http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/opinion/20thu3.html?_r=1&th&emc=thPublished: November 19, 2008
The Justice Department has reportedly agreed to hire a private attorney to represent Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, in a federal lawsuit that accuses him of politicized hiring.
What is clearly inappropriate is the department’s refusal to make the arrangement public.
When Justice Department officials are sued in connection with their jobs, they are often represented by lawyers from the department’s civil division. But according to a McClatchy Newspapers report, the department has decided to pay for a private lawyer to represent Mr. Gonzales in a civil lawsuit filed by eight law students. They are accusing Mr. Gonzales and other department officials of discriminating against job applicants who were thought to be liberal.