Memo to Justice Department employees: Please don’t solicit prostitutes.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in an April 10 memo that Justice Department employees who “accept commercial sex” undermine the agency’s efforts to combat human trafficking and invites blackmail, extortion and leaks of sensitive information.
“Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery,” Holder wrote in the memo.
Employees who violate the prohibition against solicitation will be subject to suspensions or termination, according to Holder. Managers who fail to report suspected violations will also be subject to discipline.
Justice Department contractors must also abide by the same rules, according to Holder.
“The Department also expects adherence to these standards by its contractors and sub-contractors, grant recipients and subgrant recipients, and cooperative agreement holders, who are subject to all remedies available by statute and regulation when such standards are not met,” Holder wrote.
