Latest news with #DoJ
Time of India
18 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
FBI reacts to Colorado attacker Mohamed Sabry Soliman not being charged with terror: 'We are not Federal Bureau of Word Games'
The Department of Justice charged Colorado attacker Mohamed Sabru Soliman with hate crime and no counts related to terrorism, while FBI director Kash Patel called the Boulder attack a targeted terrorism against the Jewish community. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now FBI deputy director Dan Bongino clarified that the FBI will investigate the attack as a targeted terror. Explaining the difference between the DoJ and the FBI, Bongino said everyone is innocent until proven guilty in the justice system. "But we are the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We are not the Federal Bureau of Word Games," Bongino said. "When the evidence passed to our FBI leadership team, from an active crime scene, includes clearly ideologically-motivated statements, video, multiple witness accounts, Molotov cocktails, and large gatherings of like-minded people, we will INVESTIGATE those incidents as targeted acts of terror," Dan said. Why Mohamed Sabry Soliman was not charged with terror To charge someone with terror, the prosecutor would have to prove at trial that the person is either associated with, or inspired by designated foreign terrorist organisations. Without this, it is difficult for the Justice Department to bring terrorism charges. Soliman was not a known offender, and no ties to any organization were found in the preliminary investigation. An Egyptian illegally staying in the US after his visa expired in March this year, Soliman said he threw only two Molotov cocktails as he got scared, as he had never hurt anyone before. He told the law enforcement that he had been planning the attack for the last year but waited for his daughter to graduate. He wanted to kill all Zionists and knew about the Jewish group in Colorado that assembled every Sunday, demanding the release of the Israelis imprisoned in Gaza. Though there was no fatality as the fire was immediately put out, 12 people were injured. Soliman planned on dying in the attack and he mentioned several times to the law enforcement officers that he wanted to be dead.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Trump berates Gavin Newsom over transgender high school athlete in savage midnight tirade
Donald Trump is savaging California Gov. Gavin Newsom and threatening fines against the liberal state as he ramps up the war against transgender athletes. 'A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,' Trump wrote in a Truth social post after midnight on Tuesday. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' Meanwhile, Trump's Department of Justice has fired a massive broadside against school districts in ' woke ' Democratic California amid escalating fury over trans athletes born boys competing against girls. The firestorm has flared after AB Hernandez, 16, a biological male who identifies as a girl, crushed female teen rivals in a competition over the weekend. The high school junior took gold medals in the high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals held on May 30 and 31 at Buchanan High School in Clovis, 13 miles north of Fresno. Hernandez, of Jurupa Valley in Riverside County, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, regularly - and unsurprisingly - trounces their female rivals. The latest victories follow Trump's fuming online attacks against Hernandez, trans athletes in girls' sports and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a favorite target of his ire. In February, he signed the 'Keep Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order. Now the Civil Rights Division of the DoJ is gunning for the California Interscholastic Federation - the state's governing body for high school sports - and the use of 'unconstitutional' Bylaw 300.D in state schools that permits trans boys to compete against girls. It has come out swinging, demanding that school districts in the Golden State ignore the controversial statute. The districts have been given a seven-day deadline of June 9 to inform DoJ officials of their response - and the clock is ticking towards a showdown. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhilon wrote to state school districts in a Monday, June 2 letter: 'As a member of the California Interscholastic Federation ('CIF'), and a political subdivision of the State of California, you are exposed to legal liability due to a policy CIF has enacted that violates federal law. 'CIF Bylaw 300.D requires California public high schools to allow male participation in girls' interscholastic athletics: 'All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identify, irrespective of the gender listed on the student's records.' (emphasis added). Section 300.D, however, is facially unconstitutional. 'The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. 'Knowingly depriving female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause. 'Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex. 'Therefore, you cannot implement a policy allowing males to compete alongside girls, because such a policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits bases solely on their biological sex, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.' The letter continues, 'As a political subdivision, you have the obligation to comply with the Equal Protection Clause. 'To ensure compliance and avoid legal liability, you must certify in writing by 5:00p.m. ET on June 9, 2025, that you will not implement CIF Bylaw 300.D.' Trump went on a rant on his Truth Social account three days before AB Hernandez was due to compete alongside girls in the California state championships Sonja Shaw, Board President of the Chino Valley Unified School District, which is adjacent to the Jurupa Valley School District, told Daily Mail in a statement in response to the DoJ's letter: 'Newsom and the political cartel, the majority of legislators, the California Dept of Education, and CIF…you're going to lose. 'We told you we'd win this for our daughters and we will. That's a promise - it's only a matter of time! 'You sold out their privacy in locker rooms to push your sick agenda. Boys are boys. Girls are girls. 'The DoJ just called your CIF bylaw what it is - unconstitutional. 'We're not playing games. We won't back down. We won't forget. You're on the wrong side of history. Lawsuits are coming. Investigation. It's all coming down.' In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail over the weekend, conservative women's advocate Riley Gaines branded Hernandez's mother 'evil' for enabling her child. And she condemned 'progressives' in 'woke' Democratic California and Newsom - who she dubbed a 'slimy car salesman' and 'spineless coward' - for enabling biologically born boys to participate in sports alongside girls. She also called out 'crazy unhinged trans activists' for creating chaos. Gaines hit headlines in 2022 as a competitive swimmer for University of Kentucky in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship against University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male who lives as a woman. She said of Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, 43, 'His mom is a pretty evil person,' Gaines declared. 