U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Thursday, June 26, 2008		CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 Michael Amodeo – 202-228-5019
Sen. Salazar to DOJ: Politicized Hiring "Disgraceful," Action Needed to Restore Department's Credibility, Reputation WASHINGTON, DC – In response to a report released yesterday on partisan hiring practices at the Department of Justice, United States Senator Ken Salazar today urged Attorney General Michael Mukasey to take immediate and strong action to restore the Department of Justice’s reputation and to enforce federal nondiscrimination laws in hiring. Yesterday, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) issued a joint report that found that highly-qualified candidates for two of the Department of Justice’s most distinguished legal programs were rejected on account of their ideological and political affiliations. “As Colorado’s Attorney General from 1999 to 2004, I understand how important it is to remain nonpartisan in order to effectively carry out the mission of the Department of Justice,” Senator Salazar wrote. “The findings in the OIG/OPR report are disgraceful. The Department of Justice exists ‘to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law...and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.’ The actions by political appointees of the Department were committed in violation of the Department’s policy on nondiscrimination and the Civil Service Reform Act, which prohibits the Department from discriminating in hiring of career positions on the basis of political affiliation…. “It is critical that you actively work to restore the Department’s reputation by guaranteeing to the public that Department policies and federal nondiscrimination laws are being followed. It is also important that you restore the reputation of the U.S. attorney system by ensuring that its apolitical, highly-competent nature is restored. “I urge you to immediately adopt the recommendations outlined in the OIG/OPR report as official policies of the Department.” A copy of Senator Salazar’s letter can be found here. ###