Overview
- Wednesday reporting based on a Bloomberg investigation says Sigal Chattah repeatedly bypassed Justice Department ethics rules and pushed investigations that benefited friends and former clients.
- A federal court found her acting appointment procedurally invalid, a decision that can remove her authority to oversee prosecutions while she appeals.
- Reporters say Chattah publicized a probe 18 days into her tenure that sources believe was aimed at Aaron Ford and that a leaked text attributed to her included a racialized threat about him.
- Senior FBI and DOJ officials repeatedly rebuffed her requests for new probes but those officials have since left, and office leaders and lawyers warn their departures leave fewer internal checks on her actions.
- The Justice Department declined to address specific allegations and noted only that the Nevada office brought about 15 percent more charges year over year, while local staff attrition has left the office at roughly two-thirds strength and put the Reno branch at risk of losing all prosecutors.