WTF Just Happened Today

Friday, October 25, 2019

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1/ A federal judge directed the Justice Department to hand over Robert Mueller's secret grand jury evidence to the House Judiciary Committee, which Attorney General William Barr has withheld from lawmakers. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected the Trump administration's claim that the impeachment probe is illegitimate, saying the material could help the House Judiciary Committee substantiate "potentially impeachable conduct" by Trump. The materials must be disclosed by Wednesday. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Politico)

• Attorney General William Barr's review of the origins of the Russia probe is now considered a criminal investigation. Barr tapped Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham in May to review the FBI's investigation and look at whether the U.S. government's "intelligence collection activities" in the probe of possible coordination between Trump's campaign and Russia were "lawful and appropriate." The shift gives Durham the power to issue subpoenas for witness testimony and documents, to convene a grand jury, and to file criminal charges. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Russia investigation, portraying it as a hoax and illegal operation conducted by an illegitimate special counsel. (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / Reuters)

• A Russian agent and gun rights activist was released from federal prison and is expected to be immediately deported to Russia after serving her 18-month sentence. Maria Butina pleaded guilty last year to conspiring with a senior Russian official to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering with the U.S. Justice Department after she tried to infiltrate conservative political groups and the National Rifle Association to promote Russian interests during the 2016 presidential campaign. Butina intends to return to her hometown in Siberia. (Politico / NPR / Washington Post / CNN)

2/ A top adviser on Trump's National Security Council is expected to corroborate testimony that Trump pushed for Ukraine to publicly announce investigations i...

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