Monica Goodling

Monica Goodling was the Director of Public Affairs for the United States Department of Justice, serving under Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales.

At the RNC
In 1999, after graduating from Pat Robertson's conservative Regent University, Goodling "landed a job at the D.C. headquarters of the Republican National Committee just as the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign was ramping up. Goodling’s position put her inside the newly created war room for political opposition research. There, she worked alongside a crew of party faithful who would later shepherd her through the ranks at Justice," T.R. Goldman and Emma Schwartz wrote April 2, 2007, in Legal Times.

At the Justice Department
"Among Goodling's close associates were Barbara Comstock, who was then head of opposition research" for the RNC and "later the chief spokeswoman" for Attorney General John Ashcroft. Comstock and Goodling "helped prepare Ashcroft and Theodore Olson for their confirmation hearings to be attorney general and solicitor general, respectively," Goldman and Schwartz wrote.

In 2001, when Tim Griffin left the Justice Department, Goodling became Comstock's deputy. "When Comstock became Ashcroft’s spokeswoman in 2002, she brought Goodling along as her deputy. Goodling stayed for three years," Goldman and Schwartz wrote. In 2007, Goodling helped Griffin "to win the interim appointment to replace one of the eight ousted U.S. attorneys in Arkansas."

"In spring 2005, Goodling returned to Main Justice, this time in the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, where she worked for Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, who knew Goodling from her days in the press shop," Goldman and Schwartz wrote. "A few months later, she moved into Gonzales' office as a senior counsel and soon took on the responsibilities of White House liaison. In that post, Goodling served as the gatekeeper for the White House for all 400-some political appointees in the Justice Department, from U.S. attorneys and marshals to secretaries."

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

One former Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that "she forced many very talented, career people out of main Justice so she could replace them with junior people that were either loyal to the administration or would score her some points."

Note: In April 2007, Comstock joined former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign team.

Role in the Scandal Over the Firing of U.S. Attorney's
She was involved in the Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy.

Internal Department of Justice emails reveal she played a role in the replacement of H.E. "Bud" Cummins as the U.S. attorney in Arkansas with Tim Griffin, "a protege" of George W. Bush's adviser Karl Rove. In one email from Goodling to Gonzales' then chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, she foreshadowed political problems with pushing Griffin's nomination. "We have a senator prob, so while wh is intent on nominating, scott (Rove's deputy, Scott Jennings) thinks we may have a confirmation issue," she wrote.

On March 19, 2007, Goodling took an indefinite leave of absence.

Background
In 1995 she graduated from Messiah College, which states it is "committed to an embracing evangelical spirit" and aimes "to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society". In 1999 she graduated from Regent University Law School,, which was founded by Pat Robertson and states that it is dedicated to producing "Christian leaders who will make a difference, who will change the world."

"After earning a joint degree in law and public policy in 1999, she worked as a researcher for the Republican National Committee on the Bush campaign, then moved to the Justice Department's press office. She spent six months with the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia," the Washington Post reported in March 2007.

Documents

 * U.S. Department of Justice Document Dump on Monica Goodling, June 21, 2007.

External articles

 * Monica Goodling in the Wikipedia.
 * Ryan Reilly, Gonzales Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson Gets His D.C. Law License," TPM Muckraker, Feb. 28, 2011
 * Alan Cooperman, "Bush Loyalist Rose Quickly at Justice," Washington Post, March 30, 2007.
 * Margaret Carlson, "In White House, Loyalty Never Trickles Down: Margaret Carlson," Bloomberg News, March 30, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "Meet Monica 'Buzz Saw' Goodling," TPMmuckraker, April 1, 2007.
 * T.R. Goldman and Emma Schwartz, "DOJ Official Brings Storm by Taking the Fifth in Gonzales Flap," Legal Times (Law.com), April 2, 2007.
 * Julie Hirschfeld Davis, "Dems Seek to Interview Gonzales Aide," Associated Press (TIME), April 3, 2007.
 * James Rowley, "House Seeks to Question Aide on Fifth Amendment Claim", Bloomberg.com, April 3, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "Dems Press Gonzales on Justice Aide" and "Dems to Goodling: No, Really," TPMmuckraker, April 3, 2007.
 * "Justice Aide Won't Talk To House Panel," Associated Press (CBS News), April 4, 2007.
 * Richard A. Serrano, "No informal interview, key Gonzales aide says," Chicago Tribune, April 4, 2007.
 * Rob Kall, "Jail Monica if She Doesn't Show," OpEdNews, April 4, 2007.
 * "Justice aide refuses to meet House panel on attorney firings. Goodling's lawyers say Democrats acting like Joseph McCarthy," Associated Press (Baltimore Sun), April 5, 2007.
 * "Second Gonzales aide resigns over US attorney flap," Reuters (ABC News), April 6, 2007.
 * "Gonzales aide resigns after saying she won't testify on fired prosecutors," Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), April 7, 2007.
 * Richard A. Serrano, "Another key Gonzales advisor resigns. Monica Goodling, senior counsel to the attorney general, had declined to testify about the firings of 8 federal prosecutors," Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2007.
 * David Stout and David Johnston, "Aide to Gonzales Resigns, Becoming Latest Casualty," New York Times, April 7, 2007.
 * David Johnston, "3 aides to US attorney in Minn. step down. Some associates view act as protest," New York Times News Service (Boston Globe), April 7, 2007.
 * Dahlia Lithwick, "Who's the Boss? How Pat Robertson's law school is changing America," Slate, April 7, 2007.
 * Charlie Savage, "Scandal puts spotlight on Christian law school. Grads influential in Justice Dept.," Boston Globe, April 8, 2007.
 * Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel), "Monica Goodling's Loyalty Oaths. Again," The Last Hurrah Blog, April 8, 2007.
 * Dahlia Lithwick, "Justice's Holy Hires," Washington Post, April 8, 2007.
 * F. Vyan Walton, "TPM: Is This Monica Goodling?" OpEdNews, April 8, 2007.
 * Rob Kall, "Bush's Monica--No Blowjob--Just Screwing," OpEdNews, April 9, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "Secret Order by Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Authority to Aides," National Journal, April 30, 2007.
 * Jason Ryan, "Key Figure in U.S. Attorney's Row Takes the Stand. Ex-Justice Dept. White House Liaison Monica Goodling Testifies Before House Panel," ABC News, May 22, 2007.
 * Michael Roston, "Goodling fails to turn over documents subpoenaed by House committee," The Raw Story, May 22, 2007.
 * Brad Friedman, "Monica in the Morning. Everything Is Unraveling...," Brad Blog, May 22, 2007.
 * Jane Hamsher, "Do the Perp Walk," Firedoglake Blog, May 22, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "Why The Tears?" TPMmuckraker, May 22, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "U.S. Attorney Scandal Enters Whie House Circle," Huffington Post, August 7, 2008.


 * See Monica Goodling's May 23, 2007, Congressional testimony.


 * Christy Hardin Smith, "Not That Innocent," Firedoglake Blog, June 7, 2007.