Tag: Trump Justice Department

Why The FBI Investigated Carter Page, ‘Idiot’ Espionage Suspect

The following article by Gene Lyons was posted on the National Memo website February 6, 2018:

Let’s put it this way: if poor, abused Carter Page wasn’t a Russian agent back when Donald Trump plucked him from obscurity to advise his 2016 campaign, he’d definitely done all he could to look like one. Among the many bizarre aspects of Rep. Devin Nunes’ incompetent and dishonest “Top Secret” memo purporting to discredit the Mueller investigation, pushing this odd bird back into the spotlight ranks near the top.

Why did Trump pick Page in the first place? Publicly praising Vladimir Putin as a stronger, more decisive leader than President Obama surely had something to do with it. Trump loves him some Putin. Imprisoning political rivals gives him a thrill. That Putin opponents keep turning up dead in ambiguous circumstances only proves him a manly, decisive leader. Continue reading “Why The FBI Investigated Carter Page, ‘Idiot’ Espionage Suspect”

Trump-FBI feud over classified memo erupts into open conflict

The following article by Josh Dawsey, Devlin Barrett and Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

The Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett analyzes the disagreements between the FBI and the White House over a memo alleging surveillance abuse by the FBI. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The long-simmering feud between President Trump and the Justice Department erupted into open conflict Wednesday when the FBI publicly challenged the president’s expected release of a contentious and classified memo related to the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In a rare unsigned statement, the FBI cited “grave concerns” with inaccuracies and omissions in the four-page memo, which was written by House Republicans and alleges abuses at the Justice Department connected to secret surveillance orders. Trump has told advisers that the memo could benefit him by undercutting the special counsel’s investigation and allow him to oust senior Justice Department officials — and that he wants it released soon, something that could happen as early as Thursday. Continue reading “Trump-FBI feud over classified memo erupts into open conflict”

Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department

The following article by Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman, Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2018:

President Trump on Jan. 24 suggested that he could be investigated for obstruction of justice for his decision to “fight back” against the Russia probe. (Video: David Nakamura/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

On Wednesday, as Republicans were clamoring to make public a secret document they think will undercut the investigation into Russian meddling, President Trump made clear his desire: Release the memo.

Trump’s directive was at odds with his own Justice Department, which had warned that releasing the classified memo written by congressional Republicans would be “extraordinarily reckless” without an official review. Nevertheless, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly relayed the president’s view to Attorney General Jeff Sessions — although the decision to release the document ultimately lies with Congress. Continue reading “Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department”

The Justice Department lacks key leaders, and a Republican senator is threatening to keep it that way

The following article by Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website January 6, 2018:

Nearly a year into President Trump’s administration, the Justice Department lacks Senate-confirmed appointees in leadership posts running the national security, criminal, civil rights and other key divisions. And the problem shows no sign of abating anytime soon. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Nearly a year into President Trump’s administration, the Justice Department lacks Senate-confirmed appointees in leadership posts running the national security, criminal, civil rights and other key divisions. And the problem shows no sign of abating anytime soon.

On Thursday, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed he was implementing new guidance to make it easier for federal prosecutors to pursue marijuana cases in states where the substance is legal, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) accused the Justice Department of trampling the will of Colorado voters and said he would “take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation.”

Already, the department had a dearth of Senate confirmed nominees in leadership positions. While the top three posts are filled, the National Security Division, Criminal Division, Civil Rights Division, Tax Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration and others lack confirmed presidential appointees. A Justice Department official said the delays have been frustrating, particularly in the criminal and national security divisions. Continue reading “The Justice Department lacks key leaders, and a Republican senator is threatening to keep it that way”

Trump’s Anti-Hillary Crusade Could Break the Justice Department

The following commentry by Barbara McQuade was posted on the Daily Beast website January 5, 2018:

There will be severe, lasting damage if prosecutors reopen the Clinton investigation even if it’s only to appease the president.

Credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/GETTY

To be effective, the Department of Justice must be independent from partisan politics.

And, just as important, it must be perceived as independent.

Today’s reporting in The Daily Beast that the Department of Justice is reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email server threatens to undermine that essential virtue.

