Tag: doj

DOJ invokes Civil War-era law in warning federal agents not to respond to polling places with guns

In recent days, federal law enforcement agents across the government received a jarring communication from the Justice Department: a warning they could be prosecuted under a Civil War-era law if they respond to an election polling place with guns, even for a fake report of a crime.

The memo from Corey R. Amundson, the chief of DOJ’s Public Integrity Section that oversees election crimes, was dated Oct. 15 and states it was prompted by inquiries about how the government might respond to Election Day violence.

It was brought to the attention of Just the News by a senior law enforcement official and confirmed by multiple federal agents, some who said their immediate bosses offered additional guidance.

“In our role overseeing federal prosecutorial efforts against election crime, the Public Integrity Section, through our Election Crimes Branch, has received inquiries about the legality of having armed federal law enforcement agents at polling places,” Amundson wrote. “Given the potential relevance of this issue to federal law enforcement agencies and the Department of Defense. we thought it prudent to bring to your attention Title 18, United States Code, Section 592.”

“This statute — which has been on existence since 1864 — makes it a felony for a federal official to send armed personnel to an operational polling place for crowd control or other purposes,” the memo added.

DOJ officials and retired agents told Just the News similar communications about the Civil War-era law have been sent out in prior elections, but this year’s memo has gotten more attention internally because of a recent Election Day ISIS terror plot that was thwarted a few weeks ago in Oklahoma and more recent fire bombings of ballot collection boxes in the Northwest.

The current memo cautioned agents that bad actors might try to trick agents into an armed respond to a polling place with a false report of violence.

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Grand Jury Witness Reportedly Hands Over to the Feds Sex Tapes Featuring Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Eight Celebrity ‘Victims’ — Including Two Underage Male Stars

There are main pipelines of stories involving the Sean Diddy Combs prosecution saga.

One is leaks from people inside the DOJ who are leaking like mad. A second is the alleged victims who are filing new suits against Diddy like there’s no tomorrow.

There are also people who are witnesses to the goings-on or who have evidence pertinent to this prosecution.

And now, one such witness has apparently come forward.

A producer from New Jersey says he saw – and was in possession of – a number of sex tapes featuring eight different celebrity victims — including two or three underage male stars.

New York Post reported:

“Courtney Burgess, who testified before a grand jury in Manhattan on Thursday, claimed in an interview with NewsNation’s ‘Banfield’ that he saw six males and two female celebs engaging in sex acts with the disgraced music mogul. Asked how many of the stars appeared to be under the influence or inebriated on the tapes, Burgess alleged, ‘All of them.’”

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Civil Liberties Groups Push DOJ to Probe UK-US Collusion in Online Censorship

America First Legal (AFL) has announced that it has filed a formal complaint, based on new evidence, urging an investigation into the activities of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

This UK-based group has been accused of direct involvement in online censorship, including in the US, notably in the affair around the “naming and shaming” of the supposed Covid “Disinformation Dozen” – which is why the AFL’s complaint has now been submitted to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

The key question that AFL wants to be answered is whether those behind CCDH should be treated as “agents of a foreign principal” who took on the role of stifling free speech in the US.

Such a designation of the group, if confirmed, would be in line with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

We obtained a copy of the request for you here.

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Biden-Harris DOJ Confirms Request to Investigate Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump Election Activity

Former Republican Justice Department and other officials sent a letter Monday to Democratic Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting he open an investigation into billionaire Elon Musk’s cash prizes to registered voters in swing states.

Musk, through his America PAC, is selecting a $1 million lottery winner each day until the election to registered voters who sign a petition saying they support the First and Second Amendments.

The petition signers must be registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Musk handed out the first two checks for $1 million at a Donald Trump rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

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Warden Admits Biden-Harris DOJ Has Illegally Imprisoned Steve Bannon Since October 19

The Tennessee Star on Monday obtained a letter sent by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to attorneys representing Steve Bannon, wherein the federal agency acknowledged it is holding the former White House chief strategist in violation of the First Step Act (FSA) of 2018, as Bannon accrued 10 days of good time credit toward an early release:

To date, Mr. Bannon has earned 10 First Step Act (“FSA”) time credits. These credits would typically be applied toward early transfer to supervision pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 3624 (g) (3). However, Mr. Bannon does not have a term of supervision following his term of imprisonment. Thus, his 10 FSA time credits can only be applied toward prerelease custody placement in a Residential Reentry Center or on home confinement.”

According to attorney R. Trent McCotter, who represents Bannon, “Those credits mean that Mr. Bannon could have been released to home confinement two days ago on October 19, 2024 (i.e., 10 days before the end of his sentence) – yet the BOP declined to do so, citing its view that there is ‘insufficient time’ remaining on Mr. Bannon’s sentence ‘to process’ the referral to home confinement.”

