September 17, 2007 6:22 PM

Cleaning Up the Mess At the Department of Justice

This morning, it was announced the President Bush has nominated retired federal judge Michael Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales at the helm of the Justice Department.

Mukasey, by all appearances, will be a huge improvement over Gonzales, and as such will probably not run into a firestorm of criticism at his confirmation hearings. However, Alberto Gonzales was so bad, that his successor will have quite a mess to clean up.

Senators voting on whether or not to confirm Mukasey should ask him whether he will:

• Appoint an independent counsel to investigate the US Attorneys scandal
• Call for the closure of Guantanamo and the end of coercive interrogation techniques
• Present a report to congress no later than March 1, 2008 on White House interference in Justice Department matters
• Resign from the Giuliani political campaign and ask his son to do the same.
• Bar political influence at the Justice Department
• Prohibit White House contact with US Attorneys


• End the phony and politically motivated voter fraud investigations (the basis of the firing of US Attorneys).


• Enforce voting rights provisions of the Motor Voter bill, including registration of disenfranchised groups through public agencies including the DMV and welfare agencies


• Call for the reinstatement of Habeas Corpus


• Restore public trust and dignity to the office of U.S. Attorney General

Take action today -- let your Senators know that without a commitment to those ten to-do items, they should think long and hard about a vote to confirm Mukasey.