Sessions orders review of abandoned Hezbollah-linked drug prosecutions
December 23, 2017 by admin
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“We will review these matters and give full support to investigations of violent drug trafficking organizations,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement released to reporters Friday evening. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Inquiry follows POLITICO report that potential cases languished amid Obama drive for Iran nuclear deal.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered the Justice Department to dig into allegations in a POLITICO report that a series of potential drug prosecutions related to the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah were abandoned as the Obama administration pressed to strike a deal with Iran over its nuclear program.
Sessions indicated that he was troubled by allegations that Project Cassandra — the Drug Enforcement Administration’s drive to target Hezbollah’s foray into drug trafficking — ran into high-level roadblocks that stymied many of the cases agents wanted to bring as well as efforts to get suspects extradited from overseas to the U.S.
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“Operations designed to investigate and prosecute terrorist organizations that are also fueling that drug crisis must be paramount in this administration,” Sessions said in a statement released to reporters Friday evening. “While I am hopeful that there were no barriers constructed by the last administration to allowing DEA agents to fully bring all appropriate cases under Project Cassandra, this is a significant issue for the protection of Americans. We will review these matters and give full support to investigations of violent drug trafficking organizations.”
Justice Department officials declined to comment on who will conduct the review or any other details about the inquiry.
The deeply reported POLITICO story has unleashed furious pushback from Obama administration officials who have denied that the high-priority push to reach a nuclear pact with Tehran derailed any law enforcement operations.
However, Republicans and pro-Israel activists have jumped on the story as evidence that the Obama administration was so focused on the nuclear deal that it was willing to ignore other troublesome activity by the Iranian regime and its allies.
U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who has pressed for more information on the issue, called Sessions’ action an “appropriate first step.”
“I’m encouraged that the Justice Department recognizes that this is important and I hope that they will swiftly provide answers,” he said in a statement. “Terrorists don’t get a pass to exploit drug addiction here at home and use American dollars to fund their global violence.”
Sessions has made the war on drugs a top priority at the Justice Department since he took over in February. His predecessors in the Obama administration argued that drug sentences were excessive and that too much focus was being put on prosecution, rather than drug treatment and rehabilitation.
Decisions to review criminal investigations conducted and closed under prior administrations are unusual, but not unheard of. This marks the second instance in the past two months of Sessions ordering a review of Obama administration practices.
Last month, Sessions agreed to review how the Justice Department handled allegations that proponents of a deal to purchase a mining transport company known as Uranium One made large donations to the Clinton Foundation in a bid to influence former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or her aides to approve the purchase. Sessions agreed to the review after many Republican lawmakers demanded appointment of a special counsel to investigate the issue, which was previously the subject of some investigative work by the FBI.
Under the Obama administration, Attorney General Eric Holder ordered a review of Bush-era investigations into alleged abuse and deaths of war-on-terror prisoners held by the Central Intelligence Agency. The inquiry led to the investigations of two deaths being formally re-opened and a grand jury convened to hear evidence, but no charges were ever brought.
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Engineer of Amtrak train was not on cellphone at time of crash
December 23, 2017 by admin
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The engineer of an Amtrak train that derailed from an overpass onto rush-hour traffic on Interstate 5 in DuPont, Wash., was not on his cellphone at the time of the crash, federal investigators said Friday.
“The crew was not observed to use any personal electronic devices during the time frame reviewed,” the National Traffic Safety Board said after a review of audio and video recordings inside Amtrak Cascades Train 501.
The train left Seattle early Monday morning on its inaugural run to Portland, Ore., with seven crew members and 77 passengers aboard.
About 40 miles south of Seattle, in DuPont, Wash., 13 of 14 cars derailed near a bridge over Interstate 5 as the train reached speeds of 80 mph in a 30 mph zone. Several cars fell onto the freeway below, striking vehicles in rush-hour traffic. Three passengers on the train were killed and dozens were injured.
Metrolink train was distracted by typing text messages on his cellphone when he ran through a red signal in 2008, smashing head-on into a Union Pacific freight train and killing 25 people.
The board’s review of the DuPont crash did not disclose what the crew was doing as the train barreled into a curve headed for a trestle around 7:45 a.m. The train was using a new, faster route that would have shaved 10 minutes off the trip. Track speed was largely around 80 mph, but a sign, visible to train crews before the abrupt curve, limited speed to 30 mph.
The NTSB said the engineer did react — just not in time.
“About six seconds prior to the derailment,” the board said, “the engineer made a comment regarding an over speed condition.” He apparently then tried to brake.
“The engineer’s actions were consistent with the application of the locomotive’s brakes just before the recording ended,” according to the report, but it said “it did not appear the engineer placed the brake handle in emergency-braking mode.”
The report concludes: “The recording ended as the locomotive was tilting and the crew was bracing for impact.”
Federal investigators say they have not yet spoken with all five members of the train crew, as several remain hospitalized. Some train cars in the scattered wreckage flipped and landed upside down while others wound up dangling from the trestle. Only the rear “pusher” locomotive was left standing on the tracks above.
Most passengers and some motorists suffered minor to major injuries, and several remain in critical condition. The three who died — all of them train buffs — have now been identified. Jim Hamre, 61, and his friend Zack Willhoite, 35, both from the Tacoma area, were riding together. They were members of All Aboard Washington, a rail enthusiasts group. Their volunteer efforts helped establish the new, faster route they died on. The third victim, Benjamin Gran, 40, of nearby Auburn, was described by a relative as “an Amtrak fan to the max.”
Many of those injured and families of some of those killed are telling their stories on GoFundMe, the online site that collects crowdfunding donations for those in need.
Bret Tomblin, Willhoite’s brother-in-law, said the Pierce County Transit employee supported his wife and mother.
“The goal of this GoFundMe is to raise money for their mortgage and bills for the next three months so we can prepare for the new normal,” Tomblin said. As of late Friday afternoon, $3,815 of a $10,000 goal had been raised.
A teen boy, meanwhile, is well on the way to his goal. The 16-year-old identified only as Timmy suffered a compressed spinal cord and other injuries in the crash, and has undergone several surgeries. More than $37,000 of a $50,000 target has been donated, his page said Friday.
Donors have given Aaron Harris, seriously injured in the crash, well beyond his requested sum: As of Friday, over $32,000 of a $4,545 goal had been pledged in his name. A family friend said all the money would go toward his recovery and to aid his family.
Amtrak has also announced that it will cover medical expenses and other costs incurred by passengers injured or killed in the crash. The rail line and the NTSB say it will likely take a year or more for the government to complete its crash investigation and compile a report.
Anderson is a special correspondent.