Justice Department Investigation Proceeding

The Washington Post reports today that investigators are interviewing key witnesses in the Justice Department U.S. Attorneys scandal. I admit to not having thought about the scandal in a while, but it's important that this is proceeding.

Obviously, firing people because of their political beliefs is a violation of civil service laws. But the scandal was also an example of human resources failure. Monica Goodling was not remotely someone who should have been making decisions about whether U.S. Attorneys were qualified in the first place, given her extremely scant credentials. Obviously, she was sent in there with a mission. But even if she hadn't been, the chances that she'd make a bad decision were greater because of her in experience in both law and human resources. While the political scandal is what's dramatic about this story, the implications for workforce management shouldn't be lost either.