Gonzales subject of perjury investigation by the US Justice Department

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/gonzales-subject-of-perjury-investigation/2007/08/31/1188067368268.html

WASHINGTON: The United States Justice Department is investigating whether the departing Attorney-General, Alberto Gonzales, gave false or misleading testimony to Congress, including whether he lied under oath about surveillance without warrants and the firing of nine federal prosecutors.

The investigation was revealed by the Justice Department's Inspector-General, Glenn Fine, in a letter to Congress and signals an expansion of the department's investigations into Mr Gonzales's troubled tenure. The investigations were not previously known to be focused so sharply on the Attorney-General and his testimony.

Mr Fine's office has separately expanded an inquiry into whether senior Gonzales aides improperly considered partisan affiliations when reviewing applicants for non-political career positions. As part of that inquiry, Mr Fine has sent hundreds of questionnaires in the past week to former Justice Department job applicants.

In the questionnaires, he asks applicants if they were quizzed by political appointees about their party affiliation, favourite politicians and judges, voting history, campaign contributions and views on the death penalty and terrorism.

Recipients are also asked if White House aides participated in the interviews and if they were asked "what kind of conservative you were (law and order; social; fiscal)".