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Justice Department Reopens Warrantless Wiretapping Inquiry That Was Halted By Bush Think
Progress In early 2006, the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) launched an investigation to examine whether information “obtained from the NSA program, as well as whether Justice lawyers complied with the ‘legal requirements’ that govern it.” Just a few months later, the inquiry was shut down because Alberto Gonzales refused to grant security clearances to investigators. Gonzales later suggested to the Senate that Bush made the decision to block the investigation. “The President of the United States ultimately makes decisions about who ultimately is given access,” Gonzales said. The National Journal’s Murray Waas reported that Bush shut down the investigation upon learning that Gonzales “would likely be a focus of the investigation.” OPR’s chief lawyer Marshall Jarrett reported that Bush’s actions were unprecedented:
Now, the AP reports that the Mukasey-led DoJ will reopen the inquiry:
According to the DoJ website, “The objective of OPR is to ensure that Department of Justice attorneys continue to perform their duties in accordance with the high professional standards expected of the Nation’s principal law enforcement agency.” High professional standards were once a threat to the Gonzales-led DoJ. Hopefully, that tide is turning. UPDATE: In a response to an inquiry from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mukasey suggested that the decision to re-start the OPR inquiry had already been made prior to his confirmation. On Oct. 25, Durbin (D-IL) submitted this written question for Mukasey:
On Oct. 30, Mukasey answered, “It is my understanding this issue has already been decided. I have committed, however, to reviewing the over-all circumstances of this matter.” (p.126)
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