Remember the laundry list of prosecutorial abuses in the Ted Stevens prosecution? If not, click here and start scrolling. William Welch's prosecutor's misconduct was so outrageous that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan initiated contempt proceedings against him. What has happened to Welch?
Mike Scarcella is reporting that "Welch is taking a post as a prosecutor in Springfield, Mass., where he spent much of his career []."
Is that how the Department of Justice punishes prosecutorial misconduct? By keeping the unethical prosecutors on the payroll? By moving the unethical prosecutors to another jurisdiction?
It seems that the Department of Justice has no respect for the law - at least when it's asked to apply the law to unethical prosecutors.
Indeed, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer praised Welch:
Breuer called Welch an "extremely smart and thoughtful lawyer. I think he's a dedicated public servant who's devoted his entire professional life to serving the American people." The Public Integrity Section, Breuer said, is "one of the greatest jewels" of the criminal division. He said he wants to find a "great leader" through a national search. "Bill's shoes will be hard to fill," Breuer said.
Breuer, incidentally, is resisting efforts to reform the Department of Justice.
