Justice officials defend handling of political cases

The Justice Department has come under fire after shutting down investigations of Sen. John Ensign and other members of Congress in recent months, with speculation afoot that prosecutors have gotten cold feet about chasing high profile politicians.

In a story this week in The New York Times, Justice officials defended their handling of political corruption cases.

“It’s just not the case that anyone is gun-shy,” said Lanny Breuer, the assistant attorney general for the criminal division. “If a case cannot be brought, it’s because we’ve taken a hard look and made the determination that this case cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. And with all due respect to those outside the department, they haven’t seen the evidence. They don’t know the materials, and we’ve looked at it all.”

The officials declined to discuss specific investigations.

The Times reported that when Jack Smith took over as chief of the Public Integrity Section of the department six months, he reviewed every case and pushed "for a conclusion one way or another."

Ensign announced earlier this month his attorneys were told that Justice was no longer targeting him in an investigation stemming from his extramarital affair with his former campaign treasurer, and his subsequent efforts to help her husband find work as a lobbyist.