Dozens of former federal prosecutors in Chicago say recent controversies around actions by the local arm of the Justice Department have "tarnished" the reputation of the city's U.S. Attorney's Office.
One hundred and eleven former federal prosecutors signed a letter released Monday accusing Andrew Boutros of "a failure of leadership" since taking over as Chicago's top U.S. Attorney a little more than a year ago.
The letter points to a series of issues in the office, including the decision to dismiss all charges against the "Broadview Six" protesters, after Boutros revealed improper communications between federal prosecutors and members of the grand jury. It also suggests that political considerations are "infecting" decisions about whether to prosecute some defendants.
Both of Illinois' U.S. Senators - Democrats Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth - have called for Boutros' resignation, but this letter does not do that.
What it does is vent what the letter calls "heartbreaking" concerns since Boutros became Chicago's chief federal prosecutor, including a so-called exodus of experienced prosecutors and breaches of trust with judges.
It does, however, call on Boutros to be willing to take action to address failures, and says his recent declaration about grand jury reforms was "long on superlatives and short on details."
We've asked the Justice Department for a response.
111 former prosecutors point to botched grand jury, 'exodus' of experienced attorneys
111 former prosecutors point to botched grand jury, 'exodus' of experienced attorneys
