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House Dems call for DOJ watchdog to investigate Bill Barr

Attorney General William Barr at a White house coronavirus briefing on March 23. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Friday accused Attorney General Bill Barr of doing President Trump's "political bidding" by interfering in ongoing criminal cases, and called on the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate.

Driving the news: The DOJ moved Thursday to drop its prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in the Mueller investigation in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with the former Russian ambassador.

What they're saying: "By itself, the decision to dismiss charges against Mr. Flynn would smack of corruption and unacceptable political influence in an ongoing criminal matter:  President Trump tweeted in defense of his former advisor, and one week later Mr. Flynn is poised to walk free," the Friday letter from House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats reads.

  • "But this is hardly the first time that Attorney General Barr has appeared to reach into an ongoing criminal case to do the President’s political bidding," they write.
  • House Democrats cited Barr's summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which did not include a single full sentence from the report, and the DOJ's argument in favor of a lighter sentence for Roger Stone in February as examples of what they describe as Barr doing Trump's "political bidding."

Go deeper: Nadler seeks hearing with Barr after DOJ drops prosecution of Michael Flynn

Go deeper

Axios
Aug 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Michael Cohen releases excerpt, cover from Trump tell-all book

President Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen on Thursday released the cover and a 3,700-word foreword from his upcoming tell-all book, "Disloyal."

Why it matters: Cohen, who pleaded guilty to lying to Congress on Trump's behalf and is currently carrying out a three-year prison sentence in home confinement, was at the center of Trump's inner circle for over a decade. A judge ruled last month that the Justice Department's efforts to send him back to prison after he was released due to coronavirus concerns was retaliation for his book.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios, Shawna Chen
13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden plans to ask public to wear masks for first 100 days in office

Joe Biden. Photo: Mark Makela/Gettu Images

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sat down with CNN on Thursday for their first joint interview since the election.

The big picture: In the hour-long segment, the twosome laid out plans for responding to the pandemic, jump-starting the economy and managing the transition of power, among other priorities.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Margaret Harding McGill
1 hour ago - Technology

The quick FCC fix that would get more students online

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

As the pandemic forces students out of school, broadband deployment programs aren't going to move fast enough to help families in immediate need of better internet access. But Democrats at the Federal Communications Commission say the incoming Biden administration could put a dent in that digital divide with one fast policy change.

State of play: An existing FCC program known as E-rate provides up to $4 billion for broadband at schools, but Republican FCC chairman Ajit Pai has resisted modifying the program during the pandemic to provide help connecting students at home.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow