Tag: Trump Justice Department

Mueller probe indicts 12 Russians with hacking of Democrats in 2016

The following article by Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website July 13, 2018:

The special counsel’s indictment of 12 Russian military officers is a rebuke of President Trump’s many claims that the DNC hack and the Russia probe are a hoax. (Jenny Starrs /The Washington Post)

A dozen Russian military intelligence officers were indicted Friday on charges they hacked Democrats’ computers, stole their data and published those files to disrupt the 2016 election — the clearest connection to the Kremlin established so far by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of interference in the presidential campaign.

The indictment against members of the Russian military agency known as the GRU marks the first time Mueller has taken direct aim at the Russian government, accusing specific military units and their named officers of a sophisticated, sustained effort to hack the computer networks of Democratic organizations and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced the charges at a midday news conference. Mueller, as has been his practice, did not attend the announcement. Court records show that a grand jury that Mueller has been using returned an indictment Friday morning.

View the complete article on the Washington Post website here.

Trump’s Justice Department says the ACA is unconstitutional

The following article by Sam Baker was posted on the Axios website June 7, 2018:

The Justice Department will not defend the Affordable Care Act in court, and says it believes the law’s individual mandate — the provision the Supreme Court upheld in 2012 — has become unconstitutional.

Why it matters: The Justice Department almost always defends federal laws when they’re challenged in court. Its departure from that norm in this case is a major development — career DOJ lawyers removed themselves from the case as the department announced this shift in its position.

The details: The ACA’s individual mandate requires most people to buy insurance or pay a tax penalty. The Supreme Court upheld that in 2012 as a valid use of Congress’ taxing power. Continue reading “Trump’s Justice Department says the ACA is unconstitutional”

Why Is Trump Mad at Sessions? A Tweet Provides the Answer

The following article by Peter Baker was posted on the New York Times website June 5, 2018:

President Trump made a career of firing people on TV. Now, he is expressing his disappointment with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but has not uttered two key words.Published OnJuly 26, 2017CreditImage by Doug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — For nearly a year, President Trump has been relentlessly attacking his handpicked attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation that has so nettled him. And so in that sense, his tweet on Tuesday morning was simply the latest in a long string.

“The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself,” Mr. Trump wrote. “I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined … and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collusion!” Continue reading “Why Is Trump Mad at Sessions? A Tweet Provides the Answer”

Justice Department Won’t Be Extorted, Rosenstein Warns Republicans

The following article by Katie Benner and Nicholas Fandos was posted on the New York Times website May 1, 2018:

Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, said at the Newseum on Tuesday that “there have been people who have been making threats, privately and publicly, against me for quite some time.”Credit: Michael Reynolds/EPA, via Shutterstock

WASHINGTON — After months of conceding to demands from a small group of House Republicans for more visibility into continuing investigations, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, pushed back on Tuesday, declaring that the Justice Department “is not going to be extorted.”

His comment came the day after revelations that several of those Republicans, led by Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina and other loyalists of President Trump, had drafted articles of impeachment to use against Mr. Rosenstein in case the long-simmering dispute with the deputy attorney general boiled over. Continue reading “Justice Department Won’t Be Extorted, Rosenstein Warns Republicans”

Sessions told White House that Rosenstein’s firing could prompt his departure, too

The following article by Sari Horwitz, Rosalind S. Helderman, Josh Dawsey and Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website April 20, 2018:

Credit: Screengrab

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently told the White House he might have to leave his job if President Trump fired his deputy, Rod J. Rosenstein, who oversees the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people familiar with the exchange.

Sessions made his position known in a phone call to White House counsel Donald McGahn last weekend, as Trump’s fury at Rosenstein peaked after the deputy attorney general approved the FBI’s raid April 9 on the president’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. Continue reading “Sessions told White House that Rosenstein’s firing could prompt his departure, too”

Justice official authorized Mueller to investigate whether Trump campaign chair colluded with Russia

The following article by Spencer S. Hsu and Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website April 3, 2018:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III was authorized by a top Justice Department official to investigate whether Paul Manafort, the onetime chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, illegally coordinated with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, new court filings show.

Manafort, who was indicted last year on felony charges related to his work in Ukraine before joining Trump’s campaign, has not been charged with any crimes connected to the presidential race. But a partly redacted memoincluded in court filings late Monday night revealed that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein authorized Mueller to pursue allegations that Manafort colluded with Russia in 2016. Continue reading “Justice official authorized Mueller to investigate whether Trump campaign chair colluded with Russia”

Trump lashes out at Sessions over alleged surveillance abuses 1:43 Trump calls Sessions’ su

The following article by Matt Zapotosky and Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website February 28, 2018:

President Trump on Feb. 28 criticized hi attorney general for his decision to have the Justice Dept. inspector general investigate alleged surveillance abuse. (Reuters)

President Trump on Wednesday lashed out again at his attorney general, questioning why the man he picked as the country’s top law enforcement official was relying on the Justice Department’s inspector general to review alleged surveillance abuses.

In a Twitter message that took some liberties with the facts, Trump wrote, “Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!” Continue reading “Trump lashes out at Sessions over alleged surveillance abuses 1:43 Trump calls Sessions’ su”

Why the public may never learn what Robert Mueller discovers

The following article by Alison Durkee was posted on the mic.com website February 15, 2018:

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign and its potential Russian ties has now entered its 10th month. While millions around the world are waiting eagerly for the next shoe to drop, it’s possible that the information Mueller uncovers may never actually reach the public.

Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia inquiry in March 2017, Mueller’s investigation has been overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who retains the power to fire the special prosecutor. However, Trump has reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Rosenstein, prompting concerns that his job — and Mueller’s, by extension — could be at risk. Continue reading “Why the public may never learn what Robert Mueller discovers”

New poll shows Trump should think twice about his fight with the FBI

The following article by Matthew Chapman was posted on the Shareblue website February 9, 2018:

By a margin of 66 to 24, Americans side with the FBI over Trump.

In the midst of the ongoing Russia investigation, Trump has tried to shield himself in the public eye by attacking law enforcement officials at the FBI and DOJ, insinuating they are part of a “Deep State” plot of Obama loyalists to destroy him.

But a new poll from Marist suggests that is not a fight Trump can win.

According to the poll, if a national conflict pitted Trump against the FBI, Americans would back the FBI by a whopping margin of 66 to 24. For good measure, the poll also finds that, by an 11 point margin, voters want to strip Trump of his GOP House majority. Continue reading “New poll shows Trump should think twice about his fight with the FBI”

No. 3 Official at the Justice Department Is Stepping Down

The following article by Katie Benner was posted on the New York Times website February 9, 2018:

Rachel Brand, the associate attorney general, was widely seen as the most likely successor to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election. Credit Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

WASHINGTON — Rachel L. Brand, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, plans to step down after nine months on the job as the country’s top law enforcement agency has been under attack by President Trump, according to two people briefed on her decision.

Ms. Brand’s profile had risen in part because she is next in the line of succession behind the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel’s inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, who has called the investigation a witch hunt, has considered firing Mr. Rosenstein.

Such a move could have put her in charge of the special counsel and, by extension, left her in the cross hairs of the president. Continue reading “No. 3 Official at the Justice Department Is Stepping Down”