REMEMBER LESLIE HAGAN?…. Reviewing the scandalous conduct from the “loyal Bushies” in the Justice Department, one finds quite a few gems, but perhaps none is as striking as the case of Leslie Hagan.
Hagen seemed to be exactly the kind of lawyer the Bush gang would want around. She was a respected lawyer, she had impeccable credentials as a Republican, and her performance evaluations at the Justice Department were outstanding. And yet, in October 2006, Hagan was told her contract with the administration would not be renewed. Apparently, Monica Goodling — remember her? — had heard a rumor about Hagen’s sexual orientation.
That, apparently, was enough. As one Republican official at the DoJ conceded, for some Bush political appointees, being gay is “even worse than being a Democrat.” The Justice Department’s inspector general investigated and found that Hagen was, in fact, passed over based on nothing more than office rumors about being a lesbian. Worse, Goodling, a graduate of Pat Robertson’s college, blocked Hagen from being considered from any position, at any level, in the Justice Department.
I’m pleased to note that the Obama administration is doing right by Hagen.
On Monday, the Justice Department undid a small part of the damage that top officials caused in a scandal of politicized hiring and firing during the Bush administration. The department rehired an attorney who was improperly removed from her job because she was rumored to be a lesbian…. Now, Hagen has returned to her post at the department’s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. […]
Last year, the Justice Department posted Hagen’s old job again. The department conducted a national search. Applications came in from around the country. After several rounds of interviews, Hagen eventually won the job.
The paperwork makes it official as of Monday, Feb. 2. Hagen now has her old position back, but this time it’s a little different. Her contract no longer comes up for renewal every year. Now, the job is permanent.
For the record, Hagen hasn’t received an apology for the discrimination she faced, and she’s hoping the Justice Department picks up the tab for the legal fees she still owes.
