Jeffrey A. Taylor
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Jeffrey A. Taylor is the interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
[edit] Career
Prior to his work in Washington, DC, Jeffrey Taylor served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California from 1995–1999.[1] From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Taylor served as majority counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he advised Chairman Orrin Hatch and drafted provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.[2]
Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Taylor served as Counselor to Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales from 2002 to 2006 where he oversaw law enforcement operations by U.S. attorneys.[1] He was appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia by Alberto Gonzales on September 22, 2006 and was sworn in seven days later.[1] He took office so quickly because he bypassed Senate confirmation under a provision of the USA Patriot Act.[2]
[edit] U.S. Attorneys controversy
Mr. Taylor's position came under heightened interest in March 2007 during the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. On March 20, 2007, President Bush declared in a press conference that White House staff would not testify under oath on the matter if subpoenaed by Congress.[3] One who ignores a Congressional subpoena can be held in contempt of Congress, but the D.C. U.S. attorney must convene a grand jury to start the prosecution of this crime.
Under 2 U.S.C. § 194, once either the House or the Senate issues a citation for contempt of Congress, it is referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, "whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action."[4] It is unclear (as of March 20, 2007) whether Mr. Taylor would fulfill this duty to convene a grand jury, or resist Congress at the direction of Bush or Gonzales.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Biography of U.S. Attorney: Jeffrey A. Taylor. United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ a b 3-19-2007 DOJ-Released Documents. U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Bush Clashes With Congress on Prosecutors", New York Times, March 21, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Zimroth, Peter L. and David G. Kleiman (February 9, 2007). "Congessional Investigations: The Supoenas are Coming" (PDF). New York Law Journal 237 (8). Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
