Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com The U.S. government has estimated that about 4.1 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico by BP in 2010 were never cleaned up. Now the Justice Department is investigating whether BP execs lied to Congress about the total amount of oil leaked, reported the Wall Street Journal on Monday….
By TIM MAK Politico A top Justice Department official has fired back at Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, telling the Republican congressman that it would be “unwarranted and inappropriate” to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt over the Fast and Furious investigation. “We believe that a contempt proceeding would be unwarranted given the information…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Yes, it’s so Sheriff Joe. The Justice Department on Thursday filed a civil lawsuit in fed court against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio, alleging a pattern of unconstitutional conduct that included discriminating Latino motorists and inmates. The lawsuit alleges that the department frequently stopped Latinos motorist…
Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com U.S. officials report a break-through in tackling drug trafficking from South America, according to the Associated Press. A former Venezuelan Supreme Court justice Eladio Aponte may be seeking permanent refuge in the U.S. for himself and his family in exchange for evidence linking Venezuelan officials to drug trafficking and corruption, and linking Venezuela…
Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com In a brave new high-tech world, the federal indictment of eight online drug traffickers is the first of its kind. The BBC reports that the feds busted up a $1million-plus illegal drug operation online on a marketplace called “The Farmer’s Market” using the TOR network, which allows emails and websites to hide…
By Spencer S. Hsu The Washington Post WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials have known for years that flawed forensic work might have led to the convictions of potentially innocent people nationwide, but prosecutors failed to notify defendants or their attorneys even in many cases they knew were troubled. Officials started reviewing the cases in the…
By Brendan Sasso The Hill WASHINGTON –In less than a week, nearly 55,000 people have signed a petition urging the Justice Department to investigate whether employers who ask for their workers’ Facebook passwords are breaking the law. “Employers should not be allowed to demand private social networking passwords from job applicants. This privacy violation needs…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com America’s most controversial sheriff — Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio — is causing more heartburn for the Justice Department. CNN reports that the Justice Department broke off talks with the sheriff, whose department has been accused of discrminating against Hispanics. The Justice Department is preparing to sue the sheriff over the discrimination….
