More Department of Justice favoritism: Why are we not surprised?

Some members of the Republican caucus may yell and scream about earmarks — and swear not to pursue them — but behind the scenes the Bush administration is doing a little earmarking of its own. Theoretically, the grant making process in the Department of Justice should be based on merit, not politics. But in reality, well, it doesn't quite work that way:

Justice Department grant process gets Waxman's attention

By Peter Cohn, Congress Daily, March 24, 2008

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is investigating how a Justice Department agency awarded grants in fiscal 2007, when most federal agencies operated with a freer hand under the yearlong earmark moratorium Democrats imposed.

Waxman wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey March 13 requesting a briefing no later than Friday -- and related documents by April 4 -- in response to reports that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded noncompetitive grants in fiscal 2007 to less-qualified applicants.

Citing a recent investigation by the trade publication Youth Today, Waxman noted that in fiscal 2007 the the office awarded a $500,000 grant to the World Golf Foundation, even though its application was ranked lower than 38 other bids in a review done by career Justice Department officials.

The foundation is the parent organization of The First Tee, a popular program among lawmakers with an aim to "promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf" for young people. The group received a $3 million earmark in the fiscal 2008 Defense spending bill last year, which received criticism from conservatives who argued such items demonstrate Congress should not be directing federal funds to local interests.

As the Justice grant indicates, the administration can pick similar winners and losers, and Waxman's letter is more striking because he has sworn off requesting earmarks for his district this year.

Waxman said the situation was brought to light by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., a freshman who complained that a worthy applicant in his district was unfairly shut out of the grant-making process in fiscal 2007. An aide to Walz said his interest was piqued when OJJDP ignored a request to direct money to the National Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University, even though it ranked fourth out of more than 100 applicants in the agency's review.

The rest is here.