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The plea deal allows Assange to avoid prison in the US and return to his native Australia. “That never came up in our conversations,” said David Stilwell, the State Department assistant secretary for the Pacific region during the Trump administration. Sessions’ focus on national security-related leaks was “probably one of the reasons why the [Assange] case had more traction,” Hickey told CNN. Hickey said he was not involved in the Assange case when he was a senior official at DOJ’s National Security Division from 2016 to 2023. Stilwell, the former State Department official under the Trump administration, pushed back on the Assange plea deal.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Biden, Trump, ”, David Stilwell, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama, Obama, Trump’s, Jeff Sessions, Adam Hickey, ” Hickey, Hickey, “ Assange, who’s, Mayer Brown, Garland, Andrew McCabe, “, it’s, ” McCabe, Stilwell, ” Stilwell, Bradley Moss, would’ve, ” Moss, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen, Kevin Liptak Organizations: CNN, United, Wikileaks, State Department, Australian, Justice Department, FBI, Northern, London’s, US Justice Department, White, Pentagon, Army, Assange ., Department, Obama, Biden, DOJ’s National Security Division, Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union, Computer, Ecuadorian Locations: United States, Washington, London, Stockholm, Quito, Ecuador, Australia, Pacific, Virginia, London’s, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Guantanamo, Washington ,

☆ Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Tracey Tully | Benjamin Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case? Mr. Menendez goes to trial on May 13 with two of the businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. Fred Daibes New Jersey Real Estate Developer Mr. Daibes is accused of giving Mr. Menendez furniture, gold and cash. Nadine Menendez Mr. Menendez’s Wife Ms. Menendez served as a go-between for Mr. Menendez, Egyptian intelligence officials and men who were seeking political favors from the senator, according to the indictment. Defense LawyersAdam Fee Lawyer for Robert Menendez He previously spent five years as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District — the same office prosecuting Mr. Menendez.

Persons: Menendez, Robert Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Mr, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Menendez's, Daibes, Nadine Menendez Mr, Menendez’s, Ms, Jose Uribe, Uribe, Uribe's, Sidney H, Stein, Bill Clinton, Jennifer Shah, Hassan Nemazee, Damian Williams, Williams, President Biden, Sam Bankman, Fried, Juan Orlando Hernández, Christina Clark, Clark, Charles McGonigal, Catherine Ghosh, Eli Mark, Paul Monteleoni, Robert Hadden, Lara Pomerantz, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Norman Seabrook, Daniel Richenthal, Sheldon Silver, Michael Avenatti, Adam Fee, Fee, Avi Weitzman, Lawrence Lustberg Organizations: Democrat, Robert Menendez New Jersey, Senate Foreign Relations, Jersey Real, EG, Prosecutors, United, Jose Uribe Former New, Benz, U.S, Southern, of, Democratic, Attorney, Southern District of, ex, Public, New, New York City Housing Authority, Justice Department, Southern District’s, New York State Assembly, Nike . Defense, Southern District Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Jose Uribe Former New Jersey, of New York, Southern District, Southern District of New York, Russian, New York City, Brooklyn, Columbia, New York, U.S, California

☆ How legal fights and stalling by judge could push Trump documents trial after election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The longer it takes for Cannon to decide these issues, the more likely a trial would need to wait until after the November presidential election. But Cannon’s critics view the pace of the Trump prosecution with added suspicion because of how she handled a separate, 2022 lawsuit Trump brought attacking the FBI’s documents investigation. In that lawsuit, Cannon granted an extraordinary Trump request for a third-party review of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort for the classified documents. Now, critics accuse Cannon of – purposely or not – playing into Trump’s strategy of delaying the trial until after the election. Hours after the hearing, Cannon rejected Trump’s first claim, that the national defense law he is charged under was too vague.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Prosecutors, Jack Smith, ”, Smith, Alan Rozenshtein, “, Trump, –, Barbara McQuade, Obama, ” McQuade, won’t, nudges, doesn’t, McQuade, Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon, Lothar Speer Cannon, ” David Aaron, ” Aaron, Aaron, CIPA, they’re, that’s, Mark Schnapp, Trump’s, Rozenshtein, Cannon “, Judge Cannon’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, University of Minnesota Law School, Justice Department, Biden White, University of Michigan Law School, US, Court, Southern, Southern District of, DOJ, DOJ National Security, Presidential, National Archives, ” Prosecutors, White Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Florida

