Friday, October 07, 2005

Talk about a role reversal. Until today, an investigation by US Attorney Michael Sullivan's office threatened to derail Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral's career and undermine her status as a political icon. Now, though, Cabral is in the clear. And Sullivan has some explaining to do.

At a press conference this afternoon, Cabral said that, back in June, she asked the Department of Justice to investigate the US Attorney's investigation of her. Among Cabral's complaints: leaks of confidential grand-jury information to the Boston media.

Late last month, Cabral learned that the DOJ had initiated a review of her case. About 10 days later, Sullivan's office told Cabral's attorney that its investigation of the sheriff would be closed, with no charges brought. If this acccount is correct, it sounds, essentially, like Cabral called Sullivan's bluff and forced him to back down.

There's no response yet from the US Attorney's office. And I'm still waiting (pessimistically) for comment from the DOJ on whether its review of Cabral's case is continuing. For now, though, it's hard to imagine a more satisfying outcome for the sheriff. And it's impossible not to wonder if Sullivan--whose political ambitions are no secret--got a bit too cute for his own good.

10/7/2005 4:34:00 PM by Adam | Comments [0] |