Vows to 'Reverse' Bush Politicization of U.S. Dept. of Justice...

Brad Friedman Byon 1/15/2009, 12:33pm PT

If he's confirmed, Attorney General nominee Eric Holder told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee during confirmation hearings today, he'll review the Bush U.S. Attorney's decision to not prosecute former DoJ Civil Rights attorney Bradley Schlozman for his grotesque bastardization and politicization of the department as we detailed earlier this week. Schlozman, the DoJ's Inspector General found, broke federal law and custom vis a vis his hiring practices of only fellow whack-a-doodle wingnuts, and further went on to lie to Congress about during hearings (which is also a federal crime).

Said Holder during questioning by Sen. Dianne Feinstein...

I understand that prosecutors in the US attorney's office in DC --- again, just based on the press reports, actually reviewed the report and then made a prosecutive determination. If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as Attorney General, I will indicate to you that I will review that determination. I don't know all the facts of the case, but given the findings in the Inspector General's report that are consistent with what you have said, I want to know why the determination was made not to pursue charges, criminal charges.

...

I have not had a chance to read the report, Senator, and yet I have read the news accounts of it. What's contained in the report is very disturbing. The notion that the Justice Department would ever take into account a person's political affiliation or political beliefs in making hiring decisions is antithetical to everything the department stands for and everything I'm familiar with. I served very proudly in the Justice Department, under Republican Attorneys General, Democratic Attorneys General, and it was never a thought given to what your party affiliation was, what your political beliefs were in hiring, in promotion decisions. What we have seen in that report I think is aberrant, but is also I think one of the major tasks the next Attorney General is going to have to do. You have to reverse that.

Good rhetoric. Encouraging language. Though whether Holder will bring the full accountability for so many past Bush Administration crimes --- as necessary to even consider an Obama Administration to be a success, as we also discussed --- remains to be seen, of course. On the other hand, if Holder promised that outright during these hearings, he'd never be confirmed, as likely Democrats (as perverse as it would seem) would then have to find some reason to block him, no doubt.

The short video (3:15) of the exchange between Feinstein and Holder is below. And, for bonus points, see this nifty bit of Confirmation Hearing Theater which followed, courtesy of Sen. Chuck Schumer.







