U.S. ATTORNEY FOR WESTERN DIST. OF NC WAS ON WHITE HOUSE HIT LIST ... BUT SURVIVED PURGE

U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of Charlotte was on the original list of U.S. attorneys deemed ripe for firing. Her name showed up in a list titled "USAs [U.S. attorneys] We Now Should Consider Pushing Out."

Speculation (scroll down to "The One That Got Away") is pretty strong that she was fingered because she prosecuted a big-time state Republican, Sam Currin, a former U.S. attorney himself who was also a former Superior Court judge and former chairman of the state Republican Party. Shappert brought seven felony charges against Currin, including tax fraud conspiracy, perjury, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering in a fraud case involving offshore investments. He's awaiting sentencing.

The politicizing of our justice system can perilously close to smacking hard in North Carolina. With the scandal now in full cry over the seven dismissed U.S. attorneys, probably Ms. Shappert's job is safe for now. Mebbe.