The Justice Department Inspector General is investigating whether Monica Goodling -- a key player in the U.S. Attorney scandal -- fired a career department attorney in late 2006 "because of rumors that she is a lesbian." Despite the fact that the attorney, Leslie Hagen, "received the highest possible ratings for her work," several people interviewed said "they came away with the impression that" she was fired "because of the talk about her sexual orientation." NPR areports that Goodling, who had served as senior counsel to Alberto Gonzales, "had a particular interest in Hagen's duties." One Republican source said, "To some people, that's [homosexuality] even worse than being a Democrat."