Bush Administration Hires 150 Regent University Graduates

The Bush administration systematically hired 150 graduates from Pat Robertson’s Regent University, representing unprecedented ideological capture of federal agencies through a Christian institution with an explicit mission to produce ‘Christian leaders who will change the world.’ Key appointments included Monica Goodling (DOJ White House liaison who illegally screened career positions), Kay Coles James (Office of Personnel Management Director with federal hiring authority), and multiple immigration judges and Civil Rights Division attorneys. Goodling used her position to conduct political loyalty tests asking inappropriate questions like ‘What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?’ and probing views on abortion and gay marriage. The systematic placement violated civil service merit-based hiring principles and approached constitutional boundaries regarding religious influence in government. The DOJ Inspector General found Goodling ‘improperly utilized political affiliation and other political considerations when making hiring decisions for career positions,’ leading to her Virginia State Bar reprimand. The hiring pattern created national security vulnerabilities by rejecting experienced prosecutors for political reasons while favoring less-qualified ideological appointees, representing systematic institutional capture through religious-political screening.