トランプ氏指名の検事正代行、司法省を内部調査 議事堂襲撃事件巡り
首都ワシントン（コロンビア特別区）連邦地検のエド・マーティン検事正代行は27日、電子メールで検察官らに対し、議事堂襲撃事件に関連するファイル、文書、メモ、電子メールなどの情報提出を求めた。関係者によると、最も暴力的だった一部暴徒に対する起訴の情報も提出対象に含まれている。
WASHINGTON—A top Trump-appointed prosecutor has opened an internal review of the Justice Department's decision to charge hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants with felony obstruction offenses in connection with the Capitol attack, according to people familiar with the matter.
Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., asked prosecutors in an email Monday to turn over 'all files, documents, notes, emails and other information' related to the cases, which included charges against some of the most violent rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court last year ruled the department overstepped in relying upon an Enron-era obstruction statute, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, to charge defendants with obstructing the joint session of Congress that convened on Jan. 6 to certify Joe Biden's election victory over President Trump.
Martin referred to the use of the obstruction charge as a 'great failure,' writing, 'we need to get to the bottom of it.'
'This 1512 Project is important work,' he added, referring to the number of the statute in the U.S. criminal code. The contents of his email were viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
A spokesman for Martin declined to comment.
Department officials, both career employees and Biden appointees, have insisted their Jan. 6 prosecutions weren't politically motivated. Defendants accused of the obstruction offense also faced other charges, but the allegation was crucial in elevating the seriousness of cases and the amount of potential prison time.
Martin's loosely defined inquiry jarred prosecutors in the office, as well as others who recently left, and some took steps to arrange legal counsel to prepare for what comes next, the people familiar with the matter said. Department lawyers who worked on the cases viewed the inquiry as an opening salvo in the Trump administration's stated aim of investigating the Jan. 6 investigators, the people said.
Trump pardoned virtually all of the Jan. 6 defendants last week.
Martin previously served on the board of the Patriot Freedom Project, a group that supported Jan. 6 defendants, and he helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' movement to keep Trump in the White House after he lost in 2020.
Martin last week publicly railed against an order prohibiting Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other members of the far-right group from visiting Washington without court permission, fueling a clash with the judge who issued it. The judge lifted his restrictions on Monday for Rhodes and other Oath Keepers members who received commutations from Trump.
The Justice Department brought the obstruction charge in some of the highest-profile prosecutions. In trials and other court proceedings, prosecutors argued that Jan. 6 defendants violated the obstruction law by disrupting an 'official proceeding'—the joint session of Congress that convened to certify the election results.
The Supreme Court's decision read the law more narrowly to apply only when a defendant's actions impaired the integrity of physical evidence. The decision prompted the Justice Department to dismiss the obstruction charge in scores of cases and resulted in a number of defendants receiving new sentences.
Write to C. Ryan Barber at ryan.barber@wsj.com and Sadie Gurman at sadie.gurman@wsj.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
University of Alaska dorms to host up to 750 Russian delegates in town for Trump-Putin summit
The University of Alaska Anchorage is expecting hundreds of Russian delegates who are in the city for the summit between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin to stay in student dorms. 'There may be up to 750 people staying on campus between the U.S. and Russian delegations,' vice chancellor Ryan Buchholdt said in an email to the Alaskan newspaper, Anchorage Daily News. The school can house around 12,000 people. This week marks the start of the school calendar for those returning from the summer break. The summit is going to be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, about a 10-minute drive from Anchorage, reports Alaska's News Source. The meeting will mark the first time Trump and Putin have met in person since 2018. 'In addition to the dorms, we do have the Alaska Airlines Center [a sports arena that has a 5,000-seat capacity] that has been set up with beds, meeting most of the need, mostly from the Russian delegation side,' Buchholdt also told Alaska's News Source. University police are working closely with state and federal law agencies to monitor security, Buchholdt added. 'Our main concern is making sure anyone who is staying on campus, whether they are from the United States or Russia or any other locality, is safe,' Buchholdt said, 'and is able to do the mission that they're here to do and go back home safely.' On Thursday, some of the delegates had already arrived as of Thursday afternoon, according to university spokesperson Katie Bender. Flight tracking data showed that at least one flight from Moscow had touched down in Anchorage that afternoon. 'The delegations are in separate locations. For security purposes, we are not able to share where the delegations are located,' Bender added. Alyeska resort, located about 40 miles south of Anchorage, informed local press that they were fully booked for the weekend, and the website of the local hotel, Captain Cook, was also fully booked. The hotel site showed one remaining room in a hostel, at a staggeringly raised price of $150 a night on Friday. Town mayor Suzanne LaFrance explained that finding accommodation at the height of the tourist season is hard enough as it is, let alone with a significant political event taking center stage. 'I know that people are looking at creative solutions. I don't have any specific details about that [housing delegations in UOA], but I know that the university is engaged in those conversations, and I'm optimistic that we'll come up with some options for folks,' she said to Alaska's News Source. At the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, news and camera crews were seen rolling in on Thursday morning. Locals watched on as officials gathered in the vicinity. 'It's kind of a big deal, I mean, do we all want World War III?' one man told Alaska's News Source. The two leaders will hold peace talks regarding the future of Russia and Ukraine, amid a deadly war that has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Earlier on Thursday, Putin praised Trump's 'energetic and sincere efforts to stop' the war in Ukraine. More than a million Russian troops have been killed or injured since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, reports the British Ministry of Defense. Meanwhile, Ukrainian personnel fatalities and casualties have amounted to around 400,000, says the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Ahead of the summit, Trump vowed that Putin was 'not going to mess around with me,' as he hopes to secure a ceasefire deal. The Independent contacted the university, along with the Anchorage tourism board, for comment.
