Carrie Johnson

Source: Obama Considering Releasing NSA Court Order

Carrie Johnson — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:20:00 +0000

NPR has learned that the Obama administration, under pressure to lift a cloak of secrecy, is considering whether to declassify a court order that gives the National Security Agency the power to gather phone call record information on millions of Americans.

The document, known as a "primary order," complements a shorter Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court document leaked to The Guardian newspaper earlier this month. That document revealed the U.S.

Holder On The Hot Seat Over Leak Investigations

Carrie Johnson — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:54:00 +0000

Attorney General Eric Holder has been a lightning rod for the president's fiercest critics during his four years in office. Lately, he's been back on the hot seat with a crisis of his own making: the Justice Department's aggressive stance toward reporters in national security leak cases.

Holder heads to the Senate on Thursday, where lawmakers are sure to demand an explanation.

Being in the center of the storm is nothing new for Holder.

Defense: Too Many Documents 'Classifed' In Rosen Leak Case

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:21:00 +0000

The lawyer for Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former State Department contractor charged with leaking top-secret information to Fox News, has accused the intelligence community of impeding his defense by slapping the "classified" label on hundreds of irrelevant and harmless documents.

Defense attorney Abbe D. Lowell told a judge in the U.S.

Intent To Harm At Center Of Bradley Manning's Trial

Carrie Johnson — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 07:35:00 +0000

In the three years since his arrest, Bradley Manning, the slight Army private first class with close-cropped blond hair and thick military glasses, has become less of a character than a cause.

"Bradley Manning is a very polarizing figure. People either think that he is a hero or they think he's a traitor," says Elizabeth Goitein, who co-directs the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice. "I actually think that he's somewhere in between."

Manning is accused of one of the biggest leaks of classified information in history.

Former Justice Official In Line To Be Named FBI Chief

Carrie Johnson — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:23:00 +0000

NPR has learned that former Justice Department official James B. Comey is in line to become President Obama's choice as the next FBI director, according to two sources familiar with the search.

Comey, 52, has an extensive track record at the highest levels of federal law enforcement. He served as the deputy attorney general — the second in command at Justice — in the George W.

Senators Tussle Over Proposal To 'Unpack' Key D.C. Court

Carrie Johnson — Wed, 29 May 2013 06:56:00 +0000

More than 75 years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt caused an uproar with his plan to "pack" the Supreme Court with friendly justices. It was an audacious effort to protect his New Deal initiatives.

Now, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has floated the reverse — legislation that would cut three seats from the important D.C.

Gallup Nears Settlement Deal With DOJ In Overbilling Case

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 28 May 2013 16:22:00 +0000

The Gallup Organization has reached "an agreement in principle" with the Justice Department to settle civil allegations that the polling company overbilled the U.S.

Sick Inmates Dying Behind Bars Despite Release Program

Carrie Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:05:00 +0000

Prison is a tough place, but Congress made an exception nearly 30 years ago, giving terminally ill inmates and prisoners with extraordinary family circumstances an early way out. It's called compassionate release.

But a recent investigation found that many federal inmates actually die while their requests drift through the system.

One of them was Clarence Allen Rice.

Rice operated a leasing company in Iowa for decades.

Key Charge Against Ex-BP Official In Spill Case Dismissed

Carrie Johnson — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:11:00 +0000

It's another bad day for the Justice Department.

A federal judge in Louisiana has thrown out the central criminal charge against a former BP executive because prosecutors failed to prove he knew about a pending congressional investigation into oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico three years ago. U.S.

Holder Called To Capitol Hill To Testify On Controversies

Carrie Johnson — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:23:00 +0000

In an NPR interview, Attorney General Eric Holder answers questions about the IRS's processing of tax-exemption applications, the Justice Department's subpoenas for reporters' phone records and other hot issues. Holder faces questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday during an oversight hearing.