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Politics | 02/04/2009 8:15 am

Leslie Hagen, Fired Over Lesbian Rumors, Rehired at Holder DOJ

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

The Justice Department’s already reforming itself in the post-Bush administration era. In addition to Eric Holder’s confirmation this week, the department rehired Leslie Hagen, a woman who was fired over rumors that she was a lesbian.

National Public Radio reports that the DOJ on Monday rehired Hagen at her post at the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. She was fired by the Bush administration last spring – during a time investigators have since found was rife with politicization in hiring practices. A top aide to the attorney general last April heard a rumor that Hagen was a lesbian, and, although discrimination based on sexual orientation breaks department rules, Monica Goodling, senior counsel to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, got rid of Hagen anyway. Goodling also reportedly blocked Hagen from getting other good jobs at the DOJ, as well.

Nowadays, Hagen doesn’t have to worry about getting fired: Her job is now permanent. But she never did receive an apology, and she owes thousands of dollars in attorney fees. What do you think of that reward for exemplary service to her government?!

65 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

kate lynch
Typical, conservative overreaction. Doesn’t matter how well you do your job. Just fire someone on the basis of a rumor.
By kate lynch on 02/04/2009 8:44 am
Lorraine Bates
Even if it’s true, who cares?
By Lorraine Bates on 02/04/2009 9:23 am
Zera Lee
Only those with a sense of honor.
By Zera Lee on 02/04/2009 8:39 pm
Lorraine Bates
A sense of honor? What does that mean? It’s ok to discriminate? That’s not honorable.
By Lorraine Bates on 02/05/2009 5:46 pm
Zera Lee
Sorry Lorraine, I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that nobody should care if someone were fired on the basis of a rumor. Your response to my message suggests that we are actually in agreement here - that there is nothing good or honorable about discrimination. Or firing someone only on rumor, for that matter.
By Zera Lee on 02/05/2009 7:13 pm
Lorraine Bates
So glad we cleared that up! Sometimes words on a page lose something in the translation. Thanks for clarifying, Zera!!
By Lorraine Bates on 02/06/2009 7:52 am
Zera Lee
That’s the down side of communicating by text. It strips away the body language, inflections, and other subconscious components of face-to-face communication. :-( I hope you had a good day, you have brightened mine!
By Zera Lee on 02/06/2009 5:05 pm
Lee Harrison
But this entire story is based on rumors coming from one side. We should hear the rumors from the other side too;-)
By Lee Harrison on 02/04/2009 6:48 pm
Victoria J
You are joking aren’t you? Perhaps the fact that Gonzales, Bush’s former Attorney General cannot find a job today ..reminds us that if you lie down with dogs you get fleas and if those dogs are in the Bush administration, they will refuse to even give you a can of flea spray…how’s that for your loyalty to those bankrupt Republicans,Gonzales?…they dumped you like a $5 _____
By Victoria J on 02/05/2009 1:02 pm
Chrome Toe
wow… i’d never heard about this. that’s nuts. i guess there is some part of me that just doesn’t expect discrimination. i’m always surprised when i hear about something like this. especially at a level of government that you’d expect to be smarter than that.
By Chrome Toe on 02/04/2009 8:55 am
Sherrie Crews
This shouldn’t surprise you coming from the Bush administration CT. The entire reign of that administration was rife with unscrupulous, unethical, unconstitutional and downright illegal practices. I’m sure we only know about the tip of the iceberg too.
By Sherrie Crews on 02/04/2009 9:17 am
Roger from Ohio
shhhhhh we arent suspose to talk about that…. Bush is in the past…. we arent allowed to criticize him any more *snark*
By Roger from Ohio on 02/04/2009 9:52 am
caj p
Glad to hear the woman has been re-hired, all this nonsense about her being a Lesbian and that means what exactly…will her job suffer because of it!! Well, nothing surprises me coming from that administration when they have Larry Craig the bathroom cruiser….or is it alright if you are man and gay but a woman is held to a different standard?
By caj p on 02/04/2009 9:38 am
Grande Camper
Like when does your choose of sex orientation affect you job performance!
By Grande Camper on 02/04/2009 9:42 am
mary lou s
sexual orientation does not affect job performance, and it is not a choice. rumors, by the way, were what brought down this lawyer. it is poor public policy to put rumors in the driver’s seat.
By mary lou s on 02/04/2009 12:57 pm