#edva

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trump toady in hot water for still cosplaying as US attorney

It’s been several weeks since Lindsey Halligan was told in no uncertain terms by a federal court that she is not the interim U.S. Attorney f

Lisa Needham at Daily Kos:

It’s been several weeks since Lindsey Halligan was told in no uncertain terms by a federal court that she is not the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and has never ever legally occupied that role, despite being appointed by President Donald Trump.  But Halligan, an insurance lawyer with zero experience as a prosecutor, is as persistent as she is unqualified. So she has, inexplicably, continued to sign off on criminal indictments as “United States Attorney and Special Attorney.”  Yeah, about that … Yesterday, U.S. Judge David Novak, a Trump appointee, ordered Halligan to explain why she signed off as the U.S. attorney on a criminal indictment in a case before him. Novak gave her one week, and if Halligan had any real experience whatsoever, being the subject of this order would leave her terrified. 

Halligan’s response—which Novak specified must be signed by her—must explain the basis for calling herself a U.S. attorney despite a court ruling to the contrary. She also has to set forth reasons why the court shouldn’t strike her name from the indictment.  But Novak didn’t stop there. Halligan also has to explain how calling herself U.S. attorney in legal filings doesn’t constitute a false or misleading statement in violation of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct, the Eastern District of Virginia Local Criminal Rules, and the Federal Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement. 

Trump toady “attorney” Lindsey Halligan can’t stop cosplaying one.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

U.S. attorney pretender Lindsey Halligan leaves office after judges force her out

It marks the culmination of her tumultuous, error-prone and legally illegitimate four-month stint as interim U.S. attorney.

Jacob Knutson at Democracy Docket:

Lindsey Halligan, the loyalist President Donald Trump handpicked to prosecute his political enemies last year, has stepped down as the top federal prosecutor in eastern Virginia more than a month after she was formally disqualified from the position.  Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Halligan’s exit Tuesday evening in a message on social media that decried “serious obstacles” to the president’s ability to to make law enforcement appointments. In fact, Halligan’s departure marked the culmination of a tumultuous, error-prone and legally illegitimate four-month stint as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. It also followed a pair of extraordinary moves from federal judges in the district. Halligan left the post after a Trump-appointed judge rebuked her for continuing to refer to herself as a U.S. attorney following her disqualification, accusing her of ignoring court orders and undermining the rule of law. Separately, a federal judge also moved to formally strip Halligan of the title. In September, Trump tapped Halligan, his former personal lawyer who had no prosecutorial experience, for a 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney shortly after he publicly ordered Bondi to target his political enemies more aggressively.

Just days after being sworn in, Halligan brought criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, two of Trump’s long-time foes. However, both Comey and James challenged the charges by arguing Halligan’s appointment was illegal. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie, who was assigned to review Comey’s and James’ arguments, concluded in November that Trump and Bondi circumvented federal vacancy laws and the Constitution in appointing Halligan.

Unlawfully appointed Trump hack Lindsey Halligan vacates her illegal claim to the EDVA US Attorney spot.

[erebusvincent]

WikiLeaks Founder Charged in Computer Hacking Conspiracy

Julian P. Assange, 47, the founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested today in the United Kingdom pursuant to the U.S./UK Extradition Treaty, in con

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trump and his family still face a ton of criminal investigations

The Mueller report is only the beginning.

Dan Desai Martin at Shareblue: 

The conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is far from the end of Trump's legal worries.

While Trump's attorney general is declining to prosecute Trump or pursue evidence that he committed crimes, that's not the case for other law enforcement officials in Trump's Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors from New York to Los Angeles are still conducting about a dozen investigations into Trump, his family, his businesses, and his activities.

[...]

According to the Times, the SDNY is also looking into the role the Trump Organization and its executives played in the hush money scheme, as well as possible irregularities with insurance claims.

SDNY investigators, as well as federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, are also looking into irregularities in donations to Trump's inaugural committee, including the possibility that Trump's team illegally accepted donations from foreign nationals.

In Virginia, federal prosecutors are gearing up for the trial of Trump's longtime adviser, Roger Stone, who was charged by Mueller's team for a variety of crimes.

Along with federal prosecutors, state agencies are also looking into Trump and his gang of shady associates. The state of New York recently charged Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, with a variety of state crimes related to mortgage fraud. Manafort was recently sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a number of crimes.

New York state is also looking into the Trump Foundation for a litany of allegations, including civil inquiries into whether the company violated tax laws.

All in all, the Times concludes that there are about a dozen investigations that the public knows about — and the exact number is unknown, due to the secrecy surrounding ongoing investigations.

While Trump may claim vindication, he's NOT out of the woods by any means regarding his legal woes, as there are still several investigations still ongoing (SDNY, EDVA, NY State, et al).

[justinspoliticalcorner]

After Mueller: The Ongoing Investigations Surrounding Trump

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has wrapped up, but Trump and his associates may not be out of legal jeopardy yet.

Madeleine Carlisle and Olivia Paschal at The Atlantic:

After 675 days, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is over. But President Donald Trump’s legal troubles are far from finished.

What has ended is the Department of Justice’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, which began after the United States assessed that Moscow had intervened in the vote to tip the election in Trump’s favor. Both Trump and Russia have consistently denied this. But Mueller’s investigation has led to 215 criminal charges, 38 indictments or pleas, and five prison sentences so far. His probe ensnared Trump’s business associates, many of whom had become involved in his political career, including his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The special counsel’s office also unearthed a web of criminality, not always directly related to Russian interference.

Mueller’s probe pursued multiple lines of inquiry, spiraling out from Trump’s immediate circle into investigations implicating foreign nationals and Washington lobbyists. As a direct result of Mueller and his team’s work, at least eight people, including Manafort and Cohen, were convicted of crimes ranging from unregistered foreign lobbying to campaign-finance violations.

Mueller referred a number of cases to federal prosecutors in New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.—and their investigations are ongoing. At the same time, several congressional committees are also pursuing their own investigations.

Here’s a list of all the ongoing government investigations that could spell legal trouble for Trump, regardless of whether he’s president, and the people and entities associated with him.

Federal Jurisdictions

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia

Department of Justice (Public Integrity Section)

Other State and Local Investigations

State Attorneys General Investigating Trump’s Inauguration Committee

New York State and New York City

State Attorneys General Suing Trump or His Organizations

Other State Court Probes

Congress

The House Intelligence Committee

The House Financial Services Committee

The House Oversight Committee

The House Judiciary Committee

The House Ways and Means Committee

The House Foreign Affairs Committee

Senate Intelligence Committee

With the Mueller investigation wrapped up as we still await for its conclusions to come out, Trump's legal woes are not going away anytime soon, as the other investigations (SDNY, EDVA, DC, New York, Congress, et al.) are still ongoing and are really beginning to heat up.

[erebusvincent]

Julian Assange has been charged, prosecutors reveal inadvertently in court filing

The WikiLeaks founder has long drawn the attention of federal investigators for revealing U.S. secrets.

Neato torpedo.

[oddepia]

Lo, Unto Us A Robert Mueller Trump-Russia Grand Jury Is Born!

Lo, Unto Us A Robert Mueller Trump-Russia Grand Jury Is Born!

Mama said knock you out Tell us something that will send starbursts up our inner thighs and make us say HOOHAH, Wall Street Journal! STARBURSTS UNLOCKED! The grand jury, which began its work in recent weeks, is a sign that Mr. Mueller’s inquiry is ramping up and that it will … Read entire story.

Source: Wonkette

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