Somebody showed me this interesting document in response to the EMail broadcast Lon Wilson repeated:
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/depmar.htm
So according to this, a lawyer told the agency to stop deputizing legicritters in 1994, citing the separation of powers and other issues.
First, it suggests this was happening before 1994, and we don't know if existing legicritters were grandfathered (or mothered, in DiFi's case?). Remember Congress holds the pursestrings - if you were a DOJ official, do you think it'd be a casual thing to yank DiFi's carry privileges?!?
Second, just because a lawyer told 'em to stop, doesn't mean they did! Nowhere here or linked to it is an actual policy statement - if I was the DOJ/Marshall's service and I wanted to make people THINK it was over when it wasn't, publishing this letter would be a masterstroke.
Third, this memo would allow "crony issuance" to, as mentioned, a "drug czar" or other cabinet member or anybody else on the "executive side".
Fourth, it also wouldn't halt issuance to private citizens such as Herb Bryant.
I'm also hearing rumors that a lot of bail bond recovery agents have this status. Somebody else thinks there's even a CCW class being run out of Quantico for this stuff. Lots of rumors, but by exchanging info on the subject the picture is getting a bit clearer.