Justice Official: "Pinkos" Need Not Apply

Written by CBS News investigative producer Laura Strickler.

A scathing new report by the Justice Department watchdog charges the former head of the Civil Rights division, Bradley Schlozman, campaigned to purge the department of any "commie" attorneys who were not "real Americans."

"As long as I'm here, adherents of Mao's little red book need not apply," Schlozman wrote in a 2004 email referring to an applicant. And again in 2004, "My tentative plans are to gerrymander all of those crazy libs rights out of the section."

At the Justice Department career attorneys are supposed to be hired regardless of their political beliefs while higher level officials like Schlozman are politically appointed by the current Administration.

In another email, Schlozman joked that Justice officials would name an award after him for "Most Effectively Breaking the Will of Liberal Partisan Bureaucrats" and referred to how much he enjoyed slamming liberal attorneys saying, "bitchslapping a bunch of attorneys really did get the blood pumping and was even enjoyable once in a while..."

The Justice Department Inspector General's report also says the former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division lied before Congress when he was asked by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and other senators about his hiring practices, "Did you ever consider political affiliation or ideology?" Schumer asked, to which Schlozman replied, "I did not."

Schlozman was testifying as part of a series of hearings related to the firing of U.S. attorneys back in 2007.

Schlozman did not return a voice mail message left at his law firm in Wichita, Kansas.

But Schlozman's attorney Bill Jordan says the report is "inaccurate" and points to a lie detector test his client passed regarding whether or not he lied to Congress.

Federal prosecutors declined to file charges against Schlozman.

In 2006, Schlozman was appointed US Attorney to the Western District of Missouri despite having never tried a case. Five days before election day Schlozman indicted four former ACORN workers on voter fraud even though it was clear that prosecuting voter fraud that close to an election was highly unusual. Schlozman says he got clearance to proceed from the Justice Department. Later Schlozman said his office found no evidence of a voter fraud "conspiracy". Civil rights advocates have said voter fraud indictments within days of an election are intended to suppress voter turnout.

Democrats had long accused the Bush Administration of using a politically charged Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice to influence elections.
By Laura Strickler