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Justice Dept Email: “We Just Want The Story To Die”… Ex-Rep Cunningham Criticized Fired Atty While Under Investigation… Libby Prosecutor Fitzgerald Ranked “Not Distinguished”

The New York Times DAVID JOHNSTON and JOHN M. BRODER March 20, 2007 08:34 AM

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales was "extremely upset" that his deputy told Congress last month that a federal prosecutor had been fired for no reason, according to e-mail released Monday by the Justice Department.

Mr. Gonzales believed that the prosecutor, H. E. Cummins III, the United States attorney for Arkansas, was dismissed for performance reasons, the e-mail suggested. But his deputy, Paul J. McNulty, testified that Mr. Cummins had been replaced to create a vacancy for J. Timothy Griffin, a political ally of the White House political adviser Karl Rove.

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