Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
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news
4 House Republicans Seek Answers on FBI Probe of Clinton Emails
As President Donald Trump calls for the Justice Department to probe the actions of his vanquished opponent, Hillary Clinton, four Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee want another look at the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton email scandal. The four Republican lawmakers—Florida’s Matt Gaetz, Arizona’s Andy Biggs, Ohio’s Jim Jordan, and Louisiana’s Mike Johnson—filed an… -
news
Wasserman Schultz’s IT Aide Arrested by FBI on Way to Pakistan After $300K Wire
The top information technology aide to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was arrested Monday attempting to board a flight to Pakistan after wiring $283,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to that country. The former Democratic Party chairwoman's IT aide attempted to leave the country hours after The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group revealed that he is the target… -
news
FBI Seized Smashed Hard Drives From Wasserman Schultz IT Aide’s Home
FBI agents seized smashed computer hard drives from the home of Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s information technology administrator, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. Pakistani-born Imran Awan, longtime right-hand IT aide to the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, has since desperately tried to get the hard drives back, an individual whom… -
opinion
How the Justice Department Helped Bring Down the Largest Criminal Marketplace on the Internet
The Department of Justice announced the shutdown of “the largest criminal marketplace on the internet.” The site, AlphaBay, was launched in 2013 after authorities shut down a similar dark web marketplace known as the “Silk Road.” According to the Justice Department, AlphaBay has been hosting over 200,000 users and at least 40,000 illicit vendors. While… -
opinion
Corruption in Brazil Starts at the Top
The former two-term president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, was sentenced July 12 to nearly 10 years in prison. It is the most dramatic chapter to date in the saga of public corruption scandals that has plunged South America’s largest country into political chaos. The crimes for which Lula was found guilty—including money… -
opinion
As Justice Department Ramps Up Fight Against Violent and Drug Crime, Property Owners Put at Risk
This week, the Department of Justice unveiled a new directive ramping up federal civil forfeiture. The new policy restarts so-called “adoptive” forfeitures as part of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ focus on addressing and reducing violent and drug-related crime. This renewed attention on combatting violent crime and supporting law enforcement officers cannot come at a better… -
news
Legal Experts Weigh in on Trump’s Right to Be Riled at Sessions, DOJ
Jeff Sessions will likely continue to lead the Department of Justice, despite the public clash between President Donald Trump and his choice for attorney general. “Sessions should un-recuse himself and get rid of Mueller,” @TomFitton says. But Trump’s frustration with the direction of the Russian probe and the special prosecutor are understandable, said Tom Fitton,… -
news
Trump’s Son in Less Legal Jeopardy Than Son-in-Law Over Russia Meeting, FBI Veteran Says
Even if Donald Trump Jr. helped set up a meeting last year with a Russian lawyer in hopes of learning dirt on Hillary Clinton, the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and another official Trump campaign operative could face greater legal problems, a former FBI official says. “For today, and this could change tomorrow, but today I… -
news
6 Takeaways as Senators Question FBI Nominee Christopher Wray
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next FBI director said he wasn’t aware of Donald Trump Jr.’s email chain about a Russian lawyer that has consumed the media, but did stress the need for the FBI’s independence. “I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt,” Chris Wray says. Christopher Wray… -
opinion
Malpractice in America’s Crime Labs Is Putting Innocents in Jail, Letting Convicts Off the Hook
Junk science endangers lives. Forensic junk science in the hands of overzealous prosecutors, ignorant police detectives, and reckless experts threatens liberty. There is a crisis in America’s government-run crime labs—and it’s not just the result of a few rogue operators. The problem is long-festering and systemic. In April, Massachusetts state crime lab chemist Annie Dookhan… -
news
What a Former Colleague Thinks About Chris Wray Becoming FBI Director
“Chris Wray is extremely intelligent, very principled, very hardworking,” said a former colleague of President Donald Trump’s FBI director nominee in an interview with The Daily Signal. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing for FBI director nominee, Christopher Wray, on Wednesday. John Malcom, The Heritage Foundation’s vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government… -
news
House Passes Kate’s Law, No Sanctuary for Criminals Act
The House of Representatives passed two bills Thursday focused on illegal immigration. One bill, Kate’s Law “enhances the current maximum sentences for illegal reentry into the United States, serving as a strong deterrent for deported felons seeking to come back to the United States,” according to its sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. It passed 257-167. The other… -
opinion
The Double Murder of Otto Warmbier
We may never know what brutal torture and malign neglect American student Otto Warmbier suffered at the hands of North Korea’s dictatorship before losing his life this week at the age of 22. But it wasn’t the first time the free-spirited Ohio native died. More than a year before succumbing to the unknown illness or… -
opinion
Contrary to Media Reports, Criminal Justice Reform Is Anything but Dead
In 1897, an infamous New York Journal article pronounced the death of Mark Twain. Upon hearing the report, Twain, still alive and kicking, quipped, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Such exaggerations still abound. More than a century later, some in the media are proclaiming the death of criminal justice reform efforts. One… -
news
Why Conservatives Put Trust in Trey Gowdy as House’s Corruption Fighter
Conservative leaders say they’re confident the new chairman of a House of Representatives panel that targets corruption will dedicate himself to reviewing executive branch actions, including during the Obama administration. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., assumed the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after his confirmation Tuesday. He takes the reins from Rep. Jason… -
opinion
How Jeff Sessions Just Stopped the Justice Department From Robbing the Public
It might seem strange to see a headline stating that the U.S. attorney general has stopped the Justice Department from robbing the public, but that is exactly what Attorney General Jeff Sessions just did. In a memorandum dated June 5 that was directed to the head of each component of the Department of Justice and… -
news
6 Crimes Special Counsel Might Pursue in Trump-Russia Probe
What ousted FBI Director James Comey tells Congress could set the tone for what his predecessor, now the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, looks into. “Comparisons to Watergate are way over the top,” Ron Hosko says. But, barring any new bombshells when Comey testifies Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, legal… -
news
Justice Department Ends Government Bankrolling of Liberal Groups in Legal Settlements
The federal government no longer will make settlement agreements with any person or organization not directly involved in a legal dispute, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday. The move by Sessions abolished a practice that has funneled likely millions of dollars in banking settlements to outside organizations in such “third-party” payments. Left-wing groups, including La… -
opinion
This Well-Intentioned Bill Could Turn Local Accidents Into Federal Crimes
Senators on Capitol Hill recently introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2017 with the laudable objective of supporting public safety officers. While that intention is noble, the bill unfortunately omits something crucial: the ancient element of crime known as “mens rea” (Latin for “guilty mind”). Mens rea distinguishes between tragic accidents, or innocent mistakes,… -
opinion
I’m an Attorney General Asking Supreme Court to Uphold Trump’s Travel Ban. Here’s Why.
On Tuesday, I filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily pausing the entry of foreign nationals from six terror-prone counties. Supreme Court review is needed because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit recently ruled against the valid executive order. I am leading a multistate…