Daniel Bogden confirmed for Nevada’s U.S. attorney

By Lisa Mascaro

Published Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 12:30 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 3:26 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate today confirmed Daniel Bogden as Nevada's U.S. attorney, giving the career prosecutor who had been fired as part of an unusual purge by the Bush adminstration his old job back.

The Senate agreed to reinstall Bogden, who was nominated by President Barack Obama earlier this year, by unanimous consent.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who had recommended Bogden for the job as a way to right the wrong of his firing, issued a statement: “Dan is an experienced prosecutor who worked hard for Nevada before being wrongly fired.... Dan was fired for refusing to bow to political pressure. By reinstating him the White House is ensuring that this dedicated public servant will continue to keep federal prosecutions in Nevada free from political bias.”

Bogden was fired in an unusual dismissal of several attorneys in 2006, promting an ongoing investigation of politicization of the Justice Department and the resignation of then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Justice gave shifting reasons for Bogden's dismissal, and Gonzales had expressed regret for letting him go. When Gonzales asked Bogden what he could do for him, Bogden asked for his old job back -- a request Gonzales could not fulfill.

But Bogden's potential reinstatement also was not without controversy as some federal prosecutors in Nevada suggested he did not represent the change in direction they expected from Obama.

Bogden will replace U.S. Attorney Greg Brower.