Elections
Jeffrey Rosen to replace AG William Barr. How will he handle the DOJ?
Attorney General William Barr resigned from his position on Monday and will be replaced with Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to President Donald Trump.
Barr’s unexpected and early resignation comes after intense disagreements over the past year with Trump. Trump had made it publicly known that he disagreed with Barr’s handling of the Justice Department’s investigation into the origin of the Russia probe, as well as Barr’s conflicting point of view that there was no significant evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 general election.
“Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General,” Trump wrote on Twitter Monday. “Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all!”
Rosen is expected to lead the Justice Department in an acting capacity until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. He was first confirmed to the deputy attorney general position in May 2019. It was during that time that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his report on the investigation into the Russian interference.
The report contained many redactions and democrats pushed for the un-redacted copy to be released. At Rosen’s confirmation hearing in 2019, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, asked for Rosen to publish the un-redacted version.
“I want your commitment here that you will support full and release of that report to the United States Congress without redactions or edits of any kind,” Blumenthal said.
Rosen replied, “Well, Senator, I’d like to say this respectfully, but uh, if I’m confirmed I would be the deputy attorney general and I’d be working for the attorney general.”
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio told Fox News that he appreciated Barr’s summary of the Mueller investigation which was published before the report’s actual release.
“I do appreciate the Attorney General (Barr’s) work on the Mueller investigation, and the fact that he put out that letter when the Mueller report first came out, I appreciate that he named John Durham and we know now Durham is beefing up his investigation, adding prosecutors to that investigation, I think that’s a good thing.”
“So, we appreciate the service but that’s a call for the president,” Jordan added. “And, of course, as I said, I think some Americans were, as I was frustrated, at the pace of some of the things that happened.”
During the final few weeks of a Trump presidency, the promotion of Rosen has raised concerns about the appointment of a special counsel focused on the incoming Joe Biden administration.
Trump, however, believes it the appointment of a special counsel is necessary to look into the allegations of fraud, money laundering and connections between Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and his connections to China and Ukraine. There is no certainly, however, that Rosen will request that position.
Either way, sources have told SaraACarter.com, Connecticut prosecutor John Durham, who was appointed by Barr, will still lead his investigation into the FBI’s malfeasance in its probe into the Trump campaign and the debunked belief that he was tied to Russia.
You can follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy
Matt Taibbi, a journalist who has been the top of the headlines for exposing Twitter censorship at the direction of the Department of Justice, had a surprise visit from an IRS agent at his home.
This visit occurred the same day that he was testifying before the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government about what he had discovered inside of the Twitter files. The IRS did not immediately respond to Fox News digital when asked for comment. Now, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, demands to know why.
SaraACarter.com contacted the IRS media relations office Tuesday afternoon and was told by an IRS representative to send an email to their media relations office for comment. As of Tuesday evening the IRS has yet to respond to the immediate inquiry.
Jordan sent a letter Tuesday to the IRS questioning the visit by the agent to Taibbi’s home in New Jersey. Jordan could not immediately respond for comment.
In his letter, however, Jordan demanded that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen turn over documents and provide all information requested by the committee.
“As the Committee continues to examine how to best protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms and to assist the Committee in its oversight, we ask that you please provide the following documents and information:
- All documents and communications referring or relating to the IRS’s field visit to the residence of Matthew Taibbi on March 9, 2023;
- All documents and communications between or among the IRS, Treasury Department, and any other Executive Branch entity referring or relating to Matthew Taibbi; and
- All documents and communications sent or received by Revenue Officer [James Nelson] referring or relating to Matthew Taibbi.”
Jordan noted in the letter that his committee is committed to examining “the mounting evidence that the federal government pressured, coerced, and even directed technology companies to take certain actions related to digital content.”
The Republican lawmakers were astonished that “an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent visited, unannounced and unprompted, the home of one of the hearing witnesses, Matthew Taibbi, an independent journalist who has reported extensively on government abuse. In light of the hostile reaction to Mr. Taibbi’s reporting among left-wing activists, and the IRS’s history as a tool of government abuse, the IRS’s action could be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate a witness before Congress. We expect your full cooperation with our inquiry.”
The letter went on to say that “Mr. Taibbi joined fellow journalist Michael Shellenberger in testifying before the Select Subcommittee during its March 9 hearing. During the hearing, Mr. Taibbi described the serious government abuse on which he had been reporting and on which he testified to the Select Subcommittee. As he explained:
The original promise of the internet was that it might democratize the exchange of information globally. . . . What we found is in the [Twitter] files was a sweeping effort to reverse that promise and use machine learning and other tools to turn the internet into an instrument of censorship and social control. Unfortunately, our own government appears to be playing a lead role.”
Jordan’s inquiry into the IRS is not the first time the Congress has questioned the actions of this private government contracted agency.
In 2013, the IRS admitted that it had been targeting conservative groups that were seeking tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who had then headed the IRS, stated that her agency had been scrutinizing groups that had “tea party” or “patriots” in their names. These were almost all conservative non-profit organizations.
Those inquiries by the IRS mainly took place in 2009 and 2010, and as reported in NPR “hundreds of groups affiliated with the party had sought tax-exempt status as 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organizations. IRS demands for documents left many of them in bureaucratic limbo for a year or more.”
Taibbi’s investigation into Twitter’s actions prior to Elon Musk’s takeover revealed major concerns expressed by former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters that the social media giant was censoring supporters.
The investigations by Taibbi proved that shadow-banning was occurring and it was targeting primarily Republican activists, journalists, and politicians using the platform. The evidence proved the the FBI had advised Twitter to not allow stories or posts that revealed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal that had first been reported by the New York Post. Those accurate stories were censored by Twitter and later it was revealed that the laptop did belong to Hunter Biden.
Senate Republicans are also deeply concerned about the actions taken Taibbi. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted Tuesday that the IRS visit to Taibbi “this absolutely stinks to high heaven” because the “IRS has a troubling history of targeting the political enemies of Democrats.”
This absolutely stinks to high heaven. The IRS has a troubling history of targeting the political enemies of Democrats.
The IRS should NEVER be in the business of harassing the American people. https://t.co/twY3KBcgXx
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 28, 2023
Two Democrat lawmakers at the hearing were attempting to get Taibbi to reveal his sources, which is unconstitutional. Taibbi refused to answer Representatives Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, and Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands questions.
It was during his testimony that Taibbi’s house was being raided by the IRS.
You can follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC
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