Public Corruption Posts

Trump-Russia Probe Complete

03/23/2019 No Comments

Mueller Delivers Report on Trump-Russia Investigation to Attorney General: (“The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, on Friday delivered a report on his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election to Attorney General William P. Barr, bringing to a close an investigation that has consumed the nation and cast a shadow over President Trump for nearly two years. * * * Mr. Barr told congressional leaders in a letter that he may brief them on the special counsel’s ‘principal conclusions’ as early as this weekend, a surprisingly fast turnaround for a report anticipated for months. The attorney general said he ‘remained committed to as much transparency as possible.'”)

Manafort’s Bond Revoked

06/16/2018 No Comments

Judge Orders Paul Manafort Jailed Before Trial, Citing New Obstruction Charges: (“A federal judge revoked Paul Manafort’s bail and sent him to jail on Friday to await trial, citing new charges that Mr. Manafort had tried to influence the testimony of two government witnesses after he had been granted a temporary release. * * * Mr. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, had posted a $10 million bond and was under house arrest while awaiting his September trial on a host of charges, including money laundering and making false statements.”)

Former NY State Assembly Speaker Convicted for Second Time

05/11/2018 No Comments

Sheldon Silver Is Convicted in Second Corruption Trial: “Sheldon Silver, the former powerful Democratic speaker of the New York State Assembly, was found guilty of federal corruption charges on Friday, less than a year after his first conviction on the same charges was thrown out.”

Trump Pardons Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio

08/27/2017 No Comments

Why Trump’s Pardon of Arpaio Follows Law, Yet Challenges It: (“President Trump’s decision to pardon Joe Arpaio was characteristically unconventional. It came late on a Friday night as a hurricane bore down on Texas. It concerned a crime some said was particularly ill-suited to clemency, and it was not the product of the care and deliberation that have informed pardons by other presidents.”)

Can the President Pardon Himself?

07/23/2017 No Comments

Can Trump Pardon Himself? No President Ever Has, and Legal Opinions Are Mixed: (“It’s not rare for presidents to dole out pardons. They’ve pardoned friends and felons, political donors and even a former president.  But can a president pardon himself? Well, we’ve now reached that question, six months into President Trump’s administration.”)