"The Investigation Has Gone Well Beyond Monica Goodling..."

[kpete]

Paul Kane at the WaPo has a fascinating glimpse into the investigations of soon-to-be-former AG Alberto Gonzales’ politicization efforts at the DOJ.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/?hpid=topnews
From Kane:

• The investigation has gone well beyond just Monica Goodling, the former counsel to Gonzales who admitted in congressional testimony in May that she frequently “crossed the line” in her hiring decisions by using political criteria for jobs that were not intended to be political by their nature. The internal investigators, who have the power to recommend criminal investigations, had previously acknowledged they were examining Goodling’s hiring practices, but this document shows that former Gonzales chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson and two other Justice aides are under inquiry.

• Investigators are not limiting their interviews to people who sought out non-political jobs; instead, they are also asking questions of candidates for senior political appointments.

• In one brief question, the IG-OPR questionnaire asks whether any White House officials sat in on the interviews with senior Justice Officials.

• The investigators are particularly focused on whether Goodling and other Justice officials were using personal political questions when making hiring decisions. Investigators want to know if interviewees were asked:

- to name “your favorite president, legislator, public figure, or Supreme Court justice”

- “what kind of conservative you were (law and order; social; fiscal)”

- what was “your position on the war on terror”

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/08/31/fishing-for-the-squirrelly/

[roguevalley]

1. karma. pure and simple.

[DCKit]

2. They could start by reviewing the qualifications of all the Liberty Law grads. nt

[tridim]

3. What's a "law and order conservative"?

I can't think of anything more rare.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Swatting flies ...

while Gonzo walks. How quaint.