Editor’s note: Should someone wearing a badge have the power to relieve a suspected drug dealer of his Maserati on the spot without giving him an opportunity to flee or liquidate and launder his assets? Known as civil asset forfeiture, this practice might sound like a wise policy. But lawmakers...
Justice Department OKs T-Mobile's $26.5B Sprint Deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators are approving T-Mobile's $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts. Friday's approval by the Justice Department and five state attorneys general comes after Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to conditions that would set up satellite-TV provider Dish as a fourth...
Refusal to Hand Over Trump’s Tax Returns Sets up Legal Fight
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has made it official: The administration won't be turning President Donald Trump's tax returns over to the Democratic-controlled House. Mnuchin told Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in a Monday letter that the panel's request "lacks a legitimate legislative purpose" as Supreme Court precedent...
Barr To Be a No-Show for House Hearing, Stepping Up Tensions
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has informed lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee that he will skip a hearing on special counsel Robert Mueller's report, escalating an already acrimonious battle between Democrats and the Justice Department. Barr's decision — he cites a disagreement over the questioning — came the...
Trump Tried to Seize Control of Mueller Probe, Report Says
WASHINGTON — Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed to a waiting nation Thursday that President Donald Trump had tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president. The report said that in June 2017,...
Rosenstein, a Frequent Trump Target, Will Leave Justice Dept
WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and remains his most visible Justice Department protector, is expected to leave his position soon after William Barr is confirmed as attorney general, a person familiar with the plans said Wednesday. Barr, who served in the position...
Trump Now Says He Has No Plans to Fire Rosenstein
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, delivering a reprieve for the Justice Department official whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks. Trump told reporters at the White House that he had "a very...
Zakaria: Comey’s Book Is About More Than Trump
The best-selling memoir by fired FBI Director James Comey covers a lot of ground that has already been widely explored in the media. But Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria, in his April 19 piece, points to an incident recounted in Comey's book that illustrates the importance of our nation's legal...
Nunes Issues Statement on Russia Investigation Indictments
Indictments were issued today against 13 Russian nationals suspected of criminal interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as part of the Justice Department's special counsel investigation. The Washington Post reports, "The Internet Research Agency, based in St. Petersburg, was named in the indictment as the hub of an ambitious effort...
Nunes Issues Statement on Russia Investigation Indictments
Indictments were issued today against 13 Russian nationals suspected of criminal interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as part of the Justice Department's special counsel investigation. The Washington Post reports, "The Internet Research Agency, based in St. Petersburg, was named in the indictment as the hub of an ambitious effort...