DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ DOJ refuses to back Trump's claim that he's immune from civil lawsuits related to the Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The DOJ refused to back Trump's claim that he is absolutely immune from civil suits related to the Capitol riot. Trump's speech before the riot "would not be within the outer perimeter of the Office of the President of the United States," the DOJ said. Trump's legal team asked a federal appeals court last year to overturn a lower court ruling that he could be held liable in civil lawsuits connected to the Capitol siege. "Consequently, it is especially important to avoid allowing the judicial department to pass judgment on the political statements and discourse of the President of the United States," they added. The United States respectfully submits that the Court should reject that categorical argument."

☆ DOJ seeks court sanctions against Google over ‘intentional destruction’ of chat logs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Google should face court sanctions over “intentional and repeated destruction” of company chat logs that the US government expected to use in its antitrust case targeting Google’s search business, the Justice Department said Thursday. The practice has harmed the US government’s case against the tech giant, DOJ alleged. The two sides faced off in an evidentiary hearing last month; on Feb. 15, the judge in the case ordered Google to produce more chat messages. It is not the first time DOJ has tussled with Google over evidence. While Judge Amit Mehta declined to issue sanctions at the time, he ordered that all of the emails in question be re-reviewed.

The 12-member jury found Oath Keeper members David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, Roberto Minuta and Edward Vallejo guilty of seditious conspiracy. Seditious conspiracy is a rarely prosecuted Civil War-era law that prohibits plotting to overthrow or destroy the government and carries up to 20 years in prison. A jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and another Florida-based leader of the group guilty of seditious conspiracy in a separate trial in November. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta split the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case into two separate trials due to space limitations and the risks of COVID-19 contagion. Jurors heard testimony and evidence in the second Oath Keepers case for several weeks.

The Justice Department's lawsuit, filed by the Trump administration, alleged that Google violated antitrust law in how it maintained dominance in search and search advertising. For example, it pointed to billions of dollars that Google paid annually to Apple (AAPL.O), LG Electronics Inc (066570.KS) and others to ensure that Google search was the default on their devices. The company also argued that there was no evidence that agreements that Google made related to Google Assistant or Internet-of-Things devices hurt competition. Google faces additional allegations of antitrust violations from dozens of states. It also argues that Google broke antitrust law to hamper rivals, such as travel-oriented websites.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoDec 7 (Reuters) - Donald Trump should be immune from civil lawsuits over last year's siege on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, a lawyer for the former president told a federal appeals court on Wednesday. Democrats in Congress and police officers filed several lawsuits over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack that said Trump conspired with others to disrupt certification of the 2020 election results. But he reiterated that civil lawsuits should be barred because they could make other presidents vulnerable to future litigation over their speech. Joseph Sellers, arguing in defense of the lawsuits, said Trump does not have immunity because his actions disrupted the work of another branch of government. Several members of Congress who are suing Trump attended Wednesday's arguments, including Democrats Eric Swalwell and Pramila Jayapal.

[1/3] Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes holds a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. Rhodes in 2009 founded the Oath Keepers, a militia group whose members include current and retired U.S. military personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders. Prosecutors during the trial said Rhodes and his co-defendants planned to use force to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden's election victory. Caldwell, who like Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building and never formally joined the Oath Keepers, tried to downplay some of the inflammatory texts he sent in connection with the attack. Four other Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy are due to go to trial in December.

☆ Jury to begin deliberating in Oath Keepers' Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is facing trial alongside four other defendants: Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell. Watkins, Meggs and Harrelson went inside the Capitol during the attack, while Rhodes and Caldwell were present on restricted Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors have not proven that the Oath Keepers had an organized plan to storm the Capitol before Jan. 6. Three defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense during the trial, which began with opening arguments on Oct. 3. In 1995, a jury convicted "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman and others on seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

In the United States and some other countries, 'Black Friday' is a bargain shopping day that marks the start of the holiday shopping season. The government contends the Oath Keepers plotted to use force to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory, with defendants Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson entering the building clad in tactical gear. Prosecutors also allege the Oath Keepers staged a "quick reaction force" in a nearby Virginia hotel, a plan which entailed stockpiling firearms that could be ferried across the river into the capital if needed. Then this week, defendant Thomas Caldwell, the only other defendant in this case apart from Rhodes who did not physically enter the building, also testified in his own defense. Caldwell later broke down crying as he recalled his wife's reaction on the day the FBI searched his home.

☆ A judge delayed the trial of former Trump advisor Peter Navarro on charges he defied the House January 6 panel
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DOJ hoped to begin the trial while the House January 6 committee remained in existence. The trial will now begin in a new congressional term, when the GOP is poised to control the House. Mehta delayed the trial by two months despite the Justice Department's stated preference of holding the proceeding while the House January 6 committee remained in existence. Federal prosecutor Raymond Hulser said the Justice Department had a "strong desire" to present evidence against Navarro with the House January 6 panel still intact. The prosecutor suggested that the Justice Department hoped the trial would pressure Navarro into cooperating.

☆ Oath Oath Keepers founder used money donated to the far-right group for holiday travel and personal expenses: January 6 trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rakoczy then pressed him, asking if he'd tapped into Oath Keepers funds "quite a bit" to cover personal expenses. Rhodes, who remained outside the Capitol, testified that he thought it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers members to enter the building. From the Oath Keepers' founding, the group was focused on "forceful opposition to the government, isn't that right?" In her questioning, she also noted that the Oath Keepers provided ammunition for AR-15 rifles during the 2014 standoff at the Bundy Ranch. For Rakoczy, Rhodes' preferred image of the Oath Keepers was belied by his own messages with fellow members.

