This editorial appeared in The Kansas City Star.
As a top official in the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Bradley Schlozman was supposed to enforce federal laws prohibiting discrimination.
But he appears to have flagrantly violated federal civil service rules and Justice Department policy that prohibit discriminating against job applicants for career positions on the basis of political affiliation, according to a report by two government watchdog groups.
Schlozman's misconduct, which includes vulgar language and ridicule of employees, is another sign of how poorly the department was run by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Schlozman, an Overland Park native, was the interim U.S. attorney in Kansas City for one year, beginning in March 2006. The new report, however, deals with his tenure in the Justice Department in the three years before his work in Kansas City.
Investigators found that Schlozman inappropriately considered political and ideological leanings when hiring and transferring career attorneys in the department. Many of his hires belonged to conservative groups but lacked civil rights or criminal law experience.
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