Justice Dept. Sued Over Political Bias, Applicants Begin Coming Forward

[maddezmom]

Source: WaPo

Applicants Begin Coming Forward

By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 7, 2008; Page A03

Armed with solid grades, glowing recommendations and a pair of internships, Sean M. Gerlich confidently applied to the Justice Department honors program two years ago, only to get a rejection letter.

Gerlich now suspects he was cast aside because of political considerations, part of a pattern of illegal hiring decisions based on partisanship that are now being documented by the Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility.

Investigators unveiled a report late last month detailing the litmus tests used in making selections for the intern and honors program. One hiring panel member performed Google searches for candidates' ties to environmental and social justice groups, the report said.

"It appears the politicization at Justice was so pervasive that even interns had to pass a partisan litmus test," House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said last week.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070601843.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Damned trial lawyers!

Why do they hate America so?!

[Xipe Totec]

2. Justice Department in the hands of Zampolits

Political Commissars.

[pattmarty]

3. I'll tell ya what, if all of these "fuckups" of the Bush administration.....

.....begin to get traction in the press, look out for the perfect storm. I just hope that this happens before Jr leaves office.

[Supersedeas]

10. not a chance -- the "Press" is doing everything possible to marginalize these issues

[Monk06]

23. As implied by you placing "fuck ups" in quotes, these are not errors in judgment

it is part of a plan to deny liberals access to
government jobs from the very top of the executive
to entry level departmental and congressional
internships.

Just look at how the Repugs have favored intern
candidates from Regent University which is not
a legitimate educational institution but a
RW evangelical boot camp.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. What exactly was the wording?

What was the wording that made it illegal? I wonder if it's time to include the wording into Title 8, because it's now obvious that Republicans have been playing dirty pool in all areas, not just with political agencies.

[maddezmom]

5. here's a link that has a copy of the GAO report

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/maddezmom/572

[samsingh]

6. repug sense of justice - watch them cry if the shoe is on the other foot

[Igel]

7. And the applicants affected by having a left shoe instead of a right shoe

would be correct.

I've heard some loons here calling for precisely that: a purge of republicans, not just of political appointments but also of career appointments, with guidelines to keep repubs out. Once you're that deep into the subterranean caves of having partisanship guide principles, which side of the political chasm you started out on doesn't much matter.

[WilyWondr]

13. Call me a loon then

The repugs have been filtering out anyone from their party that thinks rationally, logically, coherently or compassionately for the past 30 years.

What you are left with now are a group of people that are irrational, illogical, incoherent, uncompassionate and self-righteous. Maybe some will be able to change their ways, but I seriously doubt that there are too many of those remaining in the repug party. That party needs to be beaten over the head with the stupid actions they have been taking for the last 30 years for at least the next 30 years.

If any repug wants to attempt to explain away the effects of rayguns trickle-down economic policy or how lowering the taxes on the top 10% has not increased the tax burden on the other 90% of the population or how the war in Iraq has necessary....let them start there.

Until then, repugs should be removed from every office they hold, IMO. I have had enough of these idiots to last a lifetime.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

20. ALL REPUBS MUST GO

[LanternWaste]

25. I'm afraid you're right...

I'm afraid you're right... we have our own unique brand of rigid, dogmatic ideologues who will defend with the same skill sets of the GOP in order to instigate another purge ("Oh-- but it will be Pure & Innocent if we do it...").

If we call foul when the GOP does it, the left is equally culpable and equally responsible in our guilt if we do the same-- regardless of tired, card-stock justifications used to defend it.

[MadMaddie]

30. I may be one of the Loons you are referring to however;

let's be clear about what I said....

Obama and qualified HR personel (not hacks) MUST review ALL positions to verify that every individual that is in a leadership role is Qualified to be in that position. If they are qualified great, they will be reviewed and assessed as all other government employees are.

Secondly, if the individuals are hacks and unqualified they have a choice they can be demoted and seek education to help them qualify for their job stream or they can leave.

There is no way to single out Republicans and call it fair so it everyone will have to be reviewed.

