Latest news with #USattorney
Bloomberg
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Prosecutor Who Tried Jan. 6 Cases Speaks Out About His Dismissal
Michael Gordon's name never made headlines, but the cases he handled did. As a federal prosecutor in Tampa, Florida, he went after fentanyl dealers, armed robbers, and drug crews. When the Justice Department asked for volunteers to help prosecute people who attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, he raised his hand. For two years, Gordon tried cases against some of the most prominent defendants, and earned a promotion to senior trial counsel. He returned to Tampa with a reputation as a closer. When a politically sensitive $100 million fraud case stalled, the US attorney asked him to take it on. The indictment was returned in four weeks.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judges' pick to be new US attorney in NJ vows to take office despite being fired by Justice Department
A possible standoff is brewing over who will replace Alina Habba as US attorney in New Jersey with her interim appointment set to expire Friday. Desiree Leigh Grace, a top prosecutor fired by the Justice Department Tuesday after she was tapped by the federal judges in the state to replace Habba, is vowing to take over the job 'in accordance with the law.' To do so, Grace would have to be sworn in by a federal judge just after midnight Friday when Habba ceases to be US attorney – and defy Attorney General Pam Bondi who ousted her from her job as New Jersey's first assistant US attorney. The Justice Department hasn't said what it plans to do with the position, other than Bondi and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, decrying the appointment of Grace and accusing the judges of political motivations and attempting to usurp President Donald Trump's appointment powers. If Grace assumes the job, the president could fire her. The department could still outmaneuver the judges by having Habba leave before midnight Friday and appointing a new interim US attorney, a move they've used in other cases. Grace posted a lengthy message Wednesday on LinkedIn thanking colleagues and pushing back that politics played any part in how she did her job. She ended her post with a defiant vow to take over the job she was appointed to by the judges. 'Yesterday the District Judges for the District of New Jersey selected me to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. It will forever be the greatest honor that they selected me on merit, and I'm prepared to follow that Order and begin to serve in accordance with the law,' she wrote. Grace continued, 'I've served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. I've been promoted four times in the last five years by both — including four months ago by this administration. Politics never impacted my work at the Department.' Habba and the Justice Department both declined to comment when reached by CNN. Grace did not respond to CNN's request for additional comment. The dispute is a consequence of the slow pace of the US Senate to approve Trump's US attorney nominations. Habba and other interim US attorneys could run out of the allotted 120 days they are allowed to serve. Under federal law, if the administration doesn't fill the job and the Senate doesn't confirm a nominee, federal judges in the district can select a temporary US attorney. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Judges' pick to be new US attorney in NJ vows to take office despite being fired by Justice Department
Federal agencies FacebookTweetLink A possible standoff is brewing over who will replace Alina Habba as US attorney in New Jersey with her interim appointment set to expire Friday. Desiree Leigh Grace, a top prosecutor fired by the Justice Department Tuesday after she was tapped by the federal judges in the state to replace Habba, is vowing to take over the job 'in accordance with the law.' To do so, Grace would have to be sworn in by a federal judge just after midnight Friday when Habba ceases to be US attorney – and defy Attorney General Pam Bondi who ousted her from her job as New Jersey's first assistant US attorney. The Justice Department hasn't said what it plans to do with the position, other than Bondi and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, decrying the appointment of Grace and accusing the judges of political motivations and attempting to usurp President Donald Trump's appointment powers. If Grace assumes the job, the president could fire her. The department could still outmaneuver the judges by having Habba leave before midnight Friday and appointing a new interim US attorney, a move they've used in other cases. Grace posted a lengthy message Wednesday on LinkedIn thanking colleagues and pushing back that politics played any part in how she did her job. She ended her post with a defiant vow to take over the job she was appointed to by the judges. 'Yesterday the District Judges for the District of New Jersey selected me to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. It will forever be the greatest honor that they selected me on merit, and I'm prepared to follow that Order and begin to serve in accordance with the law,' she wrote. Grace continued, 'I've served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. I've been promoted four times in the last five years by both — including four months ago by this administration. Politics never impacted my work at the Department.' Habba declined to comment when reached by CNN. The dispute is a consequence of the slow pace of the US Senate to approve Trump's US attorney nominations. Habba and other interim US attorneys could run out of the allotted 120 days they are allowed to serve. Under federal law, if the administration doesn't fill the job and the Senate doesn't confirm a nominee, federal judges in the district can select a temporary US attorney.
