If you thought that by resigning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be putting an end to the relentless scrutiny of his shameful time in office, think again. But the continuing examination of the politicization of the Justice Department -- and justice itself -- as witnessed under Gonzales's guidance comes not from blood-thirsty Democrats eager to peel away still more scalp from the soon-to-be-former AG's cranium. No, this time the inquisitor is the Justice Department itself. From today's Washington Post:
The Justice Department's inspector general indicated yesterday that he is investigating whether departing Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales gave false or misleading testimony to Congress, including whether he lied under oath about warrantless surveillance and the firings of nine U.S. attorneys.
The disclosure by inspector General Glenn A. Fine in a letter to Congress signals an expansion of the department's internal investigations into Gonzales's troubled tenure, probes that were not previously known to be focusssed so sharply on the attorney general and his testimony.
Hundreds of questionnaires have been sent out to former DOJ employees asking about improper questions they were asked during their interviews that seemed designed to ensure that only the most loyal of loyal Bushies were hired. In fact, the Inspector General is looking into a whole lot of questions involving Mr. Gonzales's improper, and potentially illegal, activities.
Loyal Bushies can continue to try and console themselves with the mantra, "U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president!" But the fact remains that Gonzales is in no way out of hot water, whether he has a job, or not.
