Tag: u.s. department of justice
Will Trump Get Away With Alleged $10M Egyptian Bribery Scheme?

Will Trump Get Away With Alleged $10M Egyptian Bribery Scheme?

In a Washington Post article published on August 2, reporters Aaron C. Davis and Carol D. Leonnig detailed a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) probe of a withdrawal of almost $10 million from a bank in Cairo, Egypt and its connection to Donald Trump — an investigation that was dropped under the direction of then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Will Bunch examines the Post's reporting in his August 4 column. The article, Bunch argues, raises questions about a larger issue: the threat that bribery and alleged bribery pose to U.S. democracy.

"America's Founders were a little unclear about a lot of stuff — we're still arguing after 233 years about just what the heck they were saying about guns in the Second Amendment," Bunch explains. "But they seemed very adamant about one idea: Bribery is bad for democracy…. It seems pretty clear."

Bunch continues, "Yet over the course of the 21st Century, something has gone awry. A corrupt Supreme Court, aided by a flawed system of criminal justice that gives every possible break to white-collar crooks while cracking down on the underprivileged, hasn't quite legalized bribery, but made it a lot easier to get away with. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton must be spinning in their graves over some of the recent developments."

The columnist emphasizes that U.S. democracy is in trouble if the rule of law is selectively applied.

"The other wrinkle is the recent, abysmal Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity for so-called official acts that would have made Trump's pro-Egypt policies — the quo in this alleged quid pro quo — off limits," Bunch writes. "The next Congress must pass legislation that spells out a president is not above the law."

Bunch adds, "Anyone can talk about making America great again, but that's not really going to happen until we make bribery a crime again."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Bill Barr

Bill Barr Reverts Back To Making Alibis For Felon Trump

More than 40 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alumni, according to NBC News, have signed a letter endorsing presumptive 2024 Democratic Kamala Harris as "the best choice to defeat Donald Trump and lead the nation."

But one former DOJ official who didn't sign that letter is Bill Barr, who served as U.S. attorney general under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump.

Although Barr was highly critical of Trump in 2021 and 2022 and was hoping that someone else would receive the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination, he is now endorsing him — as he believes a second Trump term would be preferable to a continuation of the Biden Administration's policies.

During a Barr appearance on CNN, host Kaitlan Collins asked him to name one thing President Joe Biden has done that's worse than Trump trying to overturn the results of an election that he lost.

Barr told Collins, "I think his whole administration is a disaster for the country" — to which an incredulous Collins said, "Is worse than subverting the peaceful transfer of power?"

When Barr asked, "Did he succeed?," Collins responded, "Only because Vice President Mike Pence stood in the way."

HuffPost's S.V. Dáte, in response to tweeted video of that interview, commented, "Attempted bank robbery is a crime. Attempted murder is a crime. Attempted burglary is a crime. Someone should tell him."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Barr Deputy's Report Debunked 'Unmasking' Accusations Against Democrats

Barr Deputy's Report Debunked 'Unmasking' Accusations Against Democrats

A newly disclosed U.S. Department of Justice's investigatio has determined that members of former President Barack Obama's administration had no interest in revealing General Michael Flynn's identity “for political purposes or other inappropriate reasons.”

According to BuzzFeed, the report is based on months of investigative research on the so-called “'unmasking' of Flynn" who briefly held the position of U.S. National Security Advisor under former President Donald Trump's administration before he submitted his resignation in February 2017. Flynn's resignation came amid scrutiny and questions about the nature of his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US.

Per Buzzfeed: "Republicans later accused officials in the Obama administration of using their positions to reveal anonymized names in classified documents, known in the intelligence community as unmasking, in order to target individuals in Trump’s orbit."

Amid those accusations, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr ordered that an investigation be launched to further assess the allegations. The investigation was conducted by John Bash, who at the time, worked as a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. Although the investigation was closed back in 2020, the report had not been made public.

Bash has made it clear that his "review has uncovered no evidence that senior Executive Branch officials sought the disclosure of' the identities of US individuals 'in disseminated intelligence reports for political purposes or other inappropriate reasons during the 2016 presidential-election period or the ensuing presidential-transition period.'"

Bash further expounded on his findings in the written statement for his report. Although he admitted that he did not see any justification for a criminal investigation into those suspected of being involved in the "unmasking," he also said "he was 'troubled' by 'how easy it is for political appointees of the incumbent administration to obtain nonpublic information about individuals associated with a presidential campaign or a transition team.'”

“There exists a significant potential for misuse of such information— misuse that could be difficult to detect,” Bash wrote. His report recommended that the intelligence community consider implementing “certain prophylactic safeguards for unmasking requests that relate to presidential campaigns or transitions, including a more demanding substantive standard for granting those requests, special notification requirements, and a centralized approval process.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Justice Department Will Not Prosecute Former FBI Director Comey Over Leaked Memos

Justice Department Will Not Prosecute Former FBI Director Comey Over Leaked Memos

Reprinted with Permission from Alternet

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided that former FBI Director James Comey will not be prosecuted for allegedly leaking classified information, Fox News has reported. This comes after South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s assertion that it would be “stunning” if Attorney General William Barr did not proceed with a prosecution of Comey.

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz had referred Comey for a potential prosecution, but an official described by Fox News as “familiar with the deliberations” told the right-wing cable news outlet that “everyone at the DOJ involved in the decision said it wasn’t a close call.” That source, according to Fox News, said “they all thought this could not be prosecuted.”

During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Graham said, “If Bill Barr decided not to prosecute on disclosing the memos, I accept his judgment. I’ve known him for 20 years.” Graham also asserted that if Barr “does bring a charge against Comey,” he would “hate to be Comey.”

Graham, referring to Barr, told Hannity, “I want him to do what he thinks is right by the law and not prosecute anybody if you don’t think the case is there.”

On Wednesday, The Hill’s John Solomon reported that Horowitz was preparing a “damning report” on Comey. But the DOJ, according to the conservative PJ Media, decided not to bring charges against the former FBI director because it didn’t believe there was sufficient evidence to show that Comey intentionally violated the law.

At issue was a memo Comey allegedly leaked that was classified as “confidential.” The memo dealt with a conversation Comey had with Trump after being fired in May 2017 during the Russia investigation. But according to Solomon’s sources, that memo wasn’t classified as “confidential” until after Comey allegedly leaked it.

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