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Judge orders Justice Dept. to release Trump obstruction memo
FILE - In this Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, Attorney General William Barr speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP, File)
Donald Trump Obstruction Memo Was a Fig Leaf for Bill Barr, Judge Says, Ordering Release
On 5/4/21 at 11:24 PM EDT
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had harsh words Monday for former Attorney General William Barr, saying the Justice Department should not have withheld a memo from a watchdog group.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) requested a March 24, 2019 memo prepared for Barr via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but the request was denied. At the time, the DOJ said the memo was protected from being disclosed as it was legal advice.
However, Jackson ruled that the memo actually contained strategic, as opposed to legal advice. In addition, she said the writers of the memo already knew that President Donald Trump would not be prosecuted.
Judge orders Justice Department to release memo on Trump obstruction
The document was prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that the president had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation.
By ERIC TUCKERAssociated Press
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WASHINGTON A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation.
Attorney General William Barr speaks during a news conference on Dec. 21. A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation.