Month: November 2022

The prison sentence of former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon was delayed on Monday after Bannon appealed his conviction on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison more than two weeks ago after being convicted of contempt of Congress in July. Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia ruled Monday to delay Bannon’s prison term until his appeal processes through the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Bannon – the adviser to former President Donald Trump – refused orders to appear from the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and was indicted more than a year ago for defying a congressional subpoena. On Friday, Bannon filed a notice to appeal his conviction. The grounds on which Bannon is appealing the conviction are not yet confirmed, though it is expected that his legal team will argue that he was acting on the advice of counsel to not appear before the House Committee.

Bannon had previously claimed to the committee was that he could not testify because of executive privilege.  His team said he was advised by attorney Robert Costello to defy the congressional subpoena and was simply doing as he was advised to do:  “The facts of this case show that Mr. Bannon’s conduct was based on his good-faith reliance on his lawyer’s advice. Mr. Costello provided advice to Mr. Bannon, and Mr. Bannon acted on that advice.”

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The Justice Department will send monitors to 24 states to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws in Tuesday’s elections. The action comes as civil rights groups and the federal government have raised alarm over potential voter intimidation at some polling places and ballot boxes. The 64 jurisdictions where federal monitors will be dispatched include the three Florida counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach.

The DOJ said Monday that the monitors are being sent to protect the rights of voters as they have for decades: “Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters. The Civil Rights Division will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center.”

The DOJ said: “Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911.”  On Election Day, the public may report possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.

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At least nine people were injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia after multiple gunmen fired at least 40 shots at a crowd gathered on a sidewalk outside a bar late Saturday night, authorities said. The assailants fled the scene in the Kensington section of the city in a vehicle and remained at large. Authorities said that seven of the victims were in stable condition and two were critical.

Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said the shooting unfolded around 10:45 p.m.  A group of people were on the sidewalk outside the bar when multiple gunmen exited a black vehicle sitting in the middle of East Allegheny Avenue, near Kensington Avenue, and opened fire on the crowd without warning.  Stanford said investigators don’t yet know who was targeted or a motive for the attack, saying: “At this point in time, it just looks like these individuals may have spotted someone they wanted to shoot at, exited the vehicle and just began firing.”  He added that the shooting occurred despite a heavy police presence already in the area, and that officers heard the gunfire and rushed to help the men and women injured as the shooters ran back to the dark vehicle and fled. He said investigators recovered at least 40 pieces of ballistic evidence from the scene and plan to comb through surveillance video from businesses in the area in hopes of identifying the assailants.

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A package containing a “suspicious white powder” was sent to Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake’s campaign headquarters in Phoenix early Sunday morning.

Officers responded to an address where Lake’s campaign office is located and found suspicious items inside the mail. The items were collected and the area was secured, police added. Police and fire officials in Phoenix said that a hazardous materials team and law enforcement responded around 2 a.m. and that there were no reports of injuries or illnesses.

Said campaign spokesman Colton Duncan: “It was one of two envelopes that were confiscated by law enforcement and sent to professionals at Quantico for examination, and we are awaiting details. The staff member is currently under medical supervision.”

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs added, “the reported incident at Kari Lake’s campaign office is incredibly concerning and I am thankful that she and her staff were not harmed. Political violence, threats, or intimidation have no place in our democracy. I strongly condemn this threatening behavior directed at Lake and her staff.”

The 53 year old Lake is a former television news anchor for KSAZ-TV who is running as the Republican candidate for governor of Arizona against Hobbs, the Democratic candidate.  The race between Hobbs and Lake is one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests in the country.

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The Indiana doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim is suing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for using what her attorneys say are “meritless” complaints to justify subpoenas for medical records.  AG Rokita attempted to gain access to the medical records from Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Indianapolis, after a number of individuals filed complaints against Bernard that her attorneys call “frivolous.”  Lawyers for Bernard and her medical partner, Dr. Amy Caldwell, say Rokita filed “broad document subpoenas” to a hospital system for “the entire medical file” of the victim. The lawsuit alleges the complaints in question were without any legitimate basis.

The abortion case involving Dr. Bernard became national news after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which allows for states to individually enact their own abortion laws. The 27-year-old Ohio man accused of raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl, Gerson Fuentes, was denied bail after being charged with two counts of rape of a child under 13.  The lawsuit claims many of the complaints against Dr. Bernard were made by people who do not live in Indiana. There was also a complaint that Bernard failed to report the rape of the victim to the authorities, which was found to be untrue. Rokita issued a statement on July 14, which questioned whether Bernard reported. However, termination of parental rights forms confirmed Bernard properly reported the rape.

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The FBI in New Jersey warned on Thursday that they were investigating a “credible and broad threat” to synagogues in the state, asking that they take security precautions to protect their communities and buildings.

Officials with the Newark FBI announced the threat in a statement and told the public to stay alert: “The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ. We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement his office has been in contact with the state attorney general’s office, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the FBI: “We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with local law enforcement to ensure that all houses of worship are protected,”

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement Thursday his office has been in touch with federal partners and is also working with New Jersey State Police and law enforcement across the state to coordinate a response: “Some of these patrols will be in marked vehicles and others will not — but please do not be alarmed if you observe an increase in police presence as we are taking these steps in an abundance of caution. We also call upon New Jersey residents to be extra vigilant and if you see suspicious activity please report it to your local authorities without delay. We continue to work together to keep New Jersey safe, and let those who would bring harm to the residents of this State know that New Jersey will not be home to hate, intolerance or violence.”

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