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{{Infobox US Cabinet official |
{{Infobox US Cabinet official |
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| name=Michael Chertoff |
| name=Michael Chertoff |
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| religion=[[Jewish]] |
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}} |
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'''Michael Chertoff''' (born [[November 28]], [[1953]]) is the current |
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'''Michael Chertoff''' (born [[November 28]], [[1953]]) is the current United States [[Secretary of Homeland Security]]. He previously served as a judge on the [[United States Court of Appeals]], as a federal prosecutor, and as [[United States Assistant Attorney General|assistant U.S. Attorney General]]. He was nominated to succeed [[Tom Ridge]] as Secretary of the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] by [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] on [[January 11]], [[2005]]. His nomination was confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate]] on [[February 15]], [[2005]], in a unanimous 98-0 vote, and Chertoff was sworn into office the same day (although a ceremonial swearing-in presided over by Bush took place on [[March 3]]). |
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United States [[Secretary of Homeland Security]]. He previously served |
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as a judge on the [[United States Court of Appeals]], as a federal |
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Speculation that Chertoff may be a possible successor to [[U.S. Attorney General]] [[Alberto Gonzales]] has been consistent since the the [[dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy|controversy over the dismissal of U.S. attorneys]] received national attention in March 2007.<ref> |
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prosecutor, and as [[United States Assistant Attorney General|assistant |
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⚫ | |||
U.S. Attorney General]]. He was nominated to succeed [[Tom Ridge]] as |
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Secretary of the [[United States Department of Homeland |
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Security|Department of Homeland Security]] by [[President of the United |
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States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] on [[January 11]], [[2005]]. His |
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nomination was confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate]] on [[February 15]], |
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[[2005]], in a unanimous 98-0 vote, and Chertoff was sworn into office |
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the same day (although a ceremonial swearing-in presided over by Bush |
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took place on [[March 3]]). |
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Speculation that Chertoff may be a possible successor to [[U.S. |
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Attorney General]] [[Alberto Gonzales]] has been consistent since the |
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the [[dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy|controversy over the |
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dismissal of U.S. attorneys]] received national attention in March |
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⚫ | |||
[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3202.html Mike Allen, |
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⚫ | |||
</ref><ref> |
</ref><ref> |
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[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003626767_attorneys20.html |
[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003626767_attorneys20.html |
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Ron Hutcheson and Greg Gordon, ''White House hunting for Gonzales |
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successor'', Seattle Times (McClatchy Newspapers), March 20, 2007] |
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</ref> The speculation has grown since Gonzales's announcement on |
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⚫ | |||
August 27, 2007, that President Bush had accepted his resignation, to |
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be effective September 17, 2007.<ref |
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name='TalkingPointsMemo-Gonzales Resignation Letter-2007-08-27'> |
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{{cite news | first=Alberto R. | last= Gonzales | coauthors= | title= |
{{cite news | first=Alberto R. | last= Gonzales | coauthors= | title= |
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Letter of Resignation | date= August 26, 2007 | publisher= Talking |
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Points Memo | url = |
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http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/gonzales-resigns/ | work = (via |
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Talking Points Memo Document Collection)| pages = | accessdate = |
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2007-08-27 | language = }} |
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</ref><ref> |
</ref><ref> |
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[http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3529363 Rick Klein, ''Gonzales' |
[http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3529363 Rick Klein, ''Gonzales' |
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Departure Sets up Confirmation Battle'', ABC News, August 27, |
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2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3209723.shtml |
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Daniel W. Reilly, ''Gonzo Redux'', Politico (via CBS News), August 27, |
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2007] |
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</ref> |
</ref> |
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Chertoff is [[Jewish]] and is married to Meryl Justin. They have two |
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children and live in [[Potomac, Maryland]]. |
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== Early history == |
== Early history == |
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Chertoff was born in [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]], the son of [[Rabbi]] |
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Gershon Baruch Chertoff, the former leader of the B'nai Israel |
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Congregation in Elizabeth, and [[El Al Israel Airlines|El Al]] flight |
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attendant Livia Chertoff (née Eisen). His paternal grandfather, Rabbi |
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Paul Chertoff, emigrated from [[Russia]]. His grandfather was a noted |
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[[Talmudic]] scholar. |
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Chertoff went to [[The Pingry School]]. He later attended [[Harvard |
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University]], where he was a research assistant on [[John Hart Ely]]'s |
