A bipartisan group of 11 former senior Justice Department officials has written Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to protest the government’s tactics in investigating corporate wrongdoing, tactics that they see as “seriously eroding” attorney-client privilege.
The letter, dated Sept. 5, adds to a growing chorus of criticism of the aggressive way in which the Justice Department has pursued corporate-fraud investigations since the collapse of Enron in 2001. Signatories to the letter include former Attorneys General Richard Thornburgh and Griffin Bell.
