-white-house/Content?oid=3762161

[silverweb]

1. What's the process for removing/impeaching a U.S. Attorney?

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Does anyone here know?

[Jesus Malverde]

2. Bush fired a bunch over a weekend...

They serve at the will of the president.

The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006, by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage. Allegations were that some of the attorneys were targeted for dismissal to impede investigations of Republican politicians or that some were targeted for their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters. The U.S. attorneys were replaced with interim appointees, under provisions in the 2005 USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_of_U.S._attorneys_controversy

[silverweb]

3. Excellent.

Time to start a White House petition!

[PoliticAverse]

4. The President says 'I'm removing you'... n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Yeah, she's a piece of work, isn't she?

Bleh.

[RosettaStoned77]

6. Imagine the scandal

if Obama used his authority to remove her. The drug war is big business for big government. War on drugs? War on terror? How about a war on their WARS?