Who’s to Blame for GonzoGate? DOJ Report Points to Goodling

[WSJ_law_blog]

John Dowd, right, attorney for former DOJ White House liaison Monica Goodling, seated, objects to a line of questioning by Rep. Arthur Davis, D-Ala., during Goodling’s hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)


In a not-altogether-shocking development in the ugly and endless U.S. Attorney Mess, a DOJ report, out this morning, concludes: (1) Politics illegally influenced the hiring of career prosecutors and immigration judges; and (2) Much of the blame resides with top aides to former AG Alberto Gonzales — namely, Monica Goodling, whose April, 2007 resignation helped kick off said ugly and endless U.S. Attorney Mess. Here’s the AP report; here’s the 140-page DOJ report.

Notably, the report says Gonzo was largely unaware of the hiring decisions by two of his most trusted aides.

“Goodling improperly subjected candidates for certain career positions to the same politically based evaluation she used on candidates for political positions,” the report concludes. In one instance, Justice investigators found, Goodling objected to hiring an assistant prosecutor in Washington because “judging from his resume, he appeared to be a liberal Democrat.”

In another, she rejected an experienced terror prosecutor to work on counterterror issues at a Justice Department headquarters office “because of his wife’s political affiliations,” the report found.

Goodling’s attorney, John Dowd, didn’t immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment; attempts to reach Goodling were unsuccessful.

White & Cases’s George Terwilliger, who’s repping Gonzo, said in a statement: “The report makes two important points regarding former Attorney General Gonzales. First, the investigation found that former Attorney General Gonzales was not involved in or aware of the politicized hiring practices of staffers. Second, when he became aware of the problems he moved to correct them. It’s simply not possible for any cabinet officer to be completely aware of and micromanage the activities of staffers, particularly where they don’t inform him of what’s going on.“ (Agree, LB’ers?)

For his part, Gonzo said in a statement: “Political considerations should play no part in the hiring of career officials at the Department of Justice. I am gratified that the efforts I initiated to address this issue have now been affirmed and augmented by this report. I agree with the report’s recommendations.”

The report does not indicate whether Goodling or former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson could face any charges. None of those involved in the discriminatory hiring still work at Justice, meaning they will avoid any department penalties.

AG Mukasey had this to say: “I have said many times, both to members of the public and to department employees, it is neither permissible nor acceptable to consider political affiliations in the hiring of career department employees. And I have acted, and will continue to act, to ensure that my words are translated into reality so that the conduct described in this report does not occur again at the department.”