DOJ Issues Statement on 2006 "Politics in Hiring" Scandal
By Jamie Bence
The current Department of Justice has stated its views on the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged politicization of hiring during the 2006 Department of Justice Honors hiring cycle, according to The Blog of Legal Times.
In court papers filed Monday night, DOJ lawyers said the Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility report on the politicization of the hiring of career lawyers “is completely silent as to the requirements of the Privacy Act. Whatever misdeeds the report highlights, it says nothing about whether Esther McDonald ever created the specific records that form the basis of this dispute.”
Daniel Metcalfe, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement this afternoon: “The Justice Department’s filing blithely chooses to ignore the legal effect of its gross evidence destruction, taking positions so extreme that they themselves practically prove the merits of plaintiffs’ case. Plaintiffs look forward to pointing this out in great detail.”
The lawsuit is expected to be heard in the Washington District Court this coming October.
