Kevin Woster has an article in today's Rapid City Journal entitled "Bush appoints Steven Mullins as U.S. attorney," which mentions the federal judge controversy but it doesn't mention the election-eve lawsuit Daschle filed:
The president’s action appears to have settled the disagreement between the Department of Justice and Piersol, Schreier and U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann of Aberdeen over the interim U.S. attorney. But it doesn’t end discussion about whether politics was involved.
All three judges are Democrats with long and extensive connections to the party. They were all recommended for the federal bench by former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, a Democrat. Piersol had in the past served as Daschle’s attorney. Schreier is a past chairwoman of the South Dakota Democratic Party and once served as U.S. attorney, with Daschle’s recommendation. Kornmann has served as executive director of the state Democratic Party.
Downey addressed those connections indirectly last week when asked if the disagreement was based on politics.
“This is a separation-of- powers turf battle between the executive and judicial branches of government,” he said. “And I hope politics wasn’t involved — considering the background of the three judges.”
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