US-Justizminister William Barr hat Medienberichten zufolge Staatsanwälten die Erlaubnis erteilt, Vorwürfe des Wahlbetrugs noch vor Bekanntgabe der Endergebnisse zu untersuchen.
Archiv: William Barr
Barr authorizes Justice to probe any ‚substantial allegations‘ of voter fraud
Attorney General William Barr has authorized the Department of Justice to investigate any „substantial allegations“ of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.”
Trump lashes out at Barr after realizing inquiry into Russia probe won‘t be public before election
Trump has ramped up his criticism of Barr in recent days as he seeks to make the origins of the Russia probe a major election issue. The president has long cast the Russia investigation as a political hoax meant to undermine him and has called for the indictment of his political enemies, including former President Barack Obama and former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Trump‘s spy chief declassified unverified Russian intelligence despite concerns raised by CIA and NSA
(30.09.2020)
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified unverified Russian intelligence despite concerns being raised by the CIA and National Security Agency, according to people briefed on the matter.
Career officials in the intelligence agencies were concerned about declassifying the information because it was unverified and they believed it could reveal sources and methods. Ratcliffe overrode those concerns and sent the document to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham on Tuesday, the people sa
Comey knocks Barr‘s attacks on the Russia probe: ‚I have no idea what on Earth he is talking about‘
(30.09.2020)
Graham pointed to the documents declassified Tuesday by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe — which summarized unverified Russian intelligence that Clinton‘s 2016 presidential campaign was trying to „stir up a scandal“ by tying Trump to Russia — arguing they showed the FBI‘s double standard in not investigating Clinton and Russia.
One Republicans senator even asked Comey about the Democratic allegations he had swung the 2016 election to Trump by releasing information about the FBI‘s investigation into Clinton‘s emails.
Barr: Coronavirus lockdowns ‚greatest intrusion on civil liberties‘ since slavery
„Even the most well-meaning people can do great damage if they lose perspective,“ Barr added. „The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. Individual prosecutors can sometimes become headhunters, consumed with taking down their target.“
14 mayors ask feds to stop deploying officers to cities in response to protests
In a letter to Attorney General William Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf Tuesday, the mayors voiced their “deep concern and objection to the deployment of federal forces in U.S. cities.”
Senators demand answers on expired surveillance programs
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Ut.) on Thursday pressed the Trump administration on whether and how mass surveillance programs authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act have been halted since the act‘s expiration.
The letter to Attorney General William Barr and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe raises concerns that the administration may be be continuing to conduct surveillance operations by relying on Executive Order 12333.
Geoffrey Berman is leaving office immediately after standoff with Trump administration
Berman leaves behind a string of high-profile prosecutions and investigations. Since he became US attorney in early 2018, the office has prosecuted Trump‘s former attorney Michael Cohen, is investigating top Trump confidante Rudy Giuliani and indicted the former New York mayor‘s associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.
Trump Fires U.S. Attorney in New York Who Investigated His Inner Circle
President Trump on Saturday fired the federal prosecutor whose office put his former personal lawyer in prison and is investigating his current one, heightening criticism that the president was carrying out an extraordinary purge to rid his administration of officials whose independence could be a threat to his re-election campaign.
Trump feuert Bundesanwalt für Manhattan
Dies teilte US-Justizminister Bill Barr gestern mit. Barr hatte bereits Freitagabend den Rücktritt Bermans verkündet, was dieser aber vehement bestritt.
Der Bundesanwalt für Manhattan gilt allgemein als einer der mächtigsten Staatsanwälte der USA.
US attorney in NYC who spearheaded probes of Trump allies refuses to leave as Justice Dept pushes ouster
„I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‚stepping down‘ as United States Attorney,“ the statement reads. „I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position … I will down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate. Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption.“
ACLU Sues Trump Over ‚Shameless, Unconstitutional, Unprovoked, and Frankly Criminal‘ Assault on Peaceful Protesters
A coalition of civil rights groups including the ACLU of the District of Columbia is suing President Donald Trump, Attorney General William Barr, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and other federal officials over the brutal police assault on peaceful demonstrators near the White House Monday that cleared the way for the president‘s photo-op at St. John‘s Episcopal Church.
Civil liberties groups sue Trump, Barr for forcefully removing Lafayette Square protesters
n a federal lawsuit, the groups asserted that U.S. and military police officers’ use of horses, batons, shields and riot control agents — including pepper spray, smoke canisters and rubber or plastic projectiles — violated largely peaceful protesters’ constitutional rights of free speech and assembly 30 minutes before a citywide curfew took effect Monday.
The suit — which also names Attorney General William P. Barr as a defendant — was brought by the ACLU of the District of Columbia, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Barr tells prosecutors to watch for pandemic restrictions that violate Constitution
In a two-page memorandum to the country’s 93 U.S. attorneys, Barr cautioned that some state and local directives could be infringing on protected religious, speech and economic rights.
“If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court,” Barr wrote.
FBI Ignored Early Warnings that Debunked Anti-Trump Dossier was Russian Disinformation
WASHINGTON – The “central and essential” evidence used to justify invasive surveillance of an American citizen in the FBI’s probe into Russian interference was, itself, an example of Russian interference, according to once-secret footnotes declassified at the urging of two U.S. Senators. The footnotes, part of the Justice Department Inspector General’s postmortem of the FBI’s flawed operation to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page, were released just hours after Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) renewed their push for transparency. The senators expect a fuller declassification in the coming days.
(…)
“It’s ironic that the Russian collusion narrative was fatally flawed because of Russian disinformation. These footnotes confirm that there was a direct Russian disinformation campaign in 2016, and there were ties between Russian intelligence and a presidential campaign – the Clinton campaign, not Trump’s.”
The IG report detailed how the FBI’s application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Page relied heavily on an unverified dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele on behalf of Fusion GPS, which was conducting opposition research for the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee. According to Footnote 302, in October 2016, FBI investigators learned that one of Steele’s main sources was linked to the Russian Intelligence Service (RIS), and was rumored to be a former KGB/SVR officer. However, the FBI neglected to include this information in its application, which the FISA court approved that same month. Two months later, investigators learned that Glenn Simpson, the head of Fusion GPS, told a Justice Department attorney that he assessed the same source “was a RIS officer who was central in connecting Trump to Russia.” In January, the FISA warrant was renewed.
Russian Disinformation Fed the FBI’s Trump Investigation
(10.04.2020)
Declassified footnotes to a Justice Department inspector general report show that the Federal Bureau of Investigation team investigating members of the Trump campaign received classified reports in 2017 identifying key pieces of the Steele dossier as products of a Russian disinformation campaign. This might be only the tip of the iceberg because other recently declassified information demonstrates that even more disinformation may have been planted in Christopher Steele’s reporting.
Asked if he shares concerns that the number of coronavirus deaths will get „really bad“ given all available data, Trump says yes but quickly adds: „We have a lot of people dying of the flu… over 50,000.“
BIRX: „99% of all the mortality coming out of Europe, in general, is over 50 and pre-existing conditions.“
Dr Birx just said that the majority of people who are dying in Italy have „Three or more“ preexisting conditions. Wow
Live: Trump, AG Barr hold briefing with the Coronavirus Task Force
Expected live at 5:30 p.m. ET: The Coronavirus Task Force holds a daily briefing at the White House.
Death toll rises to 21 after attack on Mexican town
The US attorney general, William Barr, is due to visit Mexico next week to discuss cooperation over security.
THE PARDONS; BUSH PARDONS 6 IN IRAN AFFAIR, ABORTING A WEINBERGER TRIAL; PROSECUTOR ASSAILS ‚COVER-UP‘
(25. Dezember 1992)
Mr. Weinberger was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 5 on charges that he lied to Congress about his knowledge of the arms sales to Iran and efforts by other countries to help underwrite the Nicaraguan rebels, a case that was expected to focus on Mr. Weinberger‘s private notes that contain references to Mr. Bush‘s endorsement of the secret shipments to Iran.
William Barr Supported Pardons In An Earlier D.C. ‚Witch Hunt‘: Iran-Contra
(14.01.2019)
Barr, who is scheduled to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for his confirmation hearings, ran the Justice Department once before, under President George H.W. Bush.
