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attorney general

LAW

Merrick Garland at center of Hunter Biden whistleblower claim

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland is the unnamed official whose sworn testimony to Congress is being challenged in a bombshell letter from an IRS whistleblower’s attorney alleging a cover-up in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation, The Post has learned.

Attorney Mark Lytle wrote Wednesday that the longtime IRS employee wants to provide information to congressional leaders to “contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee” — Garland — and also to detail “preferential treatment” in the criminal probe of the first son.

The whistleblower already made disclosures to the inspectors general of the Treasury and Justice departments.

However, due to a quirk of federal law, he needs congressional approval to more fully describe his allegations to his own lawyers, which he wants to do before testifying to lawmakers.

Garland has repeatedly claimed under oath that Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump administration holdover recommended in 2017 by the state’s Democratic senators, is able to criminally charge Hunter Biden without the permission of other Justice Department leaders, despite Republicans challenging the factual accuracy of that claim.

Garland in April 2022 told Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) that “there will not be interference of any political or improper kind” in the investigation of Hunter Biden led by Weiss.

“He is the supervisor of this investigation,” Garland said of Weiss, adding that “we put the investigation in the hands of a Trump appointee from the previous administration, who is the US attorney for the district of Delaware, and … you have me as the attorney general, who is committed to the independence of the Justice Department from any influence from the White House in criminal matters.”


Attorney General Merrick Garland
Attorney General Merrick Garland is the unnamed official whose sworn testimony before Congress is being challenged in a bombshell letter from an IRS
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LAW

Corporate Funders Dropped Insurrectionist Attorneys General. Now They’re Back.

An atmosphere of conviviality greeted Republican attorneys general arriving in New Orleans for their recent winter conference. It was Mardi Gras, and tourists traipsed through the lobby of the historic Roosevelt Hotel wearing colorful beaded necklaces and clutching cocktails.

A few feet from the check-in desk, if any of the attorneys general stopped to notice it, stood a replica of former U.S. Sen. and Louisiana Gov. Huey Long’s “deduct box,” which reportedly contained more than $1 million in cash donations from businesses and wealthy individuals when the notoriously corrupt Long was assassinated in 1935. The attorneys general were in New Orleans on their own fundraising mission, albeit aboveboard. That evening, in a ballroom one flight up, the Republican Attorneys General Association hosted an invite-only Super Bowl party, where they mixed and mingled with donors, and alcohol flowed freely. There was reason to celebrate. Having endured its worst crisis since it became a standalone entity in 2014, RAGA was thriving again.

RAGA, a tax-exempt political group representing more than half of the states’ chief legal officers, had come in for particularly harsh criticism for its support of Trump’s election fraud claims in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A RAGA sister organization had sent a robocall urging “patriots” to join Trump’s Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse in Washington. Then the fuzzy recorded voice went one step further, saying, “We will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal.”

Only a few weeks earlier, Texas’ Republican attorney general, Kenneth Paxton, had brought an emergency motion to the Supreme Court to invalidate the results of the vote in four states Joe Biden had won. Seventeen Republican attorneys general, all RAGA members, supported the motion.

The response from corporate America was

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ATTORNEY

First Thing: World’s biggest fossil fuel firms ‘profitable in Myanmar after coup’ | US news

Good morning.

In the two years since a junta launched a coup in Myanmar, some of the world’s biggest oil and gas service companies have continued to make millions of dollars from operations that have helped prop up the military regime, tax documents seen by the Guardian suggest.

The Myanmar military seized power in February 2021 and according to the United Nations special rapporteur, it is “committing war crimes and crimes against humanity daily”. More than 2,940 people, including children, pro-democracy activists and other civilians have been killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Amid this violence, leaked Myanmar tax records and other reports appear to show that US, UK and Irish oil and gas field contractors – which provide essential drilling and other services to Myanmar’s gas field operators – have continued to make millions in profit in the country, wrote Dominic Rushe and Nick Mathiason.

The documents were obtained by the transparency non-profit Distributed Denial of Secrets and analyzed by the Myanmar activist group Justice For Myanmarinvestigative journalism organization Finance Uncovered and the Guardian.

  • What else is happening? The UK, US and Canada have imposed fresh sanctions against Myanmar’s military, including measures from some aimed at stopping the supply of aviation fuel to its air force, which is accused of indiscriminately bombing civilian areas. Australia has also announced sanctions.

  • What did US secretary of state Antony Blinken say about the sanctions? He said in a statement that the coup had put Myanmar on “a disastrous path that has killed and displaced thousands”, and fresh sanctions would be imposed in conjunction with Canada and the UK.

