DOJ weighs changes in corruption prosecution
By: Bart Jansen
USA Today
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is considering moving decision about whether to prosecute public officials such as members of Congress to regional U.S. attorney's offices part of President Donald Trump's overhaul of the department and its public corruption enforcement.
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Public integrity cases, such as the indictment that was dropped against New York City Mayor Eric Adams or convictions of former Senator Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, are among the highest-profile cases the department prosecutes.
..... The department is reviewing the provisions of several sections of its Justice Manual, which provides written guidance about how cases are pursued, but no final decision have been made, according to a department official.
..... Trump has been critical of department prosecutor ions and has stopped enforcing some anti-bribery statutes. Trump is also accused by critics of taking bribes from foreign governments, most recently for saying he would accept a 4400 million airplane from Qatar, although he contends the gift would be to the Defense department and not him personally.
..... The review aims to ensure that U.S. attorneys in 94 offices nationwide share equal responsibility with officials at DOJ headquarters in schooling whether to pursue public corruption cases, according to a department official speaking on backgorudn. The review was first reported by The Washington Post.
..... Public corruption cases are often politically sensitive. Adams argued that allegedly taking bribes form the Turkish government during the Biden administration, because he had blamed the federal government for an influx of migrants.
..... Adams. a Democrat who is now running for reelection as an independent, dropped previous criticism of Trump and flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with him. The Trump administration dropped the charges by arguing the case distracted the mayor from helping federal authorities enforce immigration laws. Prosecutors working on the case, including one of Trump's own appointees resigned in protest of that decision.
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Trump was indicted in two federal cases between his two terms as president. he has complained for years the department "weaponized" its prosecutions for political reasons.
..... But former President Joe Biden and former Attorney Gen real Merrick Garland denied political motivations were behind Trump indictment for mishandling classified documents and conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The department dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election under longstanding policy not to prosecute a sitting president.
..... A Trump nominee to become U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, threatener to investigate Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, for allegedly threatening Supreme Court justices during a protest.
..... Martin withdrew for consideration for the post., which requires Senate confirmation, and Trump named him to a Justice Department post instead.