WASHINGTON — The Justice Department recently interviewed three lawyers for the delicate job of running the latest government fund for ill Ground Zero workers, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

Ex-congressional staffer Blake Chisam, who last year won a closely watched House ethics trial against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), was interviewed Tuesday by Tony West, head of the Justice Department’s civil division, according to several people familiar with the process.

West also interviewed Sheila Birnbaum, of white-shoe law firm Skadden Arps, and Jay Lefkowitz, a Republican, which may appeal to skeptics in Congress.

One early possibility, Kenneth Feinberg, withdrew from consideration after observers noted that he was already overseeing a compensation program for people affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He ran the first 9/11 compensation fund.