☆ Air Force employee accused of sharing classified information on foreign dating website
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Air Force employee has been charged with sharing classified information on a foreign dating website after prosecutors say he sent sensitive information about Russia’s war in Ukraine to a person who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine. Slater then sent this classified information to someone who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine, according to an indictment. Successfully?”The co-conspirator sent messages for nearly two months, according to the indictment, repeatedly probing Slater for more classified information. Slater faces one count of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. Before working as a civilian in the Air Force, prosecutors say Slater rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army, retiring at the end of 2020.

Persons: David Franklin Slater, Slater, ”, Dave ”, Slater’s, “, Slater “, Matthew G, Olsen, Eugene Kowel Organizations: CNN, An Air Force, Prosecutors, Strategic Command, Justice Department, Operations Center, Air Force, Army, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha Field Office Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Nebraska, Omaha

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has seized a Boeing 747 cargo plane that officials say was previously sold by a sanctioned Iranian airline to a state-owned Venezuelan firm in violation of American export control laws. The Justice Department said Monday that the American-built plane had arrived in Florida and would be disposed of. The plane was detained in June 2022 by Argentine law enforcement, and U.S. officials moved several weeks later to take possession of it. The Justice Department has identified the registered captain of the plane as an ex-commander for the Revolutionary Guard. Mahan Air has denied any ties to the aircraft, and Venezuela has demanded that Argentine authorities release the plane.

Persons: Mahan, Matthew Olsen, ”, Nicolas Maduro, Regina Garcia Cano Organizations: WASHINGTON, Boeing, Justice Department, Air, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, Officials, Revolutionary Guard, Justice, Argentine, The, Mahan Air, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Iranian, Venezuelan, Florida, United States, Argentine, Argentina, Emtrasur, Moscow, Caracas, Tehran, Venezuela

☆ Biden officials confront limits of federal response in exercise preparing for 2024 election threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Carolyn Kaster/AP/FileUS national security officials have to weigh whether publicly calling attention to disinformation might inadvertently amplify the very message they’re trying to bat down. In both scenarios, federal officials favored a muted public response, largely choosing to let state and local governments take the lead. State and local officials run elections and are more trusted voices in their communities, but how can federal officials act decisively to support them? “It’s a trick box,” said Adam Hickey, who worked on election security issues for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “[W]e prioritize tabletop exercises that integrate the range of cyber, physical, and operational threats election officials may encounter,” Conley said in a statement to CNN.

Persons: “, ”, —, Carolyn Kaster, there’s, Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden, deepfakes, ” Sen, Mark Warner, Kevin Dietsch, Francisco Aguilar, ” Aguilar, Donald Trump’s, Adam Hickey, Hickey, Cait Conley, DHS’s, ” Conley, –, ” CNN’s Evan Perez, Natasha Bertrand, Donie O’Sullivan, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Biden White, Jeffersonville Masonic, New Hampshire, Foreign Ministry, ”, Senate, Committee, White, Senate Intelligence, Virginia Democrat, Republican, Trump, Capitol, Justice Department’s National Security, “, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, National Security Council, US Army, DHS’s Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: China, Jeffersonville, Jeffersonville , Ohio, American, Woodside , California, Nevada, Russia, Iran, Russian, Iranian

☆ US Charges Chinese Nationals With Smuggling US-Made Electronics to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have charged four Chinese nationals with crimes related to the smuggling of U.S.-made electronic components, including some with possible military use, to Iran, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. The Chinese nationals are accused of moving U.S. export-controlled items through China and Hong Kong to sanctioned entities affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its defense ministry, the department said in a statement. The alleged scheme resulted in the export of a "vast amount" of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities from the United States to Iran, the Justice Department said. "Such efforts to unlawfully obtain U.S. technology directly threaten our national security, and we will use every tool at our disposal to sever the illicit supply chains that fuel the Iranian regime's malign activity," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department's national security division said in the statement. The U.S. has issued arrest warrants for the accused, who all remain fugitives, according to the statement.

