The US House of Representatives today passed a bill that closes a “loophole” that allowed President Bush to circumvent the Senate confirmation process for federal prosecutors.The legislation, authored by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), passed the House with a vote of 306-114. It has already cleared the Senate (94-2), and it is expected that Bush will sign it into law.
The provision that this legislation will change was inserted into the USA Patriot Act reauthorization last year, and allowed the Attorney General to appoint US Attorneys indefinitely without Senate approval.
…”Congress has spoken, and it is clear that we want accountability. Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to ensure that the Senate confirms every U.S. Attorney,” Senator Feinstein said in a statement. “Many unanswered questions remain, including who in the Department of Justice put the names of eight U.S. Attorneys on the list for removal. We will continue this investigation until we flesh out who did what, when, and why.”
(Original Article)