By John R. Wilke, Wall Street Journal Online, February 6, 2007

7 Feb 2007 // An ethics watchdog group identified 25 “criminals and scoundrels” from the ranks of the Bush administration, a rogue’s gallery ranging from the former chief of the Food and Drug Administration to officials of the Interior, Defense and Education departments and the Central Intelligence Agency.

The catalog of criminal and civil charges varies widely, from personal pecadillos to serious violations of public trust. Claude Allen, a White House official, admitted to shoplifting and resigned. Lester Crawford, the FDA chief, pleaded guilty to conflicts of interest in his stock portfolio and will be sentenced later this month. Robert Schofield, a top immigration official, sold residency cards to more than 100 illegal aliens, including his nanny. David Safavian, a former White House and government procurement officer, was sentenced for obstruction and false statements in the Abramoff scandal.

The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said it compiled the list from public records and that its subjects were selected based on their position and the level of their abuse of the public trust. The group aknowledges that every adminstration has its bad apples, and the report doesn’t try to compare present levels of perfidy and misconduct with past administrations.

Crew’s director is Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who served as a Democratic staff member on both the House and Senate Judiciary committees. She said some officials named in the report “were allowed to remain in their positions — or were even promoted — despite clear indications they were running amok.”