Persons: Matthew Olsen, Ismail Shakil, Rami Ayyub, Bill Berkrot Organizations: WASHINGTON, Justice, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Justice Department, Justice Department's Locations: U.S, Iran, China, Hong Kong, United States

☆ Three charged with sending Russia over $7 million in electronics to aid war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Three people were arrested in New York City on Tuesday on charges of illegally smuggling millions of dollars' worth of electronics to Russia in order to aid the country's invasion of Ukraine. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn accused Nikolay Goltsev, Salimdzhon Nasriddinov and Kristina Puzyreva of evading sanctions in order to send Russia equipment used in their precision-guided missile systems. The defendants allegedly dispatched hundreds of shipments of restricted items, worth nearly $7.2 million, to Russia over the course of a year. The complaint alleges that the defendants used two corporate entities to source and purchase dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers and distributors, and then secretly export them to Russia. Some of the same types of components were found in Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment that were seized in Ukraine, prosecutors alleged.

Persons: Nikolay Goltsev, Salimdzhon Nasriddinov, Kristina Puzyreva, Nick Stevens, Matthew Olsen Organizations: Attorney, Eastern, of, Prosecutors, United Arab, Justice Department's National Security Division Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, of New York, Tajikistan, Goltsev, Montreal, Manhattan, Russian, Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China, United Arab Emirates, Vitebsk

☆ Menendez Indictment Appears to Undercut Claims of ‘Two-Tiered System’ of Justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Glenn Thrush | More About Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee repeatedly accused Attorney General Merrick B. Garland of singling out former President Donald J. Trump for selective prosecution, slamming him for what they call a “two-tiered system” of justice. Forty-eight hours later, the Justice Department indicted one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate — Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee — on bribery charges, making public a trove of evidence, including cash and gold bars stashed at his house. The department’s aggressive pursuit of Mr. Menendez appeared to undercut claims that Mr. Trump is the victim of pervasive political bias that targets leaders on the right while shielding transgressors on the left. The entanglement of electoral politics and law enforcement is becoming the norm, and the prosecution of a top Democrat up for re-election in 2024 has political as well as legal reverberations. And the indictment, brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan with limited participation from the Justice Department’s national security division in Washington, comes at a politically opportune moment for the besieged department.

Persons: Merrick B, Garland, Donald J, Trump, Bob Menendez, Menendez Organizations: Justice Department, Bob Menendez of New, Foreign Relations, Justice Department’s Locations: House, Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan, Washington

To boost his profile, Zuberi also donated to, or hired, several Washington advocacy groups, lobbying shops and public relations firms. Those officials included Olson, former NATO supreme commander Gen. Wesley Clark and former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Sandweg. The trio lobbied U.S. officials after returning from their Doha meeting with Qatari officials, the FBI said. He added that one of his greatest regrets was recruiting Allen into the effort because of the subsequent negative publicity. Allen has denied any wrongdoing but stepped down as president of the Brookings Institution, a prestigious Washington think tank, amid the FBI investigation.

Persons: —, Richard G, Olson, Obama, Imaad Zuberi, Judge G, Michael Harvey, Harvey, Prosecutors, Evan Turgeon, Turgeon, Zuberi, Harvey's, “, Joe Biden, Zubari, Wesley Clark, John Sandweg, John Allen, Allen, strategize, ___ Mustian Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, State, Prosecutors, FBI, Justice Department's, Press, NATO, . Immigration, Allen, Brookings Institution Locations: Persian, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Zuberi, Washington, Doha, U.S, New York

☆ Ex-FBI counterintelligence official pleads guilty to conspiracy charge for helping Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

