By Steve Neavling

A federal judge on Thursday agreed to allow the depositions of former President Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray in lawsuits filed by two former senior FBI employees who allege they were unfairly targeted because they investigated Trump’s ties to Russia.  

Senior FBI Agent Peter Strzok and former bureau lawyer Lisa Page filed separate lawsuits against the FBI and Justice Department after the public release of their text messages, which showed they were having an affair and disliked Trump. 

Strzok, who was fired, alleges he was unfairly terminated. Paige, who resigned, claims the release of the text messages violated her privacy rights.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Strzok and Paige could depose Trump and Wray under certain conditions, The Washington Post reports.

“The Court authorized the plaintiffs to conduct depositions of each witness that do not exceed two hours and are limited to the narrow set of topics specified,” Jackson ruled after a closed-door hearing Thursday.

Under the order, the Justice Department has until March 23 to decide whether to invoke executive privilege to shield Trump from testifying. 

Trump repeatedly and publicly slammed Strzok and Page, claiming their text messages proved the FBI was prejudiced against him. 

Robert Mueller III/fbi file photo

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

Ex-FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III has been named the “settlement master” to settle hundreds of Volkswagen lawsuits, Reuters reports.

Reuters reports that a federal judge in California overseeing more than 500 lawsuits filed against Volkswagen AG over its excess diesel emissions named Mueller to that post earlier in the week.

Mueller, a private attorney in Washington, will “use his considerable experience and judgment to facilitate settlement discussions among the various parties in these complex matters,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote.

At least seven lawsuits have been filed by officers against the department alleging racial discrimination. I’m no math major. But that seems like a big number of   lawsuits on one issue.

By Andrew Blankstein
Los Angles Times
LOS ANGLES — FBI officials today confirmed that they are investigating possible civil rights violations alleged by officers at the Burbank Police Department.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller would not comment on specifics of the probe by the agency’s civil rights division or how long the probe would last.

At least seven suits have been filed by officers against the Burbank Police Department, alleging a pattern of racial discrimination and retaliation, as well as unlawful demotions or firings.

Mayor Gary Bric said he was confident that investigations of the Burbank Police Department, including an independent probe by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, would be thorough and complete. He said there would be no limits to investigators.

For Full Story

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• Texas County Offers $40,000 to 72-Year Old Woman Who was Tasered (AP)
• Justice Dept. Pushing Agencies to be More Open (ProPublica)
• Former Prosecutor Says He Lied in Polanski Documentary (Huffington P0st)
• DNA Testing for Illegal Immigrants Hasn’t Launched (ProPublica)
  

For a prosecutor who pressures someone to testify, for a reporter who exposes someone’s wrongdoing, the end results can sometimes be deadly.

The Fulton County Superior Court lawsuit filed last week contends Aaron Danzig kept Jessica Holda “in a state of terror and dread.”

Two years ago, Holda took a .40-caliber Ruger pistol and shot herself in the head.

The lawsuit contends she killed herself after Danzig threatened to prosecute her for selling a luxury car that the government had targeted for seizure if she didn’t assist in the federal investigation.

“I hope Aaron Danzig feels some kind of remorse,” Holda wrote in her suicide note. “I blame him for my struggles with wanting to live.”

For Full Story