State of the Superpower

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan filed a motion to dismiss charges against former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht.

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Dr. Wecht was indicted in January 2006 on charges that he misused his public office for private gain. On April 8, 2008, after more than 50 hours of deliberations, the trial ended in a hung jury. The Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney’s Office quickly scheduled a retrial.

Mrs. Buchanan, a Bush appointee, has been accused of pursuing the case against Dr. Wecht, a Democrat,  for political reasons.

“In my opinion, the plan, the scheme was the problem for me personally,” said the jury foreman after the 2008 trial. The foreman, as well as other members of the jury, remains anonymous because the judge asked jurors to not yet speak publicly about the case.

If Ms. Buchanan’s name sounds familiar, it is because Monica Goodling claimed Kyle Sampson,  then Chief of Staff to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, consulted with Ms. Buchanan just before the controversial dismissal of 7 U.S. Attorneys. Ms. Buchaanan denies any involvement.

As for Mrs. Buchanan, despite the tradition of U.S. Attorneys resigning when a new administration comes in, she has no plans to leave her current post.