From Think Progress
By Amanda

The Justice Department has faced criticism not only for firing well-respected U.S. attorneys, but also for replacing them with loyal Bushies.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota demonstrates the havoc that ensues when the Bush administration places politics over justice. Four top staffers to Rachel Paulose, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, have voluntarily demoted themselves in protest of Paulose’s highly dictatorial style of managing. Paulose has also earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.

According to news reports, the staffers’ dramatic moves were intended to send a message to Washington — that 33-year-old Paulose is in over her head. The Bush administration tried to prevent the resignations by sending a top justice official to Minneapolis Thursday to mediate the situation. The mediation failed.

A look at Paulose’s background indicates that she was handpicked by the Justice Department because of her personal connections, rather than her professional qualifications:

She was a special assistant to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, worked as a senior counsel for deputy attorney general Paul McNulty and is best buds with Monica Goodling — the assistant U.S. Attorney who recently took the Fifth rather than testify before Congress.

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