DC Attorney General is Out

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty has named his Legal Counsel Peter Nickles as Interim Attorney General replacing Linda Singer who abruptly resigned Monday morning.

Fenty refused to say why the DC Government's top lawyer is stepping down and Singer had no complaints in her resignation which comes at the end of the Mayor's first year in office.

People in the know, both in and outside government, say Singer had become totally frustrated with the Mayor's handing over what should have been her responsibilities to Nickles, a longtime big time litigator at Covington and Burling with a history of pro bono work for groups with cases against the City.

but more importantly, Nickles is a longtime friend to the Fenty family.

As legal Counsel, Nickles job is to advise the Mayor. But he has also become point person in the administration's response to the multi million dollar employee theft from the DC tax office. He represented the Fenty administration in negotiations that saw the city toss in millions to help a private firm buy Greater Southeast Hospital. There have also been several social service cases before the courts in which Nickles and not Singer appears to be the DC government's lawyer.

Now... Nickles has the job that perhaps Fenty wanted to give him at the start. He's been named Interim Attorney General, replacing Singer.

Observers had questioned Singer's appointment at the start. She wasn't a member of the bar and had not practiced law while serving as Director of the Appleseed Foundation-a non profit social service organization.

On Monday when questioned by this reporter Mayor Fenty complimented both Singer and Nickles and kept his remarks very general. When commenting on concerns that Nickles may have overstepped his bounds, Fenty said "You never want to limit any employees".

"Peter Nickles has no statutory authority to do what he has been doing", said one source close to Singer. "When I asked if Singer tried to talk with the Mayor about her concerns, the source said "She tried to bring this issue up with the Mayor; but was ignored on more than one occasion."

It's unclear if Peter Nickles even wants the AG's job on a permanent basis. It would require him to live in the District. As the appointed Legal Counsel to the Mayor, Nickles has claimed he is exempt from a residency law that applies to other cabinet members.

The Mayor told me on Monday if Nickles becomes the Attorney General he would be required to move into the City from his home in Northern Virginia.