Gonzales and Justice Dept. Guilty of Partisan Hiring

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

shocked, shocked I say...

Is anyone surprised by this?

Former Justice Department officials broke the law by letting Bush administration politics dictate the hiring of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, according to an internal investigation released Monday.

For nearly two years, top advisers to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales discriminated against applicants for career jobs who weren't Republican or conservative loyalists, the Justice report found.

At times, their search for GOP activists to fill judgeships threatened to clog courts and potentially delay deporting illegal immigrants, the report said.

The federal government makes a distinction between "career" and "political" appointees, and it's against civil service laws and Justice Department policy to hire career employees on the basis of political affiliation or allegiance.

Yet Monica Goodling, who served as Gonzales' counselor and White House liaison, routinely asked career job applicants about politics, the report concluded.

"What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?" Goodling asked at least some candidates, according to the joint investigation by Justice's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility. Others were asked about their views on abortion and gay marriage.-- By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer

It is going to take a lot of chemical cleansers and elbow grease to clean up this mess. Or maybe a good exterminator company... we are going to have to spend the first few years uncovering all these insects that have infested and burrowed into every department in our government.