Alice Fisher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for theCriminal Division | |
| In office August 31, 2005 – May 23, 2008 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Christopher Wray |
| Succeeded by | Lanny Breuer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alice Stevens Biedenbender[1] (1967-01-27)January 27, 1967 (age 59) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.[1] |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | W. Clinton Fisher, III[1] |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BA) Catholic University (JD) |
Alice Stevens Fisher[1] (born January 27, 1967) is an American lawyer and partner at the Washington, D.C. office ofLatham & Watkins LLP.[2] Fisher served as Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division from 2001 to 2003[3] and as anAssistant Attorney General in theDepartment of Justice Criminal Division[4][5][6] for three years, from 2005 to May 23, 2008.[7]
In 2010 Fisher was recognized as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women Lawyers" by theNational Law Journal[8][9] and was rated among the top 45 women lawyers under 45 in 2011 byThe American Lawyer in 2011.[10]
On May 13, 2017, Fisher was interviewed for the post ofFBI Director following thedismissal of James Comey by PresidentDonald Trump.[11] Fisher withdrew her name from consideration the week of May 15, 2017.[12]
From 1985 to 1989, Fisher studied atVanderbilt University inNashville, Tennessee, where she completed herbachelor's degree. In 1989, she began her studies at theColumbus School of Law (CUA Law) of theCatholic University of America, inWashington, D.C. where she earned herJ.D. in 1992.[13][14]
According to statements at her May 12, 2005 AAG nomination hearing, Fisher graduated from law school in 1992 and then worked for "several years as an associate at Sullivan and Cromwell". Her clients included "corporations in civil litigation". She also represented an inmate on death row in a "habeas corpus appeal".[15][13]
From 2001 to 2003, during the tenure ofMichael Chertoff—then-United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division—who became her "longtime" mentor,[16][Notes 1] Fisher was Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.[3][17][18] By 2005 she had become a partner in Latham & Watkins inWashington, D.C.[19]
By 2005, Fisher was a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins inWashington, D.C.[19] Fisher specializes in "white collar criminal investigations, internal investigations and advising clients on a range of criminal matters",[20] including: international criminal matters relating to alleged bribery under theForeign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and similar foreign laws; economic sanction and export control issues; and criminal matters such as healthcare fraud, accounting and securities fraud and procurement fraud.[20] Fisher previously served as global co-chair of the firm's white-collar and government investigations practice group.[21][22]
From 2001 to 2003, Fisher was Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.[3]
Fisher served asAssistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at theDepartment of Justice (DOJ) for three years—from 2005 until she resigned on May 23, 2008,[23][7][24][3] She served as anAssistant Attorney General during PresidentGeorge W. Bush's second term. She was initially appointed[25] in arecess appointment on August 31, 2005, to head theCriminal Division in the Department of Justice. Fisher was confirmed by the Senate on September 19, 2006 in a 61–35 vote.[5][6]
Fisher was nominated on March 29, 2005, and her nomination was sent to theSenate April 4, 2005. Her nomination was stalled by Michigan SenatorCarl Levin over his inquiry into interrogation tactics at theGuantanamo Bay,Cuba, naval facility.[26][27] She was confirmed by the senate on September 19, 2006.[28]
According to an August 15, 2005The New York Times' article byEric Lichtblau, SenateDemocrats blocked Fisher's confirmation for about four months because of concerns over her "possible role in overseeing detention policies at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba".[19] Fisher and the Justice Department say she never took part in such meetings."[19] According to theTimes article, SenatorArlen Specter said "in the interview on Friday [August 12, 2005,] that he had concerns about the depth of criminal prosecution experience at the top of the Justice Department after the departure of" Deputy Attorney GeneralJames B. Comey, who left in August 2005 to beLockheed Martin's newgeneral counsel. Comey had been "a veteran prosecutor inManhattan...Judiciary Committee members said that for the first time in memory, none of the most senior officials at the Justice Department"—Attorney GeneralAlberto R. Gonzales,Timothy E. Flanigan,Robert D. McCallum, Jr., or Alice Fisher "would have experience as a criminal prosecutor."[19]
One of Fisher's first major investigations at the DOJ was theJack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal which dealt with congressional corruption. In January 2006, Fisher announced a deal in which Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, pleaded guilty to three felonies, including conspiracy to bribe public officials, in return for Abramoff's cooperation in the wide-ranging investigation into congressional corruption.[29]
In 2006, after a four-year investigation, federal prosecutors recommended to Fisher that three top Purdue Pharma executives be indicted on felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to a May 25, 2018CNBC article,Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was representingPurdue Pharma at the time, held meetings with Fisher. Following these meetings, Fisher "chose not to pursue indictments against Purdue Pharma for their role in opioid abuse.[30]
In Florida in 2008, during the tenure of Fisher as AAG, then U.S. AttorneyAlexander Acosta—who was federal prosecutor in Florida at that time—handled the "sex crimes case" of the multimillionaire financierJeffrey Epstein who had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution.[31][32] The lawyers for Epstein's unsuccessfully lobbied Fisher and other DOJ officials to stop the sex crimes prosecution. Epstein's lawyer Ken Starr later sent Fisher a letter appealing the U.S. Attorney's stated intention to notify the victims of an appending plea deal. Starr suggested this appeal was instrumental in stopping the notifications. Fisher said her office did not make any decisions related to victim notification, a decision ultimately made by U.S. Attorney's office.[33]
According toThe Washington Post, Fisher's signature initiatives during her tenure included "a crackdown on corporate bribes and a new strategy to attack international organized crime."[34]
Fisher has published articles and spoken on criminal law topics such as the Criminalization of Corporate Conduct,[35] the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government investigations, other international compliance issues and the legal industry.[36][37]
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Alice Fisher is the managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office of Latham and Watkins. From 2001 to 2003, Alice was a deputy assistance attorney general for the Criminal Division – my first boss in a leadership role. I was – served as counsel to Alice. And in 2005 she was confirmed by the Senate as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, the second woman in history to hold that position...Alice [was] deputy assistant attorney general under Mike Chertoff, who was the AAG in the Criminal Division at the time of 9/11. [Fisher spoke of changes she observed after 9/11 on the Criminal Division changes she saw after the November 2002 decision that upheld the "constitutionality of the PATRIOT Act provision that said that a significant purpose standard could be used
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |