Remember earlier this year, when the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) announced that it could not pursue an investigation into the role of DOJ lawyers in crafting the NSA warrantless wiretapping program?  The OPR said it was denied security clearance to conduct the investigation.

Previously, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would not explain why the security clearances had been denied, saying he did not want to “get into internal discussions.”

But in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, Gonzales said President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an investigation of the warrantless eavesdropping program.

In other words, Bush blocked an investigation into his own administration’s possible wrongdoings. 1972, anyone?