Exclusive: DOJ may be curbing executive authority, report reveals



Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has implemented several "substantial" edits to the Department of Justice manual in order to concentrate her office's power, according to findings from the Article III Project obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The exclusive report shows Monaco's various ties to Big Tech entities like Google, which, combined with her consolidated power at the DOJ, could be "undermining" President Joe Biden's long-standing antitrust policies.

"Just about the only thing President Biden got right in his nearly four years is his antitrust law enforcement against Big Tech," Mike Davis, president and founder of the Article III Project, told Blaze News.

'If Lisa Monaco is looking for her next job and can't do her current job, she should resign immediately,' Davis told Blaze News.

"Now, Lisa Monaco, Biden's #2 Justice Department official, seems to be undermining her boss' long-standing antitrust policies to curry favor with Google, a trillion-dollar Big Tech monopolist currently facing two game-changing antitrust lawsuits from the Biden Justice Department for its egregious abuse of the online search and advertising markets," Davis continued.

Monaco was previously a partner at O'Melveny & Meyers, a law firm that represented Big Tech companies like Apple and Google in class-action and copyright cases, as well as patent lawsuits and antitrust actions, according to the report. Monaco also worked as an adviser for WestExec, working closely with Google on Project Maven, a controversial defense contract to develop artificial intelligence for drones.

In March of this year, authority to edit the DOJ manual shifted from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys to the manual's "Editor-in-Chief" and "Managing Editor," according to the report. Both of these positions are hand-selected by the DAG. As a result, Monaco was able to tailor the language in the manual to strengthen her authority and weaken that of an incoming administration.

At the same time, a line was added to the manual clarifying that "any questions about the controlling internal policy or procedure should be directed to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General," according to the report.

Under Monaco, the manual was also edited in December 2022 to give the DAG power to "delegate authority to adjudicate disciplinary actions pertaining to non-career attorneys," according to the report. The manual was also altered to include a provision allowing the DOJ to adjudicate appeals regarding personal misconduct from the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of the Inspector General.

The report also compares several portions of the manual that were amended to mandate the DAG's authorization for various communications.

For example, a section called "Communication with the White House" was added to the manual in April 2022, requiring that the initial communications between the White House and the DOJ include only the DAG or AG and the counsel or deputy counsel to the president, according to the report.

Additionally, all communications from high-level security officials in the DOJ, requests for legal opinions from the White House, and communications between the White House and the Office of the Solicitor General with regard to the Supreme Court all must involve only the AG, DAG, or solicitor general, according to the report.

All of these efforts by Monaco to consolidate her office's power, given her past ties with Big Tech companies, pose questions about her compliance with antitrust policies, according to the report.

"If Lisa Monaco is looking for her next job and can't do her current job, she should resign immediately," Davis told Blaze News.

The press inquiry office at the DOJ did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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19 State AGs Sue To Protect Residents From Blue State Climate Agenda

"A small gas station in rural Alabama could owe money to the people of Minnesota simply for selling a gallon of gas," Steve Marshall warns.

Missouri AG: Trump trials are a witch hunt; prosecutors colluding with Biden's DOJ



Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is demanding that the Department of Justice turn over documents related to several of the prosecutors going after former president Donald Trump.

Bailey believes the prosecutions appear to be part of a coordinated effort by the DOJ that involved the White House.

“Everyone can see the illicit witch hunt prosecutions that are going on from Alvin Bragg’s office, from Fani Willis’ office, from Letitia James’ office, and from the Biden’s crooked Department of Justice,” Bailey tells Glenn Beck, who believes Bailey is “one of the really good AGs in the country.”

“The Biden Department of Justice has become a nerve center for a coordinated witch hunt prosecution of a political opponent, and it’s not designed to obtain a legally valid conviction. It’s designed to take anyone running against Joe Biden — in other words, president Donald Trump — off the campaign trail,” Bailey explains.

And they’re not trying to hide it.

Matthew Colangelo was the number three ranking official at Biden’s DOJ. Colangelo was a longtime DNC activist who has just now taken a job with Bragg’s office to lead prosecution at the state level in the Manhattan courtroom.

“The political motivation of the prosecutors is sufficient to call into question their judgment in these cases,” Bailey says, adding, “Couple that with the fact they brought baseless charges not supported by the facts of the law, and it will undermine the credibility of whatever illegal conviction they ultimately obtain.”