[samsingh]

32. we totally supported the repugs after 911 and did ask reasonable

questions like why they were incompetant in letting 911 happen, why bush went on vacation when the bin laden memo came out, why condi-the idiot did not meet with Clark to discuss Bin Laden, why the bush family does business with the bin laden family, ...

what did our gestures get us? bullshit accusations from cheney and rove that we are wimps, cowards or worse.

don't think that being kind to repugs will ever get you more than a kick in the face when they get the power. they'll cry like little babies and true cowards when they are threatened.

we should not purge repugs, but we should purge incompetance and evil - which will accomplish the same thing.

[defendandprotect]

8. And the Bush DOJ will get to deal with these lawsuits . . . ???

The good news in these reports is that the Bush people know they can't get any average people

to participate in their corrupt schemes . . . they're looking for criminal types ---

under the GOP brand -- and even then they sometimes strike out ---

When you see these people "succeeding" you know they have cheated, lied and probably more

to get where they are.

[WhiteTara]

29. the wheels of justice roll very slowly

by the time it gets to court, there will be a different climate and convictions will be easier, I hope

[Lugnut]

9. K&R n/t

[W T F]

11. Talk about carma!

The justice Dept. has to use the incompetent attorneys that they did hire to defend themselves

[bertman]

12. W T F yeah I agree W T F, over??

Problem is our cowardly Democratic Congress will never put A SINGLE FUCKING ONE OF THESE CRIMINALS IN JAIL. They'll all leave with their salaries, their resumes and their next fat, cushy Republican thief job waiting for them.

Wow, won't they be sorry!!

[Javaman]

14. It's Karma. nt

[windoe]

15. Good. Maybe, if more and more and more and more people stand up against

corruption, maybe some more people will stand up, and so on.
The worst thing to happen is to lay down and take it.

[happygoluckytoyou]

16. GOP = CHEAP LABOR.... get over it

[Mustellus]

17. Don't sue Justice.....

Sue the Republican Party. It wasn't the U.S. Government that broke the law, it was the agents of the Republican party, who violated their oath of office to the USA because their first (and only?) loyalty is to Party, not Country.

[SharonAnn]

27. They were acting in their role as Justice Dept. employees.

[Dan]

34. ...Deep Pockets....

[rateyes]

18. WTF are you going to do about it, Conyers?

Write another strongly worded, yet empty, threat?

Hint: Karl Rove and Inherent Contempt

[DFW]

21. That was my next question

Subpoena. Indict. Convict. Get started. NOW!

[superconnected]

19. Excellent news!

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Instant Karma indeed..

as ye sow.......

[Overseas]

24. I hope they continue to report in and add to the file on Executive Branch abuse of power. /eom

[Red_Viking]

26. This happened to me...

But on a somewhat smaller scale. A couple of years ago I was hired to be a law clerk at the US Attorney's office in the state where I live (blue state). The USA is a * appointee. I am a second-career lawyer, with life experience before law school. My resume included stuff like founding a civil liberties group at my law school. The AUSA who hired me was dumbfounded at how long my background check took. Their tactic in DC was basically to let my paperwork fall into a black hole populated by contract workers who could never seem to finish the check. So I never got to work there, spent a summer without a job, missed out on the experience, etc. My classmate who did get to work there is a Dem, but has family who are big in the state Repub party. Plus she worked for the government in her former life, before law school. The AUSA went to the USA and asked her to "sponsor" me, meaning let me start working while they fumbled through my background check. She refused. No explanation was given.

I felt cheated by the whole thing. The worst part was thinking *I* did something wrong, when it wasn't me at all. It was them.

Suck it, Rove. Rot.

[MarinCoUSA]

28. Wonder how soon before Executive Privilege will be claimed.

n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

31. K&R

[McCamy Taylor]

33. Being sued by the best lawyers in the country. This decision came from a non lawyer. That means Rove

because any attorney would have known that the top law school graduates whom they were turning away were going to sue them. Lawyers always sue. It doesn't cost them a cent. It is free money and they love to sue on their own behalf. Almost everyone who works at a high level in the White House except Rove and W. are lawyers and W. does not decide anything. Unless it was Cheney (I can't remember if he is a lawyer) it must have been Rove. He doesn't know shit about the law or care.

[MiniMe]

35. And the lawyers who are not the best and brightest, just repukes will be defending the US

:rofl: Good luck with that.