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Trump Flies to Alaska for High-Stakes Summit With Putin
President Trump boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Friday. The leaders of the United States and Russia are set to hold talks at an American military base in Alaska to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. President Trump plans to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday in Alaska. The focus of their high-stakes summit will be to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. Mr. Trump has sought to broker peace in a conflict he once boasted he could resolve in a day. He has expressed frustration with Mr. Putin recently over what he described as the Russian leader's 'meaningless' gestures toward peace. But Ukraine, whose president wasn't invited to the talks, and its European allies are worried about any deal that might be struck without Kyiv's involvement. Here's what to know about the summit. When are Trump and Putin meeting? The White House said the leaders would begin meeting at 11 a.m. local time (3 p.m. Eastern) on Friday. The Kremlin said Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin would first hold a 'tête-à-tête' discussion with interpreters, followed by negotiations by delegations and 'a working breakfast.' The two leaders are expected to hold a joint news conference at the end, the Kremlin added. The New York Times plans to livestream the news conference. Mr. Trump was scheduled to be on the ground in Alaska for only a few hours, departing for Washington at 5:45 p.m. local time (9:45 p.m. Eastern), the White House said. Where is the summit? The leaders plan to meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Mr. Trump has visited the base several times since he first took office in 2017, but Friday's trip will be the first stop in Alaska of his current term. A White House official familiar with the planning of the event told The New York Times that holding the meeting on the base would make it easier for Mr. Trump to make a one-day trip. An American military base offered extra security, the official said. Alaska has deep ties to Russia, which colonized the region in the 18th century. In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million, but Russian-speaking communities remain in the state. What is expected to come out of it? Mr. Trump dimmed expectations for a possible breakthrough with Mr. Putin, saying on Monday that he was going to see 'what he has in mind.' On Thursday, Mr. Trump said, 'We're going to find out where everybody stands,' adding: 'If it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future.' Trans-Atlantic discussions on Wednesday that included President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine were held to close ranks with Mr. Trump before the Friday meeting. European leaders said that they had hammered out a strategy with Mr. Trump, including an insistence that any peace plan must start with a cease-fire and not be negotiated without Ukraine at the table. Will Zelensky be there? No, Mr. Zelensky was not invited. Mr. Zelensky and European leaders have cautioned that Mr. Putin could try to drive a wedge between the United States, Ukraine and its European allies. Mr. Trump said on Wednesday that he would call Mr. Zelensky, then European leaders, after the Alaska meeting. Who else is attending? Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin are expected to meet one on one, said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. But each was bringing other officials to Alaska, including economic officials, a possible sign that their talks would extend beyond the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said that the Russian delegation would include Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov; Yuri V. Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Mr. Putin; Defense Minister Andrei R. Belousov; Finance Minister Anton G. Siluanov; and Kirill А. Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and Mr. Putin's special representative for investment and economic cooperation. The White House said that among those traveling aboard Air Force One with Mr. Trump would be Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick; the C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe; and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump's special envoy, who has held several meetings this year with Mr. Putin.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
In his push for fairness in college admissions, Trump has been silent on legacy preferences
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump attempts to reshape college admissions, he's promising a new era of fairness, with an emphasis on merit and test scores and a blind eye toward diversity. Yet the Republican president's critics — and some allies — are questioning his silence on admissions policies that give applicants a boost because of their wealth or family ties. While he has pressed colleges to eliminate any possible consideration of a student's race, he has made no mention of legacy admissions, an edge given to the children of alumni, or similar preferences for the relatives of donors. Trump often rails against systems he describes as 'rigged,' but he has overlooked a glaring instance in higher education, said Richard Kahlenberg, a researcher at the Progressive Policy Institute think tank who has written about admissions. 'It's hard to think of a more flagrant way in which the system is rigged than legacy preferences,' Kahlenberg said. 'Rarely is a system of hereditary privilege so openly practiced without any sense of shame.' In recent weeks, Trump has taken several actions to scrub any vestiges of race from admissions decisions, suggesting that some schools are ignoring a 2023 Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action. His administration negotiated settlements with Brown and Columbia universities that included provisions to share admissions data. Last week, Trump issued a call for colleges nationwide to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. Some are urging Trump to go further. