WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The role of former Justice Department liaison to the White House Monica Goodling is being probed by internal investigators to see whether she illegally used political affiliation as a factor in making hiring decisions for some entry-level federal prosecutor positions.

The Justice Department issued a statement saying that the Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility were looking into an allegation Goodling reviewed Assistant U.S. Attorney applicants for offices that were headed by interim or acting U.S. Attorneys and "may have taken prohibited considerations into account during such review."

The Justice Department stressed the investigation is still ongoing to determine whether the allegation is true.

Goodling's lawyer, John Dowd, said he had no comment about the investigation.

Goodling, who worked directly for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, recently resigned after invoking the Fifth Amendment and refusing to testify before Congressional committees investigating the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said Justice Department policy and federal law prohibit the department from considering political affiliation among other things in deciding to hire or not hire an individual applying for a career position at the Justice Department, including the position of Assistant U.S. Attorneys.

Boyd said acting or interim U.S. Attorneys are limited in their authority to hire because they have not been confirmed by the Senate. He said it is a long-standing practice to allow the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in Washington to make hiring decisions in such cases.

Goodling worked in the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys at the Justice Department in Washington prior to moving into the Office of Attorney General as a senior counsel and White House liaison.