A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Atty. Gen. William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation.
The Justice Department had refused to give the March 24, 2019, memorandum to a government transparency group that requested it under the Freedom of Information Act, saying the document represented the private advice of lawyers and was produced before any formal decision had been made and was therefore exempt from disclosure under public records law.
But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the Justice Department had obscured “the true purpose of the memorandum” when it withheld the document. She said that the memo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel contained “strategic, as opposed to legal advice” and that both the writers and the recipients already had a shared understanding as to what the prosecutorial decision would be. She said this meant it was not — as the department had maintained — “predecisional.
The decision by Barr and senior Justice Department leaders to clear Trump of obstruction, even though special counsel Robert Mueller and his team pointedly did not reach that conclusion, was a significant moment for the president. The announcement, and a four-page summary of Mueller’s report, preceded the release of the 448-page document and helped shape public perception of the investigation’s conclusions.
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Trump Justice Department Obstruction Memo Must Be Released, Judge OrdersA federal judge ordered the Justice Department to release a 2019 legal memo recommending that former President Donald Trump not be prosecuted for obstruction of justice in connection with the special counsel’s Russia investigation BIG WIN 💪 Good we will continue to find out things that were done in the dark while Trump was president for yrs. to come .
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Judge Orders Justice Dept. To Release Trump Obstruction MemoU.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the Justice Department had obscured “the true purpose of the memorandum” when it withheld the document.
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Judge orders Justice Dept. to release Trump obstruction memoWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation... Technically nobody concluded that there was no collusion and he's innocent. The conclusion was that A) There was insufficient evidence to prove collusion due to B) Certain investigations couldn't be done until Trump left the office of President & wasn't protected by his position Anybody else hearing the Cops theme song in their head? BadBoys How can it hold client privilege when the DOJ does not represent the potus?
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Judge orders Justice Dept. to release Trump obstruction memoA federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. The Justice Department had refused to give the March 24, 2019, memorandum to a government transparency group that requested it under the Freedom of Information Act, saying the document represented the private advice of lawyers and was produced before any formal decision had been made and was therefore exempt from disclosure under public records law.
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