I will die on this hill:
We will not fix our democracy until we start doing criminal prosecutions of the wealthy again. Not just weakly using DPAs and fines
and prosecutions of corporations.
Musk and the hospital execs in the news today must face threats of jail.
No fine will ever break a billionaire— they just pay out some funds and move on. But criminal charges can take down their lifestyle and hold them truly accountable. #musk#doj#trump#indictment
The "missing" #HunterBiden witness the #GOP was promising for a while there was just charged by the #DOJ with being a Chinese spy. #legal
US Attorney SDNY:
U.S. Attorney announces charges against co-director of think tank for acting as an unregistered foreign agent, trafficking in arms, violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, and making false statements to federal agents https://t.co/FRMpiq1bV7
Call me old-fashioned, but if a car kills people at ten times the rate of other cars,
the company covers up the data,
and the CEO lies to the public and says the cars are safer…
👉 1/... "Prosecutors cd bring btw 30-45 addit'l criminal charges against #Trump in coming wks...
#DOJ made preparations to bring what is known as a “superseding indictment”—2nd set of charges against already-indicted defendant that cd incl more serious crimes — against T, & could do so in # of different venues, depending on how prosecutors feel case they have brought against him in #Florida federal court is proceeding...will depend in part on whether they feel #Cannon giving undue deference.."
JUST IN: DOJ sharply rejects push by #Trump for a criminal trial after the election and calls his suggestion that the Presidential Records Act offers a defense to the charges “borderline frivolous.” #TrumpIndictment#legal 1/... https://t.co/2ix2aeUeD5
David Weiss now says the salacious conspiracies were false. With the indictment yesterday of Alexander Smirnov, the source of those false claims, Weiss confesses he is a direct witness in an attempt to frame President Joe Biden, even as Weiss attempts to bury it.
#DOJ is fighting an effort from #Trump’s legal team to reestablish a secure facility in Mar-a-Lago, arguing he would be “the only defendant ever” in a classified #documents case to review evidence in their home.
“Creating a secure location in Trump’s residence — which is also a social club — so he can discuss classified information would be an unnecessary and unjustified accommodation that deviates from the normal course of cases involving classified discovery” #legal
An illuminating and disturbing profile of #JeffreyClark, co-conspirator 4 in #Jan6#TrumpIndictment. Gift access: https://wapo.st/3qj1Gef. Clark would have a good chance of becoming Attorney General were Trump to win the presidency in 2024 - despite his role in subverting the 2020 election and his commitment to destroying any #DOJ independence. 1/ (thread) #LawFedi
I understand why #DOJ wrote the #TrumpIndictment in a way that lauds #Pence but watch out. He’s unpopular among Republicans now, but probably has a good chance against Biden in the general. Yet he’s misogynist, anti-queer, Christian-theocratic who denies the existence of racial inequality in the U.S. He’s also a very wily politician, which makes him particularly dangerous. He literally did the least he could to stand against Trump. How sad that this makes him seem in any way heroic.
The #DOJ reverses itself in #EJeanCarroll v. #Trump — deciding that the former president isn't entitled to Westfall Act immunity after all for his comments while in office. #legal
Via Kyle Cheney:
JUST IN: DOJ declines to stand in for Trump in second Carroll lawsuit, saying he was NOT acting within the scope of his presidential authority when he disparaged her in 2019.
4 months after the #FBI raided #MarALago, Trump’s attys discovered 4 docs marked #classified in his personal bedroom.
That revelation was among several cited by US District Judge Beryl Howell in a newly unsealed 2023 opinion that found prosecutors had presented compelling #evidence that #Trump#knowingly stashed #NationalSecurity docs in his home & then tried to conceal them when the #DOJ tried to retrieve them.
Donald Trump bears responsibility for the January 6th insurrection.
9 federal judges have blamed him.
174 January 6th defendants have said they were following his orders.
The January 6th Select Committee said so in a bipartisan report.
Time for accountability.
With the December 18, 2020 White House meeting back in the news, a reminder of the extraordinary national security concerns surrounding that meeting.
