US Justice Department 'weaponization' reviews spark calls to drop prosecutions

By Sarah N. Lynch, Ned Parker and Peter Eisler
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As the federal public corruption prosecution of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada neared trial this spring, his lawyers made one last effort to kill the case, by petitioning senior Justice Department officials that it was "weaponization," according to three people familiar with the matter.
Under President Donald Trump, the department in February created a "Weaponization Working Group" meant to identify improper politically motivated cases, a response to what the Republican says without evidence was the misuse of prosecutorial resources against him under his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
In court filings, prosecutors said that Casada's lawyers met with a senior Justice Department official on March 24, where they alleged the "Deep State" had initiated a "weaponized" prosecution and they sought dismissal of the charges.
The plan almost worked, according to three people familiar with the matter.
With the Deputy Attorney General's office poised to kill the case, prosecutors in the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section pushed back, reviewing their evidence with the higher-ups, the sources said, adding that the Nashville U.S. Attorney's office and the Criminal Division also supported the case.
The request was rejected the next week, according to court filings. Both Casada and the DOJ declined to comment.
The case is among at least seven Reuters identified where defense attorneys or Justice Department officials have sought to have prosecutions reviewed for possible dismissal, citing Trump's "weaponization" argument or making other arguments about weaknesses in the cases.
In a Tuesday speech, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti urged defense attorneys to be "conscientious about what, when and how" they appeal prosecutors' decisions.
"Seeking premature relief, mischaracterizing prosecutorial conduct, or otherwise failing to be an honest broker actively undermines our system," Galeotti said.
The increase in lobbying started not long after the Weaponization Working Group was created, and after the department's February decision to dismiss criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, six sources familiar with the dynamic told Reuters.
To date, the Adams case is the only one to be dismissed over 'weaponization,' three of those sources told Reuters.
The lobbying wave comes as the Trump administration has dramatically scaled back the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, reduced the size of its foreign bribery unit and advised department attorneys that tax enforcement is "not a priority," two of the people familiar with the matter said.
A department spokesman said the DOJ will "continue to enforce our nation's tax laws."
Trump has said the changes are necessary to root out Justice Department lawyers he derides as 'hacks and radicals' for prosecuting him and some supporters while he was out of power.
NEW GROUP HAS BROAD REMIT
The working group is empowered to review any 'civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States' exercised under Biden.
A lawyer for Robert Burke, a former Navy admiral who was convicted in May on bribery charges, wrote to the department ahead of trial raising concerns about witness credibility, which failed to convince prosecutors to drop the case.
Now the lawyer, Tim Parlatore -- a former Trump defense lawyer -- plans to seek a pardon.
"I would be crazy not to at least inquire about a pardon," Parlatore said.
Another example is a case involving billionaire Britannia Financial Group founder Julio Martín Herrera-Velutini, who is facing an August trial alongside Puerto Rico's former governor on bribery charges.
Herrera-Velutini is represented by former Trump defense attorney Chris Kise, who has sought to convince the Justice Department to dismiss or reduce the charges, though the outcome of such efforts is unclear, three people familiar with the case told Reuters. Kise did not return requests for comment, and Reuters could not determine what arguments he has made to the department about the case.
WEAPONIZATION REVIEW
While many of the reviews of cases are spurred by aggressive lobbying, some requests are coming from within the DOJ.
In early February, prosecutors in the department's Tax Division were ordered by senior Justice Department officials to write a memo explaining why the prosecution of Paul Walczak was not an example of "weaponization," two of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Walczak, of Florida, pleaded guilty in November to not paying employment taxes and not filing his individual income tax returns, and the trial team was preparing for his sentencing.
Prosecutors were baffled, the people said, and only discovered after a few Google searches that Walczak's mother Elizabeth Fago was a Trump donor who, according to a New York Times report, hosted a political fundraiser where portions of a diary written by Biden's daughter Ashley were circulated.
The department let the case proceed, and Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Trump in April spared him any prison with a pardon, which according to the New York Times, was handed down shortly after Fago attended a $1 million fundraising dinner for Trump.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the pardon.
An attorney for Walczak said he was unaware of any interactions by the defense team with the Weaponization Working Group. In a statement, the Fago and Walczak families said media reports have painted an "incomplete and inaccurate" picture of the pardon application, and that Trump had "ample grounds to grant the pardon on the merits."
Although no criminal prosecutions have been dismissed, prosecutors are bracing for impact since Trump in May named Ed Martin, a supporter of Trump's false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud, to lead the working group and serve as pardon attorney.
Martin has already successfully encouraged Trump to approve pardons for some of the president's supporters, according to his social media posts.
Casada, who was convicted at trial in May on multiple counts of fraud, money laundering and bribery, is now expected to seek a pardon, a person familiar with the matter said.
"We've also been getting more folks coming forward within the government as well as outside, saying, 'Can you look at this? Can you look at that?'" Martin recently told reporters.
"It's a problem that seems to be growing faster than we can capture it."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Miami Herald

29 minutes ago

• Miami Herald

Florida Democrats look to stop the bleeding during annual political conference

A question loomed over Democratic party leaders and volunteers on Saturday as they pumped hip hop through the speakers at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood: can Florida Democrats find a way to win next election season? Democrats in Florida have faced stinging losses on the ballot, especially over the past six years. Some point to fundraising issues as the cause. Others point to shrinking voter registration numbers. At Leadership Blue, an annual Democratic conference, several elected officials and party leaders agreed on one thing: they have a messaging problem, and President Donald Trump might help them solve it. Democrats mentioned immigration, tariffs and potential cuts to healthcare as issues that have caused division in Florida districts that voted Republican. Deportations in South Florida were central to the discussion, with issues like revoking Temporary Protected Status, instating travel bans and targeting immigrants who have not committed crimes roiling Hispanic communities. 'I think what's happening from the federal government being compounded by the state government, in terms of immigration, gives us an opening,' said Samuel Vilchez Santiago, chairman of the Orange County Democrats. Last year, Trump and Florida Republicans put a message out that they were for the working class, said Santiago, who is Venezuelan-American. He said Hispanic communities in Florida, many of which helped the Republican Party win competitive districts in Miami-Dade County, believed Trump would deliver on promises to lower the cost of living. But Democrats say Trump has failed to deliver, and they plan to take advantage of it. Those unfulfilled promises, combined with growing negative sentiment toward immigration enforcement, may give them an edge during next year's midterms, Santiago said. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who paid a visit to Leadership Blue, felt the same. Beshear, a Democratic governor in a red state, thinks Florida Democrats have a way to portray themselves as people that can bring change. 'What you'll start seeing is people who don't just feel regret, but they feel betrayal,' Beshear said, speaking about Trump's campaign promises. 'Because someone who told them they were focused on them is now telling them their kids have too many toys.' As a whole, though, some admit they could have done better with reaching out this past election cycle. Millie Herrera, a longtime Democrat and part of the party's budget and finance committee, thinks the party could improve in reaching out to every Hispanic community in Florida. Herrera, who is Cuban-American, thinks it's time to organize locally and year-round, rather than just during election season. In her Hialeah community where she runs a small business, she said she often hears Hispanic people say that Trump had promised to only deport criminals. The Democrats knew that wasn't true, she said, but failed to communicate that. This time, she is confident they will do better. 'We have always been for working people,' Herrera said. 'We have always been for immigrant communities. Maybe what we need to concentrate in our message is reminding them who has been there for us.' Present at Leadership Blue and handing out blue jolly ranchers to attendees, David Jolly, the former Republican congressman who announced his run for governor of Florida as a Democrat on June 5, said Florida is ready for a change and ready to build a coalition that leads with democratic values. While previously acknowledging Democrats have failed voters in the past, Jolly is hopeful Florida is ready for a change: A Democrat governor. 'This is a Democratic party that is united, and united to win,' Jolly said. Recent ups and downs Wins have been hard to come by for Florida Democrats. In April, Democrats witnessed defeats in two special elections for Florida congressional seats despite creating a stir by outraising Republican candidates. But even in defeat, Democrats celebrated because they outdid their previous numbers in both districts, viewed as deep-red and won in November by Trump by over 30 points. Josh Weil and Gay Valimont, running to representdistricts on the eastern coast of Florida and Pensacola, respectively, narrowed the gap to under 20 points each in their races. At the time, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power likened the Democrats' campaigns to 'setting millions of dollars on fire.' But Democrats see it differently. Because they overperformed, Santiago said, it's a sign that grassroots fundraising is the right path for the party. Weil raised around $15 million, with the majority of it coming from donations that were $200 or less. Weil, who launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate last week, said the last couple of years have been tough. As a public school teacher and single father navigating the rising costs of living, he said Floridians are unsatisfied. 'People are really disappointed in what they have right now, particularly in our red districts here in Florida,' Weil said. But becoming competitive again in Florida will be a challenge. Florida Democrats have increasingly lost ground in a state that was once considered purple. Over the past six years, Republicans have won by wider and wider margins in elections for both state and national office. The 2018 midterms were the last to deliver something resembling success for the Florida Democrats. They gained two Congressional seats, seven Florida Legislature seats and one statewide seat — with current party Chairwoman Nikki Fried winning the race for commissioner of agriculture. Since then, Republicans have surged in the state, securing super-majorities in the Florida Legislature, expanding GOP dominance in the Florida congressional delegation and ending the days when Florida was known as the nation's largest swing state. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis — who likes to compare the Florida Democratic Party to roadkill — both won their most recent races in the state by double digits. In November, Miami-Dade County voted Republican for the first time in a presidential election since 1988. Alongside Miami-Dade, other left-leaning metro areas in the state swung red as well: Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Duval County and Osceola County. Pouring salt on the wound, state Sen. Jason Pizzo, who served as the Senate Democratic leader in the Florida Legislature, told his colleagues earlier this year that he was changing his party affiliation, saying the Democratic Party is 'dead' in Florida. Pizzo now says he'll run for governor as an independent candidate. Still, Fried — who said Pizzo's resignation as party leader was 'one of the best things to happen to the party in years' — said Democrats in Florida are united and the party's message is succinct. She said she wants people to know that the Democrats are not giving up on them. Despite disdain or criticism from former members of the party, Fried said the party embraces a culture of respect where everyone is welcome, feels seen, is listened to and has a say. 'We talk with one voice, and we really have created a coalition in our state that people feel like you don't have to always agree with everybody inside the party,' Fried said. 'That's what the benefit of being a Democrat is — we are a big tent, which means there's going to be different sides of the spectrum.'

Newsweek

37 minutes ago

• Newsweek

Map Shows Where US Strikes Hit in Iran

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A map shows where the U.S. struck three of Iran's main nuclear sites on Saturday, bringing the U.S. directly into the conflict between Iran and Israel after speculation over whether America's self-styled role as peacemaker-in-chief would embroil Washington in Israel's large-scale attacks. Trump said on Saturday evening that the U.S. had carried out "massive precision strikes" to take out Tehran's nuclear enrichment facilities and its ability to make a nuclear weapon. The strikes were a "spectacular military success," Trump said. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." The U.S. struck Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Trump said. Israel launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists—as well as the country's ballistic missile sites and other military assets—late on June 12 U.S. ET. Among those targets were Natanz, Iran's most significant nuclear enrichment site, and Isfahan, to the southwest of Natanz. North to south: a Newsweek map shows Iran's key nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. North to south: a Newsweek map shows Iran's key nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Newsweek But Israel could not effectively target Iran's nuclear program at Fordow, which Iran built under a mountain south of Tehran. Only the U.S.'s B-2 heavy stealth bombers and massive munitions work for that type of attack, experts said. An unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that B-2s were involved in the strikes on Saturday after the news agency reported that the U.S. had moved heavy bombers to the Pacific island of Guam. The U.S. hit Natanz and Isfahan with Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles, two senior Pentagon officials told CBS News. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but senior officials have publicly debated developing a nuclear weapon. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said just ahead of the start of Israel's strike campaign that Tehran was not cooperating with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years. Iran said it would get a new enrichment site in a "secure location" up and running. Israel and the U.S., as well as other countries allied with Washington, have insisted it is not acceptable for Iran to gain a nuclear weapon. What Has Iran Said? Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had threatened the U.S. with "irreparable damage" if Washington became involved in strikes on the country. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in the hours before the U.S. strikes that Washington's involvement would be "very, very dangerous." "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences," the minister said in later remarks posted to social media on Sunday. Trump, in his own post to the Truth Social platform, said any Iranian retaliation against the U.S. would bring fresh American attacks "GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT." Fordow, the Site Israel Couldn't Reach "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Trump said in a post to Truth Social late U.S. time on Saturday. Experts said it would likely take several of American GBU-57/B bombs—weighing in at a massive 30,000 pounds—to take out more than just the entrance to Fordow. Manan Raeisi, an Iranian lawmaker in the city of Qom, close to the site, told the country's semi-official Tasnim news agency that "critical infrastructure remains intact" at Fordow. Satellite imagery captured by Maxar on July 30, 2025, and provided by Google Earth shows the entrance to Iran's Fordow underground nuclear facilities. Satellite imagery captured by Maxar on July 30, 2025, and provided by Google Earth shows the entrance to Iran's Fordow underground nuclear facilities. Maxar/Google Earth "What was hit was mostly on the ground and fully restorable," Raeisi said. "Trump's bluff about destroying Fordow is laughable." Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, told the BBC on Sunday that Iran's nuclear program "has been hit substantially." The IAEA said on Sunday it had not detected any increase in off-site radiation after the strikes on the three sites. Iranian state media reported key nuclear sites had been evacuated ahead of U.S. attacks, with enriched uranium moved "to a safe location." Satellite imagery captured by Maxar, a space technology firm, on Thursday and Friday showed "unusual" vehicle activity at the entrance to the underground facility at Fordow.

Indianapolis Star

40 minutes ago

• Indianapolis Star

I'm here to challenge you and hopefully earn your trust

By now you may have read my two latest columns on the death penalty and solar farms, and wondered where I'm coming from as the newest member of the opinion section at IndyStar. Before I came to the newsroom, I worked for the Indiana Senate as a press secretary for the Republican caucus. Those reading that from the left or right might incorrectly assume that means I'm here to spout Republican talking points. The truth is, my drive for moral consistency and fairness means I'm unafraid to take positions you might not expect. I'm not here to make cheap shots, deliver hot takes or adopt stances that will leave any reader feeling complacent. Investigative and opinion journalism has played a vital role in expanding my worldview and challenging my thinking in the past, and I hope to provide a similar challenge to my readers, regardless of partisan leanings. While I'm here, I hope to stay true to that goal and gain your trust. Trust has never been so important at a time when the average person in our state probably feels abandoned by legacy media and disconnected from their community. Anyone can easily find a near-constant influx of doom-and-gloom, sensationalist punditry and incomplete narratives on social media, but long-term exposure can make them feel voiceless and weak. Local media has an imperative to validate itself and provide people with a valuable connection to their local communities, where they have the greatest ability to make a difference. Throughout my time in health care, education and public relations, I saw local media drive many important conversations this way. During my time as an investigative journalist, while managing a small news outlet, I was shocked by the outsized influence it had on the city and state. When reporting and investigative work is complemented by thought-provoking commentary with a connection to the local community, a newsroom's impact can stretch far beyond its readers. This is something IndyStar has been successful at for years, thanks to my boss, James Briggs, the other excellent people in our newsroom, and IndyStar's parent company, Gannett, which continues to invest in our opinion section. As IndyStar continues to evolve to make sure it represents and meets the needs of the city and state it serves, I'm excited to be a part of it and hit the ground running. I hope my readers will reach out to let me know what issues matter most to them.