McGonigal is expected to change his plea to guilty after initially pleading not guilty. A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia by going to work, after he retired, for an oligarch he once investigated. McGonigal told the judge he accepted over $17,000 to help Deripaska collect derogatory information about another Russian oligarch who was a business competitor. McGonigal pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to launder money and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He supervised investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, McGonigal, Deripaska, Rebecca Dell, Jennifer H, Rearden, Vladimir Putin, Matthew G, Olsen Organizations: FBI, Manhattan Federal Court, Emergency Economic, U.S, District of Columbia, Justice Department's National Security Division Locations: New York City, McGonigal, Russia, Crimea, New York, Washington ,, Albanian, Cypress, New Jersey, United States, Russian

[1/3] Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official who has been charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, arrives at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., August 15, 2023. At the time, McGonigal pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts including sanctions violations and money laundering. McGonigal told the court he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden is scheduled to sentence McGonigal on Dec. 14. U.S. prosecutors charged McGonigal as they ramped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their suspected enablers following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Brendan McDermid, McGonigal, Vladimir Potanin, Seth DuCharme, Jennifer Rearden, Matthew Olsen, Washington, Jody Godoy, Grant McCool Organizations: FBI, Court, REUTERS, Prosecutors, Deripaska, U.S . Department of Justice's National Security Division, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, New York City, U.S, New York, Manhattan, Russia, Cyprus, New Jersey, Ukraine, Nornickel

☆ Tech investors face 'new era' of China restrictions after Biden order limits funding in A.I., chips
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration's executive order restricting U.S. private equity and venture capital investments in Chinese technology finally landed on Wednesday. For U.S. tech investors who'd already grown wary of the budding cross-Pacific rivalry, the ruling is the clearest signal yet that the world's second-biggest economy is off limits. Biden is specifically targeting investments in technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence on concern that China's advancements in those areas run counter to U.S. national security interests. U.S. investors have been steadily retreating from China due to a combination of a weakening economy and the fraught geopolitical environment. "Most investors want to avoid being seen as acting against U.S. national security interests."

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, We've, Elena McGovern, Neil Shen helming, Eric Reiner, Adam Hickey, Mayer Brown, Steve Sarracino, that's, Activant, There's Organizations: Biden, Capstone, Chinese Communist Party, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia, Vine Ventures, Justice Department's, who's, U.S, Activant, Investors Locations: Belen , New Mexico, U.S, China, Sequoia China, Israel, Latin America, Germany, South Africa, The U.S, ByteDance

☆ Head of US 'KleptoCapture' unit targeting Russian oligarchs leaves Justice Dept.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Andrew Adams, who has led the "KleptoCapture" task force since its inception in March 2022, will be replaced by his deputies Michael Khoo and David Lim, a DOJ spokesperson said. "It was a privilege to cap this time in service of the Department's response to the war in Ukraine," Adams, a 10-year Justice Department veteran, wrote in a LinkedIn post. In launching the task force, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said it would enforce sanctions and export controls designed to freeze Russia out of global markets, and confiscate assets obtained through unlawful conduct. During Adams' tenure, the unit unveiled indictments against aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev for alleged sanctions busting, and seized yachts belonging to sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washingon, D.C.; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Adams, Michael Khoo, David Lim, Adams, General Merrick Garland, Oleg Deripaska, Konstantin Malofeyev, Suleiman Kerimov, Viktor Vekselberg, Artem Uss, Khoo, Lim, Luc Cohen, Sarah N, Lynch, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Department, Reuters, Department of Justice, DOJ, Department, Vekselberg's, Huawei Technologies, Iran, Airbus, D.C, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, New York City , New York, U.S, Russia, York, Russian, Italy, New York, Washingon

