Ex-Sen. Ted Stevens

WASHINGTON – The federal government has spent nearly $1.8 million defending prosecutors from allegations they broke the law in the botched corruption case against former Alaska senator Ted Stevens, Justice Department records show.

The case against Stevens fell apart three years ago when the Justice Department admitted its attorneys had improperly concealed evidence that could have helped his defense. A court-ordered investigation concluded in November that prosecutors had engaged in “significant, widespread, and at times intentional misconduct,” but that they should not face criminal contempt-of-court charges.

Records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the department has paid about $1.6 million since 2009 to private lawyers representing the six prosecutors targeted by that court investigation. It also paid $208,000 to defend three prosecutors from a separate finding that they had committed civil contempt of court.

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Janet Napolitano on Bill Maher Show/file photo

So far so good.

KCRA tv reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made clear there have been no major threats for the Super Bowl Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

“We’re really moving forward in terms of what we can check for and how we check, and with as little hassle on people as we can impose,” Napolitano said, according to the station. “That keeps evolving, but so do the threats that are posed.”

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LONDON — A sensitive conference call between FBI and British police’s cybercrime investigators was recorded by the very people they were trying to catch, officials and hackers said Friday.

Hacking collective Anonymous published a roughly 15-minute-long recording of a conference call apparently devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the loosely-knit group.

The FBI said the information “was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained.”

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Federal agents and prosecutors know too well the frustration of investigating something for a long long time, only to come up empty handed.

Well, that’s just what happened in Lubbock, Tex.

A  nearly four-year-long FBI investigation of the city and its former healthcare administrator  has resulted in no charges, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

“After the careful evaluation of many factors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas is no longer pursuing its investigation of the city of Lubbock,” said a statement released by Kathy Colvin, public information officer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to the paper.

Dozens of agents raided the Lubbock City Hall in May of 2008, seizing computers, electronic storage and communications devices and boxes of documents with a warrant alleging conspiracy, false statements, wire fraud and health care fraud. Now, all of that property is being returned to the city.

“The FBI called and told the outside council to come pick up all the records that were seized four years ago,” Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin said.

Donald Trump wasn’t the only person serving up an endorsement this week for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Romney announced that Asa Hutchinson, the former administrator for DEA, is endorsing him, according to the website Politicalnews.me.

“I’m proud to earn Asa’s endorsement,” said Mitt Romney, according to the website. “Asa is a law and order conservative and a tireless advocate for pro-growth economic policies, empowering small businesses, and strengthening the middle class. His support will be integral as I bring this message across the country in the months to come.”

Asa Hutchinson/ official photo

In announcing his support, Hutchinson said, according to the website: “President Obama’s policies have been an abject failure both at home and abroad. We need a nominee who can not only defeat President Obama, but also put in place conservative policies that will make us more prosperous at home and respected abroad. Mitt Romney is a proven leader who has the experience to get our country back on track. I am proud to stand with him and I call on all conservatives who believe that America’s best days are ahead of us to join me.”

Hutchinson, a former Republican Congressman, also served under President George W. Bush as the first Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security. The website reported that Hutchinson is a Senior Partner at the AH Law Group in Rogers, Arkansas.

Rep. Elijah Cummings/govt. photo

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,  on Thursday accused Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican committee chair, of an “election year witch hunt” in going after the Attorney General and the Justice Department during a Congressional probe into the flawed Operation Fast and Furious.

Referring to a minority staff committee report released this week — which indicated Holder and other top Justice officials  never gave the green light for Fast and Furious — Cummings accused Issa of “escalating unsubstantiated allegations” during his Congressional probe.

Cummings accusations came during a hearing on Fast and Furious, an ATF program out of Phoenix that encouraged straw purchasers to buy guns from dealers, all with the hopes of tracing the guns to the Mexican cartels. ATF lost track of many weapons, some of which showed up at crimes scenes on both sides of the border.

Cummings pointed out that the “gun walking” operations out of Phoenix began five years ago — even before Fast and Furious –  during the Bush years and while Michael Mukasey was attorney general.

Cummings went on to say to Issa: “Mr. chairman, although you deserve credit for exposing these operations over the last five years, we part ways in to what we should  do next. You now appear intent on escalating controversy and promoting unsubstantiated  allegations in a campaign that looks more like an election year witch hunt  than an even handed investigation. This is the sixth time, the sixth time, the attorney general has testified on these issues.”

“In contrast, you never once called the former head of the ATF  to testify at a public hearing even though ATF was the agency responsible for these reckless programs. And although Attorney General Holder has answered questions repeatedly, you refuse to even interview former Attorney General Mukasey.”

Republican committee members took sharp aim at Holder during his appearance before the committee, accusing him of withholding documents to cover up something, and of failing to discipline anyone in the Justice Department for Fast and Furious. Issa has accused the Justice Department of being less than forthright in cooperating with his probe into the gun walking matter.

Democrats defended Holder.

Buerkle to Atty Gen. Holder: You Must be Held Accountable for Fast and Furious and Agent Terry’s Murder

By Danny Fenster

A New York city councilman is recanting comments he made over the weekend critical of the FBI, reports the New York Post

City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Queens) likened an FBI investigation looking into the campaign finances of his friend Comptroller John Liu  to “political entrapment” on a radio show over the weekend. “The FBI used some sting operation, they offered cash to people,” Koo said. “It’s like political entrapment to me.”

But talking to the Post this week, Koo said he “didn’t mean to criticize the FBI.”

“It’s one of the most respected law-enforcement agencies in the country and the world,” said Koo. “Maybe I misused the word,” he said, referring to the entrapment comment.

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