Senators Urge Bush To Halt Job Shifts

The new career positions included the post of senior public affairs adviser at the Pentagon, the Interior Department's top lawyer in the Rocky Mountain region, two trial lawyer slots in the civil rights division of the Justice Department and two legal positions at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The OPM, which oversees and polices the conversion process, transferred five political appointees to career positions.

In its report, the GAO concluded that administration officials apparently did not follow appropriate procedures in 18 of these conversions and that some workers were not qualified.

A similar GAO study covering the past four years is underway, but analysts are awaiting information from agencies and have reached no conclusions.

While political appointees also burrowed into career jobs under Bill Clinton and other presidents, Jimmy Carter blocked the practice after his loss in 1980 to Ronald Reagan. "I can still remember Transportation Secretary Neil Goldschmidt making the announcement on a teleconference call," recalled Bob Krause, who served as a regional representative for the transportation secretary. "Carter's integrity on the subject deserves recognition."

Staff writer Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.