Political Jackass

As midterm elections approached last November, federal investigators in Arizona faced unexpected obstacles in getting needed Justice Department approvals to advance a corruption investigation of Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, people close to the case said.

The delays, which postponed key approvals in the case until after the election, raise new questions about whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other officials may have weighed political issues in some investigations. The Arizona U.S. attorney then overseeing the case, Paul Charlton, was told he was being fired in December, one of eight federal prosecutors dismissed in the past year. The dismissals have triggered a wave of criticism and calls from Congress for Mr. Gonzales to resign.

Investigators pursuing the Renzi case had been seeking clearance from senior Justice Department officials on search warrants, subpoenas and other legal tools for a year before the election, people close to the case said.

The Justice Department denied any foot-dragging in the Renzi case. “There was no such delay,” said Bryan Sierra, a spokesman. Mr. Gonzales has said none of the firings of U.S. attorneys was related to corruption cases, and that the department is committed to pursuing such cases. Public-corruption staffing and prosecutions nationwide have increased during his tenure.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), a Judiciary Committee member who has called for Mr. Gonzales’s resignation, said his panel is planning to pursue whether the Renzi case was a factor in Mr. Charlton’s firing. “I’m not saying there’s evidence and I’m not making allegations,” Mr. Schumer told reporters Monday. “But it’s something we should look into.”

Read more at the Wall Street Journal