Bogden reinstated as U.S. attorney

Nevada's former U.S. attorney was returned to his old post Tuesday, 21/2 years after being fired in a political housecleaning during the Bush administration.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Daniel Bogden by voice vote.

Sen. Harry Reid, who renominated Bogden for the position, said he was pleased to see the veteran prosecutor reinstated after he was "wrongly fired."

"During his first term as U.S. attorney, Dan was fired for refusing to bow to political pressure," Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement. "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."

Also Tuesday, current U.S. Attorney Greg Brower announced his resignation, effective Oct. 10. Brower, a Republican, took over the post in January 2008, 11 months after Bogden was abruptly fired.

Bogden, who is registered as a nonpartisan, was among eight U.S. attorneys who were fired at the end of 2006. He did not return calls for comment.

The unusual mass firings provoked a storm of reaction on Capitol Hill, and House and Senate judiciary committee investigations revealed Bush administration officials had politicized hirings and firings within the Justice Department.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and eight senior officials resigned from the Justice Department in the wake of the congressional probes.

Justice officials gave differing reasons why Bogden was fired, but nothing definitive emerged. Some officials, including Gonzales, told Congress they did not understand themselves how Bogden ended up on the pink-slip list.

In a statement, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said Bogden's return "rights the wrong that was done to his professional reputation when he was unfairly dismissed from this position in the past. I am pleased that justice is being done with this confirmation."

In March 2007, Bogden told the Review-Journal he was having a difficult time dealing with the firing, especially because he was told it was unrelated to his performance.

"I'm plenty bitter," he said. "Here's a job that you think you are doing in an outstanding fashion and suddenly to get a call like that with little or no explanation."

Bogden had worked in the Department of Justice for 16 years before being appointed U.S. attorney in 2001. After his firing, he became a partner in the Nevada law firm McDonald Carano Wilson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.