[[Arnold Burns]] was the Deputy [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] and [[Edwin Meese]]'s second in command. He, along with [[William F. Weld]], complained about [[Edwin Meese]] to [[Howard Baker]], then [[Ronald Reagan]]'s chief of staff. Burns and Weld were reportedly frustrated by being undermined and sidestepped in Meese's office regarding investigations of Meese's friends.[^1] Burns and Weld submitted their resignations to President [[Ronald Reagan]] on March 29, 1988, after meeting with [[Howard Baker]]. This was part of an unprecedented mass exodus from the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]], signaling a complete loss of faith in the department. [[Senator Robert Byrd]] called Meese "the crown jewel of Reagan's sleaze factor" and demanded his resignation.[^1] --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.