On page 122 of the report, we learn this about Goodling's behavior:
Finally, we concluded that Goodling engaged in misconduct by making misrepresentations to the Civil Division attorneys representing the Department in the Gonzalez v. Gonzales litigation. An attorney from the Civil Division interviewed Goodling in January 2007 to learn how the OAG had handled the IJ hiring process. In the interview, Goodling told the attorney that she did not take political considerations into account in IJ hiring. The Civil Division attorney's recollection of this point was specific and was corroborated by the memoranda he wrote contemporaneously and circulated within the Department in connection with deliberations about how to handle the lawsuit.
Bottom line? Monica Goodling violated federal law and then lied about it in an official proceeding. And her punishment is a public reprimand?
Perhaps most alarming is this: The DOJ, under both Bush and Obama, apparently has made no effort to follow the trail of sleaze to its origin. We know that Goodling took directions from her boss, Kyle Sampson. It certainly stands to reason that Sampson took directions from Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. And the DOJ report hints that the whole process was driven by the White House Office of Political Affairs, led by . . . Karl Rove.
Consider this from page 86 of the report, regarding the appointment of immigration judges (IJ) through the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR):
We found that the majority of candidates provided to EOIR by Sampson were from the White House Office of Political Affairs. For example, in September 2004, the Office of Political Affairs provided Sampson with the re'sume' of a candidate for an IJ position in El Paso, Texas. Sampson instructed EOIR to "reach out to" the candidate, and the candidate was eventually appointed as an IJ.
It probably would not take a super sleuth to connect these dots right to Rove's doorstep. But the Obama administration seems to be unwilling to do that. After all, that would involve "looking backwards"--and we mustn't do that. The president can order all kinds of daring missions to shoot Al Qaeda leaders in the head. But as long as he lets Bush crooks off the hook, his record on justice issues will be an embarrassment.
Monica Goodling was just one of many Bush officials who committed "acts of terror" against our constitution. She played a major role in corrupting the hiring process for the U.S. Department of Justice.
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