United States v. Ngozi Pole

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge TATEL.

TATEL, Circuit Judge:

Imagine that you oversee the budget of a large Senate office, and you’re in a bind. Your boss, the Senator, has directed you to ensure that the budget is spent to zero every fiscal year, but the fiscal year is nearing its end, the office is on track to run a significant surplus, and the chief of staff seems unwilling to focus on the problem. How should you handle the situation? Appellant, who lived this hypothetical while serving as former Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s office manager, made the wrong choice. In an effort to…