Questions Surround Govt Funded Abstinence Program

While still at the DOJ, Peterson had recommended that funds be withheld related to an earlier grant awarded to Best Friends because the group had not complied with federal regulations that it report how it was spending taxpayer money. When faced with a possible cut-off of their funding, the group did belatedly comply and provided the information.

And then there was the matter of Best Friends having earlier backed out of a congressionally mandated study on abstinence programs even after it had agreed to participate.

In an inteview with ABC, Bennett said she believed that other federal agencies had denied Best Friends further grants because of its pulling out of the study, conducted by the Mathmatica Policy Research, Inc., of Princeton New Jersey. But Bennett said that Best Friends was justified in pulling out because the "research design changed" after her group first agreed to participate and the new requirements would have placed onerous demands on the schools Best Friends works with.

Despite backing out of the study and the comparatively poor reviews, Best Friends received a $1.1 million grant from the juvenile justice office. They had requested $550,000.

Flores refused to do an on-camera interview with ABC News but in a phone conversation insisted he was not influenced by the group's high level connections and said he chose the program because historically there was not a lot of funding for programs aimed at delinquent girls.

At a recent fundraiser, Elayne Bennett told ABCNews.com that her organization is all about good friendships.

"We're really about positive friendships. And a good, solid friendship is a beautiful thing," she said.

She said of the career Justice Department employees who are now speaking out about their allegations of favoritism: "They say that others are playing politics. But they are doing this because of politics. They don't like the politics of our group and others. That's where that nastiness comes from."

She added: "Inside leaking. You have to be careful of that."