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Eric Adams' plan to combat rampant retail theft in New York City laughed at by critics: 'This is beyond parody'



New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a "comprehensive plan to combat retail theft across New York City’s five boroughs" this week. However, many have lampooned the plan, questioning whether the anti-crime plan is real or a parody.

Crime has exploded in New York City in recent years.

New York Police Department statistics show that over the last two years, burglaries have increased by 24%, grand larceny spiked 51%, and grand larceny auto has soared by 84%.

Complaints of retail theft have skyrocketed by 77% in New York City from 2018 to 2022, according to a "Combatting Retail Theft" report by the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.

Adams noted, "Last year alone, 327 repeat offenders were responsible for 30 percent of the more than 22,000 retail thefts across our city. This hurt our businesses, our workers, our customers, and our city."

Adams – who was elected mayor on his "tough on crime" platform" – revealed his new plan to combat rampant retail theft, which includes installing kiosks in stores to offer social services to thieves.

The plan would "allow non-violent offenders to avoid prosecution or incarceration by meaningfully engaging with services to help address underlying factors that lead to shoplifting."

The government will ask retailers to send their employees to training for "de-escalation tactics, anti-theft tools, and security best practices to help keep them safe in the event of an emergency."

Part of the plan is to "establish a neighborhood retail watch for businesses in close proximity to one another to share real-time intelligence with each other and with law enforcement in the event of a theft."

The city would install "resource kiosks in stores to connect individuals in need to critical government resources and social services."

However, not everyone was impressed by Adams' retail anti-crime initiative.

\u201cNYC Mayor Eric Adams just unveiled his new plan to combat skyrocketing retail theft in the city. \n\nThese are not serious people. \n\nhttps://t.co/ovD5hT7APb\u201d
— AG (@AG) 1684544050

Reactions on Twitter ridiculed the "progressive" plan for being too idealistic.

Republican Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08): "The Dems’ latest answer to skyrocketing crime in cities is … self help kiosks for thieves?? This is beyond parody."

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton: "Almost a parody of the Soros-approach to public safety. Unfortunately, this is a standard, dangerous approach for the leftist extremists running our major cities."

Republican communications advisor Steve Guest: "These kiosks will be stolen first."

Filmmaker Jason Bermas: "Although this doesn't seem like it could be real, in 2023 it is beyond parody."

Blogger John McGuirk: "Not satire. Real."

Entrepreneur Carson Krow: "They’re serious— about destruction of our society. We have to stop mistaking intentional damage for incompetence."

YouTube personality and attorney Viva Frei: "'De-escalation training for retail employees.' What better way to help store owners deal with the costs of skyrocketing retail theft than by… forcing them to incur additional useless operating costs."

Producer Jonas J. Campbell: "Why don’t they put a time out corner in the store too?"

One Twitter user said: "The last one is so ridiculous I can’t believe anyone in the gov’t actually signed off on this."

Another person added, "Hey, NY. Your Mayor is laughing at you."

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ICE lost track of 150,000 illegal migrants due to Biden admin's 'no processing' policy, training video reveals – Florida AG says the border crisis was the admin's 'plan all along'



An Immigration and Customs Enforcement training video obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that, since the summer of 2021, border officials have lost track of more than 150,000 illegal migrants allowed into the United States without proper processing.

In the newly obtained training videos, ICE officials discuss how the Biden administration's "no processing" immigration policy has led to several challenges for border agencies, including locating hundreds of thousands of immigrants released without charging documents.

The training videos, which were recorded from November 2021 to February 2022, were released as part of discovery in ongoing litigation brought against the Department of Homeland Security and other border agencies by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Border officials began releasing migrants into the interior of the United States without processing formal charging documents, which are typically required and used to set court dates for migrants to appear before federal immigration judges. Instead of receiving this documentation, migrants were given directions to find and report to an ICE official.

"Since March 2021, CBP has been releasing noncitizens on prosecutorial discretion or humanitarian parole and directing them to report to the nearest ICE office where they intend to reside," said one border official in the training video.

Operation Horizon was launched in November 2021 to attempt to locate migrants who had not reported to ICE and send their official charging documents via mail. However, since the relaxed policy did not require the agency to obtain any identifying information on the migrants, ICE could not locate them.

"Operation Horizon, the background on this … you know, over the summer, we had well over 150,000 folks come in," an ICE official said in the video. "They were issued a piece of paper that said, 'Go find somebody in ICE,' and that was pretty much it. There was no processing. I know this isn't something that you guys asked for, and I can assure you that no one in the criminal alien program asked for it either."

