In a hearing now before the House Judiciary Committee, Chairman @RepJerryNadler tells AG Merrick Garland it's not enough "just to right the ship," he must also help the country "understand and reckon with the violence and lawlessness" of the last administration.
"Across the country, state legislatures are restricting the right to vote in service of the most cynical of political motives," @RepJerryNadler says. "Congress owes you... the tools you need to consign these nakedly undemocratic efforts to the dustbin of history."
Rep. @Jim_Jordan says the FBI has opened "a snitch line for parents" and then starts ranting about the Steele Memo.
Rep. @Jim_Jordan attempts to show a video but @RepJerryNadler upholds an objection against it because Jordan didn't provide 48 hours' notice. Now they're all yelling at each other.
It's apparently a video of parents speaking at a school board hearing.
Here's AG Garland's prepared testimony about the #CapitolRiot. Expect questions on the subject from the committee to come.
Noteworthy that multiple Republicans so far have worked criticism of Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate @TerryMcAuliffe into their statements to Garland. What does he have to do with AG Garland or the DOJ? Nothing. But he's in a tight race with Republican @GlennYoungkin.
Rep. @replouiegohmert asks if any of the Capitol rioters who broke the glass in the Speaker's Lobby door (where Ashli Babbitt was shot) were working for the FBI. This is a popular conspiracy theory among those on the right looking to downplay what happened on January 6.
AG Garland tells @replouiegohmert the DOJ is investigating possible civil rights abuses of #CapitolRiot defendants at the D.C. Jail and the Marshals have conducted an inspection. The issue was referred to them last week by Judge Lamberth. Previous story: wusa9.com/article/news/n…
Rep. @replouiegohmert also mentioned another conspiracy theory, which is that police killed Roseanne Boyland. A coroner determined she died of acute amphetamine intoxication. In this video, you can see other rioters trampling her to attack police. wusa9.com/video/news/nat…
On the school board issue, AG Garland says DOJ "is only concerned about violence, threats of violence, against teachers, school board members, staff."
Look, it's nothing new for politicians from both parties to use these hearings as an opportunity to create soundbites, but it's still amazing to me that, given the opportunity to directly question the Attorney General of the U.S., Republicans are just whining about school boards.
School boards, again, this time from Rep. @MikeJohnson. He's repeatedly asking AG Garland whether he has or will seek an ethics review related to his son-in-law's education company. Conservatives think the company sells CRT materials (it doesn't).
Rep. @chiproytx is currently screaming at AG Garland about unverified rumors stemming from an assault in Loudoun County schools (Story here: wusa9.com/article/news/l…).
School boards again from @RepTiffany. He asks if he and his neighbors are "domestic terrorists." Here's the one-page memo all of the Republicans on House Judiciary are performatively enraged about today: justice.gov/ag/page/file/1…
I was hoping at least the Democrats on the committee would prioritize some #CapitolRiot investigation questions for AG Garland, but they haven't, so I'm bailing on this to go back to January 6 court hearings.
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STARTING SOON: The Justice Department will argue the Trump administration did not violate a court order over the weekend by deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members under an invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. wusa9.com/article/news/n…
Chief Judge James Boasberg: "I've called today's hearing solely to perform fact-finding about the government's compliance with my order."
Judge Boasberg says he's not planning on issuing any rulings today.
The DOJ has appealed both his TRO over the weekend and his decision to hold this hearing today -- although the latter, at least, to no avail. DOJ also now wants Boasberg removed from the case.
This hearing has gotten a slow start as Judge Reyes presses both sides to establish some agreed facts. For one, she asks DOJ attorney if the plaintiffs are all fit to serve:
“We don’t dispute that they are all physically and mentally fit to serve under the current policy.”
Judge Reyes: "If we had President Trump here right now, and I asked, ‘Is this a transgender ban?’ What do you think he would say?”
DOJ attorney Jason Lynch: "I have no idea your honor."
Reyes: “I do. He’d say, ‘Of course it is.’ Because he calls it a transgender ban.”
Judge Reyes isn't satisfied with either side's definition of transgender. She says the plaintiffs' is too narrow and runs into the same problems as the Doe 2 v. Trump case from the 2017 transgender ban.
Government's definition she says is too broad and ill-defined.
Changing gears a bit, at 3 p.m. there's now a hearing on a lawsuit filed last night by the foreign service workers union seeking to halt the Trump administration's wholesale dismantling of USAID, which they say has generated a "global humanitarian crisis."
The hearing is getting started. On the government's side is Brett Schumate, the acting assistant attorney general heading up the DOJ's Civil Division.
Schumate says the Trump administration is "unwilling to alter their current plans."
Trump's order pardoned people *convicted* of crimes related to Jan. 6.
Defendants still awaiting trial or sentencing -- the vast majority at the jail -- have not been pardoned. Trump ordered their cases dismissed. That's not going to happen at 11 p.m. on a federal holiday.
The two people apparently released from the jail tonight, the Valentin brothers of Pennsylvania, were sentenced on Friday. Thus, pardoned and released. wusa9.com/article/news/n…
The confusion is understandable. Pardoning is something the president can do by fiat. Dismissing a federal case requires a U.S attorney to file a motion with the presiding judge, who then must grant the motion and order the defendant's release.
STARTING NOW: Rudy Giuliani is back in federal court in D.C. as a judge hears arguments about whether he should be held in contempt for allegedly resuming defamatory statements against two former Georgia election workers. wusa9.com/article/news/p…
Judge Beryl A. Howell starts off by saying she'd hoped, after sitting through the civil trial and agreeing to a consent agreement, Giuliani would "stop saying such fabricated lies. Especially publicly."
Ruby Freeman's and Shaye Moss's attorney, Michael Gottlieb, says it's "implausible" that Giuliani was talking about anyone other than his clients on his podcast.
"Mr. Giuliani knew exactly what he was doing in making these statements," Gottlieb says.
BREAKING: In an apparent first, the DOJ says it will GO TO TRIAL on the newly narrowed Jan. 6 obstruction count.
Federal prosecutors say they believe their case against an Ohio couple can hold up even after the Supreme Court's ruling. wusa9.com/article/news/n…
The DOJ says it will prove Donald & Shawndale Chilcoat intended to obstruct Congress and "critically, they were aware that his proceeding involved records, documents, or other things — specifically the electoral votes that Congress was to consider." wusa9.com/article/news/n…
It's unclear whether Judge Kollar-Kotelly will agree the DOJ's evidence is enough to sustain the charge, or if it will hold up on review before the D.C. Circuit.
But, the DOJ's outline does align closely with how Justice Jackson said it *might* be done. wusa9.com/article/news/n…