Michael Sullivan (US Attorney)
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Sullivan is the former United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. He is also the former Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Prior to his appointment he served six years as the District Attorney for Plymouth County
, Massachusetts
, as well as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
.
Sullivan was notable for his prosecution of airport workers arrested at Logan Airport as part of "Operation Tarmac". The Logan 19 were airport workers, arrested as part of Operation Tarmac, because they had lied about their nationality on the job applications. According to the Boston Phoenix:
Sullivan was the subject of an article in Fortune
magazine, for his prosecution of fraud in the pharmaceutical industry.
Sullivan laid charges, in Boston, on November 23, 2005, against Abdullah Khadr
, an Egyptian from Canada who is alleged to have sold arms to the Taliban.
Sullivan's nomination was blocked by a Senate hold placed by Senators David Vitter
(R-La.), Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) and Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho). They expressed their concern that the ATF is hostile to small gun dealers, pursuing them over zealously for small paperwork infractions and driving law-abiding small retailers out of business. They said that Sullivan was indifferent to their concerns and "exhibits a lack of willingness to address these problems."
Sullivan has been criticized frequently by one such affected gun dealer, Ryan Horsley of Red’s Trading Post, Twin Falls, Idaho, Idaho's oldest gun dealership., who writes on the blog Red's Trading Post. Horsley says that the ATF has a long track record of abusive behavior and Sullivan, as Acting Director, continued to defend the ATF's abusive actions without any indication of making changes.
Sullivan was a keynote speaker and special guest at the 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence conference. This conference was organized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police
and funded by a $375,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation
. The report of the conference was titled "Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities" and called for the passage of several gun bans and gun control measures. The National Rifle Association
has criticized the IACP report, calling it "a rubber stamp, bought and paid for, of the pre-existing agenda for gun ban groups." The report was produced with assistance from the Joyce Foundation's Communications Director and with contributions from gun control advocates such as Kristen Rand and Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center
. The NRA has called the Joyce Foundation an activist foundation whose "shadowy web of huge donations" leads "straight to puppet strings that control the agenda of gun ban groups".
Sullivan's confirmation was opposed by gun rights groups such as the Gun Owners of America
, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
. The NRA
did not categorically state its opposition to the confirmation of Mr. Sullivan but expressed its concern over the ATF's "overly restrictive legal interpretations" and "overly zealous enforcement activities".
Sullivan resigned as Acting Director effective January 20, 2009 to make way for incoming President Barack Obama to name his own nominee.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
Prior to his appointment he served six years as the District Attorney for Plymouth County
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, as well as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
.
Sullivan was notable for his prosecution of airport workers arrested at Logan Airport as part of "Operation Tarmac". The Logan 19 were airport workers, arrested as part of Operation Tarmac, because they had lied about their nationality on the job applications. According to the Boston Phoenix:
- "It’s true that life has changed since September 11. But with one exception, every US attorney prosecuting Operation Tarmac cases has either reduced or dropped the charges. The exception? Massachusetts’s Sullivan, who is pursuing maximum legal penalties against the former Logan Airport employees swept up in Operation Tarmac. 'Ignoring the alleged criminal activity of illegal immigrants sends the wrong message to the rest of the world,' he tells the Phoenix."
Sullivan was the subject of an article in Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
magazine, for his prosecution of fraud in the pharmaceutical industry.
Sullivan laid charges, in Boston, on November 23, 2005, against Abdullah Khadr
Abdullah Khadr
Abdullah Ahmed Khadr is the oldest son of Ahmed Khadr and brother of Omar Khadr who has been charged with war crimes before the Guantanamo military commission....
, an Egyptian from Canada who is alleged to have sold arms to the Taliban.
Tenure as ATF Director
In 2007, Sullivan was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the Director of the ATF. In 2006, this position had been made subject to the Senate confirmation process and Sullivan was the first nominee to be sent to the Senate.Sullivan's nomination was blocked by a Senate hold placed by Senators David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
(R-La.), Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) and Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho). They expressed their concern that the ATF is hostile to small gun dealers, pursuing them over zealously for small paperwork infractions and driving law-abiding small retailers out of business. They said that Sullivan was indifferent to their concerns and "exhibits a lack of willingness to address these problems."
Sullivan has been criticized frequently by one such affected gun dealer, Ryan Horsley of Red’s Trading Post, Twin Falls, Idaho, Idaho's oldest gun dealership., who writes on the blog Red's Trading Post. Horsley says that the ATF has a long track record of abusive behavior and Sullivan, as Acting Director, continued to defend the ATF's abusive actions without any indication of making changes.
Sullivan was a keynote speaker and special guest at the 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence conference. This conference was organized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police
International Association of Chiefs of Police
The International Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in Chicago in 1893 as the National Chiefs of Police Union. The primary goal of this organization was to apprehend and return criminals who had fled the agency jurisdictions in which they were wanted...
and funded by a $375,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation
Joyce Foundation
The Joyce Foundation is a charitable foundation based in Chicago in the United States and operating principally in the Great Lakes region.The Foundation primarily funds organizations in the Great Lakes region .-Programs:* Education: Focuses on public schools in Chicago, Cleveland, and Milwaukee;...
. The report of the conference was titled "Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities" and called for the passage of several gun bans and gun control measures. The National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
has criticized the IACP report, calling it "a rubber stamp, bought and paid for, of the pre-existing agenda for gun ban groups." The report was produced with assistance from the Joyce Foundation's Communications Director and with contributions from gun control advocates such as Kristen Rand and Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center
Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national 501 organization working to prohibit gun ownership in the United States, especially in relation to gun politics...
. The NRA has called the Joyce Foundation an activist foundation whose "shadowy web of huge donations" leads "straight to puppet strings that control the agenda of gun ban groups".
Sullivan's confirmation was opposed by gun rights groups such as the Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America is a gun rights organization in the United States with over 300,000 members. They make efforts to differentiate themselves from the larger National Rifle Association , and have publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what the GOA considers to be the selling out...
, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, or CCRKBA, is a gun rights organization in the United States, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It is closely affiliated with the Second Amendment Foundation. The CCRKBA was founded in 1971 and it now has 615,000 members with Alan...
and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership is a group dedicated to the preservation of gun rights in the United States and "to encourage Americans to understand and defend all of the Bill of Rights for everyone". The group was founded by former firearms dealer Aaron S. Zelman in 1986...
. The NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
did not categorically state its opposition to the confirmation of Mr. Sullivan but expressed its concern over the ATF's "overly restrictive legal interpretations" and "overly zealous enforcement activities".
Sullivan resigned as Acting Director effective January 20, 2009 to make way for incoming President Barack Obama to name his own nominee.