Minorities Less Visible at Justice after Departures

[kskiska]

After weathering a confirmation furor in 2001 focused largely on racial issues, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft chose a management staff so diverse that a third of the Justice Department's most senior positions were occupied by minorities.

"Never before in history has there been a more diverse and qualified leadership team here at the Department of Justice," Ashcroft told employees in February 2002 at an African American History Month gathering. "I look forward to the day when the length and breadth of the Department of Justice, from line attorneys to investigators to staff assistants, reflects the same diversity and professional excellence."

But after a wave of departures over the last year from the top ranks at Justice, the number of minorities at senior levels is noticeably smaller. At one point in Ashcroft's tenure, the deputy attorney general and one of every three assistant attorneys general were nonwhite. Now, just one of the 12 most senior officials who have been appointed or nominated at main Justice -- civil rights division chief R. Alexander Acosta, who is Hispanic -- is a member of a racial minority.

Some civil rights and liberal groups, who strenuously opposed Ashcroft's appointment, say the current dearth of minorities reflects a lack of commitment to racial diversity. Many of these critics, along with some Democratic lawmakers, have accused Ashcroft of weak enforcement of civil rights laws as attorney general.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13773-2003Oct11.html

[lostnfound]

1. True colors shining through.. And more Schwarzenegger ties..

So one of the people who left Ashcroft's department, Mr. Dinh, was named last week as a member of California Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger's transition team? No surprise, really, but we will have to see where he turns up in the Schwarzenegger government.

[GalleryGod]

2. Just Another Day at the Office for the American Nazi Party

:argh:

Hang tough,Gang!:grouphug: