Carter Wrenn posted on December 07, 2009 14:34
I reckon U.S. Attorney George Holding has done more to fight corruption than just about anyone in North Carolina except News & Observer Editor John Drescher. But, now, it looks like Holding’s days are numbered.
There’re three Federal Judges and three U.S. Attorneys for President Obama to appoint in North Carolina – want to guess which Republican prosecutor the President decided it was most urgent to replace?
The one investigating Mike Easley and John Edwards.
At least the President is pulling his the political skull drudgery right out in the open – unlike Senator Kay Hagan who’s now apparently been in Washington long enough to figure out how to say one thing in public but do another in private.
Here’s how politics works when it comes to Judicial Appointments.
If Senator Hagan wanted she could stop Obama dead in his tracks by withholding what’s called the Senate ‘Blue-Slip.’ It’s an old Senatorial prerogative. The Senate will not hold hearings on a nominee for judge or U.S. Attorney in a Senator’s home state if that Senator objects – which he or she does by withholding the ‘blue-slip.’ Jesse Helms did it. Terry Sanford did it. It’s been going on for 200 years.
With George Holding investigating her fellow Democrats Senator Hagan – to look fair minded – is telling newspapers she hopes Obama leaves him in office until he finishes the investigations but behind the scenes she’s given a green light to Obama to replace Holding with Democrat Thomas Walker from Charlotte.
Here’s an equally puzzling fact: Where on earth is Republican Senator Richard Burr? Burr could withhold his blue slip too and stop Obama’s nominee but instead he’s struck the flag without putting up any fight at all.
All in all it looks like the rescue of Mike Easley is underway but then, again, maybe not.
The other fellow in the state whose record fighting corruption matches Holding’s and Drescher’s is Democrat Joe Sinsheimer, who had an odd thing to say in the News & Observer about Obama replacing Holding: “Look, no one is trying to save Mike Easley or John Edwards here. What they don’t want, I believe, and what there is great fear about in Eastern North Carolina is that the current Easley investigation will spread to other areas.”
12 hours later WRAL-TV made Sinsheimer look like a prophet when it reported the President of a Raleigh corporation had accused his Board Chairman, State Senator Tony Rand, of insider trading in stock.
It turns out the first place Rand’s accuser took his information was to U.S. Attorney George Holding – about the last man the Democrats want conducting another investigation. Worse, for Democrats, one of the people who bought the ‘penny stock’ Rand was pushing is current Governor Beverly Perdue.
Finally, a fact popped up about Thomas Walker of Charlotte – the attorney Obama picked to replace Holding. Back during the Lottery Scandal a lawyer from Charlotte named Thomas Walker defended one of the Democrats who helped former Speaker Jim Black try to rig the Lottery contract.
So, now, it looks like the President has put a lawyer who’s been defending crooked politicians – in charge of prosecuting them.