Office of Inspector General Agrees to Consider Gonzales' Testimony

[Hissyspit]

Source: U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy

Leahy Statement:

“I am pleased that Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine will look into my concerns about potentially false, misleading or inappropriate testimony by the Attorney General. I look forward to the Inspector General’s findings on the unprecedented firings of nine United States Attorneys, the improper political hiring of career officials within the Justice Department, the misuse of National Security Letters, and the efforts to bypass the Department’s finding that a warrantless surveillance program was without legal basis. These actions have eroded the public’s trust and undermined morale within our justice system, from the top ranks to the cop on the beat. The current Attorney General is leaving, but these questions remain. It is appropriate that the Inspector General will examine whether the Attorney General was honest with this and other Congressional committees about these crucial issues. His investigations can help restore independence and accountability, which have been sorely lacking at the Justice Department.”

Letter from Office of Inspector General Glenn Fine to Senator Patrick Leahy:

"The OIG has ongoing investigations that relate to most of the subjects addressed by the Attorney General's testimony that you identified. In particular, the OIG is conducting a review relating to the terrorist surveillance program, as well as a follow-up review of the use of national security letters. In addition, the OIG is conducting a joint investigation with the Department's Office of Professional Responsibility into allegations regarding the removal of certain United States Attomeys and improper hiring practices.

We believe that through those investigations and other OIG reviews we will be able to assess most of the issues that you raise in your letter."


Read more: http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200708/083007.html

[IsItJustMe]

1. If one thing we should have learned in the past 6 plus years is that we truly need an independent

judicial system in this country. It's just plain damn broken now.

[rodeodance]

2. Gonzales testimony eyed in Justice Department probes

Gonzales testimony eyed in Justice Department probes

By Randall Mikkelsen 1 hour, 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Justice Department investigators are examining the truthfulness of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony to Congress on the firings of federal prosecutors and domestic wiretapping.
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The effort, disclosed in a letter released on Thursday, is a sign that political controversy over Gonzales' conduct will continue well beyond his resignation announced this week.

"The current attorney general is leaving, but these questions remain," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who sought the examination.

Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine said in a letter released by Leahy that concerns over the truthfulness of Gonzales' testimony to the committee on July 24 and other times would be covered as part of probes already under way.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070830/pl_nm/usa_gonzales_dc;_ylt=Aj5JoM5jzGUU8qqQBSHpFhys0NUE

[DCKit]

3. We can hope that the next administration will review the qualifications of all the political hires

to the DOJ over the past seven years. I can't imagine that too many of them are actually qualified to work at the levels they've been assigned.