cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49081416
Excerpt:
The Department of Justice is refusing to hand over redacted information from investigative files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, despite an order from a federal judge to either release the documents or explain why they were withheld.
Hours before a deadline to turn over the materials, Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward asked the judge to delay the deadline for another two months, or to dissolve the order entirely by accepting the Justice Department’s explanation for withholding those documents.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan sided with journalist Katie Phang after she filed a lawsuitaccusing Donald Trump’s administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the president signed into law last year.
The lawsuit, which was filed against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accuses the government of obstructing the public’s right to access materials connected to investigations into Epstein. The judge gave the Justice Department until Thursday to respond.
Actual constitutional crisis happening in US, and for everyone it is just another Wednesday.
How low can the nation fall.
Yeah, they couldn’t prosecute Trump after his first term because it would cause a constitutional crisis, but now there’s been a constitutional crisis nearly every week in his second term and no one cares enough to do anything about it.
Child rapist refuses to hand over proof of all the raping. FTFY.
Can the DOJ be held in contempt? Serious question. If so, what are the consequences?
Yes — the Attorney General can personally be held in contempt, and unlike the President he enjoys no special exemption.
Consequences: civil contempt (coercive — daily fines until compliance, not pardonable); criminal contempt (punitive — fines or, rarely, jail, and is pardonable by the President).
Obligatory IANAL, but this is the law and has in the past indeed at most been pushed as far as a strongly worded letter.
Someone will tell them off and write a strong worded letter.
The head of the executive branch should really do something about the illegal action of their subordinates /s