At DOJ, Democrats bad, possible lesbians worse

A Department of Justice employee may have been fired because of rumors that she was a lesbian, National Public Radio reports. Leslie Hagen was recruited by former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Tom Heffelfinger, who called her the "best qualified person in the nation" for the position of liaison between the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys' committee on Native American issues.

Sources from inside the DOJ say that Monica Goodling pushed to end the employment contract with Hagen, and that rumors that Hagen was a lesbian were the reason she was forced out. As one Republican source told NPR, "To some people, that's even worse than being a Democrat."

Goodling's career in the DOJ ended last year when it became apparent that she hired and fired employees based on their political affiliation. Hagen's dismissal appears to be the first time Goodling terminated someone's employment based on sexual orientation, in this case perceived sexual orientation.

Goodling is a graduate of Regent University, whose founder and chancellor is televangelist Pat Robertson. Robertson's views on gays and lesbians are notorious. He believes that God sends hurricanes to Florida because each year Disney World plays host to Gay Day, and he agreed with fellow televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell when he declared that the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were due, in part, to America's tolerance for gays and lesbians.

Hagen had impeccable performance reviews while at the DOJ. Heffelfinger told NPR that it's "a real loss to the Department of Justice and to the people the department serves when somebody like [Hagen] is removed from a position, especially for no reason."