Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former U.S. Attorney who helped lead the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into widespread political interference at the Department of Justice, commented today on a report by the Inspector General’s office that found that former top official Monica Goodling discriminated against job applicants based on their political affiliation, in violation of federal law and department policy:
“The Bush Administration has shown over and over that it’s willing to break the rules if it serves their political interests, and the Justice Department was no exception. The hiring rules for civil service positions are clear: an applicant’s political leanings can have no bearing on his or her chances for selection. Instead, at the Gonzales DOJ, applicants recommended by the White House were favored, while applicants deemed to be Democrats were not. Monica Goodling and others at the Department broke the rules, and they broke the law.
“The American people are now looking to Attorney General Mukasey and the current leaders of the Department for assurance that they are treating these reports with the seriousness they deserve, and taking necessary action to repair the damage Mr. Gonzales and his subordinates did. Only then will we be satisfied that the Department of Justice is back where it needs to be.”
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