Monica Goodling Update

Monica Goodling is a graduate of Regent University. The school was founded by Pat Robertson. The school has close ties to the Bush administration. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft serves as a "Distinguished Professor of Law and Government." 150 graduates of Regent University currently serve in the current administration.

The Washington Post has a profile of Goodling.

Part of a generation of young religious conservatives who swept into the federal government after the election of President Bush in 2000, Goodling displayed unblinking devotion to the administration and expected others to do the same. When she started at Justice, "no job was too small for her," and as she moved rapidly up the ranks, none "was too large," Corallo said.

"She was the embodiment of a hardworking young conservative who believed strongly in the president and his mission," said David Ayres, former chief of staff to Bush's first attorney general, John D. Ashcroft.

This week, Goodling, 33, became the most prominent federal official to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying before Congress since Lt. Col. Oliver L. North refused to answer questions -- until he received immunity -- during the 1986 Iran-contra hearings.

Goodling, now on an indefinite leave, most recently served as senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and as Justice's liaison to the White House. Her name appears on several e-mails about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are eager to ask her about those dismissals.

It is unheard of for a Justice Department official to refuse to testify to Congress. In fact, it is against their guide lines. The only reason Goodling is still on pay roll is because she is a loyal Bushie.

Goodling's lawyer John Dowd is using the Lewis "Scooter" Libby conviction as the reason Goodling took the fifth. I'm sure Dowd is not trying to suggest his client was involved in political payback to hurt someone's career. That is what both Libby and Goodling have that in common.