Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Obama Justice Department's smearing of Governor Awesome
Last week, the Justice Department released the report of an internal investigation that showed that (while serving as a Justice Department lawyer) Chris Christie had spent an aggregate of about $2100 spread over 23 separate trips in excess of government guidelines. The report found similar violations by other former U.S. attorneys. The Justice Department did not, apparently, release a report that found travel violations among existing employees, a decision that caused more than a few conservatives to wonder whether the Inspector General was playing politics.
Turns out our fears may have been well-founded.
The Daily Caller has learned that the author behind the recent report from the Department of Justice that targeted five former U.S. attorneys for excessive travel expenses has had, according to our sources, a troubled history in the DOJ and attempted in the past to use her position to smear conservatives....
The report’s author, Maura Lee, began her DOJ career in the civil rights division, but now works in the DOJ Office of Inspector General. Hans von Spakovsky, former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, supervised Lee and told TheDC that he was “astonished” when he found out she was the author of the report.
According to von Spakovsky, Lee was “one of the most belligerent, unprofessional lawyers” he encountered during his time at the DOJ. “Because of her,” he said, “we had to completely change our security protocol.”
Another former senior DOJ official who asked not to be named confirmed Lee’s involvement in strategizing to leak information to the Washington Post, saying that she was not a trustworthy person and had major political motivations.
Rarely have I read such a bare-knuckled story, even online. If it is not true, Maura Lee has one heckuva libel case. If it is true, then this looks like an orchestrated political attack by the Department of Justice on a Republican rising star.
Frankly, I find the idea that the Justice Department would unabashedly smear an opposition political leader a lot more threatening to our democracy and civil society than a full-body scan, but maybe that's just me.
5 Comments:
By 
Georg Felis, at
Tue Nov 16, 03:34:00 PM:
I'm shocked, shocked! that the Obama Justice department would use their powers to make partisan political attacks on Republicans. Really. Color me suprised. Amazed even. Wow.
This is an example of the kind of reputation damage that can take decades for a Federal department to fix. And the first "Fix" in this PR disaster-in-the-making should be to fire Lee. Right now. Escorted out of the building, locks changed, passwords frozen and records preserved. The OIG needs a spotless reputation, and Lee is one big huge spot.
By 
, at
Tue Nov 16, 04:27:00 PM:
The report does not name any individuals, but the Associated Press identified Christie as "U.S. Attorney C" in the report, based on a comparison of details in the report and public records of Christie's travel expenses released under the Freedom of Information Act during his campaign for governor.
Sounds like your beef should be with the AP for outing Christie....
By TigerHawk, at
Tue Nov 16, 04:30:00 PM:
Sounds like your beef should be with the AP for outing Christie....
Or, more likely, with the Justice Department official who leaked that point to the AP. I don't think that even I would expect the AP not to report a leak like that. The problem is that the leak occurred.
By , at
Wed Nov 17, 12:42:00 AM:
It is funny, as even this report does not name Christie at all, just Attorney "C".
I caught the attempt via the local PHILA MEDIA to run with it, they went on at length.
The Corzine - Democrats already tried this game on this non story, it flopped.
That is all Democrats do, slander and vilify, while they rob all blind.
Rangel anyone?
By JPMcT, at
Wed Nov 17, 01:05:00 PM:
Ah, I see the DOJ is gearing up for the 2012 election cycle.
Can it come too soon??!!
With retention of Pelosi, Reid and Obama's new clothing still being "transparent", it will be another opportunity for the Republicans to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.
They are as brain dead as the Hollywood producers who are releasing the new Sean Penn movie about Valerie Plame! (I saw the trailer and threw up in my mouth a little bit).
I can't wait for Christie to make one of his inimitable videos about this issue. I have no doubt that he will find the right words to describe our Justice Department in terms that Independent voters and disaffected Democarts can easily understand.
