Prosecution among Friends: Presidents, Attorneys General, and Executive Branch Wrongdoing (Joseph V. Hughes Jr. and Holly O. Hughes Series on the Presidency and Leadership) - Softcover

Yalof, David Alistair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1603447458 ISBN 13: 9781603447454

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Can Justice Department officials effectively investigate wrongdoing within their own administration without relying on an independent counsel?

In Prosecution among Friends political scientist David Alistair Yalof explores the operation of due process as it is navigated within the office of the attorney general and its various subdivisions. The attorney general holds a politically appointed position within the administration and yet, as the nation’s highest ranking law enforcement officer, is still charged with holding colleagues and superiors legally accountable. That duty extends to allegations against those who had a hand in appointing the attorney general in the first place: Even the President of the United States may be enmeshed in a Justice Department investigation overseen by the attorney general and other department officials.

To assess this fundamental problem, Yalof examines numerous cases of executive branch corruption—real or alleged—that occurred over the course of four decades beginning with the Nixon administration and extending up through the second Bush administration. All of these cases—Watergate, Whitewater, and others—were identified and reported to varying degrees in the press and elsewhere. Some garnered significant attention; others drew only limited interest at the time. In all such cases the attorney general and other officials within the executive branch were charged with initially assessing the matter and determining the proper road for moving forward. Only a handful of the cases resulted in the appointment of a statutorily protected independent counsel.

About this title

About the Author:

DAVID ALISTAIR YALOF, associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, won the 1999 Richard E. Neustadt Award for the Best Book on the Presidency with his title, Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Nominees (University of Chicago Press).

Review:

". . . a terrific book . . . "--Nancy Kassop, professor of political science, State University of New York--New Paltz and past president, APSA Presidents and Executive Politics section

(Nancy Kassop 2012-05-01)

"In Prosecution among Friends, David Yalof carefully analyzes episodes in which the Justice Department dealt with accusations of wrongdoing by members of the president's administration and skillfully identifies explanations for the differing success with which accusations were handled. The book is valuable for its insights on the functioning of the justice system under special and difficult conditions."--Lawrence Baum, professor of political science, Ohio State University

(Lawrence Baum 2012-05-28)

null (M. E. Ethridge Choice 2013-05-07)

About this edition

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1603447458
• ISBN 13: 9781603447454
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224