Bailing Out At DOJ
Stephanie Lambidakis is a CBS News producer based in Washington.
Richard Hertling, the Acting chief of the Office of Legislative Affairs, has been responsible for communicating with lawmakers about the investigation and sending the thousands of pages of documents to the Hill. Hertling leaves the Department this Friday to work for Fred Thompson's as-yet unofficial presidential campaign. Hertling's an investigations' veteran going back to his days as deputy spokesman for Thompson during the probe of the Clinton administration's fundraising practices.
Just last week Rachel Brand, a senior policy advisor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, announced her departure. Brand's name surfaced in emails because Gonzales gauged her interest in being the US Attorney in Michigan where Margaret Chiara was getting the axe. No reason was given, but Brand will soon give birth to her first child.
The most-talked-about departure these days, however, involves someone whose name will never surface in a controversial email. Her name is Eloise Parker, and for 30 years until her retirement last week, Mrs. Parker, as she is called, ran the department's store, a kind of mini 7-11 that dispensed snacks and sundries and department memorabilia. During her going-out-of-business sale, the first items to go were the tee-shirts and sweatpants and golf towels bearing the US Attorney logo.