Garland’s policy was a major shift after 2 decades in which the #DOJ had become increasingly aggressive in prosecuting #leaks as #crimes, a tactic that was vanishingly rare in the 20th century but became routine in the 21st under admins of both parties before #Biden.

Both #crimes are punishable by a year or less in #prison. But #Defense Secy #PeteHegseth said in a visit to the #border in #NewMexico last week that migrants could face MORE prison time for illegal crossings. Standing…along the border Friday, he held up signs he said were being posted in English & Spanish warning migrants against entering the #MilitaryZone.

DA Rosen said that #Trump’s intense focus on #Stanford & other #universities played no role in the decision to charge the #crimes as #felonies.

“What the federal administration is doing is what they’re doing. What I’m doing is applying the California Penal Code,” Rosen said.

…At the heart of the controversy is the vague language of #Trump’s mass #pardons for #Jan6 *rioters*. He granted #clemency to anyone “convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

Jan 6 defendants have repeatedly argued that the language is so broad it covers other #crimes that have nothing to do w/Jan 6 but were discovered during the vast #criminal probe stemming from the Capitol attack.

The abrupt reversal prompted a federal judge — now weighing Wilson’s last-minute effort to avoid prison for the #gun conviction — to demand answers from the #Trump admin on Wed: Who exactly did Trump mean to #pardon when he signed his sweeping #clemency order last month, & for what #crimes?

During a 2-hr hearing in her federal courtroom, US District Judge Dabney Friedrich—a Trump appointee—grilled a #DOJ atty about the matter & appeared to leave with more questions than answers.

3 weeks ago, the #DOJ was emphatic: #Trump may have pardoned Kentuckian Dan Wilson for #crimes he committed at the Capitol on #Jan6, but that #pardon did not extend to his unrelated conviction for illegally storing #firearms at his home.

Then, on Tues, the US atty in DC [#EdMartin] reversed course, saying it had “received further clarity” about Trump’s true intent, which included pardoning Wilson for the #gun case. Prosecutors did not explain how they arrived at this new “clarity.”

Some #military officers worry that #PeteHegseth could turn a blind eye to #US #WarCrimes

As a #FauxNews contributor, he persuaded #Trump to intervene in the cases of 3 service members accused of #crimes. Would he do it again as #DefSec?

#NationalSecurity #Defense #USpol #InternationalLaw #law #geopolitics
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/military-officers-worry-pete-hegseth-turn-blind-eye-us-war-crimes-rcna183732

The chief of the #DOJ’s #PublicIntegrity section, Corey Amundson, is also being removed from his post, acc/to people familiar…. The section oversees #election #crimes & investigations into #PublicOfficials, & its chief is a #nonpartisan career official, according to the Justice Department website.…

On Mon night, hours after #Trump’s inauguration, the DOJ removed at least 4 top ofcls from the part of the agency that operates the nation’s heavily backlogged #immigration courts.

The indictment describes what must be the stupidest #crimes imaginable, & he totally got away with them.

The temptation might be to write this matter off as a lesser concern, akin to the byzantine case that branded #Trump a felon in NY. Apologists have noted that other officials, including Joe Biden, also mishandled #ClassifiedDocuments. Resist the siren call of these rationalizations.

…#Biden’s latest #commutations provide relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack & powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for #drug #crimes — some embraced when Biden was a senator — that Congress has since addressed through bipartisan legislation.

And just in case you were wondering…

Can #Trump #pardon himself? Not for state #HushMoney #crimes.

#Federal authority cannot overturn his #state #conviction.

#criminal #law #SCOTUS #immunity
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/30/trump-pardon-himself/

In a statement, the court rejected #Israel’s challenge to its jurisdiction over “the situation in the State of Palestine” & over Israeli nationals. It said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe #Netanyahu & #Gallant bore responsibility for #crimes including the use of #starvation as a method of #war & for “murder, persecution, & other #inhumane acts.”

#WarCrimes #Gaza #law #HumanitarianCrisis #geopolitics