Tag: Trump weakening American democracy for personal gain

Trump critics explain why White House purge of Mueller-friendly DOJ elements is ‘retaliation and most likely illegal’: report

AlterNet logoEleven months have passed since former Special Counsel Robert Mueller completed his Russia investigation, but President Donald Trump and his loyalists continue to hold a grudge — and Trump still denounces the probe as a “witch hunt.” Legal reporter Colin Kalmacher, in a February 20 article for Law & Crime, examines the Trump White House’s plans to purge the U.S. Department of Justice(DOJ) of Mueller-friendly elements. And according to some legal voices, doing so is an unethical act of revenge.

Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and former White House ethics attorney under President George W. Bush, told Law & Crime, “This is retaliation and most likely illegal. Some of these investigations are ongoing — meaning this is obstruction of justice.”

Attorney Bradley P. Moss is also troubled by the Trump White House’s purge of Mueller-friendly elements within the DOJ. Continue reading.

Lev Parnas gave House Intelligence recordings of Trump and Giuliani: report

AlterNet logoAs Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives move closer to considering which articles of impeachment could be used against President Donald Trump, one GOP name that continues to come up in connection with the impeachment inquiry is Rudy Giuliani — Trump’s personal attorney, former mayor of New York City, and a strong proponent of the Ukrainian government investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. And the House Intelligence Committee, according to ABC News, is in possession of audio and video recordings as well as photos that include both Giuliani and Trump and could be relevant to the House’s impeachment inquiry.

The recordings and photos were obtained because of a House subpoena of Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who was recently arrested — along with fellow Giuliani associate Igor Fruman — on campaign finance charges. Federal prosecutors allege that Parnas and Fruman illegally  funneled foreign donations to political candidates in the United States, and both of them have pled “not guilty.” Continue reading “Lev Parnas gave House Intelligence recordings of Trump and Giuliani: report”