why was pres obamas attorney general sensored

What was Obama's first job as a lawyer?

 · Holder, 69, served as U.S. attorney general under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015. During his tenure, Holder managed to become the first attorney general to be held in contempt of ...

What happened to the Obama Administration’s Inspector General?

 · In addition, prior to June 5, 2012, the Obamas would have been required to pay an annual fee of $289 (now $342 ), and take classes to satisfy the …

Why did the Obama administration spy on the Associated Press?

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington defended the DOJ's move, suggesting the department was allowed to secretly pull those records because of …

Is Barack Obama still a lawyer?

 · Summary: At the NAACP's 106th national convention, President Obama lays out the reasons why we need to reform America's criminal justice system, and why we need to invest in our communities and expand opportunity for all Americans. President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the NAACP Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., July 14, 2015.

Why did Obama surrender his license?

He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application.

When did Obama become president?

President Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on Dec. 17, 1991. Prior to being elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, he worked as a civil rights lawyer at the firm formerly known as Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Four days after Obama announced that he would run for president in February 2007, he voluntarily elected to have his law license placed on “inactive” status, according to Grogan. Then, after becoming president, he elected to change his status to “retired” in February 2009.

What did Obama say about the Free Republic?

Free Republic: In the State of the Union Address, President Obama said: “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal.

How long was Barack Obama a professor?

From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996.

When did Obama move to inactive status?

Obama’s motion seeking a transfer to inactive status was filed on June 8, 1994. And the court granted the request the following month, Grogan said.

When did Michelle Obama graduate from Harvard Law School?

Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988, and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago.

When did Obama retire?

Then, after becoming president, he elected to change his status to “retired” in February 2009.

Who was the CIA director who denied the AP?

In testimony in February, CIA Director John Brennan noted that the FBI had questioned him about whether he was AP 's source, which he denied. He called the release of the information to the media about the terror plot an "unauthorized and dangerous disclosure of classified information." [ Associated Press]

When did the DOJ go after the records?

The DOJ told the AP of the secret eavesdropping on Friday, though the department did not explain exactly why it had gone after the records, dated April and May of 2012.

Why did the AP snoop?

The AP suggested the snooping may have been an attempt to find out who within the government leaked information about a foiled Yemeni terror plot that ran in a May 2012 AP story.

How many phone lines did the Justice Department have?

According to the AP, the Justice Department acquired records for more than 20 different phone lines associated with the news agency — including reporters' cell, office, and home lines — that could affect more than 100 staffers.

Did the AP ask for phone records?

As the AP notes, prosecutors had previously asked the agency and its reporters for that information, though the news agency declined to cooperate. According to the AP, phone records for five reporters and one editor who worked on that story were among those collected by the DOJ.

Who is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee?

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has sparred with Holder before, most notably on the Fast and Furious gun smuggling program, promised a House inquiry into the revelation.

Did the Justice Department get phone records?

According to the AP, the Justice Department acquired records for more than 20 different phone lines associated with the news agency — including reporters' cell, office, and home lines — that could affect more than 100 staffers. Calling the move a "massive and unprecedented intrusion," AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt demanded that the DOJ explain why it had gone after the records. He also insisted that the government return the phone records and destroy all other copies of them.

What was the investigation into the illegal firing of Obama?

An investigation by Congress into the illegal firing was met with stonewalling by the Obama White House, and the withholding of documents. The Obama White House also deliberately misled Congress about the reasons for the firing. 3. The investigation of Fast & Furious.

How many inspectors general did Obama have?

In August 2014, 47 of 73 inspectors general wrote an open letter to Congress informing them that the Obama administration of obstructing investigations by not giving them full access to the information they need to investigate properly. Such a letter was unprecedented, and the systemic corruption and obstruction the inspectors general would have been considered an impeachable defense for almost any other president. The lack of outrage (thanks to lack of media attention to the scandal) emboldened the Obama administration to impose new restrictions on the investigative powers of inspectors general. Imagine President Trump trying to get away with that today?

Why was Walpin fired?

