The Oct. 12 editorial “Prosecutor politics” criticized my recommendation and the president’s nomination of Channing D. Phillips instead of Vincent H. Cohen Jr. to be the District’s U.S. attorney and said that “punishing the official who helped spearhead [a crackdown on corruption] sends the wrong message.” The editorial said the “criticism of [Mr. Cohen] largely centers” on the timing of a plea weeks before the 2014 mayoral primary.
The president never accepts a recommendation for any nomination without doing his own investigation. Mr. Phillips and Mr. Cohen were exceptionally well-qualified candidates with virtually the same experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The editorial focused on the case against former D.C. mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) as the reason Mr. Cohen was not nominated. It would be inappropriate to base this appointment on one unfinished case, barring obvious flaws. Consequential cases such as the successful prosecution of three former D.C. Council members would be considered.
In response to a question at a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, then-U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder said, “If the Justice Department had waited until after the election, we would have been charged potentially with withholding information that would have been relevant for voters to have” and “we . . . bring the cases when they’re ready to go.”
We relied on appraisals of the tenures of both candidates from judges, Justice Department officials, past and present attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and others. The president and I focused on selecting the candidate we regarded as best for this important office at this time.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington
The writer, a Democrat, represents the District in the House.