In a political twist, former Vice President Dick Cheney is accusing the U.S. Justice Department of playing politics. It’s an odd accusation, coming from an official who believed in using federal agencies to pursue the administration’s political agenda.

Cheney’s accusation arises from a decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether CIA employees illegally mistreated terrorism suspects. Cheney called the investigation “an outrageous political act” aimed at discrediting the Bush administration.

Whether CIA officials should be charged for using harsh interrogation techniques is worth debating. But we can’t let Cheney’s denunciation pass without recalling that he and others in the Bush administration blatantly misused the Justice Department for partisan purposes.

Even before Bush left office, an internal Justice Department investigation called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into political interference in the department under former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. An ongoing probe is weighing considerable evidence that United States attorneys were fired in 2006 for political reasons. E-mail messages and testimony have made it clear that the firings took place after U.S. attorneys showed reluctance to pursue politically inspired prosecutions.

In another memorable case, Cheney’s top aide ”“ Lewis “Scooter” Libby ”“ was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury in connection with some political mischief. Libby’s problems arose from White House retaliation against a CIA agent who was married to a critic of the White House.

The former vice president’s office has also been widely criticized for attempting to silence government scientists and censor scientific reports on the threat of global warming.

So Cheney’s partisan pot-shots at Attorney General Eric Holder fit a familiar pattern. The former vice president sat down for an interview with Fox News Sunday and claimed that the current attorney general was willing to jeopardize national security for partisan political advantage.

Cheney said Holder’s decision to consider criminal charges against CIA investigators who may have abused detainees amounts to “an outrageous political act.” He said harsh CIA questioning was warranted and saved American lives by preventing further terrorist attacks.

But as attorney general, Holder has the obligation to take a closer look at the acts that were performed in the government’s name. According to a CIA report, terrorist subjects were subject to waterboarding, death threats and brutal treatment.

Perhaps an argument can be made that rough tactics were essential to the fight against terrorism. But as attorney general, Holder has an obligation to pursue all the facts so an informed decision can be made.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen Schulze Muszynski or Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535 or kristenm@journaltribune.com or nickc@journaltribune.com.