Internal DoJ probe covers Gonzales talk with Goodling

The Department of Justice’s (DoJ) inspector general confirmed Thursday that it is investigating a discussion between Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and then-DoJ-White House liaison Monica Goodling.

{mosads}In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Goodling had said the conversation made her “uncomfortable.” In response, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee had asked the inspector general whether the exchange was part of its internal probe of the firings of U.S. attorneys and Gonzales’s role in it.

“The last time an internal investigation at the Department of Justice got too close for comfort the White House shut it down,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in response to the clarification.

“I hope this investigation will not suffer the same fate as the [Office of Professional Responsibility] inquiry into the warrantless wiretapping program,” he added. “This internal investigation is an important step in getting to the truth behind this matter, and they should be allowed to do their jobs without interference from this administration.”

Leahy and Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the panel’s ranking Republican, had jointly asked for the clarification.