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Chertoff went to [[The Pingry School]]. He later attended [[Harvard University]], where he was a research assistant on [[John Hart Ely]]'s ''[[Democracy and Distrust]]'', graduating in 1975. He then graduated [[magna cum laude]] from [[Harvard Law School]] in 1978, going on to clerk for appellate judge [[Murray Gurfein]] for a year before clerking for [[United States Supreme Court]] justice [[William Brennan]] from 1979 to 1980. He worked in private practice with [[Latham & Watkins]] from 1980 to 1983 before being hired as a prosecutor by [[Rudolph Giuliani]], then the U.S. attorney for [[Manhattan]], working on [[Mafia]] and [[political corruption]]-related cases. In the mid 1990s, Chertoff returned to Latham & Watkins for a brief period, founding the firm's office in [[Newark, New Jersey]]. |
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''[[Democracy and Distrust]]'', graduating in 1975. He then graduated |
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[[magna cum laude]] from [[Harvard Law School]] in 1978, going on to |
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== |
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clerk for appellate judge [[Murray Gurfein]] for a year before clerking |
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⚫ | |||
for [[United States Supreme Court]] justice [[William Brennan]] from |
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1979 to 1980. He worked in private practice with [[Latham & |
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Watkins]] from 1980 to 1983 before being hired as a prosecutor by |
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[[Rudolph Giuliani]], then the U.S. attorney for [[Manhattan]], working |
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on [[Mafia]] and [[political corruption]]-related cases. In the mid |
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1990s, Chertoff returned to Latham & Watkins for a brief period, |
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founding the firm's office in [[Newark, New Jersey]]. |
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⚫ | |||
In September 1986 as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael Chertoff together |
In September 1986 as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael Chertoff together |
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with U.S. Attorney for the [[United States District Court for the |
with U.S. Attorney for the [[United States District Court for the |
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announcers call Chertoff [[Skeletor]], after the cartoon character whom |
announcers call Chertoff [[Skeletor]], after the cartoon character whom |
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they imply he resembles. |
they imply he resembles. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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<references/> |
<references/> |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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=== Official === |
=== Official === |
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*[http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/biography_0116.shtm Department of |
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Homeland Security biography] |
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=== Nomination === |
=== Nomination === |
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*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050111-2.html |
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''President Nominates Michael Chertoff as Secretary of Homeland |
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Security'' transcript] |
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*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4165507.stm |
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4165507.stm Bush names new US |
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security chief] |
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*[http://batr.org/wrack/011305.html Homeland Security by the Colors] |
*[http://batr.org/wrack/011305.html Homeland Security by the Colors] |
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=== Hurricane Katrina === |
=== Hurricane Katrina === |
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*[http://www.realcities.com/multimedia/nationalchannel/news/KRT_Packages/archive/katrina/memo_to_cabinet_members.pdf |
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Memo from Chertoff to other federal agencies issued on August 30] |
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*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4828771 U.S. Aid |
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4828771 U.S. Aid |
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Effort Criticized in New Orleans] |
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=== Other news reports === |
=== Other news reports === |
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*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4165507.stm Michael |
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Chertoff's Profile in BBC] |
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{{start box}} |
{{start box}} |
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{{succession box| |
{{succession box| title=[[Presidential line of succession|Presidential |
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title=[[Presidential line of succession|Presidential Line of Succession]]| |
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after=None| |
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}} |
}} |
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{{U.S. Secretary box |
{{U.S. Secretary box |
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| years = [[as of 2007]] |
| years = [[as of 2007]] |
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| after = [[Joshua Bolten]]}} |
| after = [[Joshua Bolten]]}} |
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{{end box}} |
{{end box}} {{USSecDHS}} |
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{{USSecDHS}} |
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{{U.S. Cabinet}} |
{{U.S. Cabinet}} |
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{{Persondata |
{{Persondata |
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|NAME=Chertoff, Michael |
|NAME=Chertoff, Michael |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION=2nd [[Secretary of Homeland Security]] of the |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |
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[[United States]] |
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|DATE OF BIRTH=[[November 28]], [[1953]] |
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[November 28]], [[1953]] |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] |
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:Jewish American jurists]] |
[[Category:Jewish American jurists]] |
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[[Category:American lawyers]] |
[[Category:American lawyers]] |
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[[Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third |
[[Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third |
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Circuit]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:New Jersey lawyers]] |
