Steven M. Biskupic
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Steven M. Biskupic (born March 26, 1961), was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serving under Attorneys General John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey. He was appointed by George W. Bush in May 2002. Prior to his appointment, Biskupic served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 13 years, specializing in the prosecution of white collar crime. In 2000, Biskupic received the Department of Justice Award for superior performance for his prosecution of mortgage fraud cases. He later worked on a series of high-profile public corruption and civil rights cases in Milwaukee, including the conviction of nine police officers, four Milwaukee aldermen, a state senator and several other public officials. In 2007, Biskupic and his office came under review by US Congressional and Senate investigators looking at the 2006 Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice’s internal affairs unit cleared Biskupic of any ethical wrongdoing in the Georgia Thompson prosecution. At the end of the Bush Administration, Biskupic resigned and joined the Milwaukee law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich as a litigator.
Education, early career, and family
Mr. Biskupic received his B.A. in Journalism from Marquette University in 1983 and his J.D. from Marquette in 1987.[1] He served since March 1989 as a criminal prosecutor in the United States Department of Justice. Prior to joining the United States Attorney's Office, he served for two years as a judicial law clerk to the late Robert W. Warren, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.[1] He is also an adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School. Biskupic, one of nine children, is the brother of Vince Biskupic, the Republican candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 2002, who lost to Peg Lautenschlager. Before that, Vince was the D.A. of Outagamie County, Wisconsin.[2][3] Their sister Joan Biskupic is a federal legal affairs reporter with Washington Week on PBS[4] and USA Today.[5]
Among Biskupic's highest-profile prosecutions was against the Milwaukee police officers who beat Frank Jude, Jr..[6]
Georgia Thompson prosecution
| Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy |
|---|
| Overview |
| G. W. Bush administration |
| Dismissed U.S. attorneys |
| U.S. Congress |
In January 2006, under Biskupic's direction Ms. Georgia Thompson a Wisconsin state procurement supervisor was prosecuted for corruption charges related to a state travel contract. She was convicted and sentenced to eighteen months. This conviction; however, was recently thrown out by an appellate court panel in Chicago after 20 minutes of oral argument. Jason Stein from the Wisconsin State Journal notes:[7]
Update on Appeals written opinion
In an April 20, 2007 article TPM muckraker reporter Paul Kiel noted:"the federal appeals court released its written opinion on the case. And it wasn't any more sparing than the verbal remarks (e.g. that the evidence was "beyond thin") of the judges when they made the ruling. The prosecution was based on a reading of the law by which "simple violations of administrative rules [by bureaucrats] would become crimes", the judges wrote. By that interpretation, "it is a federal crime for any official in state or local government to take account of political considerations when deciding how to spend public money"—a "preposterous" idea, they wrote."[8] Mr. Kiel also notes that the House Judiciary Committee has now invited Biskupic to tell his story to Congress.
Gregory Stanford from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel frames the concern about the unknowns surrounding this case and its importance for all citizens in this way:[9]
Relationship to Dismissal of US Attorneys
Interest in the Milwaukee U.S Attorney's Office and Mr. Biskupic specifically centers on how he managed to survive being on the original list of Attorneys to be fired in the 2006 Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy. McClatchy Newspapers recently observed that Biskupic, who[10]
Talking Points Memo was one of the first to identify this controversy and report extensively on it. The April 11, 2007 edition of TPM Muckraker provides a detailed account of the pressure Biskupic and his office were under from both the White House and Justice Department.[11]
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quotes a statement delivered by Mr. Biskupic on April 14, 2007 that in part reads:[9]
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has now also called for an investigation in conjunction with this controversy.[12] Biskupic says he will fully cooperate with an inquiry.
Update on Dismissal Controversy and Mr. Biskupic from House Judiciary Hearings
In a Washington Post article dated Friday, May 11, 2007, reporters Dan Eggen and Paul Kane provide updated information on White House and Justice Department staff involvement in pressing complaints about Mr. Biskupic and a response from him.[13]
House Judiciary Committee Interest in Thompson Case
The House Judiciary Committee and its Chairman John Conyers were interested in the evolution of the Thompson case Paul Keil of Talking Points Memo reported on September 5, 2007.[8]
Prosecution cleared by U.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice’s internal affairs unit cleared Biskupic “of any ethical wrongs in the Georgia Thompson prosecution” after two years of review. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:[14]
References
- ^ a b "Steven M. Biskupic, United States Attorney". United States Attorney. April 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ^ Jeff Mayers (January 28, 2001). "WisPolitics.com Featured Interview: Vince Biskupic". Wispolitics.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Vince Biskupic
- ^ [1] Archived 2005-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USA Today. July 24, 2000 http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/bios/biskupic.htm. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Diedrich, John (2008-03-03). "Jude case shows federal role". JSOnline. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ "Georgia Thompson acquitted, set free". Wisconsin State Journal. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Missing pipe in:|first=(help) - ^ a b "UPDATE: Court: Wisconsin Prosecution "Preposterous"". TPMmuckraker. April 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-20. Cite error: The named reference "TPMmuckraker" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "Biskupic has some explaining to do". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Missing pipe in:|first=(help) Cite error: The named reference "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "E-mails contradict testimony in U.S. attorneys scandal". McClatchy Newspapers. April 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ^ "Did Rove Want Wisconsin U.S.A. on Purge List?". Talking Points Memo. April 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Frommer, Fredick (April 27, 2007). "Baldwin calls on Congress to look into Thompson case". Portage Daily Register. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ Eggen, Dan; Kane, Paul (May 11, 2007). "House GOP Stands Behind Gonzales". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
- ^ No evidence of wrongdoing found in Georgia Thompson prosecution, May 28, 2010
11. ^ Did Karl Rove Want Wisconsin USA on Purge List? Talking Points Memo. April 11, 2007
External links
- Michael Best Biography
- Steve Biskupic Official
- United States V. Thompson
- Bush Milwaukee U.S. Attorney Disgraced by Appeals Court for Political Prosecution of Innocent Woman
- Biskupic responds to today's story
- Corruption cases above politics, prosecutor says
- Senate firings inquiry widens
- E-mails contradict testimony in U.S. attorneys scandal
- Georgia Thompson: Now comes the reckoning
- No evidence of wrongdoing found in Georgia Thompson prosecution