Late on Monday, the Department of Justice announced that it would partially appeal a court ruling that would release a memorandum prepared for former Attorney General William Barr before he released his conclusion on whether President Trump had obstructed justice during the Russiagate investigation.
This announcement came just before the court’s midnight deadline and appealed to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to stay her May 3 decision on the memo’s release. The DOJ is seeking to keep elements of the memo out of the public eye.
Judge Jackson, an Obama appointee, said earlier this month that Barr’s DOJ had obscured “the true purpose of the memorandum” by withholding the document from an earlier Freedom of Information request.
A number of Senate Democrats are unhappy with current AG Merrick Garland’s attempt to conceal parts of the memo as they were likely hoping for more information with which to stave off a resurgence of Donald Trump. A letter from the angry lawmakers reads, “To be clear, these misrepresentations preceded your confirmation as Attorney General, but the Department you now lead bears responsibility for redressing them.”
Liberty Nation will keep you updated on this developing story.
