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Donald Trump wants to control the Justice Department and FBI. His allies have a plan
Hat tip, Joe.My.God.:
Donald Trump wants to control the Justice Department and FBI. His allies have a plan
By Gram Slattery, Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward
May 17, 20246:56 AM EDTUpdated 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Some of Donald Trump's allies are assembling proposals to curtail the Justice Department's independence and turn the nation's top law enforcement body into an attack dog for conservative causes, nine people involved in the effort told Reuters. ... If successful, the overhaul could represent one of the most consequential actions of a second Trump presidency given the Justice Department's role in protecting democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law.
It would also mark a dramatic departure from the department's mission statement, which identifies "independence and impartiality" as core values. ... Trump, who has been indicted on dozens of criminal charges by the Justice Department, has vowed on the campaign trail to overhaul the agency if he wins the presidential election on Nov. 5 and pledged to use it to pursue his own opponents, including Democratic President Joe Biden.
The plan is essentially twofold, according to the nine people interviewed by Reuters, some of whom requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. ... First: flood the Justice Department with stalwart conservatives unlikely to say "no" to controversial orders from the White House. Second: restructure the department so key decisions are concentrated in the hands of administration loyalists rather than career bureaucrats.
{snip}
Two prominent Trump allies told Reuters they support eliminating the FBI's general counsel, an office that enraged Republicans during Trump's 2017-2021 term for its role in approving an inquiry into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russian officials. ... The general counsel provides legal advice to FBI employees regarding ongoing probes and other matters. Closing it would force the bureau to receive legal guidance from people closer to Trump's attorney general in the chain-of-command and limit the FBI's ability to conduct investigations without close political oversight, according to several Trump supporters and legal professionals with knowledge of the department's workings.
{snip}
Reporting by Gram Slattery, Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Flynn
Gram Slattery
Thomson Reuters
Gram.Slattery@thomsonreuters.com
https://twitter.com/G_Slattery
https://www.instagram.com/gramongram1/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gram-slattery-47017aa5/
Washington-based correspondent covering campaigns and Congress. Previously posted in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, and has reported extensively throughout Latin America. Co-winner of the 2021 Reuters Journalist of the Year Award in the business coverage category for a series on corruption and fraud in the oil industry. He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.
Sarah N. Lynch
Thomson Reuters
sarah.n.lynch@thomsonreuters.com
https://twitter.com/SarahNLynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lynch-49a0a16a/
Sarah N. Lynch is the lead reporter for Reuters covering the U.S. Justice Department out of Washington, D.C. During her time on the beat, she has covered everything from the Mueller report and the use of federal agents to quell protesters in the wake of George Floyds murder, to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in prisons and the department's prosecutions following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
By Gram Slattery, Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward
May 17, 20246:56 AM EDTUpdated 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Some of Donald Trump's allies are assembling proposals to curtail the Justice Department's independence and turn the nation's top law enforcement body into an attack dog for conservative causes, nine people involved in the effort told Reuters. ... If successful, the overhaul could represent one of the most consequential actions of a second Trump presidency given the Justice Department's role in protecting democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law.
It would also mark a dramatic departure from the department's mission statement, which identifies "independence and impartiality" as core values. ... Trump, who has been indicted on dozens of criminal charges by the Justice Department, has vowed on the campaign trail to overhaul the agency if he wins the presidential election on Nov. 5 and pledged to use it to pursue his own opponents, including Democratic President Joe Biden.
The plan is essentially twofold, according to the nine people interviewed by Reuters, some of whom requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. ... First: flood the Justice Department with stalwart conservatives unlikely to say "no" to controversial orders from the White House. Second: restructure the department so key decisions are concentrated in the hands of administration loyalists rather than career bureaucrats.
{snip}
Two prominent Trump allies told Reuters they support eliminating the FBI's general counsel, an office that enraged Republicans during Trump's 2017-2021 term for its role in approving an inquiry into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russian officials. ... The general counsel provides legal advice to FBI employees regarding ongoing probes and other matters. Closing it would force the bureau to receive legal guidance from people closer to Trump's attorney general in the chain-of-command and limit the FBI's ability to conduct investigations without close political oversight, according to several Trump supporters and legal professionals with knowledge of the department's workings.
{snip}
Reporting by Gram Slattery, Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Flynn
Gram Slattery
Thomson Reuters
Gram.Slattery@thomsonreuters.com
https://twitter.com/G_Slattery
https://www.instagram.com/gramongram1/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gram-slattery-47017aa5/
Washington-based correspondent covering campaigns and Congress. Previously posted in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, and has reported extensively throughout Latin America. Co-winner of the 2021 Reuters Journalist of the Year Award in the business coverage category for a series on corruption and fraud in the oil industry. He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.
Sarah N. Lynch
Thomson Reuters
sarah.n.lynch@thomsonreuters.com
https://twitter.com/SarahNLynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lynch-49a0a16a/
Sarah N. Lynch is the lead reporter for Reuters covering the U.S. Justice Department out of Washington, D.C. During her time on the beat, she has covered everything from the Mueller report and the use of federal agents to quell protesters in the wake of George Floyds murder, to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in prisons and the department's prosecutions following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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Donald Trump wants to control the Justice Department and FBI. His allies have a plan (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
May 2024
OP
NoMoreRepugs
(10,239 posts)1. This should scare EVERYONE.
global1
(25,757 posts)2. We Hear Of All These Plans Tr**p Has To Alter Our Government.......
We know what he's intending to do to accomplish an 'autocratic' takeover - -pretty much down to the last detail.
Are we that helpless that we can't do nothing to stop him from accomplishing these goals?
Is it all dependent on the voters in the Nov election?
We can anticipate that if he loses the election in Nov. - he won't accept the results and we'll be repeating the same actions from him and his minions that we're going through right now - with election denial.
Can this country survive another bout of this madness?
NowsTheTime
(834 posts)3. How can any American support this guy? UNREAL!!!
Should be front page news , accompanied by horror by the media........