Left-leaning Justice Department applicants were denied interviews, report finds

WASHINGTON — Scores of highly credentialed young lawyers and law students were denied interviews for sought-after jobs at the Justice Department because of an illegal screening process that took political and ideological views and affiliations into account rather than merit alone, Justice Department investigators concluded in a report released today.

The findings are contained in the first of several official reports expected on the tenure of Alberto R. Gonzales as attorney general, and allegations that the longtime friend and confidant of President Bush allowed political considerations to affect the hiring of career employees and other functions at the Justice Department.

While the report does not directly accuse Gonzales of misconduct, two Justice officials were found to have violated federal civil service law and department regulations in connection with screening applicants for jobs in the department honors program and a summer program for law students.

Two other officials, including the department's top recruiter, were criticized for exercising poor judgment and failing to aggressively address the issue of illegal hiring once concerns of career employees surfaced internally.

Members of Congress said the report was an important part of the process of restoring the integrity of the department in the wake of the Gonzales era.

"Today's report confirms that the Bush Administration was engaged in a deliberate effort to inject partisan politics into the administration of justice," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The honors and summer intern programs, he said, "were made into a recruitment firm for conservatives, rewarding ideology with career advancement."

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee said: "I'm disappointed by findings that in 2006 a few individuals within the Justice Department apparently violated Department policy and possibly federal law in the hiring of honors program lawyers and summer law interns."

Smith said Gonzales' successor, Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey, was already taking corrective steps and making necessary changes to the hiring practices of both programs.

The 112-page report was prepared by the department's Office of Inspector General and its Office of Professional Responsibility. The report focuses on suspected hiring abuses from 2002 through 2006.