All articles tagged with #us department of justice
Former attorney general Pam Bondi testified in a closed-door deposition to lawmakers and tried to distance herself from the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting acting AG Todd Blanche bore responsibility and declining to answer questions about Trump’s involvement; Democrats left unsatisfied and hinted at potentially subpoenaing Blanche.
Former President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his private interviews with a ghostwriter assisting with his memoir, arguing release would undermine sensitive information in a probe of his handling of classified materials. The DOJ intends to provide the material to a congressional committee and a conservative think tank (the Heritage Foundation), a move Biden’s suit challenges as arbitrary and lacking legislative purpose.
A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s human-smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego García, ruling it was improperly brought to punish him for successfully challenging his deportation, i.e., vindictive prosecution; the DOJ is expected to appeal, while Abrego García remains under house arrest in Maryland.
Democrats on both sides of Congress introduced bills to tax at a 100% rate any future payouts from a $1.8 billion Trump allies’ “slush fund,” with a 50% penalty for evasion, in an effort to block the fund and recover any disbursed money. The fund, described as restitution for allies who aided Trump and possibly used to pay January 6 rioters, has drawn bipartisan skepticism and calls for transparency and statutory authority from Republicans.
Democrats accuse Trump of orchestrating a $1.7 billion fraud to profit MAGA allies as ABC reports he may drop his $10 billion IRS lawsuit in exchange for a Treasury Judgment Fund payout, creating a controversial fund with little oversight that critics warn could turn taxpayer dollars into a political slush fund.
More than six prosecutors have been demoted or left the Eastern District of Virginia due to fallout from the DOJ’s push to prosecute former FBI director James Comey, leaving the office understaffed and disrupting major cases.
The Justice Department announced 12 new denaturalization cases, escalating the federal effort to strip citizenship from individuals accused of hiding serious crimes and committing immigration fraud, affecting people from 11 countries; critics say the approach is sweeping.
The Justice Department announced it will allow firing squads as a method for federal executions to accelerate capital punishment, citing practical and logistical reasons; the policy could affect inmates on federal death row, such as Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers, as the government seeks to ramp up enforcement of the death penalty.
The Justice Department struck a $17 million settlement with IBM over alleged DEI policies that violated anti-discrimination laws; IBM did not admit wrongdoing. The case is framed as part of a broader DOJ effort to scrutinize corporate DEI programs and could pave the way for further settlements with other companies.
A US judge blocked the DOJ’s subpoenas to the Federal Reserve in the Powell investigation, ruling the subpoenas were primarily meant to pressure Powell to yield on rate cuts and lacked substantive evidence, effectively halting part of the probe and underscoring Fed independence.
The Justice Department publicly released additional Jeffrey Epstein records, including 2019 allegations about Donald Trump, after officials said some files were previously withheld because they were incorrectly coded.
European authorities vow to hold the wealthy and connected to account in the Epstein files, contrasting with the U.S. where the Justice Department is pausing new inquiries; senior Washington Democrats compare potential cross‑Atlantic legal action to America's comparatively muted response, with Prince Andrew's case highlighting the transatlantic scrutiny.
The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, reversing the prior Homeland Security-only review and signaling a broader federal civil rights inquiry, a move spurred by GOP criticism of the initial approach.
Washington Post filed a court motion demanding the return of electronic devices seized from a staff reporter’s home, arguing the search violates First Amendment protections and safeguards for journalists, and risks a chilling effect on reporting.
The Washington Post documents a single day of ICE’s Metro Surge in Minneapolis—the seventh Friday of the operation, the largest immigration enforcement effort in a U.S. city—showing activists scanning for masked federal agents, a deportation case, a child-care worker chasing officers, and a 22-year-old asylum seeker starting a new job, as the crackdown reshapes daily life for many in the Twin Cities; the operation has led to about 3,000 arrests since it began and thousands more affected.