Federal investigations are based on collection of evidence and legal analysis to determine whether a prosecution is in the best interests of justice. In the case of Hillary Clinton’s email server, FBI agents reviewed emails, interviewed witnesses, and reached the conclusion that no charges were appropriate. Continue reading “Trump’s Anti-Hillary Crusade Could Break the Justice Department”

FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months

The following article was posted on the Washington Post website January 5, 2018:

The FBI is again investigating the Clinton Foundation for potentially giving donors special political access and favors — either resuming or starting a new probe that was once considered dead, according to two officials familiar with the matter. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

The FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months, reviving a probe that was dialed back during the 2016 campaign amid tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents about the politically charged case, according to people familiar with the matter.

The inquiry resumed about a year ago. Agents are now trying to determine if any donations made to the foundation were linked to official acts when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, these people said. The people did not identify what specific donations or interactions agents are scrutinizing.

Word of the investigation comes at a particularly fraught time for the Justice Department and FBI, as it tries to navigate several polarizing issues, including an ongoing special-counsel probe of President Trump and his associates, as well as demands from Republicans in Congress that Clinton be reinvestigated on a host of issues. Among those is the foundation case.

On Friday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) asked the Justice Department to investigate whether a key figure in the special-counsel probe, a former British spy who authored a dossier of allegations, may have lied to the FBI. Continue reading “FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months”

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Says Trump ‘Obviously Doesn’t Mean Every Word in His Tweets

The following article by Matt Kutner was posted on the Newsweek website January 2, 2018:

President Donald Trump does not believe that the “entire” Department of Justice is part of the “deep state,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday, hours after the president suggested he did.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had tweeted, “Crooked Hillary Clinton’s top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others.” Continue reading “Sarah Huckabee Sanders Says Trump ‘Obviously Doesn’t Mean Every Word in His Tweets”

DOJ Trying to Add Citizenship Question to Census: Report

The following article by Justin Elliott was posted on the ProPublica website December 29, 2017:

“This is a recipe for sabotaging the census,” said one. The administration’s stated reason for the controversial move: protecting civil rights.

Census workers Shamar Drew (center) and David Brown (right) on March 30, 2010, in Los Angeles (Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Justice Department is pushing for a question on citizenship to be added to the 2020 census, a move that observers say could depress participation by immigrants who fear that the government could use the information against them. That, in turn, could have potentially large ripple effects for everything the once-a-decade census determines — from how congressional seats are distributed around the country to where hundreds of billions of federal dollars are spent.

The DOJ made the request in a previously unreported letter, dated Dec. 12 and obtained by ProPublica, from DOJ official Arthur Gary to the top official at the Census Bureau, which is part of the Commerce Department. The letter argues that the DOJ needs better citizenship data to better enforce the Voting Rights Act “and its important protections against racial discrimination in voting.” Continue reading “DOJ Trying to Add Citizenship Question to Census: Report”

Justice Department rolls back guidance on fining poor defendants

The following article by David Shortell and Jessica Schneider was posted on the CNN website December 22, 2017:

 

Washington (CNN) — The Justice Department on Thursday rescinded a tranche of agency-issued “guidance documents” that explained and interpreted policy across a range of issues, including a 2016 memo that cautioned courts against the burdensome enforcement of fines for criminal offenders.

The document crunch comes as Attorney General Jeff Sessions has spent the better part of a year reversing Obama-era policies and legal interpretations, aligning the Trump Justice Department with administration priorities of deregulation and a “return to the rule of law.” Continue reading “Justice Department rolls back guidance on fining poor defendants”

Prosecutors ask FBI agents for info on Uranium One deal

The following article by Tom Winter, Peter Williams and Ken Dilanian was posted on the NBC News website December 21, 2017:

On the orders of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Justice Department prosecutors have begun asking FBI agents to explain the evidence they found in a now dormant criminal investigation into a controversial uranium deal that critics have linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton, multiple law enforcement officials told NBC News.

The interviews with FBI agents are part of the Justice Department’s effort to fulfill a promise an assistant attorney general made to Congress last month to examine whether a special counsel was warranted to look into what has become known as the Uranium One deal, a senior Justice Department official said. Continue reading “Prosecutors ask FBI agents for info on Uranium One deal”