☆ Hearing on handling classified materials in Jack Smith’s Trump case could set up clash over delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Trump himself is not expected to attend to the hearing, but Nauta – who is a bodyman to the former president – may attend, sources told CNN. In addition to the trial date, Trump and Nauta’s defense attorneys have already clashed with the Justice Department on timing of even initial procedural steps in the case. Tuesday’s hearing is aimed at discussing the schedule for those issues to be briefed and are usually “uneventful” affairs, Gonzalez said. “In sum, neither the amount of classified discovery in this case nor the timetable for its production is a reason for an indefinite continuance of the trial date,” the prosecutors said. In the case, Trump is facing several counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Persons: Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump, Smith, Aileen Cannon, Trump, CIPA, Walt Nauta, Nauta, –, Cannon, “, haven’t, ”, Brandon Van Grack, Robert Mueller’s, Van Grack, Brian Greer, Gregory Gonzalez, Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez, that’s, ” Greer Organizations: CNN, Trump, Justice Department, CIA, Congress, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Prosecutors, DOJ, Government Locations: Russian, Florida

☆ DOJ launches cyber unit with national security focus as China, Russia threats mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday a new unit within its National Security Division focused on pursuing cyber threats from nation-state and state-backed hackers, formalizing an increasingly significant part of the national security apparatus into the Justice Department's hierarchy. In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen said the new unit would allow the DOJ's national security team "to increase the scale and speed of disruption campaigns and prosecutions of nation-state threat actors, state-sponsored cybercriminals, associated money launderers, and other cyber-enabled threats to national security." National security officials outside the DOJ have also emphasized China as a top cybersecurity concern, including the U.S.' top cybersecurity official. The announcement made no mention of Chinese cyber efforts, which CISA Director Jen Easterly described last week as an "epoch-defining threat." Building cases against those groups can take years, and don't always result in an arrest, given the far-flung nature of the hacking groups.

Persons: Sue Gordon, Matt Olsen, Jen, Olsen Organizations: National Intelligence, National Counterterrorism Center, CNBC, U.S . Department of Justice, National Security Division, Justice, DOJ, U.S, Navy Locations: San Francisco, China, North Korea

During his arraignment, Mr. Trump is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. The case against Mr. Trump is the second criminal prosecution against the former president this year. Mr. Trump was already arraigned in April in a New York courthouse on state charges that he falsified business records. In the case that has brought him to Miami, Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 counts of unauthorized retention of national security information. After the court appearance, Mr. Trump is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks defending himself in the evening.

Persons: Wilkie, Ferguson Jr, Donald J, Trump, Francis X, Suarez, Mr, We’re, James, John Rowley —, Todd Blanche, Christopher M, Jay I, Bratt, Julie Edelstein, Manny Morales, Morales, “, ”, that’s, ” Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer, Charlie Savage Organizations: Mr, Trump, Suarez of Miami, Republican, United States Supreme, Justice Department’s, Trump National Golf Club, Capitol, Miami police Locations: Miami, United States, New York, Florida, Bedminster, N.J, MIAMI

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents. During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. What Tuesday’s hearing is aboutAttorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Nauta, David Harbach, ” Goodman, “, Department’s, Jack Smith, Justice Department’s, Aileen Cannon –, Lago, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ” Habba, ”, Jay Bratt, Harbach, Julie Edelstein, David Aaron, Perkins, Cannon, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Kel McClanahan Organizations: Miami CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Justice, Doral, Mar, DOJ, “, West Palm Beach, DOJ National Security Division, University of Minnesota, Circuit, George Washington University Law School, CNN Locations: Miami, New York, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

☆ Pence Won’t Face Charges in Documents Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department has declined to pursue charges against former Vice President Mike Pence in connection with his retention of classified documents at his home in Indiana, informing him in a brief letter on Thursday night, according to three people familiar with the situation. Word that the case would be closed came days before Mr. Pence was set to announce his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in Iowa. and the Justice Department’s national security division conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information, the department wrote to Mr. Pence’s lawyer, according to a person who had read the letter. Based on the results of that investigation, “no criminal charges will be sought,” according to that person. In January, a lawyer for Mr. Pence searched the former vice president’s house for documents after aides to President Biden discovered a trove of sensitive material at an office he had once occupied in Delaware.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Pence’s, “, Biden Organizations: Republican, Justice Department’s Locations: Indiana, Iowa, Delaware

☆ Pence will not be charged in DOJ probe of classified documents found at his home
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

No charges will be filed against former Vice President Mike Pence in the Department of Justice investigation of classified documents found at his Indiana home. In January, Pence's lawyer said a "small number" of classified documents had been found at his home in Carmel, Indiana. Less than a month later, the FBI conducted a five-hour search of Pence's residence and found an additional classified document. Trump, meanwhile, faces a federal criminal investigation into the hundreds of classified documents that have been removed from Mar-a-Lago since he left the White House. A DOJ special counsel is leading the investigation into those documents, as well as into the possible obstruction of its probe.

