Washington (Jan. 30) — Assistant attorney general of the Criminal Division, Lanny Breuer, is leaving the Justice Department. Breuer gained notoriety for defending president Bill Clinton against impeachment and for defending four-time Cy Young award winner, Roger Clemens.
“Serving as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division has been the greatest privilege of my professional life,” Breuer said in a statement. “From my first day on this job nearly four years ago, I have loved it, and I am so proud of what the Criminal Division has accomplished over the past four years,” Breuer said.
The announcement came the day after a federal judge in New Orleans approved the largest package of criminal fines and penalties in U.S. history. In 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder had named Breuer to oversee the Deepwater Horizon Task Force. The record amount of the settlement in the guilty plea will cost BP $4 billion and lets Breuer to depart the Justice Department on a positive note.