Tag: Justice Department

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Corruption Crime Justice Department The Trump Adminstration WTF?!

Federal Judge Indicates Rod Rosenstein Is Going To Need A Good Criminal Attorney

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson recently issued a scathing ruling in which she ordered the Justice Department to release a memo from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel which helped support former Attorney General William Barr’s decision not to prosecute failed, one-term former President Donald Trump on charges of obstruction of justice, making it clear that she believed Barr had lied to maintain a narrative that the Mueller report cleared Trump, which it most certainly didn’t.

Judge Jackson wrote:

“The review of the document reveals that the Attorney General was not then engaged in making a decision about whether the President should be charged with obstruction of justice; the fact that he would not be prosecuted was a given.”

Barr had made up his mind prior to receiving the report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller: He would declare that Trump had been cleared by Mueller and urge the country to move on.

But it turns out Barr didn’t pull off his deception alone. Instead, he had lots of help from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Remember Rod Rosenstein? He’s the one who appointed Mueller after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself because he had a conflict of interest. Rosenstein was seen as a steady, reliable man who would do what was right, not what was politically expedient.

However, as attorney Dirk Schwenk points out in a fascinating Twitter thread, Judge Jackson also exposed Rosenstein as a co-conspirator who had better hope he has a good criminal attorney on retainer:

Be sure and read the above tweet very carefully. Rosenstein and Barr had the OLC memo drafted to help cover up a decision the AG made regarding the Mueller investigation: No matter what Mueller found, Trump would be protected at all costs. That was the prime objective.

Barr, Rosenstein, and the Office of Legal Counsel were all in on the fix from the beginning. They would declare Trump exonerated even if Mueller said otherwise. Mueller was used as a pawn in a larger criminal scheme to assure that Trump wasn’t found guilty.

Rosenstein set the cover-up in place; Barr took the ball and carried it over the goal line. The upper echelons of the DOJ were used to protect Trump instead of protecting the Constitution those same Justice Department officials had sworn to uphold.

Rod Rosenstein is a criminal. So is Barr. So are others at the DOJ who were part of the conspiracy. It’s time to charge them and try them in a court of law.

 

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Corruption Crime Donald Trump Ivanka Trump Justice Department The Trump Adminstration

The Trump ‘Inner Circle’ Fears Ivanka’s Connections To Giuliani Mean She’s Next

Those close to the Trump family are nervous, and the move by the Justice Department last week when search warrants were served on former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, reportedly have the Trump “inner circle” terrified that Ivanka, Don Jr., and even the former president are next to get a visit from the FBI.

News.com.au reports that there’s grave concern the DOJ is preparing to make more moves that could have serious repercussions for the Trump family:

“Trump insiders told CNN the raid was orchestrated to send a message to his inner circle, and it had worked, with a sense of fear ignited in those who believed they weren’t in the firing line.

“’This was a show of force that sent a strong message to a lot of people in Trump’s world that other things may be coming down the pipeline,’ one Trump adviser said.

“’I can’t for the life of me think why you would need to send seven FBI agents to go and collect a cellphone and laptop.'”

Also a source of worry is that if Guiliani is facing serious prison time, as former US attorney Preet Bharara has predicted, he will cooperate with federal investigators and tell what he knows about the former president and members of his family, all of whom are part of running the Trump Organization, which is suspected of having committed crimes such as insurance and tax fraud and is under investigation by multiple agencies in the state of New York, where the company is headquartered.

 

Another former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, says it’s ironic that the tactics being used against the former New York City mayor (who was also U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York) are the very same ones Rudy used to go after the mafia:

“And it’s just ironic that the tactics that he created for that office are now going to be employed against him, in terms of making him plead guilty and, certainly, at the least, turning over information about Jared, Ivanka, about Don Jr., about Donald himself, about all of these individuals in that garbage can orbit of Donald Trump.”

Cohen added there’s probably much more evidence that has not yet been revealed by prosecutors but will come to light in due time:

“Who knows what Rudy was involved with. What we’re going to find out is, there are text messages, there are emails, there are different types of communication apps that the FBI knows how to re-establish, even if Rudy, who I don’t think is technological, tried to delete or what have you.”

The raid on Giuliani’s home and office is certain to have Donald Trump worried, according to Cohen:

“He cares about only himself. So, he doesn’t care that they raided Rudy’s home. He doesn’t care that they raided Rudy’s law office. What is it going to do to affect me, is all that he’s thinking right now. What did stupid Rudy do? What did stupid Rudy write? What sort of text messages or emails?

“What sort of stupid things was Rudy up to that’s now going to implicate me?”

The DOJ has indeed rattled the Trumps. And it’s safe to assume they have other moves they haven’t yet made that could be even more terrifying for the former president and his family.

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Corruption Crime GOP Justice Department

Here’s How Merrick Garland Is Becoming Every Republican’s Worst Nightmare

Though he’s only been on the job for a few months, Attorney General Merrick Garland has already made it clear that he plans to start dismantling some of the most disgusting tenets of the Trump administration and run the Department of Justice (DOJ) in strict adherence with the U.S. Constitution.

