About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2020)
WASHINGTON/POLITICS The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Midweek Edition-December 2-3, 2020 11A US probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardon EVAN VUCCII Associated Press A ribbon hangs on the White House for World AIDS Day 2020, Tuesday, Dec. 1, in Washington. BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clem ency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday. Most of the information in the 18-page court order is redacted, including the identity of the people whom prosecutors are investigat ing and whom the proposed pardon might be intended for. But the document from August does reveal that certain individuals are suspected of having acted to secretly lobby White House officials to secure a pardon or sentence commutation and that, in a related scheme, a substantial politi cal contribution was floated in exchange for a pardon or “reprieve of sentence.” A Justice Department official said Tuesday night that no government official was or is a subject or target of the investigation. The offi cial spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The existence of the investigation, first reported by CNN, was revealed in a court order from U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, the chief judge of Washington’s federal court. In it, she granted investigators access to cer tain email communications connected to the alleged schemes that she said was not pro tected by attorney-client privilege. The investi gative team will be able to use that material to confront any subject or target of the investiga tion, the judge wrote. The order was dated Aug. 28, and prosecu tors had sought to keep it private because they said it identifies people not charged by a grand jury. But on Tuesday, Howell unsealed select portions of that document while redacting from view any personally identifiable information. As part of the investigation, more than 50 devices, including laptops and iPads, have been seized, according to the document. Pardons are common at the end of a presi dent’s tenure and are occasionally politically fraught affairs as some convicted felons look to leverage connections inside the White House to secure clemency. Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he had pardoned his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, even as a federal judge was weighing a Justice Department request to dismiss the case. Biden unveils choice of economic advisers ANDREW HARNIKI Associated Press President-elect Joe Biden speaks as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris listens at left, during an event to introduce their nominees and appointees to economic policy posts at The Queen theater, Tuesday, Dec. 1, in Wilmington, Del. Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation BY MICHAEL BALSAM0 AND ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecu tor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, granting him authority to complete the work without being easily fired. Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Dur ham as a special counsel in October under the same federal regulations that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe. He said Durham’s investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known by the code name of Crossfire Hurricane. Under the regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for spe cific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. The FBI in July 2016 began investigating whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia to sway the outcome of the presiden tial election. That probe was inherited nearly a year later by special counsel Mueller, who ulti mately did not find enough evidence to charge Trump or any of his associates with conspiring with Russia. The early months of the investigation, when agents obtained secret surveillance warrants targeting a former Trump campaign aide, have long been scrutinized by the president and other critics of the probe who say the FBI made signifi cant errors. An inspector general report last year backed up that criticism but did not find evidence that mistakes in the surveillance applications and other problems with the probe were driven by partisan bias. Barr decided “the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller, to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they’d be able to com plete their work regardless of the outcome of the election,” he said Tuesday. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team didn’t immediately comment on the appointment. The current investigation, a criminal probe, had begun very broadly but has since “narrowed considerably” and now “really is focused on the activities of the Crossfire Hurricane inves tigation within the FBI,” Barr said. He said he expects Durham would detail whether any addi tional prosecutions will be brought and make public a report of the investigation’s findings. Durham’s investigation has resulted in one prosecution so far: a guilty plea by a former FBI lawyer who admitted altering an email. In an Oct. 19 order, obtained by The Associated Press, Barr says Durham is authorized “to inves tigate whether any federal official, employee or any person or entity violated the law in connec tion with the intelligence, counter-intelligence or law enforcement activities” directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns, anyone associated with the campaigns or the Trump administration. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerr- old Nadler, D-N.Y., said the appointment erodes trust in the Justice Department, and he ques tioned how it was allowed under the special coun sel rules. “And we should not lose sight of the larger pic ture: in the waning days of the Trump adminis tration, the attorney general has once again used the powers of his office to settle old scores for the president,” Nadler said. The special counsel rules say the appointed person should be outside of government, but Barr pointed to specific provisions in his memo that would allow him to go around that rule. A senior Justice Department official told the AP that although the order details that it is “including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Rob ert S. Mueller III,” the Durham probe has not expanded. The official said that line specifically relates to FBI personnel who worked on the Russia inves tigation before the May 2017 appointment of Mueller, a critical area of scrutiny for the Justice Department inspector general, which identified a series of errors and omissions in surveillance applications targeting former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The focus on the FBI, rather than the CIA and the intelligence community, suggests that Dur ham may have moved past some of the more incendiary claims that Trump supporters had hoped would yield allegations of misconduct, or even crimes — namely, the question of how intel ligence agencies reached their conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. BY ZEKE MILLER AND WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. — President elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his admin istration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, “I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way. ” Biden said he’d chosen a “first-rate team” that is “tested and experienced” to tackle the country’s economic crisis. He picked liberal advisers who have long prioritized the nation’s workers and government efforts to address economic inequality. Unemployment remains high as the COVID-19 outbreak widens the gulf between average people and the wealthi est Americans. The virus, which has claimed more than 269,000 lives nation wide, is resurgent across the country amid holiday travel and colder weather send ing people indoors. As he did frequently while campaign ing, Biden promised that the U.S. would eventually emerge with an economy that is dramatically reshaped to better stamp out economic inequality. “From the most unequal economic and job crisis in modern history, we can build a new American economy that works for all Americans, not just some,” Biden said as he introduced his choices for some of the government’s top economic posts dur ing a speech at a theater in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has led his transition to the presidency. Tuesday also marked the president elect’s first appearance since breaking two small bones in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs over the week end. He wore a black walking boot and moved gingerly but tried to keep things light. As he emerged from his motorcade, Biden pointed to his boot and lifted his leg briefly to show it off. Asked about his foot by reporters, Biden responded only, “Good, thanks for asking.” The injury, while not serious, again intensifies scrutiny on Biden’s age, given that he just turned 78 and is the oldest president ever to be in his first term. Still, his team has tried to keep the focus on building out its government and upcom ing policy challenges, chief among them the pandemic and the economy. Biden repeatedly evoked his work as vice president when the Obama admin istration oversaw the economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis, noting that many of those on his newly formed economic team worked closely with him then. Most of his choices will require con firmation from the deeply divided Sen ate, where some top Republicans have already begun voicing opposition. Biden said he hopes “that we will be able to work across the aisle in good faith, move forward as one country.” Janet Yellen, Biden’s nominee for BY JONATHAN LEMIRE, JILL COLVIN, MATTHEW PERR0NE AND ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON - The head of the agency responsible for authorizing COVID- 19 vaccines said Tuesday that it would take the time needed to “get this right,” despite increasing pressure from President Donald Trump to speed up the process. “No one at FDA is sitting on his or her hands. Everyone is working really hard to look at these applications and get this done,” Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, told ABC in an interview on Instagram Live. “But we abso lutely have to do this the right way.” Hahn’s comments came not long after he was summoned to the White House by Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows as the agency weighs whether to allow emer gency use of the first vaccines that could begin the long road to defeating the corona- virus in the U.S. Trump has been livid with the FDA for not moving faster to approve the shots, blaming the fact that a vaccine was not available ahead of the Nov. 3 election in part for his loss. He also has leveled unfounded claims that drug companies deliberately delayed vaccine development to hinder his reelec tion chances, though there is no evidence to suggest that took place. treasury secretary, served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed a greater emphasis than pre vious Fed chairs on maximizing employ ment and less focus on price inflation. Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers, and Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as members of the council. Yellen called the economic havoc the pandemic has wrought “an American tragedy.” “To the American people: We will be an institution that wakes up every morn ing thinking about you,” Yellen said of the Treasury Department, “Your jobs, your paychecks, your struggles, your hopes, your dignity and your limitless potential. ” If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to serve as trea sury secretary, after breaking ground as the first woman to chair the Fed. “We might have to ask Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote a musical about the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton, to write another musical about the female secretary of the treasury,” Biden joked. Rouse would be the first Black woman to lead the CEA in its 74 years of exis tence. The president-elect also selected Wally Adeyemo to be Yellen’s deputy, which would make him the first Black deputy treasury secretary. Neera Tanden, Biden’s pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be the first South Asian American in that job. Rouse, Tanden and Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation, and Tanden, in particular, is already drawing heavy Republican criticism. “Budgets are not abstractions. They are a reflection of our values,” Tanden said during Tuesday’s event. All of Biden’s picks are outspoken supporters of more government stimu lus spending to boost growth — which As he has refused to accept his loss, Trump also has told close confidants that he believes the vaccine is still being slow- walked in a bid to undermine his efforts to challenge the results. If the vaccine were shipped out sooner, he has argued, it would rally public opinion to his side. Hahn emerged from the White House meeting with his job intact, but it was a sign of the pressure he is under that the FDA offered guidance that “Dr. Hahn remains FDA Commissioner.” Hahn said the FDA will thoroughly review each vaccine before making it avail able to the public. “It is our job to get this right and make the correct decision regarding vaccine safety and efficacy.” Hahn said in a state ment provided by the FDA. An FDA spokesman said the agency must review thousands of pages of techni cal information provided by vaccine devel opers to ensure the shots were studied and manufactured properly. As for the meeting, Hahn told ABC that it was held “to provide a briefing around the issues we’re discussing here and that’s what occurred.” The FDA has been weighing whether to authorize two experimental vaccines that have been raced through develop ment. Pfizer and Moderna are seeking “emergency use” that would allow people Biden embraced on the campaign trail — though their proposals could face a difficult reception in Congress, which has stalemated on a new round of economic relief for months. The prospects for a large-scale deal could hang on the outcome of runoff elec tions for both Georgia Senate seats. Victo ries in both would give Democrats control of the chamber — and its agenda — by the slimmest of margins, but Republican victories will quickly test Biden and his team’s ability to negotiate across the aisle to deliver on their promised relief for Americans. As he has in recent weeks, Biden repeated calls for Congress to pass imme diate pandemic relief funding even before he takes office. “Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust pack age for relief,” he said. But Biden added that any package passed during the lame- duck session before the end of the year is “likely to be at best just a start” and said his transition team is “already working on what I’ll put forward in the next Con gress to address the multiple crises we’re facing.” In the meantime, grim economic news is piling up. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the pace of improvement in the economy has moderated in recent months with future prospects remaining “extraordinarily uncertain.” And Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, announced last month that, over the objections of the Fed, he would not grant extensions for five lending programs being operated jointly by the Fed and the Treasury Department that are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 — including backstops for corporate and municipal debt and the purchase of loans for small businesses and nonprofits. in high-risk groups to get vaccinated while final-stage testing continues. But the meeting risked exacerbating con cerns that many Americans already har bor about the potential impact of political pressure on vaccine development. Public health officials, including Hahn, have been trying to provide reassurance for months that the approval process has been free from influence. Meanwhile, a separate scientific panel was tackling the pressing question of who should first receive vaccinations when they become available in limited supply. The White House did not respond to requests for comment about the meeting with Hahn and his future at the agency. But many aides to the president recog nize that it would look especially bad for Trump to lose Hahn on the cusp of vaccine authorization. The president has been upset about the pace of the vaccine approval process since he lost his reelection bid and believes that, had Pfizer and Moderna released data showing their vaccines were effective before Election Day, he would have have won the race. He has also complained repeatedly about not getting the credit he believes he deserves for the vaccines’ development and has urged reporters not to give President-elect Joe Biden credit for what has happened on Trump’s watch. FDA head: Feds will get vaccine ‘right’