Back then, the all-consuming, years-long scandal was called Iran-Contra. On Dec. 24, 1992, it ended when Bush pardoned six people who had been caught up in it.
„The Constitution is quite clear on the powers of the president and sometimes the president has to make a very difficult call,“ Bush said then. „That‘s what I‘ve done.“
The US, UK, and Australia (3 Five Eyes) are asking @facebook to delay message encryption. They‘re using child sex exploitation as a way to highlight concerns encrypted comms can hamper law enforcement.
Details on latest encryption battle w @CyberScoopNews
Brief an Mark Zuckerberg – US-Behörden gegen Facebook-Verschlüsselung
Allein 2018 meldete Facebook fast 17 Millionen Fälle möglichen Kindesmissbrauchs, mit der geplanten Ausweitung der Verschlüsselung wären schätzungsweise rund zwölf Millionen Fälle davon aber wohl nicht bemerkt worden, heißt es in dem Brief nach Angaben des US-Heimatschutzministeriums.
Attorney General Bill Barr Will Ask Zuckerberg To Halt Plans For End-To-End Encryption Across Facebook‘s Apps
Attorney General Bill Barr, along with officials from the United Kingdom and Australia, is set to publish an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking the company to delay plans for end-to-end encryption across its messaging services until it can guarantee the added privacy does not reduce public safety.
A draft of the letter, dated Oct. 4, is set to be released alongside the announcement of a new data-sharing agreement between law enforcement in the US and the UK; it was obtained by BuzzFeed News ahead of its publication.
William Barr discussed FBI Russia inquiry with UK intelligence
(01.10.2019)
The US attorney general met UK intelligence agencies in the summer to discuss Britain potentially cooperating with Donald Trump’s administration on an inquiry examining the FBI’s investigation into alleged collusion with Russia, according to sources.
William Barr met British intelligence officials in London on 29 July at a meeting attended by intelligence agencies from the Five Eyes group.
“Someone should call Obama up. The Obama Administration spied on a rival presidential campaign using Federal Agencies. I mean, that seems like a headline to me?” @TuckerCarlson It will all start coming out, and the Witch Hunt will end. Presidential Harassment!
Phil Mudd: „Clock Ticking“ For Democrats Before Barr Finds Out How Trump Probe Started
(04.06.2019)
Retired CIA operative and CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd talks about British national Christopher Steele, author of the infamous Steele dossier, deciding to talk with U.S. officials about his part in the Trump-Russia investigation.
Mudd predicts things are going to get „ugly“ when Attorney General Bill Barr concludes how the probe was initiated which will give the Trump White House „ammo.“
AG William Barr Doesn‘t Want The Government Spying On The President But Thinks It‘s OK If It Spies On Everyone Else
Let me restate that: William Barr is opposed to certain, very narrow subsets of domestic surveillance. Specifically, Barr doesn‘t think the government should have spied on Trump and his campaign staff, if that‘s what actually happened, which Barr doesn‘t actually seem to know.
But if you‘re literally anyone else, domestic surveillance is just another name for national security, whether you‘re a random Verizon customer or one of the world‘s most useful websites.
The Wikimedia Foundation sued the federal government over domestic surveillance back in 2015. The suit lives on four years later …
Report: Christopher Steele agrees to be questioned by US officials over his relationship with FBI
A source close to Steele told The Times he will meet with investigators in London in the coming weeks. Republicans have long alleged it was Steele’s dossier that improperly led to an FBI inquiry, which ultimately morphed into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible coordination between the Trump and campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
Golden showers dossier author Christopher Steele WILL speak to U.S. authorities investigating how claims Trump colluded with Russia began
– The former British intelligence officer authored what became known as the golden showers dossier
– Congressional investigators sought to interview him without success
– He will meet with unidentified U.S. investigators, a source close to him told the Times of London
– Attorney General Bill Barr ordered a new investigation of the origins of the Russia probe
– The Mueller report did not confirm salacious claims from the dossier
– The report did include a footnote about a Georgian businessman who told Michael Cohen he had ‚stopped flow‘ of ‚some tapes‘
House Intelligence chair to spy agencies: Tell us what Barr asks for
„This approach threatens national security by subverting longstanding rules and practices that obligate you and other heads of [intelligence community] agencies to safeguard sources and methods and prevent the politicization of intelligence and law enforcement,“ Schiff wrote in the letter to Coats, which was also sent to the heads of the CIA, NSA and FBI.
