ReutersWed Nov 14, 2007 3:34pm EST
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Michael Mukasey pledged to evenhandedly apply the U.S. Constitution on Wednesday as he takes over a Justice Department accused of trampling on civil liberties to fight terrorism under his predecessor.
Just days after Mukasey was confirmed by the Senate last week and began work, the Justice Department said it was proceeding with an investigation into a warrantless domestic wiretapping program launched by President George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks.
Many Democrats have called the program illegal and unconstitutional, and a federal court ruling against it was overturned on appeal. But Bush had stalled the department's probe by refusing to grant security clearances for investigators.
The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility told Congress on Tuesday that "we recently received the clearances and are now able to proceed."
A Democratic lawmaker who had called for the probe said its revival would help expose the true story of the secret program's development.
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