DoJ Investigator Probing Gonzales Statements

The busiest employee of the Department of Justice by far must be the inspector general, Glenn Fine.

A couple of weeks ago, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked Fine to investigate whether outgoing-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had misled the Congress and press on a number of occasions. Fine, in a letter sent today (you can read it here), has responded that he’s already looking into it.

That’s because Fine is already juggling a number of investigations. And those investigations will necessarily touch on Gonzales’ public statements. Writes Fine:

“The OIG has ongoing investigations that relate to most of the subjects addressed by the Attorney General’s testimony that you identified. In particular, the OIG is conducting a review relating to the terrorist surveillance program, as well as a follow-up review of the use of national security letters. In addition, the OIG is conducting a joint investigation with the Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility into allegations regarding the removal of certain United States Attomeys and improper hiring practices.

We believe that through those investigations and other OIG reviews we will be able to assess most of the issues that you raise in your letter.”

Leahy responded in a statement (in full below) that he’s “pleased” that Fine is examining Gonzales’ statements.

In June, Fine also confirmed to Leahy that he was investigating whether Gonzales had obstructed Congress’ investigation of the U.S. attorney firings by having a conversation with Department aide Monica Goodling about his recollections.

Leahy’s statement:

“I am pleased that Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine will look into my concerns about potentially false, misleading or inappropriate testimony by the Attorney General. I look forward to the Inspector General’s findings on the unprecedented firings of nine United States Attorneys, the improper political hiring of career officials within the Justice Department, the misuse of National Security Letters, and the efforts to bypass the Department’s finding that a warrantless surveillance program was without legal basis. These actions have eroded the public’s trust and undermined morale within our justice system, from the top ranks to the cop on the beat. The current Attorney General is leaving, but these questions remain. It is appropriate that the Inspector General will examine whether the Attorney General was honest with this and other Congressional committees about these crucial issues. His investigations can help restore independence and accountability, which have been sorely lacking at the Justice Department.”