California police kill double amputee who was fleeing: ‘Scared for his life’

Family and friends of Anthony Lowe hold a news conference to demand an investigation into his death.
Family and friends of Anthony Lowe hold a news conference to demand an investigation into his death.
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ATTORNEY

Attorney General Lynn Fitch and 16 Attorneys General Warn Google Not to Discriminate Against Pregnancy Centers 072122

Below is a press release from Attorney General Lynn Fitch:

Attorney General Lynn Fitch today sent a multistate letter to Google, led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, expressing concerns about recent political pressure Encouraging Google to discriminate against crisis pregnancy centers in search results, online advertising, and other products like Google Maps. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has advocated for the shutting down of crisis pregnancy centers, and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), joined by 19 of their Democrat colleagues, sent Google their own respective letter, urging them to discriminate against these private charities by removing them from search results.

In their letter, the Attorneys General promise to investigate potential violations of antitrust laws and religious discrimination, should Google fall to this political pressure and attack free speech.

“For years, pregnancy resource centers have formed the backbone of a safety net for women in need of everything from bare essentials like diapers to help finding ways to finish their education and get job training,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “And they have done it with love, compassion, and respect. It is a shame that at a time when we should be fortifying this network, some in Washington are putting politics over people and seeking to diminish it.”

Crisis pregnancy centers are private charities that show compassion and practical support to women in a time of need. In 2019, crisis pregnancy centers served over 1.8 million clients and provided services valued at over $266million for little or no cost. These included ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, STD testing, parenting and prenatal education classes, post-abortive care, recovery counseling, free or reduced-cost diapers, baby clothes, car seats, and strollers.

Joining Attorney General Fitch are Attorneys General of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,

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ATTORNEY

Former Kenya’s Attorney-General dubs book ‘valedicory speech’

By TONY MOCHAMA

Kenya’s former Attorney General Githu Muigai launched his book Power, Politics and Law on July 15, describing it as his “valedicory speech”.

Muigai is known for his biting humor and poetic diction in both legal and learning circles.

In attendance were the current Chief Justice Martha Koome as the guest of honour, and former CJ Willy Mutunga.

Prof John Osogo Ambani, the dean of Kabarak University’s School of Law noted that Kabarak University Press published the work.

“We must be proud of our homegrown industries, including faciliators of the intelligentsia,” Muigai said, “and not imagine that what makes one great is being printed by the Oxfords and Cambridges, and other places that lie across high seas.”

Muigai writes about how Constitutional Law shaped the politics of the Kenya.

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It is an inter-disciplinary work about political positioning, legislative bargaining and constitutional amendments that are deliberative among political, parliamentary and judicial elites.

The book shows the trajectory of civil servants and politicians as the architects of constitutional order. In the mid-1990s, the courts became increasing independent of the Executive.

Shining example

Koome applauded the sharing of Muigai’s thoughts and experiences, terming the book a “shining example of legal scholarship” and an “invaluable contribution to our academic and cultural heritage by a serious senior official of state”.

“We Judges spend so much time writing judgments and not writing any books,” Koome said, adding that she has a manuscript that she has been tossing about. “When I retire, I will not only go to Kabarak University to teach about Children’s Law , but also get their university press to publish my book, the way they have for the former AG.”

Mutunga said Power, Politics and Law explains the political, ideological and legal instruments that define our jurisprudence, adding that

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ATTORNEY

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks Announcing Launch of Environmental Justice Investigation into the City of Houston, Texas | OPA

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good morning. My name is Kristen Clarke and I am the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice.

Today we are here to announce that the Civil Rights Division and US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas are opening an investigation to determine whether the City of Houston, Texas, is complying with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This important federal civil rights law prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin in their programs or activities. The investigation we are launching today will be focused on the City’s response to reports of illegal dumping, including the 311 Houston Service Helpline system.

The investigation is prompted by a complaint sent to the Justice Department from Lone Star Legal Aid. The complaint alleges that the City of Houston engages in race and national origin discrimination against a predominately Black and Latino area in Northeast Houston — Houston’s Trinity/Houston Gardens Super Neighborhood 48. The complaint set forth complaints by residents in the upper Neighborhood 48 who frequently make calls complaining about the illegal dumping of household furniture, mattresses, tires, medical waste, trash, dead bodies, and vandalized ATM machines and other items dumped and abandoned in their community. The complaint alleges that the City’s denial of services, failure to enforce municipal codes and permit restrictions, and failure to adequately and equitably respond to illegal dumpsite concerns and service requests threaten the health and safety of Black and Latino people in Houston. These alleged acts also devalue the real property of Black and Latino Houstonians in violation of Title VI.

Data compiled by the City shows that a high concentration of the illegal dumping occurring

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ATTORNEY

Missouri’s attorney general sues St. Louis over allocating funds to support access to abortions out of state

After the high court’s decision on June 24, St. Louis city officials passed a bill aiming to create the Reproductive Equity Fund intended to provide what it describes as “logical support” for people seeking abortion.

That support includes, but is not limited to, funding childcare, transportation and other needs, according to the measure.

“Abortion bans hurt the working people who can’t afford child care, a hotel or time off from work because they need access to abortion care,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said Thursday while signing the bill.

