Justice Department accused of hypocrisy over ‘executive privilege’

Michael Roston, Raw Story

Alberto Gonzales’s Justice Department has issued legal opinions in recent weeks seeking to bolster the White House’s claims of executive privilege against Congressional investigations. At the same time, a bipartisan group in Congress is fighting what it sees as hostility toward the exercise of attorney-client privilege in federal corporate crime prosecutions.

Advocates of new legislation to preserve attorney-client privilege pointed out the contrast between the Justice Department’s positions in these two areas.

“There’s a certain level of hypocrisy in terms of being willing to infringe on an organization’s or an individual’s right to privilege, but still standing very steadfast and adamant on the administration’s own attorney-client or executive privilege,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, Legislative Counsel in the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office in an interview with RAW STORY.

(Original Article)