U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade in Detroit announced Thursday that she’s launched an internal inquiry into “recent disclosures of information to the press regarding federal public corruption investigations.’
McQuade asked investigating agencies to conduct similar internal inquiries, according to a press release issued by her office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI have been engaged in an ongoing probe into public corruption in city hall over the past few years. Targets include former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his father.
“Investigations are kept confidential for a number of important reasons, including protecting the integrity of the investigation, protecting the safety of witnesses, and protecting targets of investigation from public suspicion when no charges have been filed,” McQuade said in a statement. “We take our obligations to protect those interests seriously.”
She noted that if evidence was disclosed by a defendant in violation of a protective order, he would file a moiton for contempt of court.
“Although we can’t prevent witnesses from talking to the press, we will not tolerate leaks from the government or defendants in violation of protective orders,” McQuade said.
