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Blog Entry from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Scott Bloch says the Dept. of Justice is blocking his investigation

CREW never thought Scott Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel, was the right person to lead the investigation involving the Bush administration -- including the firings of the U.S. Attorneys.  Bloch has his own ethical issues.

But, Bloch is being blocked by the Department of Justice according to a report in today's Los Angeles Times:

The government agency that enforces one of the principal laws aimed at keeping politics out of the civil service has accused the Justice Department of blocking its investigation into alleged politicizing of the department under former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.

Scott J. Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, wrote Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey last week that the department had repeatedly "impeded" his investigation by refusing to share documents and provide answers to written questions, according to a copy of Bloch's letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

The Justice Department wants Bloch to wait until its own internal investigation is completed. A department official signaled recently that the investigation is examining the possibility of criminal charges.

But that, the regulator wrote, could take until the last months of the Bush administration, "when there is little hope of any corrective measures or discipline possible" being taken by his office.

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