'I believe she is using her son to live out some fantasy or dream that maybe she had. 'She has lied to AB in affirming his identity - the total façade - and in the process has harmed real women. 'I have empathy for AB. He's a victim as well. But that doesn't give him the right to trample on women in the process to fulfill his happiness. 'AB Hernandez is of course not the first boy to compete in the state of California - whether it's track and field, whatever sport it may be,' commented Gaines. 'He is following the rules. So I don't have any animosity or hatred or wish any sort of ill will on the boy. Ultimately, it's the rules that are the problem. The mother posted social media following Trump's breathless take down last week. 'My child is not a threat; SHE IS LIGHT!!! As AB's mother, I will continue to stand by her, proudly fiercely, and unconditionally,' she wrote. In a post on X, Shaw wrote: 'We Told You We'd Win This Fight for Our Girls And It's Going to Happen sooner than later!! 'Today, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division issued a letter declaring CIF Bylaw 300D unconstitutional. 'This dangerous bylaw forced schools to allow biological males to compete in girls' sports and access private spaces. 'But the DOJ made it clear: 'This policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex.' 'Districts are now legally liable if they implement this insanity. They have until June 9 to certify that they will not enforce CIF Bylaw 300D — or face consequences. 'This is a historic win. A win for truth. A win for parents. A win for our daughters. A win for our nation. 'Common sense is finally making a comeback. And thank God we finally have a federal agency that isn't weaponized against parents and our daughters, but is standing with us to protect basic rights. 'We told you we are not playing games. We will not comply with insanity. We will not forget that Newsom sued our district and signed a law that took parents' constitutional rights away. 'We will not bend. We will not compromise. We will protect our daughters at all costs. The tide is turning. The silence is broken. And we are just getting started.' Greg Burt, Vice President of the California Family Council, said in a statement: 'We welcome this bold step by the U.S. Department of Justice. For too long, California's education system has prioritized gender ideology over the physical safety and competitive fairness of young women. 'It's time our schools return to truth, biology, and the equal protection of all students under the law.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump commutes gang leader's sentence in flurry of pardons
As part of a spree of clemency actions, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the federal prison sentence of Larry Hoover, the founder of a notorious Chicago street gang. Hoover was the leader of the Gangster Disciples and in the 1990s was given six life sentences on conspiracy, extortion, drug and other criminal charges. In addition to his federal sentence, Hoover still faces a 200-year jail term in the state of Illinois for murder, and is unlikely to be released soon. A president is unable to commute state-level sentences. On Wednesday the president also granted a pardon to several other convicts, including Michael Grimm, a former New York City congressman. He served seven months in prison after pleading guilty to felony tax fraud. As well and Hoover and Grimm, eight others have been pardoned by the president in recent days. Department of Justice (DoJ) records indicate that during his second term Trump has pardoned more than 40 people, in addition to almost 1,600 pardons doled out to people charged or convicted in connection with the 6 January 2021 US Capitol riot. What is a presidential pardon? Hoover, 74, built the Gangster Disciples into a nationwide street gang from its origins on Chicago's South Side in the 1970s. In 1973 he was convicted of ordering the execution of a rival drug dealer. Authorities allege that he continued to lead his gang from prison. In the 1990s he formed a political organisation and claimed that he had transformed the Gangster Disciples into a community-service organisation called Growth and Development. However, he was found guilty of a long list of federal charges in 1997. In recent years he has advocated for criminal justice reform including the First Step Act, which Trump signed into law in 2018. Among other things, the law allows for reduced sentences for inmates who participate in programmes aimed at reducing reoffending. Hoover has continued to publicly disavow gang life. "I am no longer a member, leader, or even an elder statesman of the Gangster Disciples," Hoover wrote in a letter to a court in 2022. "I want nothing to do with it now and forever." However, the authorities have taken a different view, and prosecutors alleged in 2021 that he was still involved in promoting Gangster Disciples members while locked up in prison. They have argued that he is still effectively the leader of the group. At a hearing last year, a judge asked one of Hoover's lawyers: "How many other murders is he responsible for?" After news broke of the commutation of his federal sentence, Hoover's lawyer Justin Moore posted online: "We got Larry Hoover out of federal prison - when many said it was impossible… Illinois must send him home for good." Grimm, the former congressman, pleaded guilty to underreporting income from a restaurant that he owned. In addition, Trump issued pardons on Wednesday for: Former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who was convicted on election fraud charges and sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2015 Kentrell Gaulden, a rapper known as NBA YoungBoy, who has faced numerous drugs, weapons and fraud charges Convicted fraudster Kevin Eric Baisden Mark Bashaw, an army officer who was convicted in a court martial of violating Covid protection rules Tanner Mansell and John Moore, who were convicted of theft at sea when they released sharks they thought were being illegally fished. It turned out the sharks were being legally caught for research purposes On Tuesday, Trump also pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, two reality TV stars who were convicted of tax evasion and defrauding banks. Also on Wednesday, Trump said he would "take a look at" pardoning a group of men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. "I did watch the trial," he said. "It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job… It looked to me like some people said some stupid things." Trump to pardon reality TV couple after daughter's Fox News interview Two convicted in Michigan governor kidnap plot case
