William Barr Archives - Tennessee Star

Federal Operation to Remove Violent Criminals in Memphis Deemed Success

January 7, 2021January 6, 2021 Chris Butler

The U.S. Justice Department has announced the results of Operation LeGend, which first launched in Missouri and then expanded to several cities, including Memphis. “Operation Legend removed violent criminals, domestic abusers, carjackers and drug traffickers from nine cities that were experiencing stubbornly high crime and took illegal firearms, illegal narcotics and illicit monies off the streets,” said former Attorney General William Barr, in a press release that the U.S. Justice Department released Wednesday.

Barr Learned of Hunter Biden Investigation Months Ago, But Managed to Keep It Secret: Report

December 12, 2020December 11, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr knew months ago about investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings, but kept the information from spilling into public view even as President Donald Trump publicly called for investigations into the son of the president-elect.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Barr was briefed before the spring about investigations into Biden, which Biden revealed in a statement on Wednesday issued through his father’s presidential transition team.

Barr Authorizes DOJ Prosecutors to Investigate Election Irregularities

November 11, 2020November 10, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr has issued a memo in which he said that he authorized federal prosecutors “to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions in certain cases, as I have already done in specific instances.”

Barr noted that this did not serve to indicate the Justice Department has determined that voting irregularities affected election outcomes.

More Federal Money Coming to Fight Crime in Memphis

October 25, 2020October 24, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant this week announced $398,864 in Department of Justice grant funding awarded to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office to hire special prosecutors to try federal firearms cases originating in Memphis.

This according to a press release that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee published on their website this week.

Attorney General William Barr Updates Public on Memphis Operation Legend Arrests

October 15, 2020October 14, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr updated the public Wednesday about the federal Operation Legend law enforcement initiative, which operates in several U.S. cities, including Memphis.

This, according to a press release that the U.S. Department of Justice officials published on its agency’s website.

Report: DOJ Closes ‘Unmasking’ Investigation

October 15, 2020October 14, 2020 Admin

The Justice Department has closed its investigation into whether Obama administration officials improperly unmasked the identities of Trump associates mentioned in intelligence reports, according to a report.

According to The Washington Post, the investigation was recently closed and is unlikely to lead to criminal charges. A report of the investigation will also not be released, according to the newspaper, which cited government sources familiar with the matter.

More Than 40 Tennessee Residents Charged in Federal Domestic Violence Cases

October 11, 2020October 10, 2020 Chris Butler

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 500 domestic violence cases involving firearms this fiscal year, and 44 of those cases originated out of Middle and Western Tennessee.

This, according to two press releases that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and the Middle District of Tennessee emailed this week.

AG Barr Says There ‘Could Be’ More Charges in Durham Probe

September 11, 2020September 10, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that more charges are possible in the investigation led by John Durham, the U.S. attorney investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Barr was asked about the status of the probe during an interview with NBC News. He declined to say whether Durham, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, is nearing the end of the probe, which began in April 2018.

Memphis Announces Results from First Month of Federal Crime Fighting Initiative Operation Legend

September 11, 2020September 10, 2020 Chris Butler

Local and federal law enforcement officers in Memphis have arrested 302 people as a part of Operation Legend, according to U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant.

“Between August 6 and September 8, 2020, federal and local law enforcement agencies in the Operation Legend Task Force have worked cooperatively to arrest 106 people on new state and federal charges,” Dunavant said in a press release.

Operation Legend Made 2,000 Arrests, Seized Around 182 Pounds of Drugs Since July, DOJ Says

September 4, 2020September 3, 2020 Admin

Operation Legend, a federal initiative to combat murder and violent crime in major U.S. cities, has recorded over 2,000 arrests and seized large quantities of narcotics since the program’s July inception, according to the Department of Justice.

A total of 147 people have been arrested for homicide, 544 firearms have been seized and around 182 lbs (83 kilograms) of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, meth and fentanyl, have been removed from the streets during the operation, according to a Thursday Department of Justice press release.

Operation Legend Crime-Fighting Task Force Produces Arrests in Memphis

August 21, 2020August 20, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Attorney General William Barr this week announced that federal agents have arrested several people in Memphis on federal charges as part of Operation Legend.

This, according to a press release that U.S. Department of Justice officials published on their website Wednesday.

Feds Expand Crime Fighting Operation to Memphis

August 10, 2020August 9, 2020 Chris Butler

Federal officials late last week announced an initiative, Operation Legend, to fight violent crime in Memphis and St. Louis.

“The most basic responsibility of government is to protect the safety of our citizens. Today, we have extended Operation Legend to Memphis and St. Louis, two cities experiencing increases in violent crime that no resident of those cities should have to accept as part of everyday life,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement.

Attorney General Barr Tells House Judiciary Committee There Is a Separate Investigation Into Unmaskings

July 30, 2020July 29, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) asked Attorney General William Barr about “unmaskings” in a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

The committee grilled Barr on a number of other topics as well, including police reform.

Marsha Blackburn Wants Jerrold Nadler to Visit Portland After He Denies Violence There

July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) suggested this week that U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10) visit Portland after he denied any social unrest had broken out there.

Blackburn tweeted this Monday.

Barr Says Unrest Not Linked to Floyd, Defends Feds’ Response

July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 The Associated Press

Attorney General William Barr defended the aggressive federal law enforcement response to civil unrest in America, saying on Tuesday “violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests” sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Barr told members of the House Judiciary Committee at a much-anticipated election year hearing the violence taking place in Portland, Oregon, and other cities is disconnected from Floyd’s killing, which he called a “horrible” event that prompted a necessary national reckoning on the relationship between the Black community and law enforcement.

Rep. Jordan Opens AG Barr Hearing with Brutal Video Highlighting Antifa Violence, Looting and Rioting

July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 Admin

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr Tuesday morning, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, went over the heads of the corporate media to show a brutal video highlighting the violence and mayhem of the Black Lives Matter and antifa mobs.

Rep. Steve Cohen Tries to Blame Jeffery Epstein Death on AG William Barr

July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on Tuesday held U.S. Attorney General William Barr accountable for the death of Jeffrey Epstein.

Cohen accused Barr of neglect in Epstein’s death at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

US Attorney Fired by Trump Administration Awarded a Professorship at Stanford Law

July 21, 2020July 20, 2020 Admin

Stanford Law School welcomed a former Manhattan federal prosecutor to a visiting professorship for the fall semester after he was fired by President Donald Trump in June.

Geoffrey S. Berman received his law degree from Stanford Law in 1984 and will return as a visiting professor to teach an elective course titled “Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law,” the school announced in a Wednesday press release.

‘Stunning’: William Barr Hits Establishment Media for ‘Bovine Silence’ on Collapsed Russiagate Narrative

June 22, 2020June 21, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr hit the establishment media in an interview aired Sunday for what he called its “bovine silence” regarding the debunked narrative of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government.

In an interview on “Fox Sunday Futures,” Barr also asserted that the various government investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Kremlin were the “closest we have come to an organized effort to push a president out of office” since the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Atty Gen Barr Says Regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces Directed to Locate, Apprehend Antifa Leaders, Other ‘Radical Agitators’

June 1, 2020May 31, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a Sunday statement that the regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces of the FBI have been directed to locate and apprehend Antifa leaders.

His statement was issued after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be declaring Antifa a domestic terrorist organization for its alleged involvement in the terrorizing of major cities after the death of George Floyd.

DOJ Backs Michigan Businesses Against Whitmer’s ‘Arbitrary and Irrational’ Restrictions

May 31, 2020May 30, 2020 Admin

The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest Friday challenging Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “arbitrary and irrational” restrictions on her state’s businesses.

The move came as part of Attorney General William Barr’s efforts to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in a press release. The statement of interest supports a lawsuit filed by seven Michigan businesses challenging Whitmer’s restrictions.

Senator Lindsey Graham Sets Vote to Subpoena Comey, Brennan and Dozens More in Oversight of Crossfire Hurricane

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 Admin

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on June 4 whether to authorize subpoenas for documents and testimony from more than 50 current or former government officials, including James Comey and John Brennan, as part of the panel’s investigation into abuse of the surveillance process during Crossfire Hurricane.

The committee will debate and vote June 4 on whether to issue the subpoenas, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Judiciary panel.

AG Barr: Mueller ‘Ignored’ Evidence of Russian Disinformation in Steele Dossier

May 10, 2020May 9, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr said in an interview aired Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigators “ignored” evidence of possible Russian disinformation in the Steele dossier.

“I think that’s one of the most troubling aspects of this whole thing,” Barr told CBS News when asked about the possibility that the Kremlin fed disinformation to Christopher Steele, a former British spy who investigated the Trump campaign.

AG Barr: FBI Under Comey Set a ‘Perjury Trap’ for Michael Flynn

May 9, 2020May 8, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr said he believes the FBI under James Comey set a “perjury trap” for Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser.

Barr defended the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against Flynn for making false statements to the FBI.

Steve Cohen Asks Attorney General Barr to Clarify Trump’s Emergency Powers Comments

April 26, 2020April 25, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr Friday asking him to clarify President Donald Trump’s comments about the use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Barr Supports House’s FISA Bill, Says It Addresses ‘Past Failures’

March 12, 2020March 11, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday he supports the House’s version of a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, saying that it adequately addresses problems identified in an investigation into the FBI’s surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

Judge Accuses AG Barr of ‘Lack of Candor,’ Orders Review of Full Mueller Report

March 7, 2020March 6, 2020 Admin

A federal judge on Thursday accused Attorney General William Barr of displaying a “lack of candor” regarding his public statements about the special counsel’s report on the Russia probe.

Roger Stone Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison

February 20, 2020February 29, 2020 Admin

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., sentenced Roger Stone to 40 months in prison Thursday.

DOJ Assigns U.S. Attorney to Review FBI’s Ambush Interview of General Flynn

February 15, 2020February 14, 2020 Admin

Attorney General William Barr has reportedly assigned a prosecutor to review the criminal case against General Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser.

VOIR DIRE: Original All-Star Panelist Crom Carmichael Explains the Unjust Trial of Roger Stone and the Leftist Jury Foreman, Tomeka Hart Who Allegedly Lied Under Oath

February 15, 2020February 14, 2020 Julie Carr

On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – all-star panelist Crom Carmichael weighed in on the DOJ and the dynamics of the Roger Stone trial. During the second hour of the show, Carmichael…

Sanctuary Cities Enable Torture, Murder, Drunk Driving, and Drugs, Says U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Tennessee

February 12, 2020February 11, 2020 Chris Butler

U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Don Cochran this week praised U.S. Attorney General William Barr and the U.S. Justice Department for taking action against the nation’s sanctuary cities.

Steve Cohen Along With 10 Other Congressional Members Sent Letter to DOJ Asking for Resignation of Barr and Durham

December 21, 2019December 20, 2019 Zachery Schmidt

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and ten other Congressional members sent a signed letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Thursday asking Attorney General William Barr and federal prosecutor John Durham to immediately resign from their positions.

Justice Department Launches New Initiative Aimed at Driving Down Crime in Memphis and Other Dangerous Cities

December 20, 2019December 19, 2019 Zachery Schmidt

The Justice Department included Memphis as a city it is trying to reduce crime in with a new initiative Wednesday called Operation Relentless Pursuit (ORP).

AG Barr Blasts ‘Completely Irresponsible Press,’ Hits FBI For ‘Gross Abuses’ in Trump Probe

December 11, 2019December 10, 2019 Admin

Attorney General William Barr blasted the “completely irresponsible press” Tuesday as well as the FBI for their respective roles in pushing the debunked theory that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in 2016.

Oversight Committee Files a Lawsuit Against Barr and Ross Over 2020 Census

November 30, 2019November 29, 2019 Admin

The House Oversight Committee has sued Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross over the Trump Administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, Politico reports.

Commentary: Attorney General Barr is Right, the Left is Deconstructing the Constitution and the Presidency

November 20, 2019November 19, 2019 Admin

Apparently now saying that Article II of the Federal Constitution’s vesting of executive power to the President was an unambiguous, broad grant of unitary executive authority to the President of the United States by the Framers of the Constitution, and arguing for preserving such separation of powers from encroachment, is an impeachable offense.

Department of Justice Launches a New Program Aimed at Decreasing Gun Violence

November 14, 2019November 13, 2019 Zachery Schmidt

Attorney General William Barr announced the beginning of a new program called Project Guardian, which is designed to prevent gun violence and enforce federal firearm laws.

William Barr Asked About US Intelligence Activity During Recent Trips to Italy, Prime Minister Says

October 25, 2019October 24, 2019 Admin

Italy’s prime minister said Wednesday that Attorney General William Barr visited Italy twice in recent months as part of his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Commentary: Why Faith Is Key to Preserving Our Liberty

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 Admin

Attorney General William Barr gave an extraordinary speech at Notre Dame Law School last week, providing one of the most robust defenses of religious freedom in a generation.

Commentary: Dear AG Barr and Sen. Graham, the Time to Expose Spygate, Russiagate and the Impeachment Coup Is Closing

October 24, 2019October 23, 2019 Admin

Don’t look now, but in just one short year, the American people will be headed back to the polls to decide whether to reelect President Donald Trump, and at times it seems the country is no closer to piercing the veil of what really happened in 2016, when the Obama administration, intelligence agencies and the Justice Department unconstitutionally, illegally spied on the opposition party — the Trump campaign and the GOP — in an election year on bogus charges they were Russian agents.

Commentary: The Anesthetic Effect of Ukrainegate

October 5, 2019October 4, 2019 Admin

Wary political commentators on the Right have noted that the ginned up outrage over President Trump’s call with the Ukranian president serves two political purposes: One, to supply the impeachment goods that Special Counsel Robert Mueller could not deliver and two, to obfuscate the ongoing investigations led by Attorney General William Barr into how the Obama White House unleashed the country’s most powerful government agencies against the Trump presidential campaign in 2016.

Commentary: Attorney General Barr and President Trump Are Constitutionally Obligated to Enforce the Law, Prevent Intel Abuse and Root Out Corruption

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 Admin

To hear House Democrats and left-wing media outlets tell it, any discharge of President Donald Trump’s official duties that might tangentially benefit him politically is now a high crime or misdemeanor and an impeachable offense.

Letter Casts New Light on NYT Report That Trump ‘Pushed’ Aussies to Help With Probe of CIA, FBI Activities

October 2, 2019October 1, 2019 Admin

Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. sent a letter earlier in 2019 offering Attorney General William Barr support in his investigation of the FBI and CIA’s activities in 2016, casting new light on a New York Times report from Monday that President Donald Trump “pushed” Australia’s prime minister to help with the probe.

Report: AG Barr Is Ramping Up His Probe of CIA, FBI Activities in 2016

October 2, 2019October 1, 2019 Admin

Attorney General William Barr has met with foreign intelligence officials, including during a trip to Italy earlier in September, regarding an investigation into surveillance activities against the Trump campaign, The Washington Post reported.

DOJ Inspector General Has Complete FISA Abuse Probe, Says Top House Republican

September 15, 2019September 15, 2019 Admin

The Justice Department’s inspector general told Attorney General William Barr on Friday that he completed his investigation into possible FBI abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during the Trump-Russia probe, according to the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

Lindsey Graham Urges AG Barr to Declassify Nine Categories of Information From FISA Abuse Probe

September 4, 2019September 3, 2019 Admin

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is calling on Attorney General William Barr to declassify and publicize nine categories of information from the inspector general’s FISA abuse investigation.

Attorney General William Barr on Epstein Death: ‘Any Co-Conspirators Should Not Rest Easy’

August 13, 2019August 12, 2019 Admin

Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he was “appalled” by Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide over the weekend, but urged that the millionaire pedophile’s co-conspirators “should not rest easy.”

Attorney General William Barr Puts Additional Limits on Asylum Claims

July 31, 2019July 30, 2019 Admin

Attorney General William Barr ruled Monday that being a member of a family harassed by gangs is not enough to qualify for asylum.

Commentary: Trump, Barr Set Sights on Big Tech Over Antitrust Concerns

July 27, 2019July 26, 2019 Admin

The Antitrust Division of the Justice Department is setting its sights on big tech firms like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon in announcing a review of potentially anticompetitive activities that could be limiting consumer choices, hurting small businesses and some say even engaging in censorship.

Commentary: How Technicalities Ended the Census Case

July 13, 2019July 12, 2019 Admin

by GianCarlo Canaparo Speaking from the Rose Garden on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr accepted that they couldn’t put the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Barr said that the administration would have won the lawsuits, but that “logistical impediments” made it impossible to win the…