For example, the DOJ announced recently that it would be restoring the use of consent decrees for abuses committed by police departments across the country:

“In easing restrictions placed on the use of consent decrees, the Justice Department is making it easier for its prosecutors to use the tool to force changes at police departments and other government agencies with widespread abuse and misconduct.”

The DOJ under Garland is also going after longtime Trump stooge Roger Stone, who owes nearly $2 million in back taxes to the IRS. Justice filed suit against Stone demanding immediate repayment of the money he and his wife owe the government, which means that Stone can either comply or face imprisonment for failure to comply.

Those two moves alone are antithetical to everything Republicans have been pushing for the past four years with Trump as president: That police can abuse or kill anyone and get away scot-free and that friends of the Donald are immune to facing any consequences for their actions. Under Trump, the GOP ran roughshod over the rights of anyone who wasn’t on their side while coddling those who supported their neo-fascist agenda of hatred, scapegoating, and grift.

What does this tell us about what to expect from Merrick Garland and the DOJ in the months ahead? Well, consider what remains on the agenda:

  • The conclusion of an investigation into the January 6 Capitol insurrection, which could well result in criminal charges being filed against Donald Trump and his son, Don Jr., along with some Congressional Republicans such as Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley.
  • A second look at the Russia investigation and the release of the full, unredacted report from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller
  • Possible criminal charges against the Trump family, the Trump Organization, and others associated with the Trump corporation.
  • Charges being filed against Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, and other close Trump associates who may have served in the administration, i.e. Stephen Miller.
  • Filing suit against states such as Georgia and Texas that have passed new voter suppression legislation.
  • A return to the rule of law without interference from the White House and in accord with the way things are supposed to be done.

Attention, Republicans: The days of lawlessness that existed for you under Trump are over with. Merrick Garland is going to flush some of you right down the crapper.

 

Categories
Elections Justice Department Voting Rights

DOJ Preparing To Take Action Against Georgia For Their Voter Suppression Law

Now that we once again have a U.S. Attorney General who believes in protecting the Constitution and the rights of all Americans, the Department of Justice is once again working to make sure that all of us have an equal voice in deciding who represents us and makes the laws that govern our nation.

According to multiple reports, the DOJ under AG Merrick Garland is giving serious considering to suing the state of Georgia for the package of voter suppression restrictions that were signed into law Thursday evening by Governor Brian Kemp (R).

CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz reports that President Joe Biden was asked about whether or not the DOJ would indeed challenge voting restrictions in the Peach State:

That’s not all the president had to say on the matter, according to the New York Daily News:

President Biden took blistering aim Friday at Georgia Republicans and suggested they could face Justice Department scrutiny for enacting an ‘outrageous’ law that places ‘Jim Crow’-like restrictions on voting in the critical swing state.

“Biden also told reporters later in the day that Justice Department intervention could be warranted.

“’We don’t know quite exactly what we can do at this point. The Justice Department’s taking a look as well,’ he said.”

A lawsuit has already been filed in Georgia by several civil rights groups. The Justice Department could either join that action or file its own lawsuit to block implementation of the voting restrictions and eventually have them ruled unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

The Biden administration also continues to push for passage of the For the People Act in the U.S. Senate. While Republicans are expected to try and delay a vote on the bill by using the filibuster, it increasingly looks like Senate Democrats will overhaul the filibuster rules so that the voting rights bill can reach the Senate floor for a vote. With the Senate currently divided 50-50 among the two parties, a tie vote would allow Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote that would make the For the People Act the law of the land.

The DOJ needs to fight the Georgia voting restrictions and get them overturned. If Republicans cannot win elections without cheating, then they should disband their party and admit they’re bereft of any real ideology other than repression.

 

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Justice Department Supreme Court U.S. Senate

Justice Department May Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Misconduct By Brett Kavanaugh

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is demanding that the Justice Department and FBI reopen their investigation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, The Guardian reports:

“The FBI is facing new scrutiny for its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh, the supreme court justice, after a lawmaker suggested that the investigation may have been ‘fake.’

“Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator and former prosecutor who serves on the judiciary committee, is calling on the newly-confirmed attorney general, Merrick Garland, to help facilitate ‘proper oversight’ by the Senate into questions about how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.

“The supreme court justice was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford and faced several other allegations of misconduct following Ford’s harrowing testimony of an alleged assault when she and Kavanaugh were in high school.”

Whitehouse’s allegations about the FBI investigation of Kavanaugh drew immediate reaction on social media, where many suggested the justice needs to be examined for all of his prior behavior:

https://twitter.com/everyone_blue/status/1371845863505588233?s=20

https://twitter.com/dambaras/status/1371845591978938376?s=20

If Kavanaugh truly has nothing to hide, he should welcome Sen. Whitehouse’s call for a real FBI investigation. But he won’t.