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Nov. 17: Paulose breaks silence
U.S. attorney in Minnesota spoke about her office's turmoil in a friend's posting on a conservative blog.
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U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose briefly went public Friday to defend herself against allegations that she had mishandled classified information and made a racial slur about an administrative employee in her Minneapolis office.
In an article published by the National Review Online (www.startribune.com/a3664), Paulose denies retaliating against a top attorney in her office for reporting that she had left classified information unsecured in her office. The article, written by Minneapolis lawyer Scott Johnson, says that Paulose claims to have "self-reported the incident to the Justice Department and was absolved of any security violation."
Johnson, who disclosed that he is a friend of Paulose's, is a regular contributor to a conservative blog called Power Line (powerlineblog.com). His article was written in response to a front-page article published Tuesday in the New York Times about the challenges facing incoming U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey that used Paulose as a case in point.
The Times' article (www.star tribune.com/a3665) cited the fact that Paulose is the focus of a whistleblower investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel that stemmed in part from an allegation that she retaliated against the office's former first assistant U.S. attorney because he reported her security breach.
The Times also reported that Paulose was being investigated for allegedly using a racial epithet in reference to an administrative employee.
Minneapolis blogger Eric Black first reported that allegation in September (www.startribune.com/a3666). He wrote that Paulose allegedly denigrated the employee using the terms "fat,"black,"lazy" and "ass."
At the time, Paulose refused to comment. But Johnson said she decided to break her silence with these comments: "I NEVER made any such statement. I have told the [Justice] department so, and the department is defending me against this outrageous and defamatory lie."
Johnson wrote that he's known Paulose for 10 years and found the allegation "absurd on its face."Among other things, Rachel is herself an Indian-American immigrant sensitive to racial slights. I've never heard Rachel utter a swear word or cast a racial aspersion," Johnson wrote.
The alleged target of the comment reportedly learned of it secondhand months after the fact, and did not respond to a previous interview request.
Paulose said Friday that she would not discuss matter further.
Paulose told Johnson, "The McCarthyite hysteria that permits the anonymous smearing of any public servant who is now, or ever may have been, a member of the Federalist Society; a person of faith; and/or a conservative (especially a young, conservative woman of color) is truly a disservice to our country."
Dan Browning • 612-673-4493
Dan Browning • dbrowning@startribune.com
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