Justice Department

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US Hires Top Lawyer to Mull Google-Yahoo Antitrust Case

Step in possible antitrust case against Internet giants

(Newser) - The Justice Department has hired a top lawyer to review a possible antitrust case against the Google-Yahoo advertising deal, which would give the companies control of 80% of web search ads, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sanford Litvack, a former Disney vice-chairman, was Jimmy Carter’s antitrust chief. While officials...

Gonzales Mishandled Secret Docs, Regrets Lapse

Government report expected to examine DoJ management

(Newser) - Lawyers for Alberto Gonzales admit in a memo released today that he mishandled highly classified notes about a secret counterterrorism program, but say it was unintentional and didn't result in leaks, the AP reports. A government report due out tomorrow is expected to criticize Gonzales's handling of the notes, which...

No Charges for Biased Justice Officials: Mukasey

Former employees have already faced internal consequences, AG says

(Newser) - Michael Mukasey said today the ex-Justice Department employees who discriminated against candidates in hiring for political reasons will not face criminal charges, the New York Times reports. Prosecution would be inappropriate, the AG said, because the biased hiring practices violated federal civil service law, not criminal law.

In Politicizing Justice, 'Appalling' Betrayal

By injecting politics into hiring, Gonzales & Co. shatter public's faith

(Newser) - New confirmation that the Justice Department used political criteria in hiring for career positions shouldn’t just outrage the maybe-liberals they discriminated against, derailing careers because they were gay, say, or had a wife who was a Democrat, a former Clinton administration official writes in the Washington Post. It’s...

US Attorney: I Was Fired Over Gay Rumors

Official speaks out after damning report on key Gonzales aides

(Newser) - One of the US attorneys fired in the 2006 sweep by Alberto Gonzales' Justice Department says she believes rumors of a lesbian relationship with a top prosecutor cost her the job and derailed the prosecutor’s career. “I am persuaded with deep regret that this is what was the...

Justice Dept. Hiring Practices Illegal: Report

Gonzales aides judged high-level applicants by their politics

(Newser) - Alberto Gonzales’ Justice Department illegally discriminated against applicants for career positions based on political considerations, a new report by the department's inspector general finds. Gonzales’ White House liaison Monica Goodling routinely violated civil service laws by asking "What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to...

Secret Justice Memo Bares CIA Torture Defense

Agents would be safe from prosecution if they acted in good faith

(Newser) - The Bush administration advised the CIA in 2002 that its agents would not be prosecuted on anti-torture legislation as long as they professed an "honest belief" that their actions would not cause severe pain and anguish, CNN reports. The memo is one of three made public by the ACLU,...

Cautious Mukasey Disappoints Former Backers

It's 'business as usual' in AG's office

(Newser) - Attorney General Michael Mukasey's cautious approach has disappointed one-time backers who hoped for a new direction at the Justice Department, reports the New York Times. He has been reluctant to probe the US attorney firings that triggered predecessor Alberto Gonzales' downfall, and has moved at a snail's pace on issues...

Lawmakers Make Much of Karl Rove's Empty Seat

Rove defies subpoena, gets snarky 'chair treatment'

(Newser) - Karl Rove ignored a subpoena ordering him to appear before a House committee probing alleged abuses of power in the Justice Department yesterday—and the committee didn't let that get in their way. Lawmakers printed a name card for Rove, pointed a mike at an empty chair, fetched a cool...

Judge Demands Speedy Trial for Gitmo Prisoners

After 7 years, it's 'time to move cases forward'

(Newser) - A federal judge coordinating 200 Guantanamo Bay cases has ordered the Justice Department to set aside all other work to give the detainees their day in court as soon as possible. "The time has come to move these forward," he ruled. A Justice Department attorney asked for eight...

Feds Probing Google-Yahoo Deal

Formal investigation signals that Justice may have antitrust concerns

(Newser) - Google’s agreement to provide Yahoo with advertising for some of its searches in the US and Canada has prompted the Justice Department to launch a formal antitrust investigation into the deal, the Washington Post reports. "They don't do it without having identified significant issues," one lawyer said...

Ex-Army Doc to Get $5.8M in Anthrax Case

Feds settle with Hatfill, once named 'person of interest' in attacks

(Newser) - The Justice Department will pay nearly $6 million to an ex-Army scientist for naming him in an anthrax probe 7 years ago, the AP reports. The feds settled out of court today for calling Steven Hatfill a "person of interest" in the still-unsolved case, but continued to "deny...

Probe Finds Bias in Justice Dept. Hiring

Perceived Democratic ties sank applicants for prestigious programs

(Newser) - The Justice Department screened applicants to its internship and recruitment programs for conservative attitudes and credentials, rejecting applicants with liberal-sounding resumes, the Washington Post reports. Today's report by the department’s inspector general details a history of partisan hiring practices beginning in 2002 and concludes that the process "undermined...

FBI Swamped With Checking on Immigrants

'Inefficient' process has legal aliens waiting 3 years; criminals slip in

(Newser) - The FBI’s system of background checks has forced many legal immigrants to wait years before getting into the US or gaining citizenship, the Justice Department finds. The program, deluged by more names and wider checks after 9/11, has struggled with old technology, poor training, and swamped supervisors, the Los ...

Cheers: Feds OK Miller, Coors Merger

Feds approve plan; new company would control 30% of market

(Newser) - The US Justice Department today approved a merger between Miller and Coors, opening the door to a union that will command almost 30% of US beer sales, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch, the country’s largest brewer, controls about 50%. Regulators said the merger—expected to be wrapped up...

Another United Merger Crashes
 Another United Merger Crashes 
May 28, 2008 3:20 AM CDT

Another United Merger Crashes

Talks with US Airways on permanent hold

(Newser) - A proposed merger between United Airlines and rival US Airways has collapsed, just a month after a deal between United and Continental fell apart. Some analysts predicted the rising cost of jet fuel would power merger deals, but the failed negotiations have raised serious questions about the success of future...

Rove Spurns Subpoena on US Attorneys

Attorney's response to Conyers' 'ass kicking' invite: No, thanks

(Newser) - Karl Rove RSVPed in the negative to the subpoena the House Judiciary Committee issued yesterday, Politico reports. His lawyer said Rove wants none of what committee chair John Conyers has promised to dole out. Citing Conyers' promise of an "ass kicking," Robert Luskin said he's not “the...

FBI Stalled in Addressing Prisoner Abuse

Report says agents didn't participate in torture, but knew of it

(Newser) - FBI agents dragged their feet in reporting torture inflicted on prisoners by Defense contractors and CIA employees, an an internal FBI report shows, but agents themselves generally did not participate in torture. FBI brass, however, was scolded for not providing more guidance or “pressing harder” to curb other agencies’...

Ex-Gov: Rove Probe 'Will Make Watergate Look Like Child's Play'

Bush guru merits more inquiry: Siegelman

(Newser) - Don Siegelman is out of jail and fighting to clear his name, but the case is a lot bigger than just him, the former Democratic governor of Alabama tells the Anniston Star. Siegelman says his prosecution on corruption charges was orchestrated by Karl Rove as a way to keep Dems...

Feds Detain Top UBS Banker in Tax-Fraud Probe

Swiss giant's fortunes go from bad to worse

(Newser) - Already reeling from record losses and preparing to cut 5,500 jobs, UBS has acknowledged the Department of Justice is investigating the mega-bank for helping its wealthiest clients evade taxes. The feds "briefly detained" one of the Swiss firm's most senior private bankers as a "material witness,"...

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