Dispatch From the Document Pile

Here are excerpts from an exchange released in yesterday's documents with some interesting exchanges regarding Margaret M. Chiara, the former U.S. attorney in Michigan.

From: Margaret M. Chiara

Sent: February 1, 2007

To: Paul McNulty [deputy attorney general]

Cc: Michael Elston [McNulty's chief of staff]

"Everyone who knows about my required resignation, ( primarily our USA colleagues and people who are providing references ), is astonished that I am being asked to leave. Now that it has been widely reported that departing USAs have either failed to meet performance expectations or that they acted independently rather than follow DOJ/EOUSA [Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys] directives, the situation is so much worse. You know that I am in neither category. This makes me so sad. Why have I been asked to resign? The real reason, especially if true, would be a lot easier to live with."
(Doc. 1-6, pg. 21)

From: Margaret M. Chiara

Sent: February 9, 2007

To: Paul McNulty [deputy attorney general]

"Paul: You may recall from earlier communication with me that I have owned a home in South Carolina for several years. The announcement (below) is for a detail at the NAC for which I am completely qualified and which I would enjoy doing. Obviously, I am not currently eligible for a detail position. Will you please intervene to make the position available for me? It would provide a timely and satisfactory solution to my current job search."
(Doc. 1-6, pg. 40)

McNulty's comment in forwarding to Elston: "Could we make this happen? Hire her into an EOUSA slow and then send her down to the NAC [National Advocacy Center]?"

Elston's response to McNulty: "This idea may help us avoid linking this to the others."

From: Margaret M. Chiara

Sent: March 4, 2007

To: Paul McNulty [deputy attorney general]

Cc: Michael Elston [McNulty's chief of staff]

"The notoriety of being one of the "USA-8" coupled with my age being constantly cited in the press is proving to be a formidable obstacle to securing employment."
(Doc. 2-3, pg. 2)

--Compiled by Allegra Moothart Hartley