By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Meet the new sheriff. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Jr. announced Thursday that federal prosecutor Robin C. Ashton will head up the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) at the Department of Justice. “As a veteran career prosecutor, Robin is uniquely qualified to serve as Counsel for Professional Responsibility, and I…
By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Page From Abscam to the arrest of former Washington Mayor Marion Barry on drug charges, sting operations have brought accusations that the government was entrapping its targets. This perennial complaint has acquired a new sensitivity with charges that the FBI, as part of its anti-terrorism activities, is inducing Muslims…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Jr. delivered a forceful speech Friday night before the Muslim Advocates’ Annual Dinner in suburban San Francisco, strongly defending the FBI stings involving terrorism. “Our nation’s law enforcement professionals have consistently demonstrated not just their effectiveness, but also their commitment to the highest standards of professional conduct,…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Jr. fired off a letter Thursday to Senate leaders urging them not to pass legislation blocking the administration from moving Guantanamo terrorist suspects to U.S. soil. “This provision goes well beyond existing law and would unwisely restrict the ability of the Executive branch to prosecute alleged terrorists…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Over the years, his Inspector General reports have stung such agencies as the FBI and ATF and DEA, pointing out flaws, offering suggestions that have not always been welcomed with open arms. Now, Glenn Fine, the Justice Department’s Inspector General, is hanging it up, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr….
By Michael Gerson The Washington Post The closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison and civilian trials for terrorists were more than policy changes proposed by Barack Obama as a presidential candidate. They were presented as a return to constitutional government – a dividing line from an uncivilized past. The indefinite detention of terrorists, according to…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A draft by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that two prosecutors and an FBI agent in the Sen. Ted Stevens case engaged in misconduct,the Associated Press reported. AP, citing ” a lawyer familiar with the matter,” said the report found that prosecutors Joseph Bottini and James…
