Outgoing U.S. Attorney Iglesias says he was fragged

David Iglesias, the outgoing U.S. attorney for New Mexico, says it was politics, not job performance, that cost him the position.

In an interview with the Albuquerque Tribune, he confirmed that he did write in an e-mail to a friend that his dismissal was a political “fragging” – a military term for being killed by a subordinate.

The e-mail was first reported Monday on Joe Monahan’s blog.

“I know that performance was not the real issue,” the Tribune quoted Iglesias as saying, contradicting a deputy U.S. attorney general who told a Senate panel the opposite.

“That leaves only one possibility, and that’s politics,” he said. “… This was not a respectful way to treat someone who has served this administration for five years.”

Iglesias leaves office today. His ouster is part of a larger controversy in which eight U.S. attorneys have recently been dismissed by the Bush Administration. Six are Republicans appointed by President Bush, and all, including Iglesias, received positive evaluations before being forced out.

Senate Democrats are investigating.

“I would have had no objection to someone calling me and saying I’d lost my political support,” Iglesias told the Tribune. “Instead, they said it was performance, and I’ve got lots of data showing that’s not the case.”

Many speculate that Iglesias’ ouster has to do with a lukewarm prosecution of former state Treasurer Robert Vigil and delays in a public corruption case currently under investigation regarding the construction of government buildings in Albuquerque. Many suspect Republicans wanted indictments in the second case, which could include Democratic powerhouse Manny Aragon, to come out before the November election.

Iglesias told the newspaper the indictments will come out “very soon,” but was not specific. A source tells me they may be coming next week.

And he said he has helped bring public corruption cases to the forefront in New Mexico.

Iglesias told the Tribune he doesn’t know who pushed for his ouster.

“It could have been someone at the White House, someone at Justice or someone in Congress,” he said. “All political roads lead back to Washington, but no one has reached out to tell me what the problem was. I wish they had.”

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., recently recommended four to replace Iglesias – Jim Bibb of Santa Fe, who ran unsuccessfully against Gary King for attorney general last year; T. Glenn Ellington of Santa Fe; Charles Peifer of Albuquerque; and Pat Rogers of Albuquerque.

Bibb is a former assistant U.S. attorney. Ellington is a former secretary of the state Taxation and Revenue Department and state judge. Peifer is a former chief assistant attorney general for the state. Rogers has done a lot of work for the state Republican Party and is involved in the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

Rogers has already declined the job, leaving the other three.

Update, 2:30 p.m.

There’s quite a controversy brewing today. McClatchy Newspapers is quoting Iglesias as saying he was called in October by two members of Congress to inquire about when there would be indictments in the ongoing probe into a kickback scheme involving the construction of government buildings in Bernalillo County. It’s the scandal that could result in the indictment of former Senate Leader Manny Aragon.

The implication is that the elected leaders wanted indictments before the November general election. When they didn’t come, Iglesias was ordered to step down a month after the election.

“I believe that because I didn’t play ball, so to speak, I was asked to resign,” Iglesias told the news service.

He refused to name the members of Congress out of fear of retaliation.

Staffers for Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., have told other media organizations today that they didn’t make such calls to Iglesias. The others haven’t yet commented to anyone.

And it’s possible Iglesias was referring to members from other states, though it’s unlikely. Those he was most likely referring to were Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M.

I’ve been unable to reach Domenici and Wilson press staffers for comment.

One Republican I spoke with today said Iglesias’ failure to prosecute that case in a timely manner was one of several problems. He also cited the Vigil case and the 2004 voter fraud case, in which Iglesias’ office investigated more than 100 complaints but issued no indictments.

Iglesias’ allegations are likely to ramp up the Senate Democrats’ investigation of the situation.

Update, 5:30 p.m.

In response to the allegations made by Iglesias, Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate will force several of the eight ousted U.S. attorneys, including Iglesias, to testify under oath about their situations, the Associated Press is reporting. They will issue subpoenas if necessary.