Offer to Bogden covered 17 different cities in U.S.

WASHINGTON — Officials in the Department of Justice were prepared to offer Dan Bogden a job as an immigration judge in any of 17 cities, as a consolation after he was fired last December as U.S. attorney in Nevada, according to a document made public Thursday.

An e-mail newly released as part of the continuing congressional investigation of the Justice Department recommended the Nevadan be asked where he might like to move among cities where there were immigration court openings.

A similar offer was being prepared for Margaret Chiara, who was terminated as chief federal prosecutor in the Western District of Michigan.

“The department is moving to fill those vacancies at the current time so I would need to know what cites they would be interested in applying to as soon as possible,” Monica Goodling, former White House liaison for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, wrote on Dec. 20, 2006.

The e-mail was addressed to Michael Battle, then-director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, who had been in communication with some of the chief prosecutors who were fired on Dec. 7.

It was previously known that Justice Department officials had offered to make Bogden an immigration judge who would handle deportations and asylum cases.

The new document lists possible destinations, including Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Hartford, Conn., Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, N.J., Orlando, Fla., Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Tacoma, Wash., and Tucson, Ariz.

Contacted Thursday, Bogden said by the time Goodling wrote the e-mail, he and Battle already had talked about an immigration judgeship, and the Nevadan had said he was not interested.

“I had no desire to be an immigration judge,” Bogden said. “I told them I would be willing to consider other positions but nothing ever came up.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Bush administration increasingly emphasized political ties in selecting immigration judges, a practice that has been criticized as politicizing the court system.

Bogden, who served as a federal prosecutor in Nevada for more than 15 years, left his Las Vegas-based federal job at the end of February. He said he is weighing new job possibilities.