[[Category:New Jersey lawyers]] |
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[[Category:People from Elizabeth, New Jersey]] |
[[Category:People from Elizabeth, New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:United States Secretaries of Homeland Security]] |
[[Category:United States Secretaries of Homeland Security]] |
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[[cs:Michael Chertoff]] |
[[cs:Michael Chertoff]] |
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[[de:Michael Chertoff]] |
[[de:Michael Chertoff]] |
Revision as of 18:20, 4 September 2007
[[Category:Articles needing additional references from August
2007]]
Michael Chertoff | |
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2nd United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
Assumed office February 15, 2005 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Tom Ridge |
Personal details | |
Born | Elizabeth, New Jersey | November 28, 1953
Political party | Republican |
Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney General. He was nominated to succeed Tom Ridge as Secretary of the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] by [[President of the United States|President]] George W. Bush on January 11, 2005. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 15, 2005, in a unanimous 98-0 vote, and Chertoff was sworn into office the same day (although a ceremonial swearing-in presided over by Bush took place on March 3). Speculation that Chertoff may be a possible successor to [[U.S. Attorney General]] Alberto Gonzales has been consistent since the the controversy over the dismissal of U.S. attorneys received national attention in March 2007.[1][2] The speculation has grown since Gonzales's announcement on August 27, 2007, that President Bush had accepted his resignation, to be effective September 17, 2007.[3][4][5] Chertoff is Jewish and is married to Meryl Justin. They have two children and live in Potomac, Maryland.
Early history
Chertoff was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the son of Rabbi Gershon Baruch Chertoff, the former leader of the B'nai Israel Congregation in Elizabeth, and El Al flight attendant Livia Chertoff (née Eisen). His paternal grandfather, Rabbi Paul Chertoff, emigrated from Russia. His grandfather was a noted Talmudic scholar. Chertoff went to The Pingry School. He later attended [[Harvard University]], where he was a research assistant on John Hart Ely's Democracy and Distrust, graduating in 1975. He then graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978, going on to clerk for appellate judge Murray Gurfein for a year before clerking for United States Supreme Court justice William Brennan from 1979 to 1980. He worked in private practice with [[Latham & Watkins]] from 1980 to 1983 before being hired as a prosecutor by Rudolph Giuliani, then the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, working on Mafia and political corruption-related cases. In the mid 1990s, Chertoff returned to Latham & Watkins for a brief period, founding the firm's office in Newark, New Jersey.
Public service
In September 1986 as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael Chertoff together with U.S. Attorney for the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], Rudolph Giuliani were instrumental in putting the American (Italian) Mafia on trial. Mafia Don John Gotti served a prison sentence without bail since May 1986, only a few months after he allegedly took control of the Gambino gang following the murder of the previous boss, Paul Castellano. It was the start of the cleanup of that generation of Italian Mafia in New York City and [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,145082,00.html "Hitting the Mafia", ED MAGNUSON, Sep. 29, 1986 issue of TIME magazine] Gotti died of throat cancer at 12:45 p.m. on June 10, 2002 at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he had been transferred once the cancer was diagnosed. Chertoff was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 as United States Attorney for New Jersey in 1990. In 1992 Chertoff put 2nd term Jersey City Mayor [[Gerald McCann]] in federal prison for over two years on charges of defrauding money from a savings and loan scam. McCann, an Irish born Jersey native, inflamed and insulted the leading prosecutor: "It will become obvious that they were insane to bring this case in the first place. And we are going to send Mr. Chertoff back to preparing [[Will (law)|wills]]. Maybe I can find him a job driving a sanitation truck in Jersey City." McCann never was able to run for office again being a convicted felon. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375758704/ Five-Finger Discount: "A Crooked Family History", Helene Stapinski, (c)2002, page 203][http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13801477&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523586&rfi=6 Jersey City Reporter, "McCann - no holds barred", Ricardo Kaulessar 01/21/2005] Chertoff was asked to stay in his position when the Clinton administration took office in 1993, at the request of Democratic Senator Bill Bradley; he was the only U.S. attorney not replaced. Chertoff stayed with the U.S. Attorney's office until 1994, when he entered private practice, returning to Latham & Watkins as a partner. Despite his friendly relationship with some Democrats, during the Whitewater scandal investigation of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chertoff was special counsel for the Senate Whitewater Committee studying allegations against the Clintons. When Chertoff faced Senate confirmation in 2003 for a federal judgeship, [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], then a Senator from New York, cast the lone dissenting vote against Chertoff's confirmation. She explained that her vote was in protest of the way junior White House staffers were "very badly treated" by Chertoff's staff during the Whitewater investigation. Chertoff is the co-author, along with Viet Dinh, of the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], signed into law October 26, 2001. As head of the Justice Department's criminal division, he advised the Central Intelligence Agency on the outer limits of legality in coercive interrogation sessions. In 2000, Chertoff worked as special counsel to the [[New Jersey Senate|New Jersey State Senate]] Judiciary Committee, investigating racial profiling in New Jersey. He also did some fundraising for George W. Bush and other Republicans during the 2000 election cycle and advised Bush's presidential campaign on criminal justice issues. From 2001 to 2003, he headed the criminal division of the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], leading the prosecution's case against terrorist suspect Zacarias Moussaoui and against accounting firm Arthur Andersen for destroying documents relating to the Enron collapse. His prosecution of Arthur Andersen was controversial, resulting in the collapse of the firm and the loss of employment by its 26,000 employees. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the case has not been retried. At the DOJ, he also came under fire as one of the chief architects of the Bush Administration's legal strategies in the War on Terror, particularly regarding the detainment of thousands of Middle Eastern immigrants. Chertoff was nominated to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] in Philadelphia by Bush on March 5, 2003, and was confirmed by the Senate 88-1 on June 9.
