The Justice Department violated its own rules, and civil service law, when it used a screening process to pick candidates for positions based on their political and ideological leanings, an official audit reported Tuesday.

The investigation into polticized hiring in the DOJ's honors and summer law intern programs was completed by its own Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility.

Both offices also are looking at the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and management problems by Alberto Gonzales during his two years as attorney general.

"The evidence in our investigation -– including the documentary evidence, the testimony of witnesses, and the analysis of the applications of candidates who were selected for interviews and who were deselected by the 2006 screening sommittee –- supports the conclusion that political or ideological affiliations were used to deselect candidates," the report said.

The audit found that the disqualifications "constituted misconduct and also violated the department's policies and civil service law that prohibit discrimination in hiring based on political or ideological affiliation."

Read the full report on the DOJ Web site here.