Former US Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti dies at 87

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. attorney general during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, Benjamin R. Civiletti, has died at age 87. The current attorney general, Merrick Garland, announced the death of his former boss and hailed what he called Civiletti’s “skill, integrity and dedication.” The Baltimore Sun reports that Civiletti died Sunday evening of Parkinson’s at his home in Lutherville, Maryland. In the Carter administration, Civiletti often dealt with politically delicate cases, including investigations of presidential brother Billy Carter’s dealings with Libya, influence buying by South Korean agents and allegations of cocaine use by two Carter aides. Civiletti later became one of the nation’s most expensive private attorneys.