In late 2004, after the controversial Bernard Kerik was forced to decline President Bush's offer to replace the outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, a lengthy search ensued to find a suitable replacement. Citing his experience with post-9/11 terror legislation, Bush nominated Chertoff to the post in January 2005. He was unanimously approved for the position of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by the Senate on February 15, 2005. Most recently Chertoff has managed the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]] response to Hurricane Katrina. On September 3, 2005, several days after the initial strike of the hurricane many (including the New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin) indicated severe dissatisfaction with the response from Washington, citing the delay between the general knowledge of the storm's likely impact and any effective federal response. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency on August 26 [1]; a week later, New Orleans remained in a state of chaos. While defending the federal government's response in a September 3, 2005 press conference, Chertoff asserted "That 'perfect storm' of a combination of catastrophes exceeded the foresight of the planners, and maybe anybody's foresight." Warnings of the levee's vulnerability to Cat 4 and above hurricanes had in fact come for years from experts in the private sector as well as government agencies at all levels, including FEMA itself, who had identified a disaster such as this as one of the three most likely catastrophes to strike the US. CNN: [2] Houston Chronicle: [3]. It is true that disaster plans did not contemplate the particular confluence of events: exposure to Cat 3 winds and storm surge that did not overtop the levees but nevertheless resulted in a major breach. Furthermore, plans that contemplated a Cat 4 or worse storm were inadequate and relied primarily on evacuation. Chertoff was the Bush administration's point man for pushing the comprehensive immigration reform bill, a measure that stalled in the Senate in June 2007.[4] On August 27, 2007 with the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales imminent, it is widely rumored that President George W. Bush will nominate Chertoff to be the next [[United States Attorney General]].[5] The liberal talk radio network Air America occasionally has had announcers call Chertoff Skeletor, after the cartoon character whom they imply he resembles.
References
- ^ [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3202.html Mike Allen, White House Seeks Gonzales Replacements, Politico, March 20, 2007]
- ^ [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003626767_attorneys20.html Ron Hutcheson and Greg Gordon, White House hunting for Gonzales successor, Seattle Times (McClatchy Newspapers), March 20, 2007]
- ^
Gonzales, Alberto R. (August 26, 2007). "Letter of Resignation". (via Talking Points Memo Document Collection). Talking
Points Memo. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help); line feed character in|publisher=
at position 8 (help); line feed character in|work=
at position 5 (help) - ^ [http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3529363 Rick Klein, Gonzales' Departure Sets up Confirmation Battle, ABC News, August 27, 2007]
- ^ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3209723.shtml Daniel W. Reilly, Gonzo Redux, Politico (via CBS News), August 27, 2007]
External links
Official
- [http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/biography_0116.shtm Department of
Homeland Security biography]
Nomination
President Nominates Michael Chertoff as Secretary of Homeland Security transcript]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4165507.stm Bush names new US
security chief]
Hurricane Katrina
Memo from Chertoff to other federal agencies issued on August 30]
Effort Criticized in New Orleans]
Other news reports
Chertoff's Profile in BBC]
Template:U.S. Secretary boxTemplate:Persondata [[Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]]