Jeffrey A. Taylor

Jeffrey A. Taylor is the interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Career

Prior to his work in Washington, DC, Jeffrey Taylor served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California from 1995–1999.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-21
url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/dc/US_Attorney/index.html
title=Biography of U.S. Attorney: Jeffrey A. Taylor
publisher=United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia] From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Taylor served as majority counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he advised Chairman Orrin Hatch and drafted provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.cite web|accessdate=2007-03-21
url=http://judiciary.house.gov/
title=3-19-2007 DOJ-Released Documents
publisher=U.S. House Judiciary Committee]

Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Taylor served as Counselor to Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales from 2002 to 2006 where he oversaw law enforcement operations by U.S. attorneys. He was appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia by Alberto Gonzales on September 22, 2006 and was sworn in seven days later; interim U.S. attorneys do not need to be confirmed by the Senate. Interim U.S. attorneys have no term limit, as a result of an amendment to the law governing interim attorneys included in the USA Patriot Reauthorization Act of 2005; formerly interim appointees had a 120-day term limit, and could be re-appointed (without term limit) at the end of the 120-day term by the chief judge of the district court.

U.S. Attorneys controversy

Mr. Taylor's position came under heightened interest in March 2007 during the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. On March 20, 2007, President Bush declared in a press conference that White House staff would not testify under oath on the matter if subpoenaed by Congress. [cite news|accessdate=2007-03-21
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/us/politics/21attorneys.html
title=Bush Clashes With Congress on Prosecutors
author=Stolberg, Sheryl Gay
work=New York Times
date=March 21, 2007] One who ignores a Congressional subpoena can be held in contempt of Congress, but the D.C. U.S. Attorney must convene a grand jury to start the prosecution of this crime.

Under UnitedStatesCode|2|194, once either the House or the Senate issues a citation for contempt of Congress, it is referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, "whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action." [ cite journal|url=http://www.arnoldporter.com/pubs/files/NYLJ_Zimroth_Feb2007.pdf
accessdate=2007-03-21
title=Congressional Investigations: The Supoenas are Coming
author=Zimroth, Peter L. and David G. Kleiman
journal=New York Law Journal
date=February 9, 2007
format=PDF
volume=237 |issue=8] It is unclear (as of March 20, 2007) whether Mr. Taylor would fulfill this duty to convene a grand jury, or resist Congress at the direction of Bush or Gonzales.

References