Bannon’s attorneys filed the letter as part of an effort to secure an earlier release but it was sent to Bannon’s lawyers by the Acting Warden at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) in Danbury, Connecticut, where Bannon is serving a four-month sentence after he was convicted in 2022 for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena from the House select committee that investigated January 6.

Acting Warden Darek Puzio said that “Mr. Bannon has earned 10 First Step Act (“FSA”) time credits,” which the warden additionally acknowledged “would typically be applied toward early transfer to supervision,” but noted that Bannon was not sentenced to any form of supervised release.

According to Puzio, this means Bannon can only use his credits, which the BOP typically calls good time credits, to secure a transfer to home confinement for the remainder of his sentence. However, the federal official claimed there is insufficient time left in Bannon’s sentence to arrange this and that the BOP department responsible for such arrangements “will not accept placements under 30 days.”

While confirming FCI Danbury and the BOP are willfully ignoring the good time credit accrued by Bannon, the warden nonetheless acknowledged the former Trump adviser “will be released on his full-term release date of October 29, 2024.”

In a legal filing containing the letter, Bannon’s attorneys argued that Puzio’s admission means the court should order Bannon “released immediately.”

This acknowledgment by Puzio and the BOP follows last week’s statement by Bannon that the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) was illegally holding him through its abandonment of the landmark civil justice reform signed into law by former President Donald Trump.

“The Harris Bureau of Prisons is illegally holding me past my legal release date–trying to eliminate one of President Trump’s strongest advocates–these criminals reek of desperation,” said Bannon in a statement last week to The National Pulse.

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DOJ Lawyers Press Merrick Garland to Investigate Israel’s Killing of American Citizens

Attorneys at the Department of Justice have sent a letter to Merrick Garland, pressing the US attorney general to‬‭ “investigate‬‭ potential‬‭ violations‬‭ of‬‭ U.S.‬‭ law‬‭ by‬‭ Israel’s‭ government,‬‭ military,‬‭ and‬‭ citizenry,‬‭ and‬‭ hold‬‭ the‬‭ perpetrators‬‭ to‬‭ account.”

The letter, exclusively obtained by Zeteo, represents increasing internal discontent over the DOJ’s silence as the Israeli government, supported by US citizens and organizations, allegedly violates US and international laws – in contrast to the department’s willingness to announce charges against Hamas leaders over the Oct. 7 attack. It also comes as the Israeli government responds to US requests to heed US and international laws by escalating its violation of them.

“We honor the Department’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting crimes regardless of the perpetrator’s race or nationality and regardless of political considerations. We know you do too, Attorney General Garland,” the letter’s authors write, citing a speech Garland delivered to the department last month.

“In your speech, you stressed the importance of the ‘fair and impartial application of our laws.’ You also quoted the Principles of Federal Prosecution and reminded us that, as attorneys for the government, we should not be influenced by, among other factors, a person’s background, our feelings concerning the victim, and the effect of a charging decision on our professional and personal circumstances. You told us that ‘we must treat like cases alike,’ … And finally, you insisted that, guided by these norms, ‘we will not allow this nation to become a country where law enforcement is treated as an apparatus of politics.’”

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Federal Judge Sides with Biden-Harris DOJ, Blocks Attempt to Remove Ineligible Voters from Rolls Ahead of Election

A federal judge on Wednesday halted an Alabama effort to purge voter registration rolls of people who should not be able to vote in the state.

The Justice Department sued Alabama to stop Secretary of State Wes Allen from what he said were “strategic efforts” to “remove noncitizens registered to vote,” according to NBC.

Under the program, Allen sought to remove 3,251 voters and said they would be referred to the state attorney general’s office for possible prosecution.

U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco, who had been nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2020, said the program had to stop due to the timing.

“For decades, federal law has given states a hard deadline to complete systematic purges of ineligible persons from voter rolls: no later than ninety days before a federal election,” Manasco wrote. NBC referred to the rule as a “quiet period.”

“This year, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen (1) blew the deadline when he announced a purge program to begin eighty-four days before the 2024 General Election, (2) later admitted that his purge list included thousands of United States citizens (in addition to far fewer noncitizens, who are ineligible to vote), and (3) in any event, referred everyone on the purge list to the Alabama Attorney General for criminal investigation,” Manasco wrote.

Manasco ordered the state to contact those who were targeted by the program to let them know they are able to vote this year.

The order said that Allen is not barred from removing voters who would be ineligble for other reasons — such as criminal offenses or death.

If Allen learns an individual on the rolls is not an American citizen by means other than the program to remove them en masse, he can remove such a person, the order said.

