Tag: Bill Barr in Trump’s pocket

Trump warns protesters as unrest sweeps America

In cities across the country, protests turned violent as local authorities called for calm.

President Donald Trump reacted to the protests and incidents of vandalism and violence ripping through several American cities by threatening to invoke the power of the federal government and the military, tossing the equivalent of a lighted match into a national uproar over an African-American man’s death at the hands of police.

“Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME!” Trump tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests.”

Mayors have been sharply critical of Trump’s leadership amid the burgeoning crisis that has now spread to some two dozen cities, accusing him of deepening America’s divides. “There’s been an uptick in tension and hatred and division since [Trump] came along,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference on Saturday. “It’s just a fact.” Continue reading.

 

Legal expert stunned as Bill Barr delivers a ‘very strange’ response to DOJ accepting dirt from Rudy Giuliani

AlterNet logoThis Monday, U.S. prosecutors charged four Chinese military hackers over the 2017 cyberattack at Equifax. The hack caused a data breach that involved over 147 million credit reports.

In a press conference in the wake of the charges, Attorney General William Barr gave some opening remarks, then took one question from a reporter regarding recent comments made by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), where he said that Barr told him that the Justice Department “created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it’s verified.”

Responding to the reporter’s question, Barr said the DOJ “has the obligation to have an open door to anybody who wishes to provide us information that is relevant.” Continue reading.

Barr takes control of legal matters of interest to Trump, including Stone sentencing

Barr’s intervention in Roger Stone’s case wasn’t the first time senior political appointees reached into a case involving an ex-Trump aide, officials say.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. attorney who had presided over an inconclusive criminal investigation into former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe was abruptly removed from that job last month in one of several recent moves by Attorney General William Barr to take control of legal matters of personal interest to President Donald Trump, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

A person familiar with the matter has confirmed to NBC News that President Trump has now rescinded the nomination of the U.S. attorney, Jessie Liu, for a job as an undersecretary at the Treasury Department.

On Tuesday, all four line prosecutors withdrew from the case against Trump associate Roger Stone — and one quit the Justice Department altogether — after Barr and his top aides intervened to reverse a stiff sentencing recommendation of up to nine years in prison that the line prosecutors had filed with the court Monday. Continue reading.

Barr acknowledges Justice Dept. has created ‘intake process’ to vet Giuliani’s information on Bidens

Washington Post logoAttorney General William P. Barr acknowledged Monday that the Justice Department would evaluate material that Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, had gathered from Ukrainian sources claiming to have damaging information about former vice president Joe Biden and his family — though Barr and other officials suggested Giuliani was being treated no differently than any tipster.

At a news conference on an unrelated case, Barr confirmed an assertion made Sunday by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) that the Justice Department had “created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it’s verified.”

Barr said he had established an “intake process in the field” so that the Justice Department and intelligence agencies could scrutinize information they were given. Continue reading.

Prosecutors quit amid escalating Justice Dept. fight over Roger Stone’s prison term

Washington Post logoAll four career prosecutors handling the case against Roger Stone, a confidant of President Trump, asked to withdraw from the legal proceedings Tuesday — and one quit his job entirely — after the Justice Department signaled it planned to reduce their sentencing recommendation for the president’s friend.

Jonathan Kravis, one of the prosecutors, wrote in a court filing he had resigned as an assistant U.S. attorney, leaving government altogether. Three others — Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, Adam Jed and Michael Marando — asked a judge’s permission to leave the case.

Zelinsky, a former member of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team, also indicated in a filing he was quitting his special assignment to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, though a spokeswoman said he will remain an assistant U.S. attorney in Baltimore. Continue reading.

Four prosecutors quit Roger Stone case after DOJ sentencing reversal

The Hill logoThe four Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors who recommended Roger Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison left the case Tuesday after top officials sought to reduce their sentencing request.

Prosecutors Michael Marando, Adam Jed, Jonathan Kravis and Aaron Zelinsky all asked the judge in the case for permission to withdraw. Kravis left the DOJ entirely, announcing his resignation as an assistant U.S. attorney.

The four were involved in providing the initial sentencing guidance for Stone. But in a rebuke to the career prosecutors, the DOJ on Tuesday told the judge in the case to apply “far less” to Stone’s sentence. Continue reading.

Prosecutor withdraws from Roger Stone case

The Hill logoA Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor who asked a judge to sentence Roger Stone to between seven and nine years in prison has withdrawn from the former Trump aide’s case after reports that officials would seek to reduce the sentencing recommendation.

The withdrawal by prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky on Tuesday came after the initial sentencing guidance was sharply criticized by President Trump, raising questions about potential political interference in the sentencing of Stone. Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress and witness tampering.

It’s unclear if Zelinsky’s move was done of his own volition. Zelinsky declined a request for comment. Continue reading.