U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) expressed his grave concern today after a report from the Office of the Inspector General revealing that certain Justice Department officials relied on illegal hiring practices that routinely benefited conservative or Republican candidates over other applicants, particularly in regard to career prosecutors and immigration judges.
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former attorney, said in a statement today: "The report reveals decisions to reject qualified, experienced applicants to work on counterterrorism issues in favor of a less experienced attorney on the basis of political ideology. Rather than strengthening our national security, the Department of Justice appears to have bent to the political will of the administration."
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) expressed his grave concern today after a report from the Office of the Inspector General revealing that certain Justice Department officials relied on illegal hiring practices that routinely benefited conservative or Republican candidates over other applicants, particularly in regard to career prosecutors and immigration judges.
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former attorney, said in a statement today: "The report reveals decisions to reject qualified, experienced applicants to work on counterterrorism issues in favor of a less experienced attorney on the basis of political ideology. Rather than strengthening our national security, the Department of Justice appears to have bent to the political will of the administration."
Vermont's senior U.S. senator went on to condemn President Bush and his administration, calling the White House the "principal source' for politically vetted candidates considered for important positions as immigration judges."
Monday's report targets former White House Liaison Monica Goodling for violating federal law while considering applicants for certain positions. The report concludes that "Goodling and (Deputy Director of Executive Office of United States Attorneys John) Nowacki used political or ideological affiliations when assessing waiver requests from interim U.S Attorneys in at least three cases, which violated Department policy and federal law, and also constituted misconduct."
Leahy, however, did not limit his criticisms to a select group of officials. "Like some in the administration who would place blame for the actions at Abu Ghraib solely onto the shoulders of a few bad apples, the Attorney General has tried to dismiss the Inspector General's first report on politicization issued last month as documenting the actions of just a few bad apples," Leahy said. "But it was obvious from that first report, and becomes more so with this second joint IG/OPR report, that the problems of politicization at the Department are rooted deeper than that. In this report, we once again see that the Bush administration has allowed politics to affect and infect the nation's chief law enforcement agency's priorities."
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said in a statement today that he was "disturbed" by the report's findings, adding that he would continue to work to remedy the situation.
On Wednesday, Leahy will meet with Inspector General Glenn A. Fine before a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
