Federal Daily - July 30, 2008

DOJ Used Litmus Test to Screen Out Liberals in Hiring, Report Says

Top Justice Department (DOJ) officials illegally used a political litmus test to screen out candidates seen as liberal during the DOJ hiring process, said a report by the department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Office of Professional Responsibility. The report, released July 28, said Monica Goodling, a former top adviser to ex-attorney general Alberto Gonzales, and Kyle Sampson, his former chief of staff, violated federal law when they approved hiring a “good American”—someone believed to be Republican and pro-President Bush—for career positions in the department. The report also found that White House officials were actively involved and first developed an Internet-based method of searching for a candidate’s political leanings, showcasing it at a seminar called “The Thorough Process of Investigation.” In the background search, DOJ officials would look for key phrases or words in an applicant’s background, like “abortion,” “homosexual,” “Florida recount,” or “guns.” Investigators also said Goodling of rejected one candidate “because of his wife’s political affiliations” and refused to hire another applicant rumored to be a lesbian. The report does not indicate whether Goodling or others at the department could face any charges. None of those involved still work at DOJ. “It is a sad day when we are given clear evidence that the Justice Department itself engaged in a partisan, political hiring campaign,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. “The agency entrusted with enforcing our nation’s laws must be above reproach.” Attorney General Michael Mukasey is to testify about the report July 30 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. To see more, go to: www.house.gov/list/press/ny08_nadler/
TellsAGtoActDOJHiringPractices_072808.html or the report at www.usdoj.gov/opr/goodling072408.pdf.

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VA Suicide Prevention Hotline Logs 55,000 Calls in First Year

The Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline answered 55,000 calls in its first year, with about half of the calls coming directly from veterans seeking help, hotline officials said July 28. The hotline (1-800-273-TALK) was launched last summer as a joint effort of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to offer support for veterans and their families. Of the total number of calls, 22,000 came from vets themselves and the rest from concerned family members, officials said. The VA-operated call center in Canandaigua, N.Y., is staffed by specially trained professional crisis workers. Rep. Harry E. Mitchell, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, applauded the hotline results and called on VA to further ease its ban on television advertising to extend the hotline outreach. VA recently launched a pilot advertising effort in Washington, D.C. “The need for this is clear, and I hope this program will be taken nationwide soon,” said Mitchell. “We can’t just wait for veterans to come to us; we need to bring the VA to our veterans.” To see more, go to: www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0807254324.aspx.

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EPA Issues Employee ‘Gag Order’

A senior Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official has circulated an email warning employees not to answer questions from reporters, congressional investigators or even the agency's own Inspector General (IG), according to documents posted July 28 on the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) Web site. The June 16 e-mail from Robbi Farrell, who heads the agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, told managers to remind employees “at your next staff meeting” to not answer such inquiries. Instead, media inquiries are to be directed to EPA public affairs officers. EPA said the memo was aimed at improving efficiency. EPA is the target of intense scrutiny—including congressional attempts to subpoena agency files and questions about whether political agency appointees have interfered with EPA’s scientific findings. PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch says the document is of “questionable legality.” Ruch added: “The clear intention behind this move is to chill the cubicles by suppressing any uncontrolled release of information.” To see more, go to: www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1083.

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