**Diceman **and ladyfoxfyre, it’s my understanding that that’s what Congress and the President are pissed about - the inflated grading of the mortgage backed securities that preceded the whole collapse, not the downgrading of the US credit rating. I’ll agree that the timing is suspect, though.
From your own link (why, oh why, don’t people read their own cites?): “it was unclear whether the Justice Department investigation involves the other two major ratings agencies, Moody’s and Fitch, or only S&P.”