 In a letter to Gonzales on January 9, 2007, Senators Feinstein (D, California) and Leahy (D, Vermont; Chair of the Committee) of the Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concern that the confirmation process for U.S. attorneys would be bypassed, and on January 11, they, together with Senator Pryor (D, Arkansas), introduced legislation "to prevent circumvention of the Senate's constitutional prerogative to confirm U.S.Attorneys", called Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007, and .The initial concern was about the USA PATRIOT Act and the confirmation process, rather than the politicization of the U.S.