The Justice Department is facing several court orders that land it in a position it often seeks to avoid: Revealing the private statements of its top political leaders.
Judges’ attempts to confidentially review executive branch records and hold hearings where Justice Department attorneys could take the stand are bearing down in the coming days.
In one case, regarding the migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Justice Department is fighting to keep Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche from having to testify about prosecutorial decision-making in a hearing next month.
And this week, federal Judge Cameron McGowan Currie will look closer at Eastern District of Virginia US Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s work with a grand jury before the recent indictment of Trump political opponents James Comey and Letitia James.
The examples in court reflect how trust has been lost by the Justice Department this year while President Donald Trump and his top allies and appointees have repeatedly attacked the courts and challenged even temporary orders with emergency appeals.
If officials are forced to testify and the Justice Department hands over internal communications, the proceedings may expose the Justice Department’s inner workings in a way that could have implications for multiple ongoing, high-profile and
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