The injunction to stop Allen from removing voters only lasts until the day after the Nov. 5 election.

“Because this litigation is still ongoing, I am limited in my ability to comment,” Allen said in a statement, according to The Washington Post.

“Earlier today, the federal court issued a preliminary injunction order. I will comply with the order of the federal court.

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Justice Department Sues To Force South Bend To Hold Police to Lower Standards

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint on October 11 in the United States District Court for the North District of Indiana alleging that the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the DOJ accuses the SBPD of using a written test and physical fitness test to screen police officer applicants, which results in disparate acceptance rates for African Americans and women, respectively.

The SBPD uses a written exam developed by the Indiana-based company Testing For Public Safety, LLC. The city of South Bend says the DOJ’s lawsuit unfairly “attacks the SBPD’s written test, which is…similar to written tests in other Indiana police departments, including the Indiana State Police,” reports WSBT22.

The Indiana State Police provides an official study guide for the written exam, which consists of eight multiple-choice sections designed to measure a range of cognitive skills: learn and apply knowledge; observe and accurately describe events and objects; remember identifying information; remember spatial relationships and where objects are located; complete routine forms; communicate using appropriate grammar; communicate in writing—spelling; and ability to solve work-related arithmetic.

Basic arithmetic, reading comprehension, spelling, and grammar are essential skills for most occupations. The other sections of the test assess abilities relevant to policing. Yet, the DOJ claims that the “use of these tests is not job related or consistent with business necessity.”

The SBPD’s physical fitness test requires applicants to jump 13.5 inches, complete 24 sit-ups in one minute, run 300 meters in 82 seconds, do 21 push-ups, run 1.5 miles in 18 minutes and 56 seconds (that’s a 12-minute 37-second mile), and pull a pistol trigger six times in 10 seconds. By comparison, these standards are easier than the FitnessGram PACER Test given to New York high school students.

The DOJ recognizes that “moving people away from danger…pursuing and apprehending suspects; and testifying in court and preparing for such testimony by reviewing reports and notes” are responsibilities police officers must be able to perform. These activities necessitate screening criteria.

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Biden-Harris DOJ Announces It Will ‘Monitor’ Voting in Ohio County Due to Sheriff’s Immigration Comments

An Ohio sheriff’s comments have triggered the Justice Department to proclaim that it will monitor one Ohio county for potential voter intimidation.

The fuss began on Sept. 13 when Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski issued a post about Vice President Kamala Harris on his personal Facebook page, according to USA Today.

“When people ask me…What’s gonna happen if the Flip – Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say…write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards,” Zuchowski wrote in the Facebook post, which no longer appears on his personal Facebook page. “Sooo…when the Illegal human ‘Locust’ (which she supports!) Need places to live…We’ll already have the addresses of their New families…who supported their arrival!”

The NAACP immediately began squawking about voter intimidation.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced its response, saying it will “monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Portage County, Ohio, during the early voting period and on Election Day,” according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

“Voters in Portage County have raised concerns about intimidation resulting from the surveillance and the collection of personal information regarding voters, as well as threats concerning the electoral process. Attempted or actual intimidation, threats or coercion directed toward any person for voting and related activities or urging or aiding others in voting is prohibited by Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the news release said.

As noted by the Associated Press, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio claimed the comments were an unconstitutional, “impermissible threat” against people displaying yard signs.

Freda J. Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio, alleged many residents believed the post was a “threat of governmental action to punish them for their expressed political beliefs” and took their signs down in fear.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine called Zuchowski’s comments “unfortunate” and “not helpful.”

The Ohio secretary of state’s office shrugged off the fuss.

“Our office has determined the sheriff’s comments don’t violate election laws,” said Dan Lusheck, a representative of  Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

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Biden Says the Quiet Part Out Loud, Admits His DOJ is Working to Jail Trump After the Election

Joe Biden Tuesday evening campaigned for Kamala Harris at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center in Philadelphia.

81-year-old Biden was in really bad shape Tuesday night.

He is so far gone that when he tried to dunk on Trump he botched his line.

“She beat Trump so badly in the debate, he’s scared to death to beat her again!” Biden shouted.

This is the decline Kamala Harris covered up for years.

Biden coughed up a lung as trashed Trump and told the crowd, “we ain’t goin back.”

Joe Biden said the quiet part out loud and admitted that his DOJ is working to jail Trump after the election.

“The same guy who has three other major cases waiting for him when he loses,” Biden said referring to Jack Smith’s federal cases against Trump.

“And by the way, 34 felonies,” Biden said after he sent his DOJ hatchetman Matthew Colangelo to New York to get Trump.

“He got the sentence kicked back, but I want to watch that sentence,” Biden gleefully said hoping Trump is jailed.

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