A federal judge that was appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release a March 2019 legal memo clearing former President Trump of potential obstruction of justice charges following the Mueller investigation.
District Judge Amy Berman Jackson accused former Attorney General Bill Barr and agency lawyers of deceiving the public.
Jackson wrote in a scathing 41-page decision that “not only was the Attorney General being disingenuous then, but DOJ has been disingenuous to this Court with respect to the existence of a decision-making process that should be shielded by the deliberative process privilege.”
U.S. House Rep Gay Scanlon (D-PA) celebrated the news in a tweet where she said, “I am glad District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered the release of this memo after finding that former AG Barr misled the American people during his purported ‘review’ of the Mueller Report and in the resulting letter sent to Congress.”
I am glad District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered the release of this memo after finding that former AG Barr misled the American people during his purported "review" of the Mueller Report and in the resulting letter sent to Congress. https://t.co/057TEvVvGv
— Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (@RepMGS) May 4, 2021
U.S. House Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA) offered his thoughts on the situation and said that he believes, “History will not be kind to Bill Barr.
Lieu accused Trump of engaging “in obstruction of justice” and that the “The Mueller team chickened out.” He demanded that “Congress needs to see the full unredacted Mueller report” and that “Don McGahn still needs to testify.”
Some thoughts this new ruling brings to mind:
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 5, 2021
1. History will not be kind to Bill Barr
2. The former President engaged in obstruction of justice
3. The Mueller team chickened out
4. Congress needs to see the full unredacted Mueller report
5. Don McGahn still needs to testify https://t.co/9fkG0ILgkI
Jackson ordered the DOJ to release the legal memo within two weeks in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW).
From The Hill:
CREW filed its lawsuit in May 2019 seeking internal DOJ documents regarding Barr’s public statements around the release of the Mueller report. During the Trump administration, the Justice Department fought back vigorously against the lawsuit, but it’s unclear how the agency intends to handle the case following the decision, which can be appealed.
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment.
The 2019 memo was prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), a section of the Justice Department that provides the entire federal government with binding, and often secret, legal interpretations.
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