Persons: Mike Pence, Richard Nixon, Pence, Donald Trump, Pence's, Joe Biden's, Trump Organizations: US, Nixon National Energy Conference, Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, Department of Justice, Indiana, NBC News, DOJ, CNBC, Republican, FBI, White Locations: Yorba Linda , California, Carmel , Indiana, Mar, Beach , Florida

It allows Pence to offer an additional contrast between himself and former President Donald Trump, his political rival who’s under serious investigation by the Justice Department and others. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department’s National Security Division have conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information,” the Justice Department wrote to Pence’s attorney. The Justice Department is still investigating the handling of classified records by Trump and Biden. Two months after Smith’s appointment, Garland appointed special counsel Robert Hur in January following reports that classified documents were found at Biden’s home and former private office. Biden’s team says that when the classified documents were first discovered last fall, they immediately notified the National Archives, which then informed the Justice Department.

Persons: Mike Pence’s, Pence’s, Pence, Donald Trump, “, ”, Joe Biden’s, General Merrick Garland, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Garland, Smith, Robert Hur, Hur, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, The Justice, Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department’s National Security Division, FBI, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Justice, Trump, Biden, DOJ, National Archives, Lago Locations: Pence’s Indiana, Delaware, Lago, Iran

☆ F.B.I. Violated Surveillance Program Rules After George Floyd Protests and Jan. 6 Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The total number of queries for Americans — and the frequency of compliance incidents — appears to have dropped as a result. Among other things, an intelligence community report last month said that the F.B.I. While Congress did so in 2012 and 2018, the program faces stronger headwinds this cycle, as Republicans who have adopted former President Donald J. Trump’s hostility toward the F.B.I. and surveillance have joined with civil libertarians who have long been critical of the law. Against that backdrop, privacy advocates have revived a proposal to require the government to obtain a warrant from the surveillance court before it may query the Section 702 repository using an American’s identifiers.

☆ Military Caught Airman Mishandling Secrets Before Arrest but Left Him in Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Glenn Thrush | Robin Stein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Air Force officials caught Airman Jack Teixeira taking notes and conducting deep-dive searches for classified material months before he was charged with leaking a vast trove of government secrets, but did not remove him from his job, according to a Justice Department filing on Wednesday. On two occasions in September and October 2022, Airman Teixeira’s superiors in the Massachusetts Air National Guard admonished him after reports that he had taken “concerning actions” while handling classified information. Those included stuffing a note into his pocket after reviewing secret information inside his unit, according to a court filing ahead of a hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Worcester, Mass., on Friday to determine whether he should be released on bail. Airman Teixeira — who until March shared secrets with scores of online friends from around the world on Discord, a social media platform popular with gamers — “was instructed to no longer take notes in any form on classified intelligence information,” lawyers with the department’s national security division wrote in an 11-page memo arguing for his indefinite detention. The airman’s superiors also ordered him to “cease and desist on any deep dives into classified intelligence information,” although it is not clear how, or if, they enforced that directive.

☆ Justice Department files criminal charges in cases of American tech stolen for Russia, China and Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Justice Department announced on Tuesday five criminal cases against people accused of stealing or illegally diverting American technology and materials for the Russian, Chinese and Iranian governments. The man, Xiangjiang Qiao, is at large in China, according to the Justice Department. “These charges demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to preventing sensitive technology from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and Iran,” said Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s national security division. In New York, a Greek national is charged with allegedly acquiring more than 10 different types of sensitive technologies on behalf of the Russian government. The man, Dr. Nikolaos “Nikos” Bogonikolos, was arrested in Paris last week and the US will move for his extradition, the Justice Department said.

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