The Daily Caller has learned that the author behind the recent report from the Department of Justice that targeted five former U.S. attorneys for excessive travel expenses has had, according to our sources, a troubled history in the DOJ and attempted in the past to use her position to smear conservativesâ¦
â¦Tom Fitton, the president of DOJ watchdog organization Judicial Watch, agreed with that sentiment, telling TheDC that his first instinct was that the report was nothing more than a hit job from an âideological and hostile Justice Department that leaked the report.â
New information obtained by TheDC shows that that narrative may be true.
The reportâs author, Maura Lee, began her DOJ career in the civil rights division, but now works in the DOJ Office of Inspector General. Hans von Spakovsky, former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, supervised Lee and told TheDC that he was âastonishedâ when he found out she was the author of the report.
According to von Spakovsky, Lee was âone of the most belligerent, unprofessional lawyersâ he encountered during his time at the DOJ. âBecause of her,â he said, âwe had to completely change our security protocol.â
Another former senior DOJ official who asked not to be named confirmed Leeâs involvement in strategizing to leak information to the Washington Post, saying that she was not a trustworthy person and had major political motivations.
Von Spakovsky described one case where Lee was caught breaking into the e-mail of a colleague, Joshua Rogers, specifically because Rogers was conservative and Christian. âLee was radically left. She made it plain that she didnât like Rogers,â von Spakovsky said.
He went on to call Leeâs efforts at DOJ a âmajor security breach.â