Fired federal prosecutors blame politicization of DOJ during forum in Arkansas

Fired federal prosecutors fault Bush officials

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Five federal prosecutors whose firings sparked an investigation into George W. Bush’s Justice Department are blaming politics for their ouster.

Former U.S. Attorney John McKay of Washington state says politics was so rampant in the department, it became the country’s “laughingstock.”

McKay is one of the five former prosecutors who spoke at a forum in Little Rock, Ark. The others are Bud Cummins of Arkansas, Paul Charlton of Arizona, Carol Lam of California and David Iglesias of New Mexico.

Prosecutors have concluded a two-year investigation into the firings of those five U.S. attorneys and four others. They determined the Justice Department’s actions were inappropriately political, but not criminal.