ALG Editor’s Note: As noted in the following featured commentary by the San Francisco Examiner’s David Freddoso, the DOJ has yet to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request that Americans for Limited Government filed months ago:
King: Has Dawn Johnsen been doing the job she wasn’t confirmed to?
By: David Freddoso
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has written Attorney General Eric Holder regarding Dawn Johnsen, President Obama’s nominee to run the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice.
Johnsen, who once took part in a legal action to punish the Catholic Church for its pro-life stance, and who once compared pregnancy to slavery in a legal argument, has watched her nomination languish due to various senators’ concerns. Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to send Johnsen’s nomination to the Senate floor, but some believe that could be as far as her nomination goes.
King is seeking documents that would show Johnsen has been effectively doing the job at OLC anyway, despite the Senate’s failure to confirm her so far:
“It is alarming that news reports have indicated that Ms. Johnsen has been performing duties prescribed to the Office of Legal Counsel, despite the fact that the Senate has not confirmed her nomination….In order to confirm or dismiss allegations regarding Ms. Johnsen’s violation of pre-confirmation etiquette and potential disregard for the Constitution’s clearly defined Senate confirmation process, I respectfully request that you provide my office with copies of all records of communications between any Office of Legal Counsel officials and Dawn Johnsen regarding personnel decisions that involve hiring, firing, promotion, discipline or any other personnel actions for career and non-career Office of Legal Counsel officials.
“The group Americans for Limited Government requested the same documents in an October FOIA request, which has gone unanswered. Whether Johnsen was doing the job without confirmation is unproven, but the Obama administration’s months-long failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act is undisputed.”
