Justice Department

The Fight to End Nationwide Injunctions

Over the weekend, a federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule requiring immigrants to prove they can pay for medical care in order to get visas. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham...

By Tessa Berenson November 4, 2019

Meet John Durham, The Man Tasked With 'Investigating the Investigators'

Donald Trump’s fixation on the Mueller investigation and Ukraine’s role in the 2016 election is filled with dubious characters, pitched Twitter spats and bombastic TV personalities. But the man at the Justice Department in charge...

By Tessa Berenson October 4, 2019

The Whistleblower Complaint Raises Big Questions About Attorney General Barr—and Trump

Attorney General William Barr has been implicated in the whistleblower complaint that spurred an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, raising new questions about Barr's apparent involvement in Trump's alleged efforts to pressure a foreign...

By Tessa Berenson September 26, 2019

William Barr Is the Wrong Person to Lead the Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

Jeffrey Epstein is dead. His victims will never have their day in court, at least not with this defendant. It is critical that the Justice Department conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his...

By Joyce White Vance August 13, 2019

Trump Celebrates Mueller Report, Despite Details

President Donald Trump and his team celebrated the publication of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report Thursday despite a wealth of damaging new details. "I’m having a good day," Trump said at a Wounded Warrior event...

By Tessa Berenson April 18, 2019

Barr Ensured He'll Stay at the Center of the Mueller Report Debate

Attorney General William Barr used his press conference in advance of the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report to issue an emphatic statement about the report's conclusions: Russia had indeed interfered with the 2016...

By Tessa Berenson April 18, 2019

Barr Tells Congress He'll Release Mueller Report Soon

Attorney General William Barr said he will likely release the Mueller report to the public "within a week," and provided new information about the process of redacting the highly anticipated document during Congressional testimony Tuesday

By Tessa Berenson April 9, 2019

Attorney General Letter Assures Mueller Report Will Be Released

Attorney General William Barr sought to reassure Congress and the public that the Mueller report will be released, promising in a new letter that "everyone will soon be able to read it on their own."...

By Tessa Berenson March 29, 2019

Everyone Got to Read the Starr Report on Bill Clinton. Here’s Why the Mueller Report May Not Get the Same Treatment

The rules governing the special counsel's work have changed

By Olivia B. Waxman March 25, 2019

Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, Barr Says

Attorney General William Barr's summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation says that, 'while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him'

By Tessa Berenson and Alana Abramson March 24, 2019

William Barr Is Now the Sole Keeper of the Mueller Report

Special counsel Robert Mueller has officially concluded his investigation after more than two years and turned his final report in to the Justice Department. What happens next depends on one man: the attorney general, William...

By Tessa Berenson March 22, 2019

Signs Mueller Isn't Done Yet

Then-White House lawyer Ty Cobb once told Reuters that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation would be wrapping up within a few months. That was in mid-August of 2017 — more than 17 months ago. Cobb...

By Tessa Berenson January 29, 2019

How Barr Tried to Reassure Democrats at His Hearing

With a measured tone and carefully worded answers, William Barr sought Tuesday to reassure senators that he would protect the Justice Department's vaunted independence if he were confirmed as attorney general. He said that he's...

By Tessa Berenson January 15, 2019

Barr Facing 'Tough Questions'

When William Barr came up for Senate confirmation as attorney general in 1991, he was confirmed by voice vote, a procedure used when no one in the upper chamber has any objection. He's unlikely to...

By Tessa Berenson January 14, 2019

Whitaker's Appointment Raises Three Legal Questions

With one tweet less than 24 hours after the midterm elections, President Donald Trump ousted the head of the Justice Department and promoted his chief of staff in his place. Matthew Whitaker, a former U.S....

By Tessa Berenson November 9, 2018

Jeff Sessions Just Resigned as Attorney General. Here’s a Timeline of His Rocky Relationship With President Trump

Sessions was forced out as Attorney General on Wednesday

By Tessa Berenson and Katie Reilly November 7, 2018

President Trump Told Congress Something Untrue. Here's Why That's a Big Deal

When President Donald Trump gave his first address to a joint session of Congress in February of 2017, he claimed that "the vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came...

By Abigail Simon August 6, 2018

Here's What Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Said About Indicting Russian Intelligence Officers for Election Hacking

"They will not succeed"

By Alejandro de la Garza July 13, 2018

The Inspector General's Report Was a Blow to James Comey

It hits right at his reputation for integrity

By Eric Lichtblau June 14, 2018

Scholar Argues Mueller Probe Is Unconstitutional

One of the founders of the conservative Federalist Society is advancing a controversial legal theory that Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation is unconstitutional. In a guest editorial in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month...

By Tessa Berenson May 25, 2018

The 3-Part Strategy of Trump's Attack on the Russia Investigation

President Donald Trump has long called the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election a "witch hunt." But in recent weeks he's sought to turn up the heat even more. Earlier this...

