More misconduct at the top

Kansas City Star: As a top official in the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Bradley Schlozman was supposed to enforce federal laws prohibiting discrimination.

But he appears to have flagrantly violated federal civil service rules and Justice Department policy that prohibit discriminating against job applicants for career positions on the basis of political affiliation, according to a report by two government watchdog groups.

Schlozman’s misconduct, which includes vulgar language and ridicule of employees, is another sign of how poorly the department was run by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Investigators found that Schlozman inappropriately considered political and ideological leanings when hiring and transferring career attorneys in the department.

‘Crazy libs’

E-mail and phone mail messages show that Schlozman referred to persons whom he considered to have liberal views with derogatory terms such as “commies” and “crazy libs.”

Investigators from the department’s Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility allege that Schlozman lied to Congress when he denied in a hearing that politics had influenced his hiring or personnel decisions.

The current attorney general, Michael Mukasey, has shown no appetite for prosecuting former Justice Department employees.

Barack Obama’s incoming administration may need to take another look at the situation.

As Sen. Pat Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said of the findings on Schlozman this week: “The clear determination that he broke the law corrodes our trust in our system of justice and in the nation’s top law enforcement agency.”