Republican Former AG Testifies About Alleged Prosecutorial Misconduct in Justice Department

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October 23, 2007 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh testified that he believes the Department of Justice (DoJ) sought to prosecute a Pennsylvania Democrat for political reasons. He testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and Commercial and Administrative Law during a hearing titled, "Allegations of Selective Prosecution: The Erosion of Public Confidence in Our Federal Justice System." Supporting documents related to all of the cases discussed at today's hearing are available here. Video of a segment of Thornburgh's testimony is available here. Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers released the following statement after the hearing:

"Today we heard compelling testimony from a Republican former Attorney General of the United States describing his deep concern that the Department of Justice has misused its prosecutorial power for political reasons. We also heard a former U.S. attorney recount disturbing facts suggesting that DoJ officials may have overridden the judgments of local career prosecutors for political reasons. Witnesses described investigators who seem to have targeted individuals to find crimes, rather than investigating the crimes initially. And we heard mention of numerous cases from Wisconsin to Mississippi and elsewhere, where individuals have stepped forward to present facts giving rise to fears that justice itself has been compromised - for political reasons. Behind it all, we heard data from a Ph.D. professor showing a massive disparity in investigations and prosecutions of Democrats over Republicans during the Bush Administration.

As we heard their testimony, there are three points we should consider:

First, I have served on this Committee for some time, and I can tell you it is extraordinary to hold a hearing to explore charges that criminal cases may have been politically motivated or interfered with. But these are extraordinary times, and in our oversight of the Bush Administration’s Department of Justice, we keep learning extraordinary things. We have learned that U.S. Attorneys were ranked by high level Department of Justice officials on their political loyalty. We have learned that White House officials, including Karl Rove and even the President himself, passed criticisms of U.S. Attorneys to the Department, including criticisms from local political operatives. And we know that the Administration changed longstanding policies so that hundreds of White House officials were free to speak about criminal cases to dozens of Department managers. With those facts on the table, the Committee finds itself compelled to take a serious look at the serious charges of selective and politically-based prosecution that have been made, not just in the cases we will hear about today, but in numerous cases across the country.

Second, I want to stress that the scope of our inquiry today is narrow. We did not hold this hearing to determine if any particular criminal defendant is innocent or guilty. We did not hold this hearing to second guess litigation strategy decisions made by federal prosecutors. We did not hold this hearing to retry these cases or investigate every claim that federal prosecutors may have acted improperly.

Third, and as I said at the hearing today, it is my great hope that, by airing these facts and pressing for the truth, we are contributing towards the restoration of the Department of Justice and the rebuilding of its proud reputation for fairness and integrity. Many witnesses and members today all spoke eloquently about the importance of this work and the need for robust oversight of the Department -- both looking backward at what has been done in the past and looking forward at what should be done in the future. Once again, I state my hope that all members from both sides of the aisle will join together in this challenging work, which is so important to justice in America and which should not be a partisan matter. All people in this country must be able to trust that criminal prosecutions are based on an unbiased prosecutor’s estimation of the strength of the evidence and the application of the law, and not on someone’s political portfolio."

Source: Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers