DOJ won't oppose Goodling immunity deal

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department will not try to prevent Congress from granting immunity to a former department official to testify about the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., officials from two Justice Department offices investigating whether the department played politics when hiring prosecutors said they would prefer not to see the department's former White House liaison, Monica Goodling, given immunity.

"However, we understand the committee's interest in obtaining Ms. Goodling's testimony," the letter said. "Therefore after balancing the significant public interest against the impact of the committee's actions on our ongoing investigation, we will not raise an objection or seek a deferral."

The letter was signed by Inspector General Glenn Fine and H. Marshall Jarrett, counsel to the Office of Professional Responsibility.

Both offices are investigating whether Goodling used political affiliations in deciding whom to hire as prosecutors. Such consideration would be a violation of federal law.

The Judiciary Committee wants to know whether eight U.S. attorneys were fired last year for political reasons.

"I believe obtaining her testimony will be a critical step in our efforts to get to the truth about the circumstances surrounding the U.S. attorney firings and possible politicization in the department's prosecutorial function," Conyers said. "The committee will be moving expeditiously to apply for the court order so that we can schedule a hearing promptly."

If Conyers had a brain in his head, he'd drop Goodling like a hot rock. The bozo is so stupid that he doesn't see that this is a clear signal that the sandbags are mounted in the rafters. and the lead is being slipped into the glove.

What a dolt.

2 posted on 05/07/2007 1:38:35 PM PDT by SAJ (debunking myths about markets and prices on FR since 2001)

Are we into public interest now? When is hillary going to bring her 900+ fbi files to the hearing? Anybody interested? Didn’t thing so.

The funny thing is, Goodling’s probably the only person involved who COULD have actually violated the law. And the Dems are giving her immunity. It could be like Oliver North all over again.

It will crack me up if the first thing she says is, “My boss wouldn’t do a THING for political reasons, he’s so naive, but I know how it works, so damn right I fired them for political reasons.”

4 posted on 05/07/2007 2:15:02 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT (The sadder Harry Reid looks, the better for America)

These,I believe,are the very same RATS who,during The Most Ethical Administration In History,refused to grant David Hale immunity so that he could testify against you-know-who and you-know-who.

5 posted on 05/07/2007 2:56:02 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative ("The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."-Karl Marx)

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