Tag: Trump and Barr weakening American justice

Trump’s solicitor general refuses to tell court why Barr is defending Flynn: ‘Some of it’s not’ public

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The acting solicitor general claimed before a judge that Attorney General William Barr had reasons to intervene in Michael Flynn’s case, but he can’t tell the court.

Jeff Wall, the U.S. government’s top advocate before the Supreme Court, told the District of Columbia Circuit Court that Barr had secret, undisclosed reasons for dismissing the case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser.

A full federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday over whether to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators about his contacts with Russian officials before the inauguration. Continue reading.

Justice Dept. drops support for Michael Cohen gag order, clearing way for tell-all Trump book

Washington Post logoNEW YORK — The Justice Department on Thursday dropped its support for a gag order that would have prevented President Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen from writing his forthcoming tell-all book or discussing it with the media, according to documents filed in federal court Thursday.

The about-face was spelled out in a proposed settlement agreement sent to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. In it, Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Rovner and Cohen’s attorney Danya Perry wrote that there should be “no specific media provision” governing Cohen’s release from prison to home confinement.

Hellerstein has yet to approve the deal. Continue reading.

Former Roger Stone prosecutor to testify DOJ intervened in case for political purposes

Axios logoCareer prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky will tell the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Justice Department leadership intervened in the sentencing of former Trump adviser Roger Stone for political purposes, according to his opening statement.

Why it matters: Zelinsky is one of two Justice Department whistleblowers who plan to testify before the committee about the alleged politicization of the Justice Department under Attorney General Bill Barr.

The big picture: Zelinsky, a former member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, resigned from the case in February after the Justice Department submitted a new sentencing recommendation for Stone, overruling career prosecutors who had requested the former Trump adviser serve seven to nine years in prison for obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. Continue reading.

The Memo: Storm brewing after chaotic Berman firing

The Hill logoShock over the Trump administration’s firing of a top government prosecutor is reverberating across the political world, but not even the president’s foes are confident he will face consequences.

Legal experts — especially those critical of what they see as President Trump’s erosion of the independence of the justice system — are appalled at the firing of Geoffrey Berman in contentious circumstances.

Berman was spearheading a number of investigations that touched on the president and his circle in his role as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Continue reading.

Scoop: House Judiciary prepares to subpoena Attorney General Bill Barr

Axios logoHouse Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is preparing to subpoena Attorney General Bill Barr for his testimony on July 2, a committee spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: The expected subpoena comes after the firing of Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who had been investigating President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

  • The committee’s ranking member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) made reference to the subpoena plans in a letter obtained by Axios.
  • Daniel Schwarz, a spokesman for Nadler, confirmed to Axios that the committee is seeking Barr’s testimony and intends to subpoena him if he does not agree to testify next week.
  • “There’s certain procedural steps that need to be taken if you were going to send a subpoena, but one of them is consulting the minority,” Schwarz said.

Continue reading.