How to Spike an Investigation

This WSJ article–which relies on Debra Wong Yang and George Cardona as sources–suggests that the Jerry Lewis investigation has been stalled because of staffing shortages in the USA Office.

Overall, funding for the offices has grown well below the rate ofinflation. As a result, "fewer cases were getting charged and biggerinvestigations were taking longer because there weren’t enoughprosecutors to do them," says Debra Yang, who stepped down in October2006 as the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.

[snip]

In Los Angeles, a federal criminal investigation of Rep. Jerry Lewis, aCalifornia Republican, stalled for nearly six months due to a lack offunds, according to former prosecutors. The lead prosecutor on theinquiry and other lawyers departed the office, and vacancies couldn’tbe filled. George Cardona, the interim U.S. attorney in Los Angeles,declined to comment on specific cases but confirmed that lack of fundsand unfilled vacancies caused delays in some investigations.

But the story the article actually tells is that the investigation got "stalled" because of the departure of existing prosecutors, not the slow hiring of new ones.