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., applauded the settlement with Brown requiring the university to turn a blind eye toward race — even in application essays. But 'restoring meritocracy warrants more,' said Young, who cosponsored legislation in 2023 aiming to end legacy admissions. 'Federally accredited institutions should eliminate ALL preferences grounded in arbitrary circumstances of ancestry that students have no control over, such as legacy status,' Young said on social media. Many selective colleges consider family ties Sometimes called 'affirmative action for the rich,' the practice of legacy admissions remains widespread among elite colleges even as it faces mounting bipartisan opposition. Virginia's Republican governor signed a bill last year barring legacy admissions at public institutions, following similar measures in Colorado, California and elsewhere. Some Republicans in Congress have worked with Democrats on proposals to end it nationwide. Roughly 500 universities consider legacy status when evaluating applicants, including more than half of the nation's 100 most selective U.S. schools, according to 2023 disclosures to the federal government. A few have abandoned the policy, but it remains in place at all eight Ivy League schools. Stanford University said in July it will continue considering legacy status, even after a California law barred it at institutions that receive state financial aid. Stanford opted to withdraw from the state's student financial aid program rather than end the practice. The university said it will replace the funding with internal money — even as it begins layoffs to close a $140 million budget deficit. Stanford officials declined to comment. Last year, as part of a state transparency law, the school reported that about 14% of its new students were relatives of alumni or donors. A push for merit, but no mention of legacy admissions The executive action signed by Trump last week requires universities to turn over more information about students who apply to and are accepted to their campuses. Taxpayers 'deserve confidence in the fairness and integrity' of decisions, his memorandum said, adding that more information is needed to ensure colleges are heeding the Supreme Court's decision. A week earlier, the Justice Department issued a memo clarifying what it considers illegal discrimination in admissions. It takes issue not only with overt racial considerations but also 'proxies' for race, including 'geographic targeting' or personal essays asking about obstacles applicants have overcome. Similar language requiring 'merit-based' admissions policies was included in the government's resolutions with Brown and Columbia universities. None of the actions made any mention of legacy admissions. Trump's silence caught the attention of the nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights, which has an open complaint with the Education Department alleging that Harvard University's use of donor and alumni preferences amounts to illegal racial discrimination. The group's 2023 complaint says the practice overwhelmingly benefits white students. If the Trump administration wants to make admissions a meritocracy, it should start by ending legacy preferences, said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the group. 'These deeply unmeritocratic preferences simply reward students based on who their parents are. It's hard to imagine anything more unfair or contrary to basic merit principles,' he said. Few Americans support legacy or donor preferences Colleges defend the practice by saying it builds community and encourages families to become donors. Some backers say it increasingly helps nonwhite students as campuses become more diverse. Then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, urged colleges to rethink legacy preferences in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, saying it expanded 'privilege instead of opportunity.' Some feared it would drive up white enrollment as affirmative action ended. Georgetown University reviewed the policy but kept it in place this year after concluding the pool of legacy applicants had a similar makeup to the wider admissions pool. An AP-NORC poll in 2023 found that most Americans have a dim view of legacy and donor preferences, with few saying either should play a strong role in decisions. Universities are required to tell the federal government whether they consider legacy status, but they don't have to divulge how far it tips the scale or how many legacy students they admit. Among the 20 most selective universities that say they employ the practice, none would tell The Associated Press what percentage of their incoming class has a family connection to alumni or donors. Trump's blitz to root out racial preferences has hinged on the argument that it undermines merit. New scrutiny is needed to ensure colleges are following the Supreme Court's order and 'recruiting and training capable future doctors, engineers, scientists' and other workers, he said in his executive action. That argument sends the message that minority students are 'intellectually suspect until proven otherwise,' said Justin Driver, a Yale law professor with a forthcoming book on affirmative action. He worries Trump's latest actions will intimidate colleges into limiting minority enrollment to avoid raising the suspicion of the government. 'I believe that the United States confronts a lot of problems today,' Driver said. 'Too many Black students on first-rate college campuses is not among them.'