During his investigation, Walpin discovered a cover-up of sexual abuse allegations made by three underage students against Johnson who were offered some of this grant money as hush money. As a result, Walpin recommended criminal charges against Johnson. But Johnson was an Obama ally and donor, and Obama wasn’t about to have him held accountable for his crimes, so Obama demanded Walpin’s resignation, which Walpin refused to give, and so Walpin was fired. However, the firing violated federal law —a law that Obama co-sponsored as a U.S. senator, no less. An investigation by Congress into the illegal firing was met with stonewalling by the Obama White House, and the withholding of documents. The Obama White House also deliberately misled Congress about the reasons for the firing.

What was the Walpin investigation?

During his investigation, Walpin discovered a cover-up of sexual abuse allegations made by three underage students against Johnson who were offered some of this grant money as hush money. As a result, Walpin recommended criminal charges against Johnson.

How much did Obama pay Iran?

A few short months after Obama had completed negotiations for the Iran Nuclear Deal, resulting in the lifting of sanctions and the unfreezing of billions in Iranian assets, the Obama administration made a shady payment to Iran in the amount of $400 million.

Why was Eric Holder held in contempt of Congress?

The obstruction by the Obama administration was so egregious that Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt of Congress, in a bipartisan vote, for refusing to cooperate with their investigation. 2. The investigation of the Iran ransom payments.

When did the Obama case get dropped?

Then in May 2009, the case was inexplicably dropped by Attorney General Eric Holder. When the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights investigated, the Obama administration refused to respond to requests from the commission and Congress.

Why did the President launch the Task Force on 21st Century Policing?

That's why, last December, the President launched the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to strengthen community-police relationships across the country. The Task Force included members of law enforcement, community members, activists, and others to figure out ways to ensure that policing is more effective, more accountable, and more unbiased. Read their final recommendations here.

When did Obama address the NAACP convention?

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the NAACP Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., July 14, 2015.

What is smart on crime?

The Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative, in which federal prosecutors are refocusing efforts on the worst offenders, and pursuing mandatory minimum sentences 20 percent less often than they did the previous year. Commuting the sentences of dozens of people sentenced under old and unfair drug laws.

Should we pass a sentencing reform bill?

We should pass a sentencing reform bill through Congress this year. We need to ask prosecutors to use their discretion to seek the best punishment , the one that's going to be most effective, instead of just the longest punishment. We should invest in alternatives to prison, like drug courts and treatment and probation programs -- which ultimately can save taxpayers thousands of dollars per defendant each year.

Do prisoners have to make mistakes?

Although imprisoned people have made mistakes, we have an obligation to increase the possibility that they can get their lives back on the right track. And part of that starts with fixing the conditions of our prisons, and offering more job training for inmates.

Should we shorten mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes?

The President reiterated that we need to shorten the mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, or eliminate them entirely. For nonviolent drug crimes, we need to lower long mandatory minimum sentences -- or get rid of them entirely.

Who was the inspector general of Amtrak fired by Obama?

In the wake of Walpin’s illegal firing, Fred Weiderhold Jr., the inspector general of Amtrak, was forcibly retired, and Judith Gwynne, ...

Who is the Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program?

Another inspector general, Neil M. Barofsky, the IG of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), was reportedly being strongarmed by Obama’s Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner at the time. Barofsky had just opened an investigation “into the Treasury’s decision to approve bonuses for executives at the insurance giant AIG, which received billions in bailout money from the TARP fund” when he started getting pushback from the Treasury Department.

Did Hillary Clinton use an unsecured email server?

In 2016, the State Department’s inspector general found that Hillary Clinton had never sought approval for her reckless and illegal use of an unsecured private email server. The IG also found that other Clinton aides silenced staffers who were worried about national security being compromised by the unsecured server.

Did the CIA hack the Senate Intelligence Committee?

In 2014, an internal audit revealed that CIA officials had hacked the Senate Intelligence Committee’s computers while compiling a report on enhanced interrogation techniques. CIA director John Brennan had claimed that his agents were not improperly monitoring Senate staff computer files. He was forced to retract his denials and apologize for his prevarication.

Did the firing of Walpin and Weiderhold result in congressional inquiries?

The firings of Walpin, Weiderhold, and Gwynne resulted in congressional inquiries, but not headlines. Even though they, as Robert Stacy McCain put it, exposed “what appears to be a pattern of pressure from the Obama administration.” Where was the outrage back then? I’ll save you time and effort by telling you there really wasn’t any outside of the Republican Party. Yet today, Democrats, pretending to have some moral high ground, are all calling for all sorts of investigations into Trump’s firing of inspectors general. But whatever has happened under Trump, it pales in comparison to the outright war Obama waged on independent oversight of his administration.