Florida AG Ashley Moody told Fox News Digital that the border crisis is by design.

"Since day one of his administration, President Biden has purposefully broken down the structure and law enforcement at our nation's border with Mexico — all while confusing and misleading the nation about this devious, reckless scheme," Moody stated. "With Title 42 set to end, the administration may blame the mass surge of unvetted migrants on this rule's remission, but don't be fooled. They're playing fast and loose with the lives of Americans to advance an absurd political agenda, and the day of reckoning is upon us."

"As our litigation uncovered, this has been this administration's plan all along. They've let in and lost track of hundreds of thousands of inadmissible immigrants, and it is about to get worse. We will continue our litigation efforts to force Biden to follow the law and try to mitigate this national disaster," Moody added.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the training videos, Fox News Digital reported.

\u201cOn @FoxFriendsFirst this morning discussing @JoeBiden\u2019s intentional destruction of our Southwest Border.\u201d
— AG Ashley Moody (@AG Ashley Moody) 1671545503

PA Governor-elect Josh Shapiro charges former Democratic political consultant with 'wide scale' ballot fraud – more than 1,000 signatures allegedly forged



Current Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democrat Governor-elect Josh Shapiro arrested a former political consultant on Wednesday for allegedly forging ballot signatures in the state's 2019 Democratic primary races.

Rasheen Crews, a Democratic campaign consultant, was hired by multiple candidates to assist in gathering the required number of signatures for nomination petitions to run in the Democratic primary races in 2019.

According to an investigation launched by the office of the attorney general in September 2019, Crews was charged with the "wide scale forgery of signatures" on his clients' nomination petitions.

The investigation involved several of Crews' clients, including five candidates running for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, three running for Philadelphia Municipal Court, and three running in both elections.

Crews allegedly enlisted individuals to assist in his petition work by having them write names and addresses and forge signatures on multiple petitions. He is then accused of having the petitions notarized and filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State.

\u201cBREAKING\n\nMy Office has arrested Rasheen Crews, a political consultant, on charges related to forging signatures on nomination petitions in municipal elections.\n\nAn important reminder that interfering with the integrity of our elections is a serious crime.\nhttps://t.co/ApxmufLWdk\u201d
— AG Josh Shapiro (@AG Josh Shapiro) 1668612399

Shapiro, who has been critical of Republicans who have questioned election integrity and repeatedly denied voter fraud in Pennsylvania, said in a Wednesday statement that Crews' arrest is "an important reminder that interfering with the integrity of our elections is a serious crime."

"By soliciting and organizing the wide scale forgery of signatures, the defendant undermined the democratic process and Philadelphians' right to a free and fair election," Shapiro said. "My office is dedicated to upholding the integrity of the election process across the Commonwealth, to ensure everyone can participate in Pennsylvania's future."

The investigation discovered that more than 1,000 of the signatures were allegedly duplicates. The office of the attorney general found that many of the names and addresses were repeated on several petition pages, while other pages appeared to be photocopied. Additionally, some individuals listed claimed they never signed the petitions.

All of Crews' clients denied knowledge of the forgery scheme. As a result of the petitions' questionable authenticity, some candidates withdrew from the election.

Crews was charged with criminal solicitation to commit forgery and theft by failure to make required disposition. Senior Deputy Attorney General Thomas Ost-Prisco is prosecuting the case against Crews.

Graphic bodycam footage captures moment wounded Bristol officer blasted suspected cop killer



On October 12, in Bristol, Connecticut, police officers responding to a fake domestic violence call were met by a hail of bullets in what is now believed to have been an ambush. Two officers were killed in the attack. A third was wounded. Newly released bodycam footage shows that, amid screams and under fire, the injured officer coolly circled back to restore order with a well-placed shot.

The state inspector general's office released Officer Alec Iurato's bodycam footage on Saturday.

The other two officers who were slain in the ambush, 35-year-old Sergeant Dustin DeMonte and 34-year-old Officer Alex Hamzy, similarly wore bodycams, but that footage will not be disclosed at this time, as doing so would reportedly "constitute an unwarranted invasion" of their privacy.

According to the inspector general's report, DeMonte, Hamzy, and Iurato responded to 310 Redstone Hill Road. The 911 call that prompted their presence was allegedly made by Nicholas Brutcher, the 35-year-old suspected cop killer.

