Why did the Justice Department send Bradley Schlozman to Kansas City in March 2006?
At the time of his appointment as interim U.S. attorney, the answer seemed obvious: he had been an intern in the office, once; he was from the area; he clerked for a local federal judge.
Now -- two weeks after his departure -- another possible motive has emerged: Schlozman's dedication to pursuing voter fraud cases in a state considered crucial to both parties in 2006.
In fact, records show, Schlozman was directly and personally involved, as the supervisor of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, with pursuing a case against the state of Missouri for alleged voter registration problems -- a case filed just weeks before Schlozman took office as a U.S. attorney here.
Prime Buzz has obtained a letter (also, attached below)authorizing the federal lawsuit against the state, written Oct. 25, 2005. In the letter, the Department alleges several deficiencies in the state's efforts to "maintain" proper voter rolls, in violation, the Department says, of the National Voter Registration Act.
The letter writer: Brad Schlozman.
Officials in the Missouri Secretary of State's office say, and memoranda confirm, that Schlozman discussed the alleged voter registration problems with Secretary of State Robin Carnahan in the fall and winter of 2005. Despite those talks, an out-of-court settlement could not be reached, and the Justice Department pursued the case; 10 days ago, a federal judge ruled in the state's favor, saying there was "no evidence" of major voter fraud in the state.
Democrats have argued that voter list purges, such as that pursued by Schlozman, are aimed at poor and minority voters, who, surveys show, tend to support Democrats. Republicans generally reject that argument.
Schlozman had already been involved in several voter rights cases. He approved a Texas redistricting plan that involved former House Majority leader Tom Delay, for example; he also overruled career staff in the Justice Department and supported a photo ID law in Georgia.
Several news organizations, including McClatchy, have reported that pursuing allegations of voter fraud was a top priority of the Bush White House, and political adviser Karl Rove, in 2005 and 2006.
Was Schlozman sent here to pursue voter fraud cases in Missouri, in 2006 -- during one of the most important and closest Senate races in the nation?
Several news outlets, citing emails and other communications, say reluctance to pursue voter fraud cases were the reason at least two of the eight replaced U.S. attorneys -- David Iglesias in New Mexico and John McKay in Seattle -- were pushed out.
We still don't know if former U.S. attorney Todd Graves was on that list. But consider this timeline:
1) Oct. 25, 2005: Schlozman writes Missouri, authorizing lawsuit for failure to maintain voter lists; lawsuit filed later in 2005 (Nov. 22, 2005)
2) Jan. 9, 2006: Kyle Sampson writes a memo, listing at least seven U.S. attorneys to be replaced; three of those names are redacted.
3) March 10, 2006: Todd Graves announces departure from U.S. attorney office
4) March 23, 2006: Schlozman announced as replacement as interim U.S. attorney; first U.S. attorney appointed under broadened Patriot Act that exempts him from Senate confirmation
5) October 2006: Schlozman prosecutes four workers for ACORN for allegedly filing false voter registration forms; apparently it's the only known federal case against ACORN workers in the nation. (NOTE: The indictments were announced Nov. 1st.)
6) December 2006: Seven U.S. attorneys replaced
Missouri Senator Kit Bond, in an interview Monday, denied any knowledge of Schlozman's activities in the state. Bond said he was unaware the White House and Justice Department wanted to appoint Schlozman to the post.
Bond has long been a critic of Missouri's voting systems and record, but said he did not communicate those concerns to the Justice Department.
Schlozman has not commented. Graves has not commented.
| Attachment | Size |
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| letter.pdf | 471.56 KB |
