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Mukasey vows corruption crackdown
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Michael Mukasey vowed anew Thursday
to crack down on crooked politicians and public officials, dismissing
critics who accuse the Justice Department of letting partisan
loyalties interfere with corruption cases.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mukasey's comments came hours after prosecutors charged Puerto Rico's
Democratic-leaning governor in a campaign finance probe that began
more than two years ago.
Additionally, Mukasey said that a multibillion-dollar overseas
contracting loophole that was quietly slipped into Justice Department
plans to protect taxpayers' money "shouldn't happen."
All were part of the attorney general's rhetorical assault on public
corruption, which he called one of his top priorities.
"It's often in the interest of someone to charge politicization
whenever a prominent public figure is investigated or prosecuted,"
Mukasey said during a noontime speech at the Commonwealth Club in San
Francisco. "I find it notable that they make these accusations in the
media, rather than before a court."
Earlier, during an interview with The Associated Press, Mukasey said
corruption has "a cost beyond dollars and cents -- it undermines the
whole idea of government."
Because of corruption, Mukasey said, "people can't have confidence
that government's being done honestly."
The Justice Department has brought numerous corruption cases over the
last several years targeting Democrats and Republicans alike. In 2006,
the latest data available, Justice prosecutors charged nearly 1,200
federal, state and local government employees in public integrity
cases -- a 20 percent increase from a decade ago.
During his speech, Mukasey pointedly spoke of charges brought against
two former Republican congressmen: Randy "Duke" Cunningham of
California and Bob Ney of Ohio. He did not mention charges brought
hours earlier against Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila, who faces
19 counts in a campaign finance probe. Twelve others associated with
Acevedo's Popular Democratic Party also were indicted Thursday.
Other high-profile lawmakers facing Justice Department charges include
Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., in a land scam case, and Rep. William
Jefferson, D-La., for allegedly taking bribes. Also under scrutiny by
the FBI or congressional investigators are at least eight current
House and Senate lawmakers. Democrat Eliot Spitzer resigned as New
York's governor earlier this month after a federal wiretap caught him
arranging trysts with a prostitute.
Part of the Justice crackdown on corruption focuses on waste, fraud
and abuse of taxpayer dollars spent on pricey government contracts. To
that end, Mukasey told AP that the Justice Department is actively
working to have a loophole exempting overseas contracts stripped from
tough new rules to force private companies to report internal evidence
of fraud.
The Bush administration added the loophole after the rule was first
proposed by the Justice Department.
"Our position is it shouldn't happen," Mukasey said. "My understanding
is we are doing whatever we can do at this point to show that we are
opposed to it."
Mukasey took over the Justice Department in November following nearly
a year of turmoil there over whether nine U.S. attorneys and career
prosecutors were hired or fired because of their politics. The scandal
ultimately led to the resignation of the attorney general, Alberto
Gonzales, and Mukasey has been intent since then on rebuilding the
Justice Department's image as fair and independent.
He also sought to quell suspicions over whether the U.S. attorney in
Los Angeles meant to disband that office's cadre of public integrity
prosecutors when he reassigned them to other units. Mukasey described
the move as little more than an office restructuring.
"To take that as a signal that the Central District of California is
out of the public corruption business I think is absurd," Mukasey
said. "I didn't read it that way and ... that's not the life truth of
it."
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Michael Mukasey vowed anew Thursday
to crack down on crooked politicians and public officials, dismissing
critics who accuse the Justice Department of letting partisan
loyalties interfere with corruption cases.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mukasey's comments came hours after prosecutors charged Puerto Rico's
Democratic-leaning governor in a campaign finance probe that began
more than two years ago.
Additionally, Mukasey said that a multibillion-dollar overseas
contracting loophole that was quietly slipped into Justice Department
plans to protect taxpayers' money "shouldn't happen."
All were part of the attorney general's rhetorical assault on public
corruption, which he called one of his top priorities.
"It's often in the interest of someone to charge politicization
whenever a prominent public figure is investigated or prosecuted,"
Mukasey said during a noontime speech at the Commonwealth Club in San
Francisco. "I find it notable that they make these accusations in the
media, rather than before a court."
Earlier, during an interview with The Associated Press, Mukasey said
corruption has "a cost beyond dollars and cents -- it undermines the
whole idea of government."
Because of corruption, Mukasey said, "people can't have confidence
that government's being done honestly."
The Justice Department has brought numerous corruption cases over the
last several years targeting Democrats and Republicans alike. In 2006,
the latest data available, Justice prosecutors charged nearly 1,200
federal, state and local government employees in public integrity
cases -- a 20 percent increase from a decade ago.
During his speech, Mukasey pointedly spoke of charges brought against
two former Republican congressmen: Randy "Duke" Cunningham of
California and Bob Ney of Ohio. He did not mention charges brought
hours earlier against Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila, who faces
19 counts in a campaign finance probe. Twelve others associated with
Acevedo's Popular Democratic Party also were indicted Thursday.
Other high-profile lawmakers facing Justice Department charges include
Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., in a land scam case, and Rep. William
Jefferson, D-La., for allegedly taking bribes. Also under scrutiny by
the FBI or congressional investigators are at least eight current
House and Senate lawmakers. Democrat Eliot Spitzer resigned as New
York's governor earlier this month after a federal wiretap caught him
arranging trysts with a prostitute.
Part of the Justice crackdown on corruption focuses on waste, fraud
and abuse of taxpayer dollars spent on pricey government contracts. To
that end, Mukasey told AP that the Justice Department is actively
working to have a loophole exempting overseas contracts stripped from
tough new rules to force private companies to report internal evidence
of fraud.
The Bush administration added the loophole after the rule was first
proposed by the Justice Department.
"Our position is it shouldn't happen," Mukasey said. "My understanding
is we are doing whatever we can do at this point to show that we are
opposed to it."
Mukasey took over the Justice Department in November following nearly
a year of turmoil there over whether nine U.S. attorneys and career
prosecutors were hired or fired because of their politics. The scandal
ultimately led to the resignation of the attorney general, Alberto
Gonzales, and Mukasey has been intent since then on rebuilding the
Justice Department's image as fair and independent.
He also sought to quell suspicions over whether the U.S. attorney in
Los Angeles meant to disband that office's cadre of public integrity
prosecutors when he reassigned them to other units. Mukasey described
the move as little more than an office restructuring.
"To take that as a signal that the Central District of California is
out of the public corruption business I think is absurd," Mukasey
said. "I didn't read it that way and ... that's not the life truth of
it."
