Is Mukasey Serious About Public Corruption?

Here's is something I've learned from my dealings with corrupt Republicans: They invariably view the general public as stupid.

They think they can say the most outrageous things, and nobody will question it. The latest GOPer to try this is U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Harper's Scott Horton, who certainly is no dim bulb, does not let Mukasey get away with it.

Mukasey last week told an audience in San Francisco that he has seen no evidence that the Bush Justice Department allows politics to enter into public corruption probes. This evidently did not go over well with a skeptical audience in California. And Horton tries his best to suppress guffaws.

Mukasey's comments came at roughly the same time the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals was announcing that former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman should be released pending appeal. Horton notes that Mukasey is more than just ignorant of what is going on around him. He is taking clear steps to stonewall any efforts to get at the truth.

To his credit, Mukasey does make this important statement: "A corruption investigation that is motivated by partisan politics is just corruption by another name." In other words, federal crime fighters who conduct their business in this way are themselves committing federal crimes.

But is Mukasey's department serious about attacking public corruption?

I would invite readers to try this little test. Go to the FBI's special Web page for reporting tips about public corruption. Send them a brief message about the Legal Schnauzer case and ask them to look into it. Feel free to send them a link to a post from the blog. This might be a good one from recent days.

See if you get a response from Mukasey's crime fighters. If you do, please let me know. I will be shocked beyond comprehension.