News Story
Atty. Gen. Holder Proposes Retroactive Breaks in Crack Cocaine Convictions
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. on Wednesday revisited a controversial subject Congress remedied last year by changing the disproportionate sentences between powdered cocaine and crack cocaine. Lawmakers stopped short of making the law retroactive. Enter Holder. Holder appeared before the U.S. Sentencing Commission and urged that the law be…
SEC Lawyer Revealed Identity of FBI Informant, IG Says
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The Inspector General for the Securities and Exchange Commission discovered a big no no: A lawyer for the SEC allegedly disclosed the name of a confidential source in an FBI probe to a witness in the case, the Washington Post reported. The Post’s David Hilzenrath reports that a SEC…
Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Loves HBO Show “The Wire”; Urges Creators to Bring it Back
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — For realism, apparently Atty. General Eric Holder Jr. feels the acclaimed HBO show “The Wire” can’t be beat. In fact, Holder, who is a big fan of the show that ended in 2008 after five hit seasons, wants the creators David Simons and Ed Burns to start it up…
Eastern European Mob #1 Priority for FBI in South Fla.
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com South Florida isn’t just the home of white belts, white shoes, early bird specials and transplanted New York mobsters. The Miami Herald reports that the Eastern European mob has become a big concern for the FBI — bigger than the Italian mafia. “Eurasian organized crime is our No. 1 priority,” FBI…
Confessed Terrorist Tried to Help FBI Track Down Other Terrorists; Tells of Plot to Kill CEO of Drone Manufacturer
By Sebastian Rotella ProPublica CHICAGO—Confessed terrorist David Coleman Headley was so eager to cooperate after his 2009 arrest that he worked with FBI agents to try to engineer the capture of a suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and proposed setting up another kingpin for a missile strike, according to testimony in federal court…
Pentagon Refiles Charges Against 9/11 Suspects: Sets Stage for Military Trial
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The Obama administration appears to be paving the way to prosecute 9/11 suspected terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in a military tribunal. CNN reported that the Defense Department on Tuesday refiled charges against the men so they can be prosecuted in a military court in the Guantanamo…
2 Iraqis Arrested in Bowling Green, Ky. on Terrorism Charges
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Up until now, Bowling Green, Ky. was known mostly as the home of a General Motors assembly plant that builds Chevy Corvettes, Fruit of the Loom and Western Kentucky University. But on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced the arrest in Bowling Green of two Iraqi men who allegedly tried to send…
Ex-Atty. Gen. Ashcroft Dodges Bullet; Supreme Court Tosses Lawsuit Against Him
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Ex-Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft is off the hook. In an 8-0 ruling, the Supreme Court tossed out a lawsuit against Ashcroft. It overturned a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision, saying the former Attorney General under President Bush enjoyed “qualified immunity” from a lawsuit filed by Abdullah al Kidd,…