Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testifying before a House committee in December 2017.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is set to testify next week at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the FBI’s investigation of President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

“Mr. Rosenstein will testify about the new revelations contained in the Horowitz report concerning the FISA warrant applications and other matters,” Chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said in a statement, KTLA5 reports. “This will be the first in a series of oversight hearings regarding all things Crossfire Hurricane and the Mueller investigation.”

Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russia’s meddling in the campaign in 2017.

Rosenstein is expected to be the only witness during the hearing on Wednesday.

George Floyd’s arrest before he died.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

President Trump said Wednesday that he’s urged the FBI and Justice Department to expedite the investigation of an unarmed black man who died while in custody in Minneapolis.

“At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd,” Trump tweeted.

“I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!”

The four officers involved in the incident have been fired.

Protests escalated into violence over the past two days as demonstrators demanded justice for Floyd.

I came back out. This is my neighborhood. You can see flames for a mile and feel the heat from a block away pic.twitter.com/0kmkBqcFZJ

— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 28, 2020

U.S. Capitol

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

The U.S. House of Representatives appears to have a reached a compromise on a bill that would limit when the FBI can collect records on Americans’ internet browsing histories without a judge’s warrant.

Two California Democrats, Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Adam B. Schiff, reached a tentative agreement to limit the FBI’s ability to collect the data during national security investigations, The New York Times reports.

The House may vote on the proposal this week. The bill would still need approval from the Senate.

Details of the proposal weren’t immediately clear. The New York Times wrote:

The text of the compromise amendment was not yet public, but congressional aides said that the proposal essentially limits to Americans the protections of a Senate proposal that would categorically ban the F.B.I. from using a court order for business records to collect internet browsing and search records.

Annual Border Patrol memorial service.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

An annual memorial service to pay tribute to Border Patrol agents who have died in the line of duty will go on despite the coronavirus pandemic.

But instead of attending the Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National U.S. Border Patrol Museum in El Paso, which is closed, you’ll have to watch the ceremony on YouTube, which is live-streaming the service beginning at 8 a.m. MST, according to Border Report.

In the past, the ceremony included agents, families of fallen agents and multiple guests.

This year’s ceremony will be hosted by El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez, and El Paso Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem will be the master of ceremonies. Border Patrol Museum Director David Ham is the keynote speaker.

“The U.S. Border Patrol extends an invitation to members of the community to join us virtually in this important remembrance of the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting America’s borders,” Border Patrol said in a statement.

David Chipman

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

David Chipman knows a thing or two about guns. The Michigan  native worked as an agent and official at the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Detroit and elsewhere for 25 years, enforcing the nation’s gun laws.

These days, he works for the Washington-based organization, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence. The group was founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot and wounded in 2011, and her husband Mark Kelly, a former astrounaut, who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona. The mission is to advocate for sensible gun laws, policies and ways to make communities safer.

Chipman talked to Allan Lengel, editor of ticklethewire and a sister publication, Deadline Detroit, about the influence of guns rights groups like the NRA and what it will take in Washington to make notable inroads against gun violence.

Drug money seized in a Los Angeles bust, via DEA.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the illegal drug trade, costing cartels million of dollars.

In the first week of March, law enforcement seized $10 million in cash, more than twice the amount seized during the same period last year, NBC News reports.

Drug traffickers are having a harder time moving around without being spotted because of the state’s stay-at-home order, the DEA said.

“When there’s less hay in the haystack, it’s easier to find the needle,” Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field office, said. “It’s caused the drug cartels and money launderers to take more risks, and that’s where we can capitalize.”

On the East Coast, DEA agents are seizing more drug money than usual. The New York City field division, for example, has seen a 180% increase in seizures over last year.

Ahmaud Arbery

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

The FBI and Justice Department have launched an investigation into the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger in Georgia whose attack by two white men in February was captured on a graphic video recording, according to an attorney for the victim’s family.

The bureau is exploring whether the suspects, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, committed a hate crime, said Lee Martin, who represents the 25-year-old victims family, The Guardian reports.

Martin said he met with Justice Department officials, who told him the FBI also is looking into why no arrests were made until two months after the Feb. 23 shooting.

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and charged with murder on May 8, three days after a video of the attack sparked outrage. The GBI also arrested the man who captured the attack on video.