Some Americans believe that a restaurant requiring a mask or proof of vaccination invades one’s personal liberty. If so, then what we’ve just learned the Trump Justice Department did under Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr is a full-scale assault on freedom and also the latest reminder of the lengths the Trump administration went to intimidate people who dared to question or oppose its reckless, undemocratic behavior.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin are demanding answers from former Trump attorneys general over the data seizure.
Today’s Headlines and Commentary
Justice Department prosecutors subpoenaed Apple for the records of at least a dozen people with ties to the House Intelligence Committee, including Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, reports the New York Times. The Justice Department seized Apple data in 2017 and 2018, intending to unmask media contacts for reports on communication between Trump associates and Russia. Prosecutors also placed a gag order on Apple, which expired this year, allowing the tech company to alert subjects of the investigation last month. Though the records of legislators, aides and family members first seized under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not evince leaks from the committee to the media, William Barr sought to resuscitate and maintain the investigation during his tenure as attorney general. In response,, top Congressional Democrats called for an investigation of the Trump administration s investigation tactics, with Senate Democrats considering a s