10:25 AM EDT
Some background on Goodling from today's Washington Post:
"A 1999 graduate of Regent University law school in Virginia Beach with six months of prosecutorial experience, Goodling was among a small coterie of young aides to Gonzales who were remarkable for their inexperience and autonomy in deciding the fates of seasoned Justice Department lawyers, according to current and former officials who worked with the group. She worked closely last year with D. Kyle Sampson, then the attorney general's chief of staff, sifting through lists of US attorneys considered for removal, according to Congressional interviews and Justice Department documents released to the public. Goodling also was central to the department's stumbling efforts to defend its handling of the firings of nine prosecutors, at times by attacking their reputations. She resigned in April.
"Goodling had been a divisive figure at the Justice Department since she arrived in early 2002, gaining a reputation for having a mercurial temperament and being prickly toward career employees, said numerous current and former officials who worked with her. Goodling and Sampson 'knew politics, not law,' said Bruce Fein, a senior Justice official during the Reagan administration. 'This extent (of) neophytes running the department is highly irregular.'" - William Rivers Pitt
10:35 AM EDT
The hearing began with an eloquent, balanced statement from Conyers regarding its purpose. This was subsequently followed by a statement from Republican member Lamar Smith, who did his best to describe this entire process as a waste of time. We'll see if that happens to be the case soon enough.
Goodling is about to begin, and her attorney has been introduced. It is interesting, by itself, that she has her lawyer beside her for this. - William Rivers Pitt
10:37 AM EDT
Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said the Judiciary Committee has discovered that Monica Goodling did not have any communication with White House Political Adviser Karl Rove or former White House Counsel Harriet Miers related to the firings of US attorneys last year. - Jason Leopold
10:40 AM EDT
I find it rather odd that Chairman Conyers removed all cameras from the well between the witness table and the committee. Having filmed many hearings, and having been in the room of the Alberto Gonzales hearing two weeks ago, I have often witnessed many cameras there. Just two weeks ago, during the Gonzales hearing before the same committee, there were dozens of them. That area is the only place that a camera can get a shot of the witness from the front. I have to wonder if Monica Goodling requested that they be removed.... - Scott Galindez
10:56 AM EDT
Following the opening statements by the chairman and ranking member, there was a procedural move that may have caused confusion to those watching. Chairmen Conyers asked Monica Goodling who put the names of the nine fired US attorneys on the list. Goodling took the Fifth. Conyers then entered a Federal Judges order into the record granting her immunity. This was all procedural. The same question was then asked a few minutes later and she answered the question. - Scott Galindez
11:03 AM EDT
Under questioning from Representative Linda Sanchez (D-California), Monica Goodling said she informed Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty that the White House had been involved in the firings of the US attorneys last year "for several months," but McNulty did not inform Congress of the White House's role during his testimony earlier this year. McNulty resigned his Justice Department position last week. - Jason Leopold
11:05 AM EDT
Goodling is demonstrably nervous, and is speaking at an incredibly high rate of speed. This is dangerous for her; such rapid and wordy replies, given while afraid and under the burden of possible legal consequences, may accidentally cause her to stumble into inaccurate responses.
