Domenici, others cleared in probe of Iglesias’ firing

From NMPolitics.net- by Heath Haussamen- Former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and others won’t face criminal charges related to the 2006 firing of then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. The department sent a letter to members of Congress who sought the probe stating that special prosecutor Nora Dannehy concluded that “evidence did not demonstrate that any prosecutable criminal offense was committed with regard to the removal of David Iglesias.” “There was insufficient evidence that former Senator Pete V. Domenici, other New Mexico Republicans, persons in the White House, or anyone at DOJ attempted to prospectively influence Iglesias’s actions,” the letter states. “The weight of the evidence established not an attempt to influence but rather an attempt to remove David Iglesias from office, in other words, to eliminate the possibility of any future action or inaction by him.” The letter, which concluded a two-year investigation, also stated that Domenici’s efforts to have Iglesias fired were “in part politically motivated.” Domenici, R-N.M., and others have claimed all along that they sought Iglesias’ removal from the position because he wasn’t doing a good job. Another New Mexico Republican involved was then-state GOP Chairman Allen Weh, who asked then-President Bush Senior Adviser Karl Rove to have Iglesias fired in late 2005. Read more

Domenici, others cleared in probe of Iglesias’ firing