Federal investigators are said to be digging into allegations that political appointees at the Justice Department dismissed a career prosecutor because of rumors that the woman was a lesbian, according to NPR. "Several people interviewed by the inspector general's staff described the case to NPR and said they came away with the impression that the Attorney General's office decided not to renew Leslie Hagen's contract because of the talk about her sexual orientation," the network says on its website.
NPR cites internal e-mails that "show that Gonzales's senior counsel Monica Goodling had a particular interest in Hagen's duties" and stripped her of some duties despite glowing recommendations from the woman's superiors.
Goodling served as the former A.G.'s liaison to the White House. She admitted violating federal civil service rules during a hearing into the role that politics played in the removal of nine federal prosecutors.
"The Justice Department's inspector general is looking into whether Hagen was dismissed after a rumor reached Goodling that Hagen is a lesbian," the network says.
See Probe: Did Justice Dept. officials target lawyer because of ...USA Today* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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