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Did FBI have 'sources' on ground during Jan 6 riots? Kash Patel says 'definitive' answer is coming, would 'shock' people
FBI director Kash Patel (File) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel on Wednesday (local time) vowed that a "definitive" answer is coming over whether or not there were FBI "sources" on the ground during the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol Building. "People have had questions whether or not there were FBI sources – not agents, sources – on the ground during January 6. And I told you I would get you the definitive answer to that. And we have, and we are in the process again of working with our partners to divulge that information, and it is coming," Fox News quoted Patel as saying on its "Special Report" exclusive interview. The findings, Patel added, may "surprise and shock people because of what past FBI leaders have said about it." He also told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that the information from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) on the Capitol Hill violence is "definitely a piece of the truth." "Why it took a ton of time and questioning in Congress for the director (then-FBI boss Christopher Wray) to get that point is what I'm trying to eliminate from the FBI. If Congress asks you a question under oath, whether or not there were sources in [or] around January 6th at the Capitol, you as the director of the FBI need to know that and not deflect. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo You have to be prepared for that," Patel stated. Last year, inspector general Michael Horowitz of the DoJ released his highly anticipated report on the FBI's Handling of the domestic intelligence agency's own Confidential Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the lead up to the January 6, 2021 electoral certification of Joe Biden's victory over then-US President Donald Trump. Trump refused to accepted the result of the November 2020 election, resulting in his supporters storming the US Capitol in January the following year. However, he is now back at the helm, having defeated Kamala Harris last November. According to the DoJ report, there were a total of 26 confidential "human sources" in the crowd outside the Capitol on that day, of whom only three were assigned by the FBI to be there. The report stressed that none of the sources were authorized or directed by the bureau to "break the law" or "encourage others to commit illegal acts." As per the report, one of the three confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol. If a confidential human source is directed to be at a certain event, they are paid by the bureau for their time
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US federal judges consider creating own armed security force as threats mount
Federal judges are discussing a proposal that would shift the armed security personnel responsible for their safety away from the Department of Justice (DoJ) and under their own control, as fears mount that the Trump administration is failing to protect them from a rising tide of hostility. The Wall Street Journal revealed on Sunday that the idea of creating their own armed security detail emerged at a meeting of about 50 federal judges two months ago. A security committee at the twice-yearly judicial conference, a policymaking body for federal judges, raised concerns about the increasing number of threats against judges following Trump's relentless criticism of court rulings against his policies. Related: US judges who rule against Trump are being barraged with abuse and threats, experts warn Under the current system, federal judges are protected by the US Marshals Service, which is managed by the justice department. According to the Wall Street Journal, those participating at the March conference expressed worries that Trump might instruct the marshals to withdraw security protection from a judge who ruled against him. Amid those anxieties, the idea surfaced that federal judges should form their own armed security force. That would involve bringing the US Marshals Service under the direct control of the head of the judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts. At present, marshals fall under the remit of Pam Bondi, the US attorney general. Bondi was appointed by the president and is a Trump loyalist. She has made clear she will be guided by him – breaking a decades-long norm that kept the White House at arm's length from the DoJ to ensure law enforcement and prosecutorial independence. John Coughenour, a federal judge in the western district of Washington, told the Journal that he thought the transfer of the marshals out of Trump's and into judicial control was a 'wonderful idea'. He added: 'There's never been any reason in the 43 years that I've been on the bench to worry that the Marshals Service would do whatever was appropriate – until recent years.' Coughenour is one of a growing number of judges who have faced security threats in the wake of Trump's deluge of invective. In February the judge issued an order blocking Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born on US soil to parents lacking legal status in the country. The judge was then targeted by a swatting attack, in which a false emergency call is made to police and a Swat team is sent out to an individual's home in response. Senior Democrats have demanded an investigation into a spate of dozens of pizza deliveries to the homes of federal judges. The actions are seen as intimidatory, as it shows judges that their private addresses are known. Related: 'The authoritarian playbook': Trump targets judges, lawyers … and law itself Federal judges have found themselves on the frontlines of constitutional battles over Trump's executive orders relating to such contentious issues as birthright citizenship, the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and the dismissal of tens of thousands of federal employees. So far, there have been 249 legal challenges to Trump administration actions, according to a Just Security tracker. Trump has used his social media platform Truth Social to lash out at named judges who have blocked his policies on grounds that they violate the US constitution or law. When Judge James Boasberg objected to the deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador in the absence of due process, the president called him a 'radical left lunatic' and said he should be impeached. Boasberg was first appointed to the federal bench by Republican George W Bush. The White House provided the Journal with a statement from the justice department. It said that marshals would 'continue to protect the safety and security of federal judges' and that any other suggestion was 'absurd'.
