Carol Lam

Lam built her reputation by securing convictions of two San Diego City Council members on extortion, fraud, and other charges.

The Justice Department alleged in recently released memos that Lam's termination was justified because she missed deadlines and did not prosecute more border smuggling cases.

However, Democrats investigating the firings have questioned whether Lam‘s dismissal was linked to her office‘s corruption prosecution of now-jailed former Republican Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham.