Justice Department releases memo justifying no obstruction of justice charges in Trump Russia investigation
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has released a 2019 memo to then-Attorney General William Barr advising him not to pursue obstruction of justice charges against then-President Donald Trump related to the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the Justice Department to release an unredacted version of the memo under the Freedom of Information Act. The Justice Department argued in court that the document should be shielded from public view.
But the appeals court found that Barr never seriously considered charging Trump with obstructing the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, stating in its ruling that the memo the former attorney general requested was an "academic exercise" and a "thought experiment."
Mueller's investigation listed several instances in which Trump's actions while president could meet the requirements for an obstruction of justice charge, but Mueller left the decision to Barr, citing precedent that a sitting president cannot be charged with a federal crime.
—Los Angeles Times
Whitmer kidnap plotter deserves prison break for helping government, feds say
DETROIT — Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they want to shave three years off the prison sentence of a man convicted of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer because he helped secure the convictions of co-conspirators.
The request to reduce the sentence of Hartland Township resident Ty Garbin comes one day after jurors convicted kidnap plot ringleaders Adam Fox and Barry Croft, who face potential sentences of life in prison when sentenced in December.
Garbin, 26, testified against them twice and cooperated with grand jury investigations and is expected to testify during ongoing criminal cases against eight others facing charges in state courts.
He was sentenced to 75 months in prison one year ago after pleading guilty to kidnapping conspiracy and has been shuffled among county jails since then while cooperating with federal prosecutors.
—The Detroit News
FedEx mistakenly delivered 6 rifles to high school, police say
PHILADELPHIA — A FedEx worker accidentally delivered six rifles intended for a private collector to Chester High School on Friday, according to Chester police.
The delivery — six boxes containing .30-caliber M1 rifles — was dropped off Friday afternoon, Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky said. Within minutes, the driver realized his mistake and contacted police, who were able to pick the guns up Monday and give them to their intended recipient.
“It really was just an honest mistake; the addresses are very similar,” Gretsky said. “Everything was legitimate, and no charges are going to be filed.” Gretsky said the guns had been ordered by a collector who owns an auto-repair shop in Chester Township, which borders the city.
Community members learned of the error Monday evening, when Chester Upland School District Superintendent Craig Parkinson sent a letter to parents outlining the issue. Classes are scheduled to resume in the 2,621-student district Monday.
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
Zelenskyy: Russian strike on train station kills 15 in Ukraine's central region
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian shelling of the Chaplyne train station in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region has killed at least 15 people and wounded some 50 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to initial images from the site, which have not yet been verified, a passenger train was hit. "Rescue workers are on the job. Unfortunately, the number of dead may still rise," Zelenskyy said by video to the U.N. Security Council in New York. "This is how we live every day. This is how Russia has been preparing for this U.N. Security Council meeting."
Train stations and rail infrastructure have been repeatedly hit during the war, which entered its sixth month on Wednesday. In April, at least 57 died in an attack on the Kramatorsk station.
Russia attacked neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, but after failing to make advances on the capital Kyiv, Moscow pulled back to concentrate on taking the separatist-dominated areas in the east and the south parts of the country.
—dpa