“I felt it was like a Bastille-type moment in history," Graydon Young told jurors in the seditious conspiracy trial of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four other members of the organization. “Unfortunately, I was spending way too much time on YouTube and Facebook,” Young testified. "I thought protests were a waste of time, and they don’t achieve anything,” Young testified. On Jan. 6, Young testified, he was with his sister Laura Steele, who has also been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack but has pleaded not guilty. He later joined a group that rushed to the Capitol after hearing it was breached, Young said in court.

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The criminal trial of Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers right-wing militia group, and four associates over their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was delayed on Monday after he tested positive for COVID-19. Rhodes remains in "total isolation" in jail, his lawyers said. Prosecutors have said the Oath Keepers planned a "quick reaction force" of armed members who waited at a hotel in northern Virginia with firearms they could transport across the Potomac River into Washington if called upon. Defense attorney Edward Tarpley said he has been unable to confer with Rhodes because the defendant remains isolated and cannot accept phone calls. It remained unclear if the jail could make such an accommodation or if Mehta would be willing to allow it.

☆ Trump lied about the 2020 election and recycled conspiracy theories in a letter to the Jan. 6 committee after it voted to subpoena him
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump lied about the 2020 election and recycled grievances about the Russia probe and both his impeachments in a letter to the Jan. 6 committee. It went on to accuse congressional Democrats of working to "create the fiction of Russia, Russia, Russia, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, the $48 Million Mueller Report ... Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, the atrocious and illegal Spying on my Campaign," and more. On Thursday, the January 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena Trump for documents and testimony related to his role in the Capitol riot. Thursday's vote to subpoena Trump came after the January 6 committee wrapped up its final public hearing about the events surrounding the Capitol riot. The legality of Trump's actions and statements leading up to and during the Capitol riot has also been called into question by more than one federal judge.

☆ The January 6 committee plans to subpoena former President Donald Trump: reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The House select committee investigating the Capitol riot plans to subpoena former President Donald Trump following what will likely be its final hearing Thursday, according to multiple media reports. Lawmakers on the committee have for months tried to piece together Trump's actions on the day of the Capitol siege. The legality of Trump's actions and statements leading up to and during the Capitol riot has also been called into question by more than one federal judge. Lawmakers have so far held four top Trump aides in contempt and criminally referred them for prosecution connected to the select committee's investigation into the Capitol riot. One of those aides, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, with two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the select committee's subpoena.

Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes uses a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. In addition, the defendants who physically entered the Capitol building - Watkins, Meggs and Harrelson - are charged with property destruction. The Oath Keepers is an anti-government militia whose membership includes current and former U.S. military and law enforcement personnel. Dozens of members or associates of the Oath Keepers have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. Another four Oath Keeper defendants accused of seditious conspiracy will go to trial on Nov. 29.

☆ A judge rebuked Republicans over warnings of violence if an investigation into Trump 'doesn't go his way'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge said patriotism is not standing up for a man "who knows full well that he lost." Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted the recent increase in threats to law enforcement officials. Her comments came as she sentenced a Capitol rioter to more than seven years in prison. For one federal judge, that rhetoric merited a message of deterrence on Tuesday. At the sentencing of a Capitol rioter, Judge Amy Berman Jackson rebuked Republican leaders for "cagily predicting or even outright calling for violence in the streets if one of the multiple investigations doesn't go his way."

☆ Oath Keepers on trial: A high-stakes seditious conspiracy case could reveal new details about plotting for Capitol attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jury selection is set to start in the trial of five Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy. Oath Keepers plan to argue they were waiting on January 6 for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. "We aren't getting through this without a civil war," Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes wrote on November 5, 2020, according to court records. On Tuesday, jury selection began in the trial of Rhodes and four other Oath Keepers members confronting the most serious charges to date in a prosecution stemming from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. "We must now do what the people of Serbia did when Milosevic stole their election," Rhodes wrote on November 7, referring to Slobodan Milošević.

Keep up to date on the latest of Trump's legal travails, both criminal and civil, with this guide to the ever-evolving Trump docket. The Issues: Trump's real estate and golf resort business is accused of giving its executives pricey perks and benefits that were never reported as income to taxing authorities. The issues: They say Donald Trump sicced his security guards on their peaceful, legal protest outside Trump Tower in 2015. Donald Trump, right, sits with his children, from left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Trump International Hotel on July 23, 2014, in Washington. The Issues: Donald Trump is accused of promoting a scam multi-level marketing scheme on "The Celebrity Apprentice."

The Oath Keepers is an anti-government militia whose membership includes current and former U.S. military and law enforcement personnel. As lawmakers met on Jan. 6 to certify Biden's election victory, some Oath Keepers stormed into the Capitol building, clad in paramilitary gear. The Justice Department's last attempt to prosecute a seditious conspiracy case was in 2010, when it charged members of a Michigan militia called the Hutaree. Prosecutors are expected to use video clips from the Jan. 6 attack, text messages and audio recordings of some of the Oath Keepers defendants. Four other Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy are due to go on trial on Nov. 29.

What's next: Court-ordered depositions of Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump, Jr., were delayed by the death of family matriarch Ivana Trump. But their depositions finally wrapped on August 10, when Donald Trump testified before investigators in James' Manhattan offices. The issues: They say Donald Trump sicced his security guards on their peaceful, legal protest outside Trump Tower in 2015. Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump during the filming of the live final tv episode of The Celebrity Apprentice on May 16 2010 in New York City. The Issues: Donald Trump is accused of promoting a scam multi-level marketing scheme on "The Celebrity Apprentice."

Search resuls for: "Judge Amit Mehta"

20 mentions found