Attorney General defends Department of Justice

Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke today at a hearing concerning “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” for the House Judiciary Committee. Although Mukasey was never sworn in, he defended the DOJ’s actions over the past few years and spoke about the changes they are making with voting rights, concerns over Guantanamo Bay and other domestic issues.

Mukasey spoke about the changes the DOJ has made with outreach and monitoring, they have been working with civil rights groups and state and local elections officials to identify and solve problems. Also, on election day, the DOJ will deploy hundreds of observers and monitors around the country, so that the American people have confidence in our electoral process.

Mukasey said that “I do feel that it is urgent to address the Boumediene v. Bush case,” because there is an ultimate risk that terrorists could be released in the United States from Guantanamo Bay. Congress and the Executive Branch are in a better position than the courts to create practical procedures and rules to govern the habeas corpus hearings required by the Supreme Court, procedures and rules that would both give the detainees what process they are due and accommodate the grave national security concerns involved, he said.

“We believe firmly in a comprehensive approach to law enforcement in stopping gang violence,” Mukasey said. The U.S. is facing on an international level more organized crime and the U.S. needs to do more, he said. On the issue of prison overcrowding, Mukasey said that federal prisons are handling the situation, but state prisons, especialy on the southern border are severely overcrowded.

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The Washington Bureau will attend a discussion on "Can We Keep Space from Becoming a Shooting Gallery?" held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, along with the Third Annual Washington-Israel Summit held by Christians United for Israel. The bureau will also attend a press conference with Democratic Senators Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) who will discuss the Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act, and cover a conference call by Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) campaign team on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) position in Iraq.

Later in the day, the bureau will attend a speech by Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest and a briefing on "Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities" with former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kan.). A presentation on "From Status Quo to Breaking the Mold: Schools Expanding Learning Time" held at the Center for American Progress will also be attended.

Mukasey dodges bullets

Attorney General Michael Mukasey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing on oversight of the Department of Justice. Mukasey was questioned about past and present ‘politicization’ of the department, openness of the department with its findings, and controversial new criteria he has implemented for launching investigations into suspected terrorist activity.

A barrage of questions from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) proved ineffective. When asked by Schumer whether he would make records from certain cases from the Office of Professional Responsibility available to committee, Mukasey stated that it would depend on evidence. In response to his testimony, Schumer stated that he was very disappointed with the Attorney General’s answers. These sentiments were echoed by other members of the committee.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) criticized the Office of Legal Counsel’s actions, referring to it as ‘George Bush’s Shop of Legal Horrors'. He also called for Mukasey to learn from past mistakes in the deparment.

Mukasey was also questioned about new terrorist investigation criteria. These criteria would allow the department to access information on things like travel records and weapons possession. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WIS) addressed the issue, asking about the limits to which these criteria would go. Mukasey dismissed the questions as dealing with hypotheticals.

Mukasey discusses the global threat posed by international organized crime

Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke before the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) about the challenges the US faces in combating the growing threat of international organized crime.

Mukasey’s speech focused on examining the many different types of threats the US faces, and what our government is doing to combat such threats. Mukasey noted that the enemy we face is constantly becoming more advanced, often using the internet and cyber technology to do things such as launder money and communicate with other criminal groups. He described international criminal organizations as “alive and well,” noting that organized crime groups deal with everything from smuggled cigarettes to manufacturing drugs.

The Attorney General emphasized that the government has been successful in foiling criminal plots in places such as New Jersey and Los Angeles, and talked about how our leaders have communicated with law enforcement agencies abroad to stop more crime from emerging around the world.

Mukasey said that by prioritizing the threats of criminal groups facing our nation (he suggested we worry about the greatest risks facing us first), and by having our governmental agencies share information about crime amongst one another, we can continue to succeed in keeping America safe.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey praised for dedication, grilled on money allocation

This morning, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies under the Committee on Appropriations, heard Mukasey’s testimony on the U.S. Department of Justice’s budget. The 2009 budget request of 22.7 billion dollars “will allow us to accomplish our mission and to focus on several of the priorities I’ve discussed in other settings. These are national security, violent crime, immigration and border security, and public corruption.”

A large portion of the proposed budget is allocated toward the FBI. Mukasey says that there is a “relatively new mission” within the FBI, which is that of intelligence gathering. When asked more specifically about how the money will be used, approximately 280 agents will be hired along with 271 intelligence analysts.

While providing detailed information, at times Mukasey didn’t comment on questions saying he needed to look into them. He was urged greatly by committee members to find the answers they sought, including looking into the allocation of additional funding for border security, especially in Tucson. When challenged that when drug smugglers are arrested and then released for having anything less than 500 pounds of drugs, Mukasey’s defense skirted away from the issue.