After just over two years at the Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy Rachel Brand is jumping ship. Bush first nominated Brand in March 2005. During her tenure, Brand played a large role in securing reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act. The former White House counsel office aide and clerk to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was also responsible for shepherding Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito’s confirmation hearings.
"Rachel Brand has served the Department of Justice and the American people with distinction and honor," said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in a statement. "Her considerable knowledge of legal policy is rivaled only by her passion for the issues and projects on which she worked during her tenure here at the Department. I will miss her significant contributions as an advisor to me."
It's one thing to be wrong, Matthew; it's quite another to be embarrassingly wrongheaded. You might be as young and relatively inexperienced as Ms. Brand was when she joined the Justice Department. That was in July 2003, nearly four years ago, and she has been perpetrating policy its Office of Legal Policy, inter alia, ever since.
Posted by: G. Hall | June 30, 2007 at 06:03 PM
M. Friendly:
It doesn't matter if Brand worked at the executive washroom. She worked for the government and she jumped ship like other White House employees!!! And yes good riddance. Who else is next?
Posted by: prezildent despondent | June 30, 2007 at 06:01 PM
G.Hall:
Get your facts straight before showing your ignorance. Brand has been with the DOJ for 2 years. Before that she worked in the White House Counsel's office, which is not part of DOJ.
Posted by: Matthew Friendly | June 30, 2007 at 10:01 AM
And look for every Friday for an official to hit the streets. It's becoming a pattern. Internal DOJ lottery... LOL!!
Posted by: Bil Biloxi | June 29, 2007 at 11:56 PM
"Two years?" Hardly; she was part of Gonzales's advance guard, arriving at Justice more than a year before he did. And it would appear that she won the internal DOJ lottery for this Friday evening's resignation slot. Good riddance.
Posted by: G. Hall | June 29, 2007 at 10:05 PM