Schlozman to break silence before Senate judiciary panel

~ The committee chairman said he wants answers about Justice Department hiring practices.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bradley Schlozman, former U.S. attorney in Kansas City for more than a year, faces questions this week from the Senate Judiciary Committee about his role in prosecutions and hiring decisions at the U.S. Justice Department.

Schlozman, who was appointed in March 2006 when his predecessor, former U.S. attorney Todd Graves, resigned. Graves and Schlozman go before the committee Tuesday.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said he wants answers about Jutice Department hiring practices.

"It is deeply troubling that the crisis of leadership at the department allowed the White House and others to wield political influence over key law enforcement decisions and hiring policies."

Using 'litmus test'

The debate surrounding Schloz­man, who has since been replaced, focuses on hiring decisions in Washington and his recent stint as U.S. attorney for Missouri's Western District.

A former colleague, Monica Goodling, recently admitted she "crossed the line" in asking potential hires about their political views and affiliations, questions that can be illegal.

Schlozman is accused of using a similar "litmus test."

A former associate, Ty Clevenger, told McClatchy Newspapers that he once sent Schlozman the name of a friend, suggesting him for a position in the department.

"Schlozman called me up and asked me something to the effect of, 'Is he one of us?'" Clevenger said. "He wanted to know what the guy's partisan credentials were."

Schlozman denied the claims before the controversy ballooned and he was called to testify, saying he had tried to "depoliticize the hiring process."

Robert Kengle, who worked with Schlozman in the Civil Rights Division, said: "Schlozman was never wrong and to even raise that possibility was asking for retribution."

Once hiring questions are addressed, the committee is expected to turn to the motives for Schlozman's appointment as U.S. attorney in Kansas City.

"He's from here," said Pat McInerney, a Democrat who once worked in the U.S. attorney's office. Schlozman was a clerk for a federal judge in Kansas and an intern at the U.S. attorney's office in Kansas City in the mid-1990s.