politics
Law professor to advise probe examining officials' actions toward President Trump
A University of California, Berkeley law professor will assist prosecutors investigating whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Trump. The probe centers on the 2016 Russia election interference inquiry.
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John Yoo confirmed in an email that he will assist Joe diGenova, who was assigned in April to lead the investigation. The probe is being conducted in Florida.
Background on the investigation Prosecutors have issued subpoenas and conducted interviews related to a January 2017 intelligence community assessment that concluded Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump. A 2019 report by special counsel Robert Mueller found Russia interfered on Trump's behalf but did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Subsequent reviews identified errors in how the Russia investigation was conducted, including a case in which a former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty in 2020 to altering an email. No senior law enforcement or intelligence officials have been found to have engaged in criminal misconduct.
Yoo's prior role Yoo served as a senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration and was a lead author of memos that justified enhanced interrogation techniques after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Those memos were later rescinded by the Justice Department.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated in a May interview that the Justice Department is investigating claims of a conspiracy against Trump.
