Trump’s DOJ won’t pursue charges against Lois Lerner, former IRS senior executive
September 9, 2017 by admin
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The Trump Justice Department has once again cleared former IRS senior executive Lois G. Lerner of criminal liability stemming from the tea party targeting.
In a letter to top Republicans, Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd said they re-reviewed the case and concluded there isn’t enough evidence to charge Ms. Lerner, who was at the center of the targeting.
Mr. Boyd said the new review included lawyers who only recently joined the department and weren’t part of the Obama administration’s earlier decision.
“After this process, the Department determined that reopening the investigation would not be appropriate based on the available evidence,” Mr. Boyd said.
He said if new information is developed, the decision could be revisited.
Republicans on Capitol Hill called the decision “terrible.”
“It sends the message that the same legal, ethical, and Constitutional standards we all live by do not apply to Washington political appointees — who will now have the green light to target Americans for their political beliefs and mislead investigators without ever being held accountable for their lawlessness,” said House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady.
He said he respects Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but was “troubled” by his department’s handling of the request to investigate Ms. Lerner.
“The decision not to prosecute Lois Lerner is a miscarriage of justice,” said Rep. Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican who was one of the key lawmakers pushing for an investigation.
Ms. Lerner led the division of the IRS that singled out conservative and tea party groups for intrusive scrutiny in their applications for nonprofit status.
Conservative groups say she facilitated the targeting.
But a Justice Department investigation under the Obama administration said Ms. Lerner actually took steps to try to repair the targeting when she learned of it.
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Russell Wilson: ‘Heartbreaking’ what Bennett endured
September 8, 2017 by admin
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Russell Wilson says he finds it heartbreaking what Seattle Seahawks teammate Michael Bennett endured during an incident with Las Vegas police last month.
“When you see a person that you love, a person that’s your friend, a person who anybody honestly that’s put in a compromising position the way Michael was — it’s a matter of life or death, potentially all those situations that you see a lot of things are happening in our country right now,” the Seahawks quarterback told reporters Thursday. “It’s heartbreaking when you think about.”
Bennett posted on Twitter he’s considering filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. for allegedly using excessive force on him as they investigated an incident at a casino last month. He said police singled him out among a group of people who were fleeing away from what sounded like gunshots in a Las Vegas casino on Aug. 27. He said a police officer ordered him to the ground, pointed a gun at his head and told him not to move or he would “blow my [expletive] head off.” He alleged a second officer forcefully jammed his knee into his back, making it difficult for him to breathe, before handcuffing him and eventually putting him in the back of a police car.
“I saw a snippet of the video so to see him on the ground like that,” Wilson said. “It’s unacceptable based on the situation. Michael is a good guy and he’s a guy who is trying to standup for something good, trying to standup for love and really coming together, not hate.”
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. Undersheriff Kevin McMahil denied officers singled out Bennett because of his race and said Wednesday the department has opened an internal investigation into the matter. Bennett was not arrested or charged in the matter.
Bennett said the incident has strengthened his resolve to be an advocate for people who are oppressed by social injustice. It also has given Bennett more reason to continue to sit during the national anthem before games in an effort aimed at raising awareness to social inequality.
“If you know Michael Bennett — he’s a person who loves all people, a person who wants to make the world a better place and he’s addressing an issue that’s right in the heart of the matter of what we’re going through,” Wilson said. “To see him on the ground like that and to be a person who is standing up for something but also be on the ground like that too is terrifying, it’s devastating to even think about.”