Slow Going For Gitmo Trial Preparations
Hoping to charge between 60 and 80 of its 400 Guantanamo Bay detainees, the military has been agressively preparing cases by poring over 40,000 pages of amassed documents. With some prisoners having remained in the facility for over 5 years years without receiving formal charges, Pentagon legal adviser Thomas Hemingway argued that “if they want a faster process, we are going to need additional resources.” (Associated Press)
Audit Reveals Problems in Justice Department’s Anti-Terror Stats
“Federal prosecutors counted immigration violations, marriage fraud and drug trafficking among anti-terror cases in the four years after 9/11 even though no evidence linked them to terror activity, a Justice Department audit said Tuesday. Overall, nearly all of the terrorism-related statistics on investigations, referrals and cases examined by department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine were either diminished or inflated. ” (Associated Press)
Research Suggests ID Requirement Lowers Voter Turnout
“States that imposed identification requirements on voters reduced turnout at the polls in the 2004 presidential election by about 3 percent, and by two to three times as much for minorities, new research suggests. The study, prepared by scholars at Rutgers and Ohio State Universities for the federal Election Assistance Commission, supports concerns among voting-rights advocates that blacks and Hispanics could be disproportionately affected by ID requirements.” (The New York Times)
Former Aid Director at Army Medical Facility Under Scrutiny
In the wake of a wave of unflattering public attention, officials at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center are probing into the activies of the Michael J. Wagner, the former head of the Army’s Family Assistance Center. Documents show that while working for the Army, Wagner was solicitating donations from a Texas-based charitable group – the Military, Veteran and Family Assistance Foundation – which he now heads. (Associated Press)
Promises of Improvement at Walter Reed
“The White House and congressional leaders called yesterday for swift investigation and repair of the problems plaguing outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as veterans groups and members of Congress in both parties expressed outrage over substandard housing and the slow, dysfunctional bureaucracy there…At the White House, press secretary Tony Snow said that he spoke with President Bush yesterday about Walter Reed and that the president told him: “Find out what the problem is and fix it.” (The Washington Post)
FBI Short on Evidence Against Terror Suspect
The FBI’s case against against terror suspect Daniel Joseph Maldonado hit a snag yesterday, as a Federal Court told the bureau it must produce more evidence if it hopes to prosecute. Maldonado is accused of “conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction” and training with Al Qaeda militants in Somalia. (Boston Globe)
Iraqi Rape, Homicide Sees Guilty Plea from Soldier
“A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty Tuesday to rape and murder in the death of a 14-year-old girl and her family last year in Iraq. The court will consider whether Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, of Barstow, Calif., should be found guilty of premeditated murder and whether he is guilty of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, defense lawyer William Cassara said Tuesday.” (Associated Press)
Corruption Investigation of Colorado Senator’s Office Trudging Along
A secretive investigation of the office of Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) has neared its third year, showing few signs of reaching a closing point. Campbell has not been accused of any wrongdoing, however the Justice Department is looking into allegations that former staffer Ginnie Kontnik directed a no-bid contract towards a campaign fundraiser and “shook down an underling for a $2,000 kickback.” (The Hill)
Revised Travel Rules Loosen Restrictions
Newly revised congrssional ethics laws will provide looser travel restrictions, as the legislation will now allow lobbyists to pay for a second night in a lawmaker’s trip in some cases and permit lobbyists to travel along with them in others. (The Hill)
Arcive Dept. Failed to Investigate Berger
A recent report by Republican Oversight Committee members in the House argued that the Justice Department should have been more forceful in investigating the transgressions of former national security advsier Sandy Berger, who admitted to stealing terrorism documents from the National Archives in 2002 and 2003. Inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration Paul Brachfeld alleged in 2004 that aside from the five copies of documents he admitted to taking, Berger could have stolen a number “original, uncatalogued, highly classified terrorism documents” (The Washington Post)
Plea Bargain For Former N.C. Speaker
“A former speaker of the North Carolina House accepted a plea agreement Tuesday on charges of offering a bribe and obstructing justice, crimes that prosecutors tied in part to a scheme that helped him stay in power. Jim Black entered a so-called Alford plea, which allows defendants to acknowledge that the evidence could result in a conviction but doesn’t require them to acknowledge guilt.” (Associated Press)
Former R.I. Lawmaker To See Additional Prison Sentence
“A former state senator already headed to federal prison for corruption pleaded no contest Tuesday to similar state charges that netted him an additional one and a half years behind bars. John Celona entered his plea to one felony count of accepting money under false pretenses and a misdemeanor ethics charge related to his work for a hospital. He was sentenced to serve four years, plus a suspended sentence and probation. ” (Associated Press)
Opposing Sides Make Closing Statements in Libby Trial
The jury in the perjury trial of former White House official Scooter Libby enters into deliberations today after each side spent three hours on Tuesday making its closing argument. Defense attorney Theodore Wells made what was described as a fervently emotional statement as to the innocence of his client, while special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald countered by arguing that Libby told a “dumb lie” and as a result “threw sand in the eyes of the grand jury.” (The New York Times)
