Justice Department expanding political hiring probe

Hoorah!

The Raw Story | Justice Department expanding political hiring probe:

Internal Department of Justice investigators are expanding their probe into hiring practices to include alleged improper political litmus tests applied to those seeking jobs within the department's Civil Rights Division, DOJ Honors Program and Summer Law Intern Program, according to a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

'It is deeply troubling that the crisis of leadership at the department allowed the White House and others to wield political influence over key law enforcement decisions and hiring policies,' Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said in a written statement. 'It is unacceptable that a senior Justice Department official was allowed to screen career employees and some judicial appointments for political loyalty, and it confirms our worst fears about the unprecedented and improper reach of politics into the Department's professional ranks.'