U.S. Department of Justice Archives - The Arizona Sun Times

Special Counsel Investigating Trump Was Key Figure in IRS Targeting Scandal

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Admin

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate former president Donald Trump’s possession of classified information, was a key figure in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s infamous targeting of conservative non-profits, according to a 2014 report by Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

On Oct. 8, 2010, Smith, then-Chief of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section at the time, called a meeting with former IRS official Lois Lerner “to discuss how the IRS could assist in the criminal enforcement of campaign-finance laws against politically active nonprofits,” according to testimony from Richard Pilger, then director of the section’s Election Crimes Branch and subordinate of Smith’s, to the Oversight Committee. Lerner eventually resigned from the IRS in 2015 following criticism of her targeting of conservative groups when denying or delaying tax-exempt status.

Before FBI Seized Privileged Trump Memos, DOJ Filter Teams Already Tainted by Legal Controversy

August 31, 2022August 30, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The Justice Department’s admission Monday it improperly collected attorney-client privileged documents during a court-ordered search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate was quickly followed by assurances it was no big deal because the department has a process to segregate privileged material.

But that process — known as filter teams or “taint” teams — has itself been tainted by a string of recent legal controversies over the seizure of attorney-client privilege protected materials in other cases.

FBI Likely Briefed White House Before Mar-a-Lago Raid, Ex-FBI Agents Say

August 14, 2022August 13, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The top levels of the Biden administration, including the White House and officials leading the Department of Justice (DOJ), were likely aware of the Mar-a-Lago raid and may have even moved the warrant forward, two retired FBI agents told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Former President Donald Trump announced Monday night that the FBI raided his Florida home, while the Department of Justice (DOJ) had an ongoing investigation into the possible mishandling of classified documents after 15 boxes of White House documents ended up at Mar-a-Lago, according to The Washington Post.

Report: Alzheimer’s Drug Manufacturer Under Federal Investigation for Allegedly Falsifying Research

July 30, 2022July 29, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Pharmaceutical company Cassava Sciences is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly falsifying research, according to Reuters.

The DOJ began investigating the company after it allegedly potentially manipulated the clinical trial data, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The sources did not provide specific information on the focus of the department’s probe and whether the department was investigating any individuals.

Commentary: Justice Department Colludes with Congress to Bolster the ‘Insurrection’ Narrative

June 11, 2022June 10, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

This week produced yet another example of the shameless collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice, the Democratic Party, and the national news media to destroy Donald Trump and everyone around him. The ink was barely dry on the not guilty verdict for Michael Sussmann, just one of many figures who acted as a pass-through between Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the FBI to manufacture the Russia collusion hoax, before the same players were up to their old tricks.

Members of the January 6 select committee blanketed the Sunday news programs last weekend promising bombshell revelations would shake the nation during a primetime hearing Thursday night. Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told CBS News’ Robert Costa the committee would present findings to show an “extremely broad . . . extremely well-organized” conspiracy to overthrow the government that day. What the committee uncovered related to the alleged conspiracy, Cheney warned, is “really chilling.’

Federal Judge Blasts DOJ for False Account of Kamala Harris’ Whereabouts on January 6

February 12, 2022February 11, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

A D.C. District Court judge overseeing numerous Capitol protest cases today accused the Justice Department of repeatedly falsifying the location of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the afternoon of January 6, 2021.

Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, openly doubted the validity of trespassing charges against Nicholas Rodean, indicted last March on several counts for his participation in the protest on Capitol Hill.

Authorities Charge Chinese Telecom Company with Stealing Trade Secrets

February 9, 2022February 8, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Federal authorities charged China-based telecommunications firm Hytera Communications with conspiring to steal trade secrets from a U.S. company, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday.

Hytera allegedly recruited employees from U.S. telecommunications company Motorola to steal digital mobile radio (DMR) technology, according to an indictment unsealed Monday. The Chinese company then allegedly used Motorola’s technology to accelerate the development of its own DMR products, the DOJ announced.

Steve Bannon Files Motion to Make Public All Documents in Contempt Case

November 28, 2021November 27, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Steve Bannon is pushing for documents related to his current contempt-of-Congress case to be released publicly, according to a new report.

The 67-year-old former Trump adviser’s attorneys have filed an opposition to the U.S. district court’s protective order for discovery, which would prevent both the defense and the prosecution from releasing evidence or documents to the public.

Commentary: Christopher Steele Is a Product of Corrupt FBI

October 20, 2021October 19, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Just as the special counsel’s investigation into the origins of Crossfire Hurricane—the FBI counterintelligence probe launched in the summer of 2016 to sabotage Donald Trump’s presidential campaign—is showing signs of life, one of the central figures in the hoax is attempting to burnish his sullied image.

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos has produced a documentary featuring Christopher Steele, the man responsible for the so-called dossier bearing his name. “Out of the Shadows: The Man Behind the Steele Dossier,” streamed on Hulu Monday night; promotional clips hinted that, far from a hard-hitting interview exposing Steele for the charlatan he is, Stephanopoulos gave Steele a chance to spin his story ahead of possible new indictments related to John Durham’s inquiry into the Trump-Russia election collusion hoax.

Biden Administration Has Lost Track of 45,000 Unaccompanied Minors Who Entered Illegally

October 19, 2021October 18, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The Biden-Harris administration has lost track of at least 45,000 unaccompanied minors who were brought across the southern border illegally — and President Joe Biden has yet to issue a statement about it.

So far this year, unaccompanied minors arriving at the border have hit record numbers. In June, there were 15,234 encounters with unaccompanied children, in July, 18,958 encounters, and in August, there were 18,847 encounters, according to Customs and Border Patrol data.

Department of Justice Issues Stinging Rebuke of Biden’s Hope of Capitol Riot Prosecutions

October 19, 2021October 18, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The U.S. Department of Justice this week issued a rare and pointed clapback against President Joe Biden after the latter expressed a desire to see prosecutions in connection with the Jan. 6 congressional investigation.

Asked on Friday what should happen to individuals who defy the subpoenas of the Jan. 6 commission, Biden said, “I hope that the committee goes after them and holds them accountable criminally.”

Commentary: The Media Doesn’t Accurately Cover Defensive Gun Usage in America

September 23, 2021 RealClearWire

While Americans know that guns take many innocent lives every year, many don’t know that firearms also save them.

On May 15, an attacker at an apartment complex in Fort Smith, Ark., fatally shot a woman and then fired 93 rounds at other people before a man killed him with a bolt-action rifle. Police said he “likely saved a number of lives in the process.”

Report: Biden Administration to Sue Texas over Heartbeat Act

September 10, 2021September 9, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly plans to sue Texas over the state’s new Heartbeat Act, The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday.

Sources familiar with the matter told the WSJ that the Justice Department may file a lawsuit against the new law, which bans abortions after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected, as soon as Thursday.

Gov. Abbott, Attorney General Merrick Face off over Feds Handling of COVID-Positive Migrants

August 3, 2021August 2, 2021 The Center Square

A legal battle and war of words between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government over COVID-positive migrants being released into Texas communities escalated over the weekend.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas Friday over an executive order Abbott issued restricting the transport of infected immigrants who entered the country illegally being released into the general population.