WNBC reported that sometime prior to the incident, Brutcher had been thrown out of an establishment for being disorderly and issued a summons by police. He allegedly returned home, armed himself with a semiautomatic rifle, and made the fraudulent 911 call.

When Bristol police arrived on the scene, they went to the side door of the house. There they spoke to Nathan Brutcher, the suspect's 32-year-old brother. When they ordered Nathan to show his hands and step outside, his brother, lurking behind, allegedly opened fire.

In the ensuing gunfight, Brutcher reportedly fired over 80 rounds at police, fatally striking DeMonte and Hamzy, and wounding Iurato in the leg. Nathan Brutcher was also injured.

The bodycam footage shared by the inspector general's office revealed what happened next from Iurato's perspective.

Iurato announced over his radio, "Shots fired, shots fired. Send everyone."

Ostensibly fighting to maintain his balance in light of his leg wound, Iurato then noted, "Officers shot."

In the video, a woman's cries can be heard, punctuated by additional gunshots.

The wounded officer limped around the front of the house and to cover behind a Bristol Police Department cruiser.

Iurato passed alongside one vehicle and beside another. Against the driver's door of a second cruiser parked in front, closer to the sound of the screams and shooting, he peered over the top of the vehicle.

Around 1:45 in the video, an agonized female voice cries out, "He's dead." A distant male voice responds with what may have been taunting.

Having spotted Brutcher, Iurato took aim. With a single shot, he made forever sure the suspect would never take another.

Illuminating the suspect's corpse with his flashlight, the wounded officer provided an update over radio: "One down. Suspect down."

Bristol Final youtu.be

Although multiple agencies, including the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad and the New Britain Judicial District state's attorney's office, are investigating the officer-involved shooting, the inspector general's release nevertheless noted that "it is evident from the evidence collected so far that Officer Iurato's use of deadly force was justified."

One witness, Ken Przygocki, told Channel 3, "I probably heard 12 to 15 bangs, looked around about a minute later, [then heard] another rapid fire and then one single shot."

Przygocki spoke to the ultimate sacrifice made by the police killed in the incident: "Words can't explain it. These guys protect us. ... They know every day you got out there life or death."

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong tweeted: "Today is a tragic day for our state, for the Bristol community, and for the families of Sgt. Demonte and Officer Hamzy who died as heroes responding bravely to the most dangerous and volatile of emergency calls."

\u201cToday is a tragic day for our state, for the Bristol community, and for the families of Sgt. Demonte and Officer Hamzy who died as heroes responding bravely to the most dangerous and volatile of emergency calls.\u201d
— AG William Tong (@AG William Tong) 1665668713

At the vigil held last week for DeMonte and Hamzy, Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould stated, "They were incredible, remarkable men. ... They showed up, they answered the call of service. They thought they were going somewhere to give help and their lives were needlessly taken and another seriously injured.”

DeMonte is survived by a wife and two young children. Hamzy was reportedly planning to celebrate his first wedding anniversary on October 14.

Officer Iurato survived his injury and was released from St. Francis Hospital on Thursday. Outside, he was greeted by applause from members of law enforcement.

\u201cLISTEN: #Bristol Officer Alec Iurato was released from St. Francis Hospital moments ago... and received applause from colleagues and other officers. He was seriously hurt in a shooting that killed two other officers. https://t.co/mUzCvr5qxK\u201d
— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSB Channel 3) 1665675151

'You loot, we shoot': Ron DeSantis delivers unflinching warning to criminals after looters caught stealing in devastating Hurricane Ian aftermath: 'Don't even think about looting'



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stern warning to would-be criminals thinking about taking advantage of the chaos left by Hurricane Ian: "Don't even think about looting."

Hurricane Ian obliterated areas of southwest Florida this week – leaving a trail of death and destruction. The current death toll is at least 45 people, but that number is expected to rise as search-and-rescue teams access areas that have been isolated from the devastating effects of the Category 4 hurricane.

Hurricane Ian made landfall near the island of Cayo Costa with winds of 155 mph – just 2 mph short of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Only three other hurricanes that hit Florida were stronger: Labor Day Hurricane (1935): 185 mph, Hurricane Andrew (1992): 165 mph, and Hurricane Michael (2018): 160 mph.

The monster storm reduced the coastal areas to rubbish and tossed yachts like toys.

However, some Floridians have used the dire situation to loot businesses.

On Friday, the Lee County Sheriff's Office posted photos on social media of five individuals being arrested for looting.