What is Obama's executive order 13491?

According to LTC Todd Breasseale in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), Obama’s January 2009 Executive Order EO 13491, “Ensuring Lawful Interrogation,” widely understood and cited as voiding the Bush-era Office of Legal Counsel torture memos, “did not cancel Mr. Bradbury’s legal review” of a rewritten Army Field Manual and its controversial Appendix M.

Who said "We have no comment for your story"?

When I then asked the Department of Justice to confirm what Breasseale had said for a story on the Bradbury memo, spokesman Dean Boyd wrote to tell me, “We have no comment for your story.” The fact Boyd did not object to Breasseale’s statement seems to validate the DoD spokesman’s statement.

When was Executive Order 13440 revoked?

Section 1. Revocation. Executive Order 13440 of July 20, 2007, is revoked. All executive directives, orders, and regulations inconsistent with this order, including but not limited to those issued to or by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from September 11, 2001, to January 20, 2009, concerning detention or the interrogation of detained individuals, are revoked to the extent of their inconsistency with this order. Heads of departments and agencies shall take all necessary steps to ensure that all directives, orders, and regulations of their respective departments or agencies are consistent with this order. Upon request, the Attorney General shall provide guidance about which directives, orders, and regulations are inconsistent with this order.

Was the Bradbury Appendix M memo rescinded?

2009 Executive Order on interrogations. With the recent admission by DoD that the Bradbury Appendix M memo was never rescinded by Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, we are closer to the day when such inhumane treatment is banished from official U.S. military intelligence doctrine.

Did the Obama administration rescind the Bush-era memo on the use of controversial interrogation tactics for use

This article answers the question I asked earlier. It documents the fact the Obama administration never rescinded a Bush-era memo on the use of controversial interrogation tactics for use by the U.S. military. The memo concerned “restricted” techniques to be included in the 2006 revision of the Army Field Manual. As a result, today torture and abuse remain a part of U.S. military interrogation doctrine.

Did Obama cancel the Bush torture memos?

It is somewhat understandable that most people believe President Obama cancelled all the Bush-era torture memos by executive order soon after taking office. The following is from the January 22, 2009 background briefing on the subject by the White House (emphases added):

Who is Jeffrey Kaye?

Jeffrey Kaye is a retired psychologist who has worked professionally with torture victims and asylum applicants. Active in the anti-torture movement since 2006, he has his own blog, Invictus, previously wrote regularly for Firedoglake’s The Dissenter, as well as at The Guardian, Truthout, Alternet, and The Public Record. He is the author of Cover-Up at Guantanamo, a new book examining declassified files on treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo detention camp.

Who was the director of national intelligence for Obama?

The man who probably took the greatest delight in blackening Flynn’s reputation was Obama’s director of national intelligence, James Clapper.

What does Obama mean by the Flynn case?

Obama said the Flynn case means “our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.”

What did Clapper say about Flynn's conversation with Kislyak?

Clapper said he was “disturbed” about Flynn’s conversation with Kislyak, which had the effect of “essentially neutering — my characterization — the sanctions [against Russia] that had just been imposed [by the Obama administration].”

Why did Flynn embarrass Obama?

Really, it was because Flynn, the most effective intelligence officer of his generation, had embarrassed Obama by refusing to go along with the “big lie” that the Islamist enemy was defeated.

Did Trump say he never saw any evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring

Yet under oath, he told the Intelligence Committee, “I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election.”

Did Obama's henchmen know there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia?

Obama’s henchmen knew there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and, under oath, behind closed doors, they told the House Intelligence Committee so, yet the lie they let loose kept running.

The Investigation of The New Black Panther Party Voter Intimidation

The Investigation of The Illegal Firing of Inspector General Walpin

• In 2009, Barack Obama inexplicably fired Inspector General Gerald Walpin, who had been investigating the misuse of federal grant money for AmeriCorps by Sacramento mayor and former NBA basketball star Kevin Johnson. Johnson took $850,000 of that money for his own nonprofit organization, where he used it to pay for political activity. During his inv...

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The Investigation of Fast & Furious

The Investigation of The Iran Ransom Payments

The Investigation of Benghazi and The Hillary Clinton Email Scandal