Biden DOJ shields ex-Trump officials from testifying about election fraud cases

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Politico

A top official in President Joe Biden's Justice Department blocked efforts by Senate investigators to probe the handling of voter fraud complaints in the aftermath of the 2020 election, according to transcripts released Thursday.

As Senate Judiciary Committee aides investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election questioned top Trump-era Justice Department officials, a DOJ attorney present for the interviews intervened repeatedly to say such questions were outside the scope of the panel’s inquiry.

The official, veteran DOJ attorney Bradley Weinsheimer, cited guidance he issued in July that paved the way for congressional testimony but limited the topics former DOJ officials were permitted to discuss. But his assertions drew repeated, and sometimes pointed, challenges from Judiciary Committee aides in both parties, the transcripts show.

“It strikes me as completely within the scope of this interview,” said Sara Zdeb, chief oversight counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), after Weinsheimer intervened to block an answer from Byung Pak, a former U.S. attorney from the Atlanta area. Pak resigned on Jan. 4 under pressure from Trump to interfere in election-related matters.

Read more: https://www-politico-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.politico.com/amp/news/2021/10/07/doj-shields-ex-trump-officials-515594?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQIKAGwASCAAgM%3D#aoh=16336432213590&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fnews%2F2021%2F10%2F07%2Fdoj-shields-ex-trump-officials-515594

[gab13by13]

1. Here we go,

Not to mention our DOJ is defending Trump in the E. Jeanne Carroll defamation law suit. Have to protect the office of the presidency from people who accused our president of rape. Is that an official duty of the president, defaming a woman accusing him of rape?

[rurallib]

2. Is Sally Yates still available?

[Pantagruel]

3. Not the DOJ's fault

the electorate and our screwed up Electoral College co-ordinated the election of a self-admitted sexual predator as POTUS. Voters chose to ignore the character of
Mr."Grab 'em ".

[totodeinhere]

4. I am disappointed by this decision of the career Justice Department official.

I hope that Attorney General Garland overrules it.

[Slammer]

5. political consequences

The Biden DOJ is having to walk the fine line between pursuing the law vs derailing the Biden political agenda by making his presidency revolve around cleaning up the Trump legal messes.

Should that be the job of Biden's DOJ?

No, they're supposed to be pursuing the law and to hell with the political consequences.

But this is Washington where the first priority of everyone is to consider the political consequences rather than doing their jobs.

[gab13by13]

6. Here we have a case of someone volunteering to testify

and being told he can't.

[stillcool]

9. I must be missing something...

it was one question he objected to. While I don't understand what the problem is with the question, I don't see that as telling someone they can't testify. Is there some other reporting besides the one Politico piece?

For example, when senators tried asking Byung Pak, a former U.S. attorney from the Atlanta area, whether Trump officials had actually given him any proof to back up their claims about thousands of felons improperly voting in Georgia, Weinsheimer immediately intervened.

"You're getting into specific investigations that don't have anything to do with specific pressure put on Mr. Pak, and so I would object," he said, according to transcripts obtained by Politico.

This drew the ire of Sara Zdeb, chief oversight counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL).
"It seems to me that it is inherent in understanding … whether there were particular things that [White House chief of Staff Mark Meadows], the President thought that Mr. Pak's office ought to be looking into that they were not looking into," she replied.

[stopdiggin]

14. I can see where this question

is veering off subject (as much as congressional aides might like to have an answer). I'd have to see a lot more examples before I'd be willing to back a conclusion of 'impeding' or tampering. I'm also 100% sure that DOJ is getting feedback from Congress on how these things are going. If something is way out of step - I have a feeling it would be addressed in house.

[Timewas]

10. They need

They need to get their shit together and do the job regardless of any political ramifications

[LiberalFighter]

7. Seems Weinsheimer should be fired.

[orangecrush]

16. Yesterday.

[myohmy2]

8. why...?

...it's not like I'm asking the questions, it's the U.S. Senate...

...this is what pisses people off and to lose faith in their system, gamesmanship....

...1/3 of the government fucking over the other third all the while people needing to know who tried to overthrow their government...

...no accountability, no resolution, no answers, 10 months out and counting...

...cross every 't', dot every 'i', until the fascists take over...

...they've got us by the balls...

[NBachers]

11. Pull up the drawbridges; the peasants are getting restless. Let them battle it out amonst themselves

[Historic NY]

12. So can the AG overrule him

[George II]

13. That guy was appointed by Jeff Sessions when he was Attorney General.

[orangecrush]

15. This might explain it

Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he will be appointing Bradley Weinsheimer as Acting Associate Deputy Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice ...

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-announces-bradley-weinsheimer-replace-departing-associate


A Trump holdover.

Thanks, struggleforprogress.


WHY.

ARE.

THESE.

PEOPLE.

STILL.

THERE.

[George II]

17. I mentioned that here last night. No doubt this will be changed in the next day or two.