Projo Politics Blog

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will be at Roger Williams University School of Law today to talk about “the need to restore the independence and credibility of the U.S. Department of Justice in the wake of the controversial tenure of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.”

Gonzales resigned after facing intense criticism over what critics said were politically motivated firings of federal prosecutors.

Whitehouse, a Democratic former U.S. Attorney and Rhode Island attorney general who is now a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will speak as part of the university’s celebration of the 220th birthday of the U.S. Constitution. The program will begin at noon in the law school’s Appellate Courtroom 283, 10 Metacom Ave., Bristol

Whitehouse’s speech is titled “Why We Need an Independent Department of Justice.” In a news release, his office said Whitehouse has a bill before the Judiciary Committee “aimed at restoring a critical safeguard against political interference at Justice.”

During the Clinton administration, only seven people at the White House and the Justice Department were permitted to initiate discussions on ongoing cases or investigation, according to the news release. Under the Bush administration, according to the release, more than 40 people at Justice and more than 900 at the White House are authorized “to initiate such conversations.” The Whitehouse bill “would require the Department of Justice and the White House to notify Congress if officials beyond those named in the Clinton-era rule were authorized to discuss pending investigations.”

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