A U.S. attorney has revealed he appeared on the administration’s infamous firing list just eight days after ignoring a senior Justice Department official’s plea to back off a case against the drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma. Speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Roanoke prosecutor John L. Brownlee said former Deputy Attorney General Chief of Staff Michael Elston urged him to delay a guilty plea he had secured following a lengthy investigation. Elston’s attorney says he was acting on orders from former Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. Purdue Pharma was ordered to pay over $600 million in fines this week for misleading the public about the addiction risks of its painkiller OxyContin.