Barr Doubts Intelligence Accounts of Trump-Russia Probe’s Origin
Attorney General William Barr said he’s not satisfied so far with official accounts justifying the counterintelligence investigation into whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was involved in Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
“These counterintelligence activities that were directed at the Trump campaign, were not done in the normal course and not through the normal procedures as a far as I can tell,” Barr told “CBS This Morning” in an interview broadcast Friday.
Barr has not received ‚satisfactory‘ answers from intelligence community in Russia probe origins review
Last month, Barr announced he had assembled a team to review the FBI’s original Russia probe which was opened in the summer of 2016. Barr appointed U.S. Attorney from Connecticut John Durham to lead the investigation which will focus on the use of FBI informants as well as alleged improper issuance of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants.
But Barr, in an interview with CBS News that aired Friday, said he has more questions than answers at this point in the probe.
US intelligence partners wary of Barr‘s Russia review
Key allies who share intelligence with the United States could soon be dragged into the middle of Attorney General Bill Barr‘s politically-charged Justice Department review of how the Russia investigation began.
President Donald Trump has said he wants Barr to look into the role key intelligence partners, including the United Kingdom and Australia, played in the origins of Russia probe.
Trump moves to escalate investigation of intel agencies
The move marked an escalation in Trump‘s efforts to „investigate the investigators,“ as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller‘s probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Trump gives Barr power to declassify intelligence related to Russia probe
President Trump has granted Attorney General William P. Barr “full and complete authority” to declassify government secrets, issuing a memorandum late Thursday that orders U.S. intelligence agencies to cooperate promptly with Barr’s audit of the investigation into Russia’s election interference in 2016.
BREAKING: Trump Approves Declassification of Documents Related to 2016 Election Spying
The declassification of documents applies to the Department of State, Treasury, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, CIA and the Director of National Intelligence.
We don’t have an attorney general
(17.05.2019)
Last September, President Trump told an interviewer: “I don’t have an attorney general. It’s very sad.”
The problem was not that Jeff Sessions wasn’t showing up to work. It was that Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation and therefore couldn’t act to protect Trump by shutting it down.
Well, now Trump most certainly does have the attorney general he long envisioned. William P. Barr is making this abundantly clear, most recently in an interview aired Friday on Fox News.
But the thing is, now we don’t have an attorney general.
President Trump seems determined to engineer a constitutional crisis by refusing to comply with a standard congressional subpoena. If the Mueller report exonerates him, then why is he trying to block lawmakers from simply reading the full report? What is he trying to hide?
Im Streit um den Ermittlungsbericht zur Russland-Affäre hat ein Kongressausschuss Justizminister Bill Barr formell der „Missachtung“ der Parlamentsrechte beschuldigt.
House Panel Approves Contempt for Barr After Trump Claims Privilege Over Full Mueller Report
The committee’s 24-16 contempt vote, taken after hours of debate that featured apocalyptic language about the future of American democracy, marked the first time that the House has taken official action to punish a government official or witness amid a standoff between the legislative and executive branch.
Trump: ‚Mueller should not testify‘
Attorney General William Barr has previously told Congress that he has no objection to Mueller, who is technically a Justice Department employee, testifying before lawmakers. Peter Carr, the special counsel’s spokesman, declined to comment on the president‘s tweet.
If William Barr continues to defy subpoenas, Watergate offers House Democrats several options
Because the current Congress has not authorized an impeachment inquiry, the ability of the House to enforce its subpoenas or to punish Barr is sharply circumscribed. History affords Congress maximum power only when it is investigating a possible impeachment. The 1974 staff report bluntly stated, “The Supreme Court has contrasted the broad scope of the inquiry power of the House in impeachment proceedings with its more confined scope in legislative investigations.”