12 August 2008

"But not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime.”
- United States Attorney General, Michael Mukasey ... August 2008

or to paraphrase Orwell, "some Lawyers are more equal than others"

Looking Glass officially through!
Mukasey will not prosecute in DoJ hiring scandal

Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday that the Department of Justice would not pursue criminal charges against former employees implicated in an internal investigation on politicized hiring practices.

“Where there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing, we vigorously investigate it,” Mukasey said in a speech at the American Bar Association. “And where there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime, we vigorously prosecute. But not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime.”

Last month, a report by the DoJ inspector general found substantial evidence that two key aides to Mukasey’s predecessor Alberto Gonzales — former Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson and former White House liaison Monica Goodling — improperly vetted applicants for career positions at DoJ for their political leanings. That report followed a June investigation that found evidence of similar misconduct in the hiring practices for DoJ’s Summer Law Intern Program and Honors Program.

Mukasey said the wrongdoing outlined in the two reports did not merit criminal charges because it constituted “only violations of the civil service laws.”