Justice Dept. Expands Internal Inquiry

May 30, 2007— -- Wednesday the Department of Justice informed the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that it was expanding an internal investigation into the bungled firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

The internal probe is being expanded after Monica Goodling, the former Justice Department White House liaison, testified to Congress earlier this month that she may have broken the law by using political considerations in hiring career officials.

"We have expanded the scope of our investigation to include allegations regarding improper or other considerations in hiring decisions within the Department of Justice," wrote Glenn Fine, DOJ's inspector general, and Marshall Jarrett, chief of the Office of Professional Responsibility, to the chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Both the Inspector General's Office and the Office of Professional Responsibility serve as internal watchdogs for the department.

'I May Have Gone Too Far'

Last week, Goodling testified before the House Judiciary Committee that she may have gone "too far" and inadvertently "crossed the line" in asking political questions of applicants for nonpolitical jobs at the Department of Justice.

"I don't believe I intended to commit a crime," Goodling said in her appearance before the panel.

"I do acknowledge that I may have gone too far in asking political questions of applicants for career positions, and I may have taken inappropriate political considerations into account on some occasions. And I regret those mistakes," the former aide to Gonzales said.

Goodling took a leave of absence in March, as the political firestorm over the attorney dismissals began to grow. She stepped down permanently in April.

The former aide had initially told Congress she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right and refuse to testify about her role in the controversial U.S. attorney firings but received immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony.

'Political Litmus Tests'

"Ms. Goodling's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee indicated that political litmus tests were administered to applicants for some career, nonpolitical positions within the department," House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., said in a statement Wednesday.

The internal investigation coincides with the ongoing congressional investigation into why eight U.S. attorneys were fired last year. The expanded probe will focus on the hiring of law school graduates, interns and the hiring practices in the Department's Civil Right's division.

"Among the issues that we intend to investigate are allegations regarding Monica Goodling's and others' actions in DOJ hiring and personnel decisions; allegations concerning hiring for the DOJ Honors Program and Summer Law Intern Program; and allegations concerning hiring practices in the DOJ Civil Rights Division," the IG-OPR letter to Congress noted.

More Allegations

Allegations have been made that the Civil Rights Division failed to oppose a Georgia ID voting law and supported congressional redistricting in Texas, despite concerns of career officials. The former acting attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the time of those cases, Bradley Schlozman, was later appointed to fill one of the U.S. attorney spots in Missouri.

The internal department investigation and congressional investigation will also examine whether Schlozman used political considerations for staffing career lawyer slots in the division. Schlozman is expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Tuesday.

A Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the expanded probe.

'It Confirms Our Worst Fears'

In a statement, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., hurled some harsh criticism at the department, saying, "It is unacceptable that a senior Justice Department official was allowed to screen career employees and some judicial appointments for political loyalty, and it confirms our worst fears about the unprecedented and improper reach of politics into the department's professional ranks."

"I look forward to the results of the inspector general's investigation," Leahy's statement said, "and as Congress continues its oversight into the politicization of the Justice Department, it is abundantly clear that we must do all we can to get to the truth behind this matter and the role the White House played in it."