Stone, Ukraine, and Durham: Barr’s Justice Department asserts itself in high-profile investigations
by Jerry Dunleavy
| February 13, 2020 01:27 PM
The Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr has asserted itself in high-profile investigations, including GOP operative Roger Stone’s sentencing, Rudy Giuliani’s Ukraine foray, the investigation of the Trump-Russia investigators, and more, recent court filings show.
These moves come in the context of DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse released in December. The report found “significant†missteps related to the electronic surveillance of Trump campaign associate Carter Page through the FISA court. The Senate acquitted President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in early February following months of allegations that the president pressured Ukraine to announce investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden.
In recent weeks, Barr has established new rules for launching investigations into political candidates, requiring they be approved by the heads of the FBI and DOJ. He also set up a process outside of DOJ headquarters for analyzing the information Giuliani is digging up overseas and controversially reversed the nearly decadelong prison sentence the DOJ recommended for Stone.
As a result, Barr increasingly has become the focus of harsh criticism.
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