Jeff Mordock

Daunte Wright killing fuels ‘nanny laws’ debate

Daunte Wright called his mother moments before he was fatally shot to say police had pulled him over for an air freshener dangling from his rearview mirror, a puzzlingly innocuous offense that nevertheless escalated into a tragic encounter with police.

April 18, 2021

Merrick Garland rescinds Trump-era memo curtailing consent decrees

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday expanded the federal government's role in investigating allegations of misconduct by local police departments by rescinding a Trump-era memo that limited the use of consent decrees.

April 16, 2021

Vanita Gupta, DOJ nominee, sees Senate vote postponed

After a full day of intense debate, the Senate on Thursday postponed a scheduled floor vote for Vanita Gupta, who was nominated to serve as the third-highest official at the Justice Department.

April 15, 2021

Supreme Court justices condemn expansion efforts

Only a handful of Supreme Court justices have publicly commented on proposals to add seats to the court, but those who have spoken out are fiercely opposed.

April 15, 2021

‘Nothing publicly to say?’ Sasse scolds BOP head who says Epstein failures created crisis of trust

The head of the Bureau of Prisons told a Senate panel Thursday the security failures that led to the apparent suicide of billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while in custody on sex trafficking charges have created a public crisis of trust for the embattled agency.

April 15, 2021

DOJ closes Ashli Babbitt investigation without charges; she was fatally shot during Capitol riot

Federal prosecutors will not file criminal charges against the U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot protester Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

April 14, 2021

Conservative PAC launches petition to block unconditional release of John Hinckley Jr.

A conservative political action committee on Wednesday launched an online petition to block the unconditional release of John W. Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

April 14, 2021

Kristen Clarke, DOJ nominee, says she doesn’t support defunding police, despite her op-ed

Kristen Clarke, President Biden's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, told senators on Wednesday that she does not support defunding the police despite appearing to endorse it in an op-ed.

April 14, 2021

Dan Kildee, Michigan congressman, says he sought PTSD treatment after Capitol riot

Rep. Dan Kildee said Monday he sought treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

April 12, 2021

Biden administration halts plans for police oversight commission

The White House has halted plans to create a national police oversight commission and instead will focus on changing policing through legislation, Director of Domestic Policy Susan Rice said Monday.

April 12, 2021

House Ethics Committee opens investigation into Matt Gaetz

The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it has opened an investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz who is ensnared in a federal sex-trafficking probe.

April 9, 2021

Nevada man accused of creating phony Trump, Biden PACs to defraud investors, prosecutors say

A Nevada man who allegedly created phony political action committees to support both President Biden and former President Trump was charged with wire fraud Friday as prosecutors say he pocketed more than $340,000 donations.

April 9, 2021

House inches closer to enacting slavery reparations

A bill that could lead to slavery reparations took a major step forward Friday when the House Judiciary Committee scheduled it for a debate and vote next week.

April 9, 2021

Adam Kinzinger calls for Matt Gaetz to step down amid sex trafficking probe

Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Thursday night called for the resignation of fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, making him the first GOP lawmaker to do so.

April 9, 2021

Hunter Biden says he doesn’t remember anything about controversial laptop, calls it a ‘red herring’

Hunter Biden said late Thursday that he doesn't remember anything about a controversial laptop that allegedly belonged to him, but says it's a "red herring."

April 9, 2021

Gaetz associate facing sex trafficking charges agrees to cooperate with feds

Rep. Matt Gaetz's legal woes deepened Thursday after an attorney for a political backer of the congressman indicated his client will cooperate with investigators probing sex-trafficking allegations against the Florida Republican.

April 8, 2021

DOJ looking into Matt Gaetz’s trip to the Bahamas: Report

Federal investigators are looking into a Bahamas trip Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly took with a marijuana executive in late 2018 or early 2019 as part of its sex trafficking probe, according to a report late Wednesday.

April 7, 2021

Medical examiner releases cause of death for four at Capitol riot, but not Brian Sicknick

The D.C. medical examiner said Wednesday that the cause of death for a U.S. Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the Jan. 6 riot is "still pending."

April 7, 2021

Trump says Matt Gaetz never asked him for a pardon

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday refuted reports that Rep. Matt Gaetz asked his office for a blanket preemptive pardon in the final days of his administration.

April 7, 2021

Grassley, Johnson demand Secret Service answer questions about Hunter Biden gun incident

The top Republicans on two powerful Senate committees Tuesday demanded the Secret Secret answer questions surrounding a bizarre incident in which Hunter Biden's gun went missing after being thrown in the trash in Delaware.

April 6, 2021