Thus far, she has attempted to cast this whole issue as nothing more than a straightforward process done by and through others, such as Mr. McNulty and Mr. Sampson. Representative Sanchez pushed her pretty well, as was made clear by the even speedier rate of her responding comments. - William Rivers Pitt
11:09 AM EDT
Goodling testified that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty knew fully the circumstances that led to the installment of Timothy Griffin as US attorney for Arkansas - replacing Bud Cummins - but was not forthcoming with Congress about what he knew during his testimony earlier this year. Griffin was a former Republican National Committee operative and strategist, and counted Karl Rove, the White House political adviser, as a close friend and colleague. - Jason Leopold
11:12 AM EDT
Representative Chris Cannon (R-Utah) is using his time to excoriate John Murtha, reading from a Los Angeles Times article that has nothing to do with the hearing. - Jason Leopold
11:16 AM EDT
Under questioning from Representative Linda Sanchez, Monica Goodling discussed "caging lists." Goodling called "caging" a direct-mail term that is used to separate "good" addresses from addresses that may be "bad." This vague answer side-steps the issue. "Caging lists" have been used to identify registered voters that may be susceptible to voter registration challenges. Once a challenge has been filed, voters have a limited amount of time to prove their identity or risk losing their ability to vote. This technique has been used to disenfranchise minority voters prior to recent national elections. - Matt Renner
11:17 AM EDT
Goodling just told Representative Linda Sanchez (D-California) that part of her experience in hiring and firing interim US attorneys included her tenure as student body president at Regent University. - Jason Leopold
11:20 AM EDT
Goodling admitted that she delayed hiring one US attorney because the individual appeared to be a Democrat, a violation of federal law. - Jason Leopold
11:25 AM EDT
Representative Nadler (D-New York) asked Goodling what crimes she was aware of that compelled her to take the Fifth during her previous testimony. She replied that she was aware of no crimes, and took the Fifth because of the "ambiguity" of the matter before the committee. McNulty continues to be raised by Goodling as a main player in this. - William Rivers Pitt
11:36 AM EDT
Under questioning from Representative Linda Sanchez, Goodling admitted that political-party affiliation influenced her decision-making when she was in charge of hiring new assistant US attorneys. Sanchez asked her about a specific case where she delayed the hiring of an applicant for a prosecutor position in the office of Jeffrey Taylor, the US attorney for Washington, DC. Press reports quote Goodling calling the applicant a "liberal, Democratic type" based on his resume. The following dialog ensued in response:
Goodling: I made a snap judgment and I regret it. Sanchez: How many applicants did you block or delay on the basis of what their political leanings might have been? Goodling: I wouldn't be able to give you a number ... but I want to be honest. There were cases when I looked at resumes and I thought ... you know ... I don't know if this is the person the new US attorney would want to hire.... - Matt Renner
11:40 AM EDT
Representative Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) is asking the toughest questions to date. He challenged Goodling on the legality of hiring and firing DOJ officers based on political affiliation, and her high-speed replies slowed down considerably. She tried to talk around the nub of his questioning with responses like, "I know I crossed the line." Representative Scott did not let this stand, however, and asked: "Which line? The rules or the laws?" - William Rivers Pitt
11:46 AM EDT
It seems clear that Monica Goodling invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege, at least in part, because she violated the law by taking political affiliations into consideration in her hiring procedures. Under questioning from Representative Bobby Scott, she admitted that her actions violated the "rules." - Matt Renner
11:52 AM EDT
Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee continue to view the US attorney scandal as a partisan fishing expedition spearheaded by Democrats. GOP committee members have so far used their allotted time for questioning Goodling to state that the scandal doesn't have legs, and have asked Goodling leading questions in which her responses support their opinions that the scandal is much ado about nothing. - Jason Leopold
11:52 AM EDT
Monica Goodling just testified that she requested a US attorney from North Carolina be removed from the list for "bending over backwards for attorney general business." She went on to explain that one thing they requested was the writing of Op/Eds at the the administration's request. Is the writing of Op/Eds to support administration positions something that US attorneys should be doing? - Scott Galindez
11:55 AM EDT
CNN's "Breaking News" broadcast a few moments ago described Goodling's admission - that politics played a large role in the hiring and firing of USAGs - as a "bombshell." - William Rivers Pitt
12:00 PM EDT
Goodling has admitted to using a political "litmus test" to hire political appointees at the Justice Department in what appears to be a violation of federal labor laws. So far, Goodling has acknowledged monitoring the political affiliations of several applicants for various prosecutorial positions to ensure that they were wholly Republican applicants. - Jason Leopold
12:04 PM EDT
The committee is in recess. - Victoria Harper
12:23 PM EDT
Under questioning from Representative Bob Goodlatte about the possibility that Goodling or other DOJ witnesses intended to mislead Congress, Goodling gave this answer: "... different people had forgotten different things.... It just snow-balled into a not-good situation." - Matt Renner
12:27 PM EDT
Representative Lee (D-Texas) just demanded that White House Political Adviser Karl Rove be brought before this committee for testimony. She said, in short, that the facts of this matter won't be fully revealed until he is made to testify. - William Rivers Pitt
12:31 PM EDT
Goodling said she "doesn't remember" receiving emails from Karl Rove, the current White House political adviser, but she clearly recalls receiving emails from former White House Counsel Harriet Miers regarding the plan to fire US attorneys. - Jason Leopold
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