BUSH's LONG HISTORY OF TILTING JUSTICE-Long Before DOJ Scandal & Clearly Done To Influence Elections

[kpete]

Bush's long history of tilting Justice
The administration began skewing federal law enforcement before the current U.S. attorney scandal, says a former Department of Justice lawyer

By Joseph D. Rich
JOSEPH D. RICH was chief of the voting section in the Justice Department's civil right division from 1999 to 2005. He now works for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

March 29, 2007


THE SCANDAL unfolding around the firing of eight U.S. attorneys compels the conclusion that the Bush administration has rewarded loyalty over all else. A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest.

I spent more than 35 years in the department enforcing federal civil rights laws — particularly voting rights. Before leaving in 2005, I worked for attorneys general with dramatically different political philosophies — from John Mitchell to Ed Meese to Janet Reno. Regardless of the administration, the political appointees had respect for the experience and judgment of longtime civil servants.

Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.

..........................

more at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rich29mar29,0,1507657.story?track=mostviewed-homepage

[woodsprite]

1. Yes! Another voice in the dark! I hope they keep it coming...

I just wish this shit would hit the fan BIG TIME - bigger than it already is - before * has a chance to attack Iran and distract the sheeples again (or find a reason to declare martial law using all the flunkies he has put into place).

Sorry for the runon sentence. Guess I've had too much caffiene this a.m.

[Solly Mack]

2. and then there is this blast from the past

Staff Opinions Banned In Voting Rights Cases

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/AR2005120901894.html

[Pirate Smile]

3. Great piece - K & R - here is more:

"This pattern also extended to hiring. In March 2006, Bradley Schlozman was appointed interim U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Mo. Two weeks earlier, the administration was granted the authority to make such indefinite appointments without Senate confirmation. That was too bad: A Senate hearing might have uncovered Schlozman's central role in politicizing the civil rights division during his three-year tenure.

-snip-
Schlozman continued to influence elections as an interim U.S. attorney. Missouri had one of the closest Senate races in the country last November, and a week before the election, Schlozman brought four voter fraud indictments against members of an organization representing poor and minority people. This blatantly contradicted the department's long-standing policy to wait until after an election to bring such indictments because a federal criminal investigation might affect the outcome of the vote. The timing of the Missouri indictments could not have made the administration's aims more transparent.

This administration is also politicizing the career staff of the Justice Department. Outright hostility to career employees who disagreed with the political appointees was evident early on. Seven career managers were removed in the civil rights division. I personally was ordered to change performance evaluations of several attorneys under my supervision. I was told to include critical comments about those whose recommendations ran counter to the political will of the administration and to improve evaluations of those who were politically favored.

Morale plummeted, resulting in an alarming exodus of career attorneys. In the last two years, 55% to 60% of attorneys in the voting section have transferred to other departments or left the Justice Department entirely.
At the same time, career staff were nearly cut out of the process of hiring lawyers. Control of hiring went to political appointees, so an applicant's fidelity to GOP interests replaced civil rights experience as the most important factor in hiring decisions. "

[myrna minx]

4. Their evil plans are truly unraveling. I just hope that we will be

able to repair the decades of damage these thugs have wrought. K&R.

[The Count]

5. he should be testifying:

"Outright hostility to career employees who disagreed with the political appointees was evident early on. Seven career managers were removed in the civil rights division. I personally was ordered to change performance evaluations of several attorneys under my supervision. I was told to include critical comments about those whose recommendations ran counter to the political will of the administration and to improve evaluations of those who were politically favored."

[KelleyKramer]

7. Agree...

I think I heard this guy on the radio in the last week, and if its the same guy he was a very good speaker.. the stuff was similar to this, just unbelievable what Bushco have been doing

[bobthedrummer]

6. k&r