After the bill’s signing, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued the city, arguing that the measure violates state law.

“In managing that fund, public employees will be assisting or encouraging abortion by processing claims for public funds to cover costs incurred in obtaining abortions,” Schmitt said in a written statement.

The city’s bill specifically prohibits the money from being used for funding abortion procedures or counseling a woman to have an abortion. The bill is using federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan — a massive Covid-19 economic relief package signed by President Joe Biden in March 2021.

In addition to the $1 million for abortion logistical support, the bill sets aside another $500,000 for other types of care reproductive care, including access to doulas and lactation support.

The measure aims to affirm residents’ rights “to maintain personal bodily autonomy, make personal decisions about if, when, and how to establish a family, including decisions about abortion,” according to its text.

The attorney general also filed a preliminary injunction requesting that St. Louis does not create the Reproductive Equity Fund.

Schmitt had threatened to file suit before Thursday’s bill signing, but the major was undeterred.

“I will not back down when our opponents threaten, bully or demean our city,” said the

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ATTORNEY

BC’s Attorney General David Eby puts hat in ring to replace John Horgan as NDP leader

BC’s attorney general David Eby has announced he’s running for the NDP leadership to replace current Premier John Horgan.

Flanked by his colleagues, an exuberant Eby told a small crowd at the Kitsilano Neighborhood House — located within his riding of Vancouver Point Gray — that he is the best choice to become the next premier of BC

In his speech, Eby noted that he has the support of 48 of his NDP MLA colleagues. He made it clear that his priority will be offering more provincial support to develop new housing for BC’s growing population. Beyond that, Eby said he will work to build safer and stronger communities.

“A home is not secure if you can’t afford it or if it’s not safe… the NDP has never shied away from delivering public solutions to failing public markets whether it’s child care, pharma care, housing or car insurance.”

Eby is best known for his efforts in overhauling ICBC, leading the provincial inquiry into money laundering and pushing for municipalities to develop more affordable housing — efforts that have garnered him plenty of supporters and critics over the years.

He is the only candidate to step forward so far and many of his notable colleagues have already bowed out of the race. Before announcing his bid on Tuesday (July 19), Eby resigned from his roles in cabinet — a move that is required to run in the leadership race. Eby would not comment on who should replace him as attorney general if he does become the next premiere.

Premier John Horgan announced in late June that he would not be seeking re-election. Horgan has led the NDP since 2014 and brought the party historic electoral success. The 62-year-old cited his recovery from a recent bout with cancer as a reason for

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ATTORNEY

Garland in Ukraine to talk war crimes prosecution

The United States, he added, “is sending an unmistakable message: There is no place to hide. We and our partners will pursue every avenue available to make sure that those who are responsible for these atrocities are held accountable.”

Garland also announced the launch of a War Crimes Accountability Team to be led by Eli Rosenbaum, whom the attorney general tapped to serve as counselor for war crimes accountability, garland-visits-ukraine-reaffirms-us-commitment-help-identify” class=” js-tealium-tracking ” data-tracking=”mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=”according to a Justice Department news release.

Rosenbaum is a more than three-decade department veteran who previously served as director of the Office of Special Investigations, helping identify and deport Nazi war criminals.

Hope Olds, the acting section chief of the department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section, will aid Rosenbaum’s efforts, as will prosecutors Christina Giffin, Christian Levesque and Courtney Urschel, the department said.

With his visit Tuesday, Garland becomes the latest member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to make a trip to the war-torn country; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled together to the capital of Kyiv in April. The Justice Department previously announced last week that Garland was traveling elsewhere in Europe for various meetings.

Garland’s visit comes after he was revealed in April that the Justice Department was contributing to international investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, escalating US involvement in efforts to hold Russia legally accountable for atrocities committed during its invasion.

“This department has a long history of helping to hold accountable those who perpetrate war crimes,” Garland said at the time, invoking his predecessor Robert Jackson — a former attorney general in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration who went on to serve as the chief US prosecutor of Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials.

Garland has spoken publicly in the

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ATTORNEY

Attorney General Tong Statement on US Supreme Court Decision in Biden v Texas

Press Releases

Attorney General William Tong

06/30/2022

Attorney General Tong Statement on US Supreme Court Decision in Biden v. Texas

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today praised the US Supreme Court decision in Biden v. Texas affirming President Biden’s authority to end President Trump’s harmful “Remain in Mexico” program.

Attorney General Tong had joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general filing an amicus brief urging the Court to reverse a lower court decision that had required the federal government to continue the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy.

“The Remain in Mexico policy was cruel and unlawful, forcing immigrants fleeing violence, natural disaster, and instability to wait in Mexico in dangerous conditions for their cases to be called in the US Immigration court. President Biden had every right to abandon it, and the Supreme Court was right in affirming the President’s authority to set his own immigration policy,” said Attorney General Tong.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General


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