NewsToBeRead
07-30-2008, 01:33 AM
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121725509557489875.html
Former Justice Officials Showed Illegal Bias in Hires, Probe Finds
By EVAN PEREZ
July 29, 2008; Page A3
WASHINGTON -- An internal Justice Department investigation concluded that
former senior department officials violated federal law with a pattern of
political and ideological bias in hiring at the nation's top law-enforcement
agency.
The joint probe by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility
and its inspector general's office singled out Monica Goodling, former
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's liaison to the White House, and Kyle
Sampson, Mr. Gonzales's chief of staff.
According to investigators, most problems occurred in a system devised by
Mr. Sampson and followed by Ms. Goodling and others to screen candidates for
immigration judges. The process relied principally on recommendations from
the White House and Republican members of Congress, according to the probe.
A similar investigative report in June found political and ideological
screening of the department's entry-level and intern candidates.
Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
interpreted the report to indicate that Messrs. Gonzales and Sampson and Ms.
Goodling lied during testimony before his committee. He told his staff to
determine whether to seek criminal charges for perjury.
Mr. Sampson is now a lawyer with Hunton & Williams in Washington. Bradford
Berenson, his attorney, said Mr. Sampson "consistently opposed the use of
political or partisan hiring criteria for positions he knew to be career
civil-service positions."
John Dowd, Ms. Goodling's attorney, said she already had "candidly admitted
to Congress that she had 'crossed the line' by considering political
factors...and that she regretted those errors."
George Terwilliger, former deputy attorney general and now Mr. Gonzales's
attorney, asked congressional Democrats to not subject Mr. Gonzales to more
"undeserved, unsupported and uncalled-for allegations of wrongdoing."
Mr. Conyers's committee granted legal immunity in exchange for testimony
from Ms. Goodling. The laws that investigators allege Ms. Goodling and Mr.
Sampson violated are civil statutes that don't carry criminal penalties.
The investigation grew from last year's political scandal involving the
firings of several U.S. attorneys. After months of hearings and
investigations led by Democrats, Mr. Gonzales resigned, as did most of the
officials implicated in the controversy.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Mr. Gonzales's successor, said he was
"disturbed by the findings." He said the department had made changes during
the past year and that more will be forthcoming, including guidelines on
when political ideology may be considered in making temporary assignments.
Concerning the hiring of immigration judges, investigators said that Mr.
Sampson told them he believed the jobs weren't subject to civil-service
laws, and that when he learned that wasn't the case, the system was changed.
Much of the nearly 150-page report focuses on what investigators say were
Ms. Goodling's violations of federal law and department policy by
"improperly considering political or ideological affiliations in screening
candidates for certain career positions." The report portrays Ms. Goodling,
now 34 years old, as wielding considerable power and influence over
prosecutors and political appointees more senior in age and position. Even
Republicans deemed not to be loyal enough ran into trouble with Ms.
Goodling, the report said.
Still, investigators showed there were limits to her clout. In one instance,
Ms. Goodling told an interim U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia that
a candidate he wanted to hire gave her pause because his résumé suggested he
was a "liberal Democrat." She also said she was reluctant to approve the
candidate because Republican congressional staffers who had just lost their
jobs after the Democratic sweep in the 2006 elections might want such
positions, according to the report. At another time, investigators said Ms.
Goodling tried to thwart the hiring of a prosecutor for a new position in
part because she believed the candidate was involved in a lesbian
relationship.
The report said she was overruled by Mr. Sampson in the case involving the
District of Columbia prosecutor, and she relented when others challenged her
on the continued tenure of the lawyer she thought was gay.
Monday's report is part of a wider investigation into alleged political
meddling at Justice.
Write to Evan Perez at evan.perez@wsj.com
Former Justice Officials Showed Illegal Bias in Hires, Probe Finds
By EVAN PEREZ
July 29, 2008; Page A3
WASHINGTON -- An internal Justice Department investigation concluded that
former senior department officials violated federal law with a pattern of
political and ideological bias in hiring at the nation's top law-enforcement
agency.
The joint probe by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility
and its inspector general's office singled out Monica Goodling, former
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's liaison to the White House, and Kyle
Sampson, Mr. Gonzales's chief of staff.
According to investigators, most problems occurred in a system devised by
Mr. Sampson and followed by Ms. Goodling and others to screen candidates for
immigration judges. The process relied principally on recommendations from
the White House and Republican members of Congress, according to the probe.
A similar investigative report in June found political and ideological
screening of the department's entry-level and intern candidates.
Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
interpreted the report to indicate that Messrs. Gonzales and Sampson and Ms.
Goodling lied during testimony before his committee. He told his staff to
determine whether to seek criminal charges for perjury.
Mr. Sampson is now a lawyer with Hunton & Williams in Washington. Bradford
Berenson, his attorney, said Mr. Sampson "consistently opposed the use of
political or partisan hiring criteria for positions he knew to be career
civil-service positions."
John Dowd, Ms. Goodling's attorney, said she already had "candidly admitted
to Congress that she had 'crossed the line' by considering political
factors...and that she regretted those errors."
George Terwilliger, former deputy attorney general and now Mr. Gonzales's
attorney, asked congressional Democrats to not subject Mr. Gonzales to more
"undeserved, unsupported and uncalled-for allegations of wrongdoing."
Mr. Conyers's committee granted legal immunity in exchange for testimony
from Ms. Goodling. The laws that investigators allege Ms. Goodling and Mr.
Sampson violated are civil statutes that don't carry criminal penalties.
The investigation grew from last year's political scandal involving the
firings of several U.S. attorneys. After months of hearings and
investigations led by Democrats, Mr. Gonzales resigned, as did most of the
officials implicated in the controversy.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Mr. Gonzales's successor, said he was
"disturbed by the findings." He said the department had made changes during
the past year and that more will be forthcoming, including guidelines on
when political ideology may be considered in making temporary assignments.
Concerning the hiring of immigration judges, investigators said that Mr.
Sampson told them he believed the jobs weren't subject to civil-service
laws, and that when he learned that wasn't the case, the system was changed.
Much of the nearly 150-page report focuses on what investigators say were
Ms. Goodling's violations of federal law and department policy by
"improperly considering political or ideological affiliations in screening
candidates for certain career positions." The report portrays Ms. Goodling,
now 34 years old, as wielding considerable power and influence over
prosecutors and political appointees more senior in age and position. Even
Republicans deemed not to be loyal enough ran into trouble with Ms.
Goodling, the report said.
Still, investigators showed there were limits to her clout. In one instance,
Ms. Goodling told an interim U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia that
a candidate he wanted to hire gave her pause because his résumé suggested he
was a "liberal Democrat." She also said she was reluctant to approve the
candidate because Republican congressional staffers who had just lost their
jobs after the Democratic sweep in the 2006 elections might want such
positions, according to the report. At another time, investigators said Ms.
Goodling tried to thwart the hiring of a prosecutor for a new position in
part because she believed the candidate was involved in a lesbian
relationship.
The report said she was overruled by Mr. Sampson in the case involving the
District of Columbia prosecutor, and she relented when others challenged her
on the continued tenure of the lawyer she thought was gay.
Monday's report is part of a wider investigation into alleged political
meddling at Justice.
Write to Evan Perez at evan.perez@wsj.com