At a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, FBI Director Chris Wray faced sharp questioning from Republicans who accused the agency of being "weaponized" against them. Wray, a registered Republican, defended the FBI's actions, saying that it is an apolitical organization and is committed to protecting the rights of all Americans, regardless of their political views.
Posts tagged as “The Justice Department”
The Justice Department has reversed its position on a lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll against former President Donald Trump, saying that Trump was not acting within the scope of his presidential duties when he allegedly defamed Carroll. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2019, accuses Trump of defaming Carroll when he denied her allegation that he raped her in the 1990s. The Department's reversal is based on a jury's determination in a separate civil lawsuit that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll. It is unclear what impact the reversal will have on the case.
A federal judge has granted a delay in the trial of former President Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents, pushing back the first pretrial conference from Friday to July 18. The request for the delay was filed by Trump's attorneys, while the Justice Department had suggested its own proposal for the trial to begin Dec. 11. The criminal case involves the alleged mishandling of sensitive government records by Trump and his co-defendant, and the pretrial conference will involve matters relating to the use of classified material as the case proceeds.
Key takeaways: U.S. Attorney David Weiss denied claims made by a whistleblower that he asked to be named a special counsel in an October meeting.…
David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in charge of the federal investigation into Hunter Biden, has released a letter to Congress clarifying the misperception of a cover-up and to avoid future confusion. Hunter Biden has been charged with two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge, and the outcome of the investigation remains to be seen. Despite the claims of a cover-up, there is very little evidence to substantiate them.
A federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump has denied the Justice Department's request to pause a sweeping ruling preventing many government entities from flagging social media misinformation to the platforms. The ruling prevents top Biden administration officials and several agencies from contacting social media companies, and Judge Doughty stated that those being "censored" suffered far a greater injury than the government. The Justice Department argued that the injunction was too broad, but Judge Doughty rejected this claim, saying that the injunction was narrowly tailored to protect the First Amendment rights of the citizens of Missouri and Louisiana.
Patrick Crusius, the perpetrator of the El Paso Walmart shooting which left 23 people dead and more than two dozen injured, was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences on Friday. The plea agreement took the death penalty off the table, although he could still face it in a separate case. The attack was a stark reminder of the devastating impact of hate crimes and gun violence, and the need for greater efforts to prevent them.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar have written a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a federal investigation into the actions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been accused of luring and transporting migrants from Massachusetts to California and other states. The letter states that DeSantis has been using people as "political props" and that a federal investigation is necessary to ensure that the migrants' rights are being respected. Newsom, Bonta, and Salazar are urging Garland to take action and are hopeful that their request will be taken seriously.