Goodling Passed Over Experienced Counterterrorism Prosecutor Because Wife Was A Democrat

[cal04]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/28/goodling-passed-over-experienced-counterterrorism-prosecutor-because-wife-was-a-democrat/

In today’s Justice Department report on Monica Goodling’s and other DOJ officials’ politicization of the department, the investigators reveal that Goodling’s political considerations were “particularly damaging to the Department because it resulted in high-quality candidates for important details being rejected in favor of less-qualified candidates.” (http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0807/final.pdf)

In one disgraceful example, Goodling refused to hire “one of the one of the leading terrorism prosecutors in the country” because his wife was a Democrat:

He was an experienced terrorism prosecutor and had successfully prosecuted a high-profile terrorism case for which he received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service. … The candidate’s wife was a prominent local Democrat elected official and vice-chairman of a local Democratic Party. <…>

(Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) Michael] Battle, (EOUSA Deputy Director and Cheif of Staff) Kelly, and EOUSA Deputy Director Nowacki all told us that Goodling refused to allow the candidate to be detailed to EOUSA solely on the basis of his wife’s political party affiliation. Battle said he was very upset that Goodling opposed the detail because of political reasons.

Goodling’s “damaging” refusal, the report notes, forced the EOUSA to “select a much more junior attorney who lacked any experience in counterterrorism issues” and was grossly unqualified for the position:

Because EOUSA had been unable to fill the counterterrorism detail after Goodling vetoed this candidate, a current EOUSA detailee was asked to assume EOUSA’s counterterrorism portfolio. … He had no counterterrorism experience and had less than the minimum of 5 years of federal criminal prosecution experience required by the EOUSA job announcement. Battle, Nowacki, Kelly, and Voris all said they thought that he was not qualified for the position, since he had no counterterrorism experience.

Another section of the report verified early claims that Goodling had forced out a career attorney “because Goodling had problems with the AUSA’s alleged sexual orientation.”

[Taverner]

1. Um...why hasn't this admin been thrown into prison

It's just outrage after outrage after outrage

Laws broken after laws broken...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. The clear understanding of the law...

Taught at Pat Robertson U. is quite apparent in all of this.

One gets the feeling that their curriculum was designed by Fisher-Price.

[madaboutharry]

3. If she has broken the law then she needs to

be prosecuted. What a jerk.

[thereismore]

4. Goodling - such an innocent goody-to-shoes name. Puke. nt

[Coexist]

5. is she being prosecuted?

[samsingh]

6. isn't this undemocratic from a filthy regime that had the

audicity to argue that they were trying to spread democrasy around the world?

repugs are assholes

[tanyev]

7. "What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?"

Goodling to Interviewee: What Is It About GWB That Makes You Want to Serve Him?
By Kate Klonick - July 28, 2008, 11:56AM

According to the OIG report released today, Angela Williamson, a deputy to Monica Goodling at the DOJ, was intimately involved in her bosses scurrilous hiring practices, attending interviews and often conducting interviews herself. Here's a sampling of the same questions that Goodling asked those being considered for political positions:

After Goodling resigned, Williamson typed from memory the list of questions Goodling asked as a guide for future interviews. Among other questions, the list included the following:

Tell us about your political philosophy. There are different groups of conservatives, by way of example: Social Conservative, Fiscal Conservative, Law & Order Republican.

hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/goodling_to_interviewee_what_i.php



Of course, some TPM readers have posted their own answers to the question:

"I want to offer my body and soul in servitude to George W. Bush because of the way his manhood is impressively displayed when he dons the codpiece."

"His perfect marbling of fat and muscle."

:rofl:

[DeepModem Mom]

8. Enraged K&R!