DOJ vets say politically charged moves close to election violate norms

Weeks before the midterm elections, the Justice Department under Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken a string of high-profile enforcement steps that former department officials say break with long-standing practice of avoiding politically sensitive moves near an election. Examples include a search of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's home in an immigration fraud inquiry, drug and bribery charges against Virginia state Senate leader L. Louise Lucas, and a complaint accusing ex-FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden laptop probe. Gregory Brower, a former U.S. attorney for Nevada under President George W. Bush, said that absent real necessity, such actions should wait until after voting, according to CBS News.

CBS News reports that an FBI agent said the Floris and Benavides probe began at FBI Director Kash Patel's behest after President Trump ordered an investigation. A magistrate judge threw out added charges, and a grand jury declined to indict Cassidy Hutchinson. David Becker, a former DOJ voting official, said the timing creates a perception of interference.

The department rejects that view, saying it follows the facts and law, not political timetables, and that none of those charged is on the ballot.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →