The Counselor
By DEBORAH SOLOMON
nytimes.com
( Maybe this sad little suck-up can go into practice with JLA!)
As the first Latino to have served as the attorney general, what are your thoughts as Sonia Sotomayor prepares to become the first Latina on the Supreme Court?
This is obviously a proud and historic moment for all Hispanics.
It has been two summers since you resigned, and you’re still living in Virginia?
I’ve got an apartment in Lubbock, Tex. We’re in the process of moving my family down to Texas. I’ll be teaching this year at Texas Tech University.
When does school begin?
My first day of class is Aug. 31. I’ve also been asked to help the chancellor and the president of the university in recruiting and retaining minorities. I’m very excited about that effort. I’ll be traveling the state with school officials trying to help them in that mission.
You’re scheduled to teach a political-science class called “Contemporary Issues in the Executive Branch.” What kind of syllabus have you put together?
You mean what am I going to be teaching? We’re obviously going to look at the issues that are confronting this administration. I’m going to try to get the studentsa behind-the-scenes look at how the White House is really organized and how it operates.
Some 70 professors at Texas Tech have signed a petition that protests your appointment and cites your “ethical failings,” including misleading Congress abut the firing of nine federal prosecutors. What will you tell your students about that?
All the inspector-general investigations, they’re now over with. They found that I had not engaged in any criminal wrongdoing.
Isn’t there still an ongoing investigation by a special prosecutor who was appointed last year to look into the removal of the attorneys?
I wish I could comment on that, but because it’s an ongoing investigation, I cannot.
Would you agree that your reputation was damaged by your service as attorney general?
It has had an effect, a negative effect, no question about it, and at times it makes me angry because it is undeserved. But I don’t want to sound like I am whining. At the end of the day, I’ve been the attorney general of the United States. It’s a remarkable privilege, and I stand behind my service.
Has any law firm offered you a job since you left the White House?
Listen, I’ve had some interest and I’ve had some discussions, but there has been no offer made. In a tough economic climate, I can understand why a company or a firm would want to make sure that the investigations are complete and there is no finding of wrongdoing before they make a hiring decision.
Have you asked Bush or Cheney to help defray your legal bills?
I have not asked them personally.
I think you should ask them. They got you into this pickle. Shouldn’t they help get you out?
Listen, I have a group of supporters that are helping me fund-raise. They’re making decisions about how to do this successfully.
What are your legal bills like?
Substantial. I’ll say that obviously it’s been a burden. We did establish a legal-defense fund, and we have raised and are in the process of raising additional monies to pay for the lawyers.
Why, exactly, did you suddenly resign as attorney general?
I’m in the process of writing a book, and I’ll get into greater detail on some of those reasons.
Do you have a publisher for your book yet?
No.
Do you still talk to President Bush?
I have not spoken with the president since he left office.
Have you ever been tempted to pick up the phone and say hi to him?
I do, of course, think about our time together, and there are times when I think about doing that. But listen, I know that he has his life to live. I’ve got challenges and my life to live as well.
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company |
