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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBarr's DOJ mysteriously failed to pass whistleblower-complaint on to FEC, as law would require.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/opinion/trump-whistleblower-fec.htmlHeres how the Justice Department failed to follow the rule. As part of the scramble in the executive branch caused by the whistle-blowers complaint, the Justice Department secretly investigated Mr. Trump for a potential campaign-finance violation. The department reportedly cleared him because the contributions solicited from a foreign government to his campaign were not quantifiable things of value. Thats the key phrase in one of the most important campaign-finance laws.
...
Those are indeed valid criticisms, but an overlooked problem is that a federal government memorandum required the Justice Department to refer this complaint to the Federal Election Commission. And by all publicly available information, the department failed to do so.
For over 40 years, a memorandum of understanding has stood between the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission, and it has been duly entered into The Federal Register. Its a guide for how Justice and the F.E.C. should interact in administering federal election law. The document recognizes that some election law violations, for whatever reason, may not be proper subjects for prosecution as crimes under key criminal provisions of the federal election law statutes. The document then explains how the two agencies should interact when one or the other learns of potential violations.
Heres the key part for our purpose: When information comes to the attention of the Justice Department indicating a probable violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the document says, the department will apprise the commission of such information at the earliest opportunity.
Note the standard for when the Justice Department must notify the F.E.C.: when theres a probable violation, a low bar compared with the standard for actually bringing a criminal prosecution that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
So again, as far as anyone knows, the Justice Department never provided that notification. And theres more.
...
Those are indeed valid criticisms, but an overlooked problem is that a federal government memorandum required the Justice Department to refer this complaint to the Federal Election Commission. And by all publicly available information, the department failed to do so.
For over 40 years, a memorandum of understanding has stood between the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission, and it has been duly entered into The Federal Register. Its a guide for how Justice and the F.E.C. should interact in administering federal election law. The document recognizes that some election law violations, for whatever reason, may not be proper subjects for prosecution as crimes under key criminal provisions of the federal election law statutes. The document then explains how the two agencies should interact when one or the other learns of potential violations.
Heres the key part for our purpose: When information comes to the attention of the Justice Department indicating a probable violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the document says, the department will apprise the commission of such information at the earliest opportunity.
Note the standard for when the Justice Department must notify the F.E.C.: when theres a probable violation, a low bar compared with the standard for actually bringing a criminal prosecution that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
So again, as far as anyone knows, the Justice Department never provided that notification. And theres more.
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Barr's DOJ mysteriously failed to pass whistleblower-complaint on to FEC, as law would require. (Original Post)
DetlefK
Oct 2019
OP
malaise
(269,057 posts)1. Impeach and Dis-Barr
Then throw him in prison
spanone
(135,844 posts)2. Nothing 'mysterious', this administration hates our form of government....
and refuses to do anything by the book.
dalton99a
(81,516 posts)3. Coverup-General Bill Barr
fleur-de-lisa
(14,627 posts)4. JFC
duforsure
(11,885 posts)5. He's got to know now
He's caught and facing many,many charges and prison for trump.
Cartaphelius
(868 posts)7. Are you kidding?
With all due respect, what planet do you live on?
How many times since he stepped on to the stage he has broken
the law and he was held accountable for his violations? Care to guess?
Let me help you.....
Broken the Law (just a guess here) = 150 (and possibly 500 separate known incidents).
Held accountable for said violations = ZERO times or 0%.
How many times can you drive drunk before you go to jail?
How many people can you kill knowingly or by neglect before you are held accountable?
Making us, the citizens the overall and only losers.
Skittles
(153,169 posts)9. exactly
it is sickening how long they have been allowed to behave like outright criminals
Cartaphelius
(868 posts)6. Please explain
the "how"of the controlling Whistleblower Statute, mandating the DNI's legal obligation to
turn over his findings, supporting the O.I.I.G.'s findings, to Congress and Congress only,
is superseded by Executive Privilege? Especially when the complaintaint plainly identifies
the President as in direct violation of law.
ffr
(22,670 posts)8. Barr's probably already regretting latching his hitch to the tRump wagon
He could have gone out on top as the attorney who got bankrupt politicians off the hook, until now.