Dismissed U.S. Attorneys Summary - Daniel Bogden

Daniel Bogden

Daniel Bogden was the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. Justice officials initially told Congress that his dismissal was "performance reasons." But Deputy Attorney General William Moschella later told a House subcommittee "no particular deficiencies" in Bogden's performance existed. In November 2006, Bogden referred to the FBI allegations that Republican Congressman Jon Porter had committed campaign finance crimes by making fundraising calls from his government offices. It was during Bogden's tenure that the Republican former Congressman (now Nevada Governor) Jim Gibbons was the subject of a federal investigation into suspected bribes by the owner of a defense contractor for which Gibbons had earmarked several millions of dollars.

Emails disclosed to Congress revealed that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales's chief of staff, that he had second thoughts about the firing of Bodgen. Bogden's record showed no obvious problems with performance or differences in policy. McNulty stated in the e-mail on December 5, 2006 that he was "a little skittish about Bogden...He has been with DOJ since 1990 and, at age 50, has never had a job outside of government. My guess is he was hoping to ride this out well into '09 or beyond. I'll admit have not looked at his district's performance."

When Bogden was fired, Senator John Ensign, who had originally nominated him, was decidedly unhappy, particularly after hearing explanations by the Justice Department of the reasons. Ensign commented: "What the Justice Department testified yesterday is inconsistent with what they told me. I can't even tell you how upset I am at the Justice Department." A week later, Ensign said "I'm calling on the President of the United States and the attorney general to restore Dan Bogden's reputation....Everyone in Nevada thought Dan had done a superb job....I believe a very good man was wronged and a process was flawed."