The use of the term “bipartisan” to describe your appeal is a prejudicial assertion that only serves to breach the trust of your readers. Bipartisanship implies support on issues by individuals whose interests are ideologically averse. Historically, in our two-party system, partisan opposition on issues has generally been attributed to an individual’s membership or affiliation with the Democratic or Republican party, and this certainly applies to contemporary political attitudes.

In our political system, accountability is provided to the people by placing political appointees in leadership roles for the various agencies that administer our government. U.S. Attorneys are political appointees, and as such, their political affiliation can be designated by the political party membership of the President who appoints them. By this measure, the EIGHTY-FIVE (85) total signatures recorded at this time are represented by:

SEVENTY-SEVEN (77) Democrats — 91 %

EIGHT (8) Republicans — 9%

Despite the significant proportional imbalance, applying this standard to assert bipartisan agreement on the issues addressed in your appeal is technically accurate in that former U.S. Attorneys with political affiliations to both the Democratic and Republican Party are represented. However, if the political affiliations of each former U.S. Attorney are presented with the relevant context of who appointed each of the SEVENTY-SEVEN (77) Democratic former U.S. Attorneys and the administrative leadership of the Executive Branch of our government during the time they served, a very different picture emerges.

SIXTY-NINE (69) Signatures By Former U.S Attorneys Who Were Appointed By DEMOCRATIC President Barack Obama And Who Served During His Administration — 81 % (total signatures)

EIGHT (8) Signatures By Former U.S Attorneys Who Were Appointed By DEMOCRATIC President Bill Clinton And Who Served During His Administration — 9% (total signatures)

With the probative consideration that 81% of the former U.S. Attorneys that have signed your appeal served during the Obama administration and a substantial majority of them were unceremoniously forced to resign by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the appearance of conflict is introduced.

Additionally, a closer examination of the EIGHT (8) Republican former U.S. Attorneys that have added their signature reveals additional conflicts. It is not my interest to selectively appraise the appearance of bias or conflicts for each of the Republican former U.S. Attorneys who signed your appeal. However, based on my review of publicly expressed opinions and personal attacks on President Trump and his agenda, campaign contributions to Democratic politicians, consequential employment disciplinary actions and post-government employment and association with leading Democratic figures, it is my personal assessment that only two of the eight Republican former U.S. Attorneys that have signed your appeal present no appearance of bias or conflict. Nevertheless, I would encourage readers to conduct their own research and form their own conclusions.

I have included the name of each former U.S. Attorney that had signed your appeal at the time of my review (6/21/18), organized into lists corresponding with their political affiliation by Presidential appointment. With each name I have embedded a link to a source (typically Wikipedia) that includes factual, historical references to their appointment and service as a U.S. Attorney.

As former U.S. Attorneys, Americans expect that you wield your public influence with the same reverence for equity and fairness that guides your conduct in the courtroom. Some of you have ascended to positions behind the bench where responsibility for the equitable administration of justice is subject to your authority.

Hypothetically, as Judges, Prosecutors and Attorneys, please ask yourself; If these names were presented as the Plaintiff’s list of witnesses in a federal complaint to impose restrictions on President Trump’s immigration policies, how many names would you exclude to comply with the Rules of Evidence or your own ethical standards to prevent the appearance of bias or conflict?

This is the minimum standard we expect of you.

SIXTY-NINE (69) Signatures By Former U.S Attorneys Who Were Appointed By DEMOCRATIC President Barack Obama And Who Served During His Administration:

Alan Bersin

Preet Bharara

Daniel Bogden

Kenyen Brown

Dennis Burke

Robert L. Capers

Don Cazayoux

Sanford C. Coats

Tristram J. Coffin

Michael W. Cotter

Eileen M. Decker

Thomas E. Delahanty II

Jenny Durkan

Conner Eldridge

Wifredo A. Ferrer

Stephanie A. Finley

Paul J. Fishman

Deborah R. Gilg

Booth Goodwin

Walt Green

Barry Grissom

Melinda Haag

Richard Hartunian

Kerry B. Harvey

Timothy Heaphy

David Hickton

Dwight W. Holton

William Ihlenfeld II

Brendan V. Johnson

John P. Kacavas

Bill Killian

Nicholas A. Klinefeldt

Jim Lewis

Karen Loeffler

Ronald Machen

Neil H. MacBride

Kenneth Magidson

Pamela C. Marsh

Jerry Martin

Damon Martinez

Alejandro Mayorkas

Barbara L. McQuade

Zane Memeger

Eric Miller

Michael J. Moore

Florence Nakakuni

Peter F. Neronha

Bill Nettles

Charles M. Oberly III

Wendy J. Olson

Carmen Ortiz

Channing Phillips

Kenneth A. Polite

Timothy Q. Purdon

Ripley Rand

Carole S. Rendon

Chuck Rosenberg

Sarah Saldana

Edward L. Stanton, III

Carter M. Stewart

Edward J. Tarver

Kevin W. Techau

Anne Tompkins

Joyce White Vance

John Vaudreuil

Benjamin Wagner

Thomas Walker

John Walsh

Stephanie Yonekura

EIGHT (8) Signatures By Former U.S Attorneys Who Were Appointed By DEMOCRATIC President Bill Clinton And Who Served During His Administration:

Saul Green

Kathryn Landreth

Harry Litman

Kris Olson

Betty Hansen Richardson

Patrick M. Ryan

Donald K. Stern

Daniel G. Webber

EIGHT (8) Signatures By Former U.S Attorneys Who Were Appointed By A REPUBLICAN President And Who Served During His Administration:

Thomas B. Heffelfinger

Jeffrey G. Collins

Roscoe C. Howard, Jr.

David Iglesias

Leon Kellner

Roberto Martinez

John McKay

Kevin V. Ryan