By Tessa Berenson May 22, 2018

House Republicans Draft Articles of Impeachment Against Rod Rosenstein

The House Freedom Caucus is planning on using them as a "last resort"

By Aric Jenkins April 30, 2018

He's a Family Man. He Traded Bitcoin. And He Faced Years in Prison

In an exclusive interview, a Missouri man explains how getting hooked on bitcoin got him into legal trouble with the feds

By Katy Steinmetz / Springfield, Mo. March 1, 2018

Top DoJ Official Steps Down Amid Trump Tensions

Rachel Brand would have taken over the Russia investigation if Rod Rosenstein was fired

By Tessa Berenson February 9, 2018

The Nunes Memo Doesn't Matter. Here's What Does

It is a bit of political theater

By Ryan Teague Beckwith February 2, 2018

Trump Keeps Attacking Members of His Own Party for Being Partisan

President Trump has stepped up attacks on the Justice Department and FBI, accusing top officials of bias against Republicans in a Friday morning tweet. "The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice...

By Tessa Berenson February 2, 2018

John McCain Says Trump Is 'Doing Putin's Job for Him' by Attacking the FBI

Sen. John McCain accused President Donald Trump of "doing Putin's job for him" Friday morning after Trump accused leadership of the Justice Department and FBI of anti-Republican bias. After Trump tweeted that investigators looking into...

By TIME Staff February 2, 2018

Everybody We Know Robert Mueller Has Interviewed in the Trump Investigation So Far

Special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional investigators have interviewed roughly 50 people who work at the White House or were involved in Donald Trump's campaign. Based on a compilation by CBS of known interviews, that...

By Tessa Berenson January 26, 2018

President Trump Wanted to Fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions for Not 'Protecting' Him. The Constitution Says That's OK

Since taking office nearly a year ago, President Donald Trump has shredded all kinds of political norms, especially when it comes to the justice system. From attacking judges and FBI agents to calling for investigations...

By Tessa Berenson January 5, 2018

Colorado Lawmakers Are Not Happy About Jeff Sessions' New Marijuana Restrictions

"The Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters"

By Alana Abramson January 4, 2018

Can the President Be Charged With Obstruction of Justice?

President Trump's attorney put forward a disputed legal theory Monday that the president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice. In an interview with Axios, Trump lawyer John Dowd said that the president by...

By Tessa Berenson December 4, 2017

'I Accept Full Responsibility.' Read Flynn's Statement on Guilty Plea

Flynn said he is "working to set things right"

By Tessa Berenson December 1, 2017

Everyone in Donald Trump's Orbit Who Has Been Charged by Robert Mueller

Michael Flynn is the fourth person in President Donald Trump's orbit to face legal trouble related to the campaign or their time in the White House. The former campaign adviser and national security advisor pleaded...

By Tessa Berenson December 1, 2017

Robert Mueller's Russia Investigation Is Moving Really Fast. Here's Why

It's hard to know what special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is doing, but it's clear that it's going quickly. Experts on independent investigations, including some who have worked with them in the past, say that...

By Tessa Berenson September 22, 2017

Sessions Says He Won't Resign Despite Trump Criticism

The Attorney General says he'll serve "as long as appropriate"

By Alana Abramson July 20, 2017

Hobby Lobby To Return Smuggled Iraqi Artifacts

The arts and crafts chain will have to pay a $3 million settlement

By Aric Jenkins July 5, 2017

Yates Condemns Sessions on Criminal Justice Reform

Yates argues that the new policy will not reform criminal justice

By Aric Jenkins June 24, 2017

Justice Department Says Rod Rosenstein Isn't Recusing Himself From Russia Investigation

The Department of Justice says the Deputy AG is not preparing to recuse himself

By Maya Rhodan June 16, 2017

DOJ: Trump's Foreign Payments Are Legal

The lawsuit dates back to three days after Trump was inaugurated

By Aric Jenkins June 10, 2017

What to Know About Special Counsel Robert Mueller

Mueller is now tasked with investigating the Trump's campaign's alleged ties to Russia

By Aric Jenkins May 17, 2017

Naming Robert Mueller as Special Counsel Restores the Justice Department's Independence

In one fell swoop

By Michael Duffy May 17, 2017

Meet the Prosecutor at the Center of the Controversy Over Comey's Firing

Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, faces calls to appoint a special prosecutor

By Tessa Berenson May 12, 2017

What to Know About 3 Key Players in the Fallout Over James Comey's Firing

Meet the people behind President Trump and James Comey

By Katie Reilly May 12, 2017

Jeff Sessions Issues New Criminal Charging and Sentencing Policy

'This policy affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and produces consistency'

By Tessa Berenson May 12, 2017

Robert Mueller Was Just Named a Special Counsel. What's That?

Former FBI chief Robert Mueller has taken over the Russia investigation

By Alana Abramson May 10, 2017

Jeff Sessions Won't Say If WikiLeaks Charges Open Up News Organizations to Prosecution

"That's speculative and I'm not able to comment on that"

By Tessa Berenson April 21, 2017

Justice Department

If Trump Is Allowed to Turn the Justice Department Into a Political Weapon, No One Is Safe

Attorney General William Barr Announces 21 Saudi Cadets to Be Removed From U.S. Training Program After Pensacola Shooting

Why the Inspector General's FBI Report Became the Latest Front in Washington's Partisan Fight

Inspector General Finds FBI Probe into Trump Campaign Was Justified, But Not Perfect