Another Justice Department memo became public this week further demonstrating that efforts to clamp down on widespread politicization have been shamefully halfhearted. While Attorney General Michael Mukasey took office vowing to investigate allegations of politically-motivated prosecutions and personnel decisions, the fervor of these investigations has consistently been disputed, particularly considering that very little new information has come to light regarding the abuses.
As The Washington Post reported Sunday, an internal memo has surfaced proving that Scott J. Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), refused to investigate matters that career DOJ attorneys advised required further scrutiny. Interestingly, the OSC was created specifically to enforce the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of any federal agency resources for partisan political purposes. But according to the newly-released memo, Mr. Bloch has consistently refused to allow investigations to move forward surrounding the controversial prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and has disrupted inquiries into whether nine US Attorneys were fired for political purposes.
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security will hold a hearing to investigate selective prosecution at the Justice Department. We hope subcommittee members will probe further into whether this supposed "watchdog" has been violating the very laws it was created to enforce.
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