A Senior Justice Official Speaks Out

In an interview with our Tony Mauro, Daniel Metcalfe, a longtime senior lawyer at the Justice Deparment, says Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has “shattered” the department’s tradition of independence and politicized its operation more than any other attorney general in more than 30 years. Gonzales is slated to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week to provide further testimony in the burgeoning U.S. attorney scandal. Metcalfe, a former career official at the department, retired in January, before the current controversy over the firing of U.S. attorneys erupted. He views the episode as an “awful embarrassment” that has only worsened already-low morale at the department, especially among career attorneys. You can read the complete transcript of the interview here.