Paul McNulty to be Deputy Attorney General

As detailed in this AP story, “Paul McNulty, a federal prosecutor in Virginia, was chosen Friday by President Bush to serve as the No. 2 Justice Department official.”  DOJ fans will recall that this position became open again after prior nominee Timothy Flanigan withdrew due to confirmation problems.

More background on McNulty can be found in this official press release and this NY Times story.  Also worth noting is that, as detailed in this January 2005 post, McNulty gave a speech right after Booker at the Virginia School of Law in which he seemed to endorse the kind of mandatory minimum guideline system that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been promoting.