Nation

DOJ withdraws high-profile discrimination suit against Yale University

Published

3 years ago

February 3, 2021

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) withdrew its Trump-era lawsuit Wednesday against Yale University that alleged the Ivy League school was discriminating against white and Asian-American undergraduate applicants and violating federal civil-rights laws in the process.

The two-sentence notice filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut informed the court of the federal government’s “voluntary dismissal of this action.”

“The Justice Department has dismissed its lawsuit in light of all available facts, circumstances, and legal developments,” including a November federal appeals court ruling that Harvard University didn’t break federal civil-rights law, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

After a two-year DOJ investigation, the lawsuit was filed in October and accused the prestigious university of violating civil rights laws for “at least 50 years” by using race-based, affirmative-action practices in its admission process that tipped the scale for Black and Hispanic applicants.

The DOJ’s investigation into Yale’s undergraduate admission policies that started in 2018, it should be noted, is still open. The department’s investigation was launched after a complaint was filed in 2016 by a number of Asian-American groups with the DOJ and Department of Education, notably spearheaded by the Asian American Coalition for Education.

Yale, which has defended its admission practices, was gladdened to hear the DOJ had withdrawn its lawsuit, spokeswoman Karen Peart said, per The Wall Street Journal.

“The Justice Department’s decision in August 2020 to issue the notice of violation unexpectedly and precipitously cut off an exchange of information that Yale looks forward to resuming,” Peart said. “Yale has steadfastly maintained that its process complies fully with Supreme Court precedent, and we are confident that the Justice Department will agree.”

While the U.S. Supreme Court has historically upheld race-based affirmative action, the three new conservative justices added to the court by former President Donald Trump has sowed worry that such admission practices are now in a precarious position.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Nation

Biden’s Email Controversy Deepens: A Saga of Aliases, Whistleblowers, and Shadowy Communications

Published

54 mins ago

December 6, 2023

Alexander Carter

In a bombshell revelation, new records released by the House Ways & Means Committee expose a labyrinth of email aliases and private addresses used by then-Vice President Joe Biden to communicate with his son Hunter and key business associates, according to metadata obtained from IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.

Furthermore, according to reports from Fox News, the data, covering the span of nine years from 2010 to 2019, reveals an astonishing 327 exchanges between Biden and his son, notably during Biden’s tenure as vice president.

The majority of these clandestine communications were exclusively with Eric Schwerin, a pivotal figure described as “the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies.” The emails were conducted using aliases such as “robinware456,” “JRBware,” and “RobertLPeters.” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer had previously hinted at the existence of Biden’s email aliases earlier this year.

According to reports, the whistleblowers, still actively employed as IRS investigators, ran a search for Biden’s email aliases in their existing files, revealing the 327 exchanges with Hunter Biden and Schwerin. The metadata access, however, falls short of scrutinizing email content, requiring a search warrant for deeper investigation.

Schwerin, former president of Hunter’s Rosemont Seneca Advisors, has found himself under the spotlight. In a March 2023 meeting with the House Oversight Committee, Schwerin claimed he was unaware of any transactions related to Biden family business in the then-Vice President’s bank account.

This assertion aligns with the White House narrative, pushing back against Republican scrutiny and an impeachment inquiry.

Amidst the rising scrutiny, House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer has subpoenaed Schwerin for a deposition on Nov. 9, indicating a deepening probe into the financial intricacies of the Biden family.

The data also reveals a spike in emails between Biden and Schwerin during the vice president’s travels to Ukraine, a period significantly coinciding with Hunter Biden’s board membership at Burisma Holdings.

The information underscores the increased communication between the two during crucial junctures, raising questions about the nature of their discussions and the potential intersection of official government business with family interests.

Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, spearheading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, asserts that the evidence points to Joe Biden’s use of private email accounts with aliases while conducting official duties on international trips.

The broader investigation by Smith, alongside House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer, delves into foreign money received by the Biden family and whether President Biden was involved in their foreign business dealings.

As the House intensifies its scrutiny, Hunter Biden’s scheduled deposition on Dec. 13 promises further revelations, with House Republicans pledging transparency by releasing the transcript and advocating for a public hearing. The saga of Biden’s emails unfolds against a backdrop of denial from the White House and Justice Department officials, creating a complex narrative.