An internal report shows that several Justice Department employees tried to get their relatives and friends hired, violating federal anti-nepotism laws and other rules,
Fox News reported.
The department's inspector general alleges that officials violated the federal nepotism statute at least 14 times since May 2008 when they hired or tried to hire personnel at the behest of a family member, according to Fox News.
"We found that eight different current or former (division) officials, all at either the GS 15 grade level or members of the Senior Executive Service, violated applicable statutes and regulations in seeking the appointment of their relatives to positions within (the division)," a statement from the inspector general's office said, according to Fox News.
The officials identified in the report are not political appointees.
"The attorney general and deputy attorney general have made it very clear to Justice Management Division leadership that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, that the department must maintain a zero tolerance policy and that swift and decisive action must be taken to deal with those involved in these activities," the agency said in a statement, Fox News reported.
The probe was launched after Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia forwarded information he received from a former Justice Department employee which described "collusion" between department employees "to illegally hire each other's family," the inspector general's office said, Fox News reported.
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