Donald Trump’s second labor secretary nominee, Alexander Acosta, had an incredibly easy act to follow: Trump’s first nominee, Andy Puzder, went down in flames before even getting to his confirmation hearing. By comparison Acosta is qualified, experienced, and has a record remarkably lacking in domestic violence allegations or statements directly insulting workers. That said, he remains a Donald Trump nominee who offers a reminder of some of the worst of the George W. Bush administration.

Under Mr. Acosta’s watch [at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division], his office had repeatedly violated federal law and department policies by weighing political affiliations in hiring and assessing civil rights employees.

The inspector general laid most of the blame on a subordinate of Mr. Acosta’s, Bradley Schlozman, but the investigation concluded that Mr. Acosta had ignored warning signs about hiring practices. [...]

“There was a coordinated, political effort to drive out career attorneys, people who had been there for many years, and replace them with conservative ideologues,” said Mr. Yeomans, who worked for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and is active in liberal legal circles. “Acosta certainly knew what was going on.”