CNN
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Judges' pick to be new US attorney in NJ vows to take office despite being fired by Justice Department
A possible standoff is brewing over who will replace Alina Habba as US attorney in New Jersey with her interim appointment set to expire Friday. Desiree Leigh Grace, a top prosecutor fired by the Justice Department Tuesday after she was tapped by the federal judges in the state to replace Habba, is vowing to take over the job 'in accordance with the law.' To do so, Grace would have to be sworn in by a federal judge just after midnight Friday when Habba ceases to be US attorney – and defy Attorney General Pam Bondi who ousted her from her job as New Jersey's first assistant US attorney. The Justice Department hasn't said what it plans to do with the position, other than Bondi and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, decrying the appointment of Grace and accusing the judges of political motivations and attempting to usurp President Donald Trump's appointment powers. If Grace assumes the job, the president could fire her. The department could still outmaneuver the judges by having Habba leave before midnight Friday and appointing a new interim US attorney, a move they've used in other cases. Grace posted a lengthy message Wednesday on LinkedIn thanking colleagues and pushing back that politics played any part in how she did her job. She ended her post with a defiant vow to take over the job she was appointed to by the judges. 'Yesterday the District Judges for the District of New Jersey selected me to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. It will forever be the greatest honor that they selected me on merit, and I'm prepared to follow that Order and begin to serve in accordance with the law,' she wrote. Grace continued, 'I've served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. I've been promoted four times in the last five years by both — including four months ago by this administration. Politics never impacted my work at the Department.' Habba declined to comment when reached by CNN. The dispute is a consequence of the slow pace of the US Senate to approve Trump's US attorney nominations. Habba and other interim US attorneys could run out of the allotted 120 days they are allowed to serve. Under federal law, if the administration doesn't fill the job and the Senate doesn't confirm a nominee, federal judges in the district can select a temporary US attorney.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
New York man charged over explosives on subway tracks, rooftops
The accused stored five explosive devices on apartment building rooftops in Manhattan's SoHo neighbourhood. (AFP pic) NEW YORK : A New York man has been charged with making improvised explosive devices and throwing one onto subway tracks in New York City, US authorities said yesterday. Michael Gann, 55, allegedly manufactured at least seven explosive devices using chemicals ordered online and stored five devices and shotgun shells on apartment building rooftops in Manhattan's SoHo neighbourhood, according to the US attorney's office for the southern district of New York. Authorities said Gann threw one IED onto subway tracks on the Williamsburg Bridge and was arrested with a seventh device on his person early June. 'As alleged, Michael Gann built explosive devices, stored them on a rooftop in SoHo, and threw one onto the subway tracks – putting countless lives at risk,' said US attorney Jay Clayton. 'Thanks to swift work by our law enforcement partners, no one was harmed.' According to prosecutors, Gann ordered approximately two pounds of potassium perchlorate and one pound of aluminium powder – precursor chemicals to explosives – online in May, along with over 200 cardboard tubes and 50 feet of fuses. One of the devices placed on the roof of a SoHo building 'contained approximately 30g of explosive powder – approximately 600 times the legal limit for consumer fireworks', the attorney's office said. On or about June 5, just hours before his arrest while carrying an IED, he posted to Instagram: 'Who wants me to go out to play like no tomorrow?' Before making the IEDs, prosecutors said, Gann posted a message on X on March 27 tagging the POTUS account, the official handle for the president of the US. He wrote: 'I'm thinking just now here in NYC that it's too bad that the wall wasn't built before the National Guard would have to come here for the Protests and Riotation or would you just drop a bomb on this place while and because they seem to be coming and coming?' Between May and June 2025, Gann also searched online for information on bomb-making, firearms, and 3D-printed guns, as well as background checks for firearm purchases, according to the indictment. Gann, a resident of New York City's Inwood neighbourhood, faces charges of attempted destruction of property by explosives, transportation of explosive materials and unlawful possession of destructive devices. The most serious charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and maximum of 20 years.
