[JURIST] Thomas M. DiBiagio [corporate profile], former US Attorney for the District of Maryland, has said that he was pressured to resign in early 2005 after investigating whether associates of former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. [official profile], a Republican, illegally promoted legalized slot machines with improper funds, according to an interview in Tuesday's New York Times. DiBiagio said that Maryland Republicans pressured him to refrain from making further inquires and said that during one particular conversation, they threatened his political and professional future. DiBiagio also said that lack of support from the US Justice Department forced him to quit. The DOJ denied DiBiagio's allegations and attributed his departure to his harsh management style that had alienated many in the office.

Other former US Attorneys have also recently said they were pressured to resign after pursuing politically sensitive cases. Last Wednesday, former US attorney David Iglesias told reporters that federal lawmakers pressured him [JURIST report] to speed up indictments of local Democrats in time for the November elections. The US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law issued subpoenas [JURIST report] last week for four former US Attorneys to testify at a Tuesday afternoon subcommittee hearing [materials]. In testimony [JURIST report] before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty [official profile] denied that the removal of the attorneys was motivated by political considerations. The New York Times has more.