Justice Department to Investigate Its Hiring Process

On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it is expanding its probe to include the departments hiring practices. The statement comes one week after Monica Goodling, an former aide to Attorney General Alberto, admitted to Congress that she asked job applicants questions about their politics.

Goodling also stated that she had considered would be employee's political views and affiliations when hiring for the department.

The Justice Department plans to investigate whether Goodling, and others in charge of hiring, considered politics when making employment decisions. The department informed the congressional Judiciary committee of its intentions in a letter.

The letter was well received by the chairman of the committee, Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont. The committee is helping pilot the investigation in to the allegations against the Justice Department.

According to Reuters Leahy stated: "These are serious revelations that reinforce the need for meaningful congressional oversight."

"It is unacceptable that a senior Justice Department official was allowed to screen career employees and some judicial appointments for political loyalty, and it confirms our worst fears about the unprecedented and improper reach of politics into the department's professional ranks," Leahy stated, according to Reuters.

A congressional investigation is already underway trying to ascertain whether political considerations played a part in Gonzales' dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys. According to Reuters, Goodling made the comments concerning her hiring practices to congress while testifying in the firings investigation.

The situation has caused a furor around the Gonzales with both Republicans and Democrats calling for him to resign. Gonzales has declined to resign.

His opponents have alleged that the firings were made in an attempt to influence criminal probes of lawmakers. Critics of Gonzales have also leveled accusations claiming that the Bush administration played a role in the dismissals.