#DoJ Special counsel #JackSmith prosecutors are questioning witnesses about a chaotic Oval Office meeting on keeping Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.
Four conspiracy theorists marched into the Oval Office. It was early evening on Friday, Dec. 18 — more than a month after the election had been declared for Joe Biden, and four days after the Electoral College met in every state to make it official.
Heard folks are posting the hashtag #BidenExonerated in order to totally ruin MAGA's day, lol.
President Biden fully exonerated in classified documents investigation.
#DoJ: Trump’s case was different from Biden’s because Trump “obstructed justice” after being given chances to return classified documents.
“Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Trump allegedly did the opposite,” the report said. “According to the indictment, Trump not only refused to return the documents for months, but he also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then to lie about it.”
"It is not our role to assess the criminal charges pending against Trump, but several material distinctions between Mr. Trump's case and Mr. Biden's are clear.
The #warrant, obtained in Jan, adds a new dimension to the scope of the federal inquiry into #Jan6, 2021.
The court papers, which emerged from an appeal by Twitter challenging the judge’s decision to issue the warrant, did not reveal what prosecutors were looking for….
👀” The #DOJ is preparing to ask a Washington, DC grand jury to indict #Trump for violating the Espionage Act and for obstruction of justice as soon as Thursday, adding further weight to the legal baggage facing Trump as he campaigns for his party’s nomination in next year’s presidential election.” 1/…🪡
This is a remarkable ruling, and not in a good way.
"The judge’s order puts limits on a number of executive agencies with a wide range of responsibilities across the federal government, including the #DOJ, State Department, #HHS, and #CDC. It also names more than a dozen individual officials, including #DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Jen Easterly, who leads #CISA."
JUST IN: #DOJ opposes delay in Fri’s pretrial hearing in #Trump#documents case. Trump’s codefendant Walt #Nauta requested delay because his attorney - Stan Woodward - is in trial this week in DC.
Violation of Section 241, Title 18 "The Stop The Count Scheme"
Experts, have focused on false electors, DOJ pressure, Pence pressure, and Capitol attack.
But there was a #scheme that preceded all these, and #DoJ can charge it. The scheme was the effort to "stop the count" on election night.
Donald Trump was told he would lose by his campaign before the election, he knew early counts would show him leading, he knew he would falsely claim victory before the votes were counted to spread his lies & incite his followers.
In a recording of Steve Bannon speaking to a group from China makes it clear that Trump had every intention of installing himself as dictator & subvert the will of the voters.
Listen to the plan, the #conspiracy to defraud the United States and it's citizens. #TheBigLie
I really hope the #Trump protective order comes through on Friday. There's no way he'll have the self-control to obey it, and we'll be one step closer to locking him up. 🥳
#Texas racist Gov. Greg #Abbott says he won't order the removal of floating barriers from the Rio Grande, defying a request from the Justice Department #DOJ
The #DOJ is investigating whether Rep #CoriBush (D-MO) misused campaign funds for her own personal #security, the progressive lawmaker confirmed in a statement Tues.
“As a rank-and-file member of #Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the #House, & instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services. I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services.”
JUST IN: #CANNON makes explicit that she wants #Trump team ready to address #DOJ's proposed trial schedule, as well as any specific objections to the deadlines laid out by prosecutors.
Unclear whether this will be held under seal. There's no reason it should be, and Cannon is clearly aware of intense national (and international) interest in this. But because of its connection to the hearing on classified procedures (which is typically sealed), it may be. #legal
I just had the time to read #DoJ letter withdrawing Westfall certification for Trump’s alleged #defamation of E. Jean Carroll, that is, concluding he was not acting within the scope of his employment as President when he made the remarks over which Carroll is suing him. The paragraph pictured is a nugget of legal craftsmanship. #LawFedi 1/2
“All three defendants are now charged with altering, destroying, mutilating or concealing an object, as well as a similar crime of corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating or concealing a document or object.” #Trump#TrumpIndictment