"Sheriff Carmine Marceno means business and has taken a zero tolerance stance on looting. We are patrolling and you will be arrested if you partake in criminal activity," the sheriff's office declared in a Facebook post.

DeSantis delivered an unflinching warning to anyone contemplating looting in the aftermath of the apocalyptic hurricane.

"They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot,'" DeSantis said during a press conference near Fort Myers in southwest Florida. "At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you’re going to go take advantage of people who've suffered misfortune."

Later in the day, DeSantis doubled down on his law-and-order tone during a press conference in St. Augustine – in the northeastern part of the state.

"The other thing we’re concerned about, particularly in those areas that were really hard hit, is we want to make sure we’re maintaining law and order," DeSantis said. "Don’t even think about looting. Don’t even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation."

"I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home,” DeSantis said. “I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we're a Second Amendment state."

\u201cFlorida is a law and order state. \n\nLooting and lawlessness will not be tolerated.\u201d
— Ron DeSantis (@Ron DeSantis) 1664629223

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody reiterated that looting would not be tolerated.

"Florida will not tolerate looters taking advantage of Hurricane Ian to prey on vulnerable Floridians," Moody wrote on Twitter. "They will be arrested and I have asked state attorneys to seek the longest pretrial detention possible to keep them locked up so they cannot commit new crimes."

\u201cFlorida will not tolerate looters taking advantage of #HurricaneIan to prey on vulnerable Floridians. They will be arrested and I have asked state attorneys to seek the longest pretrial detention possible to keep them locked up so they cannot commit new crimes.\u201d
— AG Ashley Moody (@AG Ashley Moody) 1664569668

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno warned, "Don’t do it in this county. Don't make that mistake. Because one thing we do have is vacancy at the jail. And I guarantee you if you try to prey on one of our great residents, you will find yourself in that jail."

Lee County Manager Roger Dejarlais proclaimed, "To be sure, and I feel safe relaying this in on behalf of law enforcement, there's going to be a zero-tolerance policy for looting and violence in this town."

The badly battered Lee County announced a 6 p.m. curfew until further notice.

Louisiana Supreme Court rejects appeal in abortion case, letting state ban take effect



The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday denied an appeal from plaintiffs challenging the state's abortion ban, allowing the ban to remain in effect.

According to a statement from Pro-Life Louisiana, the court denied an appeal filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of June Medical Services, which operates Hope Medical Group for Women, an abortion provider located in Shreveport.

“We are thankful that babies in Louisiana will continue to be protected from abortion while the abortion industry’s frivolous lawsuit plays out in court," Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life Benjamin Clapper said. "Their lawsuit is disrespectful to our citizens and legislators who have made it clear for decades that we value life in the womb. “

Pro-choice advocates and abortion providers were hardest hit by the court's decision, as the state's three abortion clinics will not be allowed to continue operations so long as they perform abortions.

“While it is disappointing that four of the seven justices, without any written explanation, issued a ruling that will effectively deny critical care to women throughout Louisiana, the litigation continues and we are confident we can affect (sic) meaningful change,” attorney for the plaintiffs Joanna Wright said in a statement after the ruling, according to the Associated Press.

The ruling was celebrated by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a defendant in the case, who promised in a tweet to "continue fighting to end this legal circus."

\u201cThe LA Supreme Court has denied June Medical\u2019s writ. Abortion remains illegal in Louisiana. I\u2019m pleased with the Court\u2019s decision and will continue fighting to end this legal circus. #lagov #lalege\u201d
— AG Jeff Landry (@AG Jeff Landry) 1660326561

Louisiana's abortion "trigger law" took a tumultuous journey through state courts before going into effect. The law does not provide an exception for rape or incest but does include exceptions for medical emergencies threatening the life of the mother.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion rights in June, Louisiana abortion clinics sued to continue their operations, arguing the law was vague and violates the state constitution.

A New Orleans judge blocked the law from taking effect on June 17, but it went back into effect on July 8 when a different judge transferred the case to Baton Rouge.

Then on July 21, state Judge Donald Johnson blocked enforcement of the abortion ban while the case played out in court. However, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry appealed Johnson's ruling eight days later, winning in appeals court and putting the law back into effect.

Now, the abortion clinics have had their appeal rejected by the Louisiana Supreme Court, permitting the law to remain in effect.

The Left and the Media Are FABRICATING Joe Biden’s Victories for Him | Ep 552

The Left and the Media Are FABRICATING Joe Biden’s Victories for Him | Ep 552