In an unprecedented move, Trump signed an executive order suspending enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which has banned US firms from bribing foreign officials since 1977. The order mandates a 180-day review of existing investigations and establishes new guidelines that could …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationWilliam BarrDepartment of Justicecorruptionforeign-influenceexecutive-orderanti-corruptioncorporate-accountability
On December 22, 2020, the DOJ filed a secret court order to seize phone records of three Washington Post journalists (Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller, and Adam Entous) investigating Russian diplomatic communications. Filed just one day before Attorney General William Barr’s resignation by DOJ …
William BarrMichael R. SherwinDOJFederal CourtWashington Post Journalists+3 moresecret-court-orderswilliam-barrjournalist-surveillanceleak-investigationssystematic-secrecy+2 more
President Trump’s systematic abuse of pardon power between 2017-2021 established a pattern of corruption that transformed constitutional clemency authority into a criminal enterprise. Analysis of Trump’s 237 pardons and commutations reveals a president who monetized executive power, …
Donald TrumpRudy GiulianiJared KushnerWilliam BarrPardonsCorruptionPay-to-PlayAbuse-of-PowerConstitutional-Crisis
President Trump issued a full pardon to his first National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty twice to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 transition. The pardon came after Flynn, represented by conspiracy theorist attorney …
Donald TrumpMichael FlynnSidney PowellEmmet SullivanWilliam BarrPardonsRussia-InvestigationObstruction-of-JusticeCorruptionTurkey
President Trump commuted Roger Stone’s 40-month prison sentence days before he was to report to prison for lying to Congress and witness tampering to protect Trump. Stone was convicted on seven felonies for obstructing the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation, lying about …
Donald TrumpRoger StoneWilliam BarrRandy CredicoWikiLeaksobstruction-of-justicecommutationrussia-investigationwitness-tamperingcorruption
Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley accompanied President Trump to Lafayette Square for a controversial photo opportunity at St. John’s Church, following a forcible clearing of peaceful protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets. Dressed in military camouflage, Milley’s presence …
General Mark MilleyDonald TrumpJoint Chiefs of StaffFederal Law EnforcementPeaceful Protesters+2 moremilleylafayette-squareprotest-clearingmilitary-politicizationdomestic-politics+1 more
The Department of Justice announces it will not bring criminal charges against any Wells Fargo executives for their roles in the fake accounts scandal, instead accepting a deferred prosecution agreement with the corporation. Despite Wells Fargo’s admission that “top Community Bank …
Department of JusticeWilliam BarrWells Fargocorporate-fraudwells-fargodojprosecutorial-discretiontwo-tiered-justice
On February 20, 2020, federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Roger Stone, longtime Trump adviser and political operative, to 40 months in prison for lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. The sentencing came at the conclusion of an unprecedented political controversy …
Roger StoneDonald TrumpWilliam BarrAaron ZelinskyJonathan Kravis+3 moreDOJ CorruptionMueller InvestigationRoger StoneSentencingBarr Obstruction+2 more
President Trump orchestrated a multi-month campaign to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter, using $391 million in congressionally approved military aid as leverage. In a July 25 phone call with President Zelensky, Trump explicitly demanded ‘I would like you to do …
Donald TrumpVolodymyr ZelenskyRudy GiulianiWilliam BarrJoe Biden+3 moreukraineimpeachmentquid-pro-quoabuse-of-powerelection-interference+1 more
Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, with the death ruled suicide by hanging. The death occurs despite Epstein being on suicide watch previously, and amid failures in prison protocols including guards falling asleep and security cameras …
Jeffrey EpsteinWilliam BarrBureau of PrisonsFBIDOJ Inspector Generalinstitutional-failureprison-systemaccountability-crisisgovernment-oversighttransparency
Special Counsel Robert Mueller publicly clarified his investigation\u0027s constraints, stating that DOJ policy prohibits charging a sitting president with a federal crime. Mueller emphasized that \u0027under long-standing Department policy, a President cannot be charged with a federal crime while …
Robert MuellerWilliam Barrconstitutional-lawrobert-muellertrump-investigationlegal-constraintsdoj-policy
President Donald Trump explicitly declares blanket resistance to congressional oversight, stating “We’re fighting all the subpoenas” and dismissing House Democrats as not “impartial people.” This systematic escalation represents an unprecedented challenge to legislative …
Donald TrumpWhite HouseHouse DemocratsCongressional InvestigatorsDon McGahn+2 moretrump-administrationcongressional-obstructionsubpoena-defianceconstitutional-crisissystematic-corruption+2 more
The Department of Justice released Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, the culmination of a 22-month investigation that issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, and …
Robert MuellerDonald TrumpWilliam BarrRussian GovernmentMueller InvestigationObstruction of JusticeRussia InterferencePresidential AccountabilityImpeachment+1 more
Attorney General William Barr released a four-page letter to Congress purporting to summarize the 448-page Mueller Report’s “principal conclusions” just 48 hours after receiving it. Barr’s summary fundamentally mischaracterized the report’s findings on obstruction of …
William BarrRobert MuellerDonald TrumpRod RosensteinMueller InvestigationObstruction of JusticeAttorney General CorruptionDisinformationAccountability Crisis+1 more
William Barr’s confirmation as Attorney General represents the systematic implementation of WHIG template for crisis-accelerated institutional capture, transforming the Department of Justice from independent law enforcement into executive political weapon for constitutional crisis …
William BarrDonald TrumpSenate Judiciary CommitteeDepartment of JusticeTrump Administration+5 moredoj-politicizationwhig-template-implementationsystematic-institutional-capturecrisis-accelerated-captureexecutive-immunity-institutionalization+4 more