By The New York Times Editorial Page The Obama administration has long been bumbling along in the footsteps of its predecessor when it comes to sacrificing Americans’ basic rights and liberties under the false flag of fighting terrorism. Now the Obama team seems ready to lurch even farther down that dismal road than George W….
By Jerry Markon The Washington Post WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s decision to charge former presidential candidate John Edwards with campaign finance violations drew criticism from legal experts, including some former prosecutors, that the case was too aggressive. In the months before the indictment, the Justice Department took flak from government watchdogs for dropping corruption…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — After screwing up the case against Sen. Ted Stevens, the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section will get another chance — this time with ex-Sen. John Edwards– to prove it can take down a high profile public figure without any major goofs. You might recall the Public Integrity Section convicted…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. gets his fair share of grief inside the Beltway, particularly from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. But some of that grief on Friday came from elsewhere: the heartland. Minnesota Public Radio reported that Holder’s speech in Minneapolis at a conference on preventing youth violence…
By CHARLIE SAVAGE The New York Times WASHINGTON — Two senators claimed on Thursday that the Justice Department had secretly interpreted the so-called Patriot Act in a twisted way, enabling domestic surveillance activities that many members of Congress do not understand. At the same time, Congress and the White House were rushing to enact legislation…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Once a presidential hopeful, John Edwards now faces far less hopeful times. NBC News reports that the Justice Department has given the OK to file charges against Edwards, 57, for alleged violations of campaign finance laws stemming from a cover up of an extra-marital affair with Rielle Hunter. NBC reported that…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com DETROIT –– A Michigan insurance company insists it’s still not getting justice from the Justice Department. The Associated Press reports that the Justice Department is still refusing to pay $750,000 to a Michigan insurance company for a stolen Ferrari F50 that was recovered, but then was wrecked while being driven by…
By Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writer The Justice Department official credited with bringing down hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam is a wisecracking, self-effacing, Bruce Springsteen-loving prosecutor who is deadly serious about what he views as rampant insider trading on Wall Street. Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, has been hailed by some in…
