Congress probes allegations of politicized hiring « Thread Started on May 7, 2007, 9:52pm » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Congress probes allegations of politicized hiring POSTED: 0152 GMT (0952 HKT), May 7, 2007 From Kelli Arena CNN Washington Bureauread at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05 ... WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congressional investigators are looking into new allegations a top official at the Justice Department illegally hired career lawyers based on their political affiliations.Investigators are focusing on Bradley Schlozman, a former top official in the department's Civil Rights Division, who recently returned to Washington after serving as interim U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Missouri.The Justice Department denies violating federal law, saying an applicant's political affiliation "is not a criterion solicited or considered in the hiring process."The claims have surfaced amid the congressional investigation of the firings of federal prosecutors in eight cities in 2006 -- allegedly for political rather than professional reasons. But Ty Clevenger, a former Justice Department employee, said Schlozman ordered him to remove information identifying him as a Republican from his paperwork when he applied for a job. And Richard Ugelow, a former Justice lawyer, said the department has been hiring "people who have certain political persuasion and only a certain political persuasion" in recent years."That's not healthy for enforcement of the nation's civil rights laws," said Ugelow, who now teaches law at Washington's American University.Rep. Linda Sanchez, the head of the House Judiciary subcommittee investigating the dismissals, said Congress wants to examine the hiring practices at the Justice Department and the civil rights division in particular.