DOJ proposes policy aimed at limiting state bar ethics probes into its attorneys
Signage outside the US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department is proposing a new policy that would seek to limit the ability of state bar associations to launch ethics probes into DOJ attorneys, according to a new document posted Wednesday in the Federal Register.
The proposal, which comes amid growing scrutiny of the department’s attorneys and whether they’re complying with ethical obligations in enforcing the Trump administration’s agenda, would seek to empower Attorney General Pam Bondi to request that state bar investigations be suspended pending a DOJ review of any originating complaint.
In the event the state bar authorities “refuse” to suspend their investigations, the proposal says, the Justice Department “shall take appropriate action to prevent the bar disciplinary authorities from interfering.”
It’s not immediately clear what “appropriate action” the department could take to influence state-level proceedings, and the proposed rule does not elaborate further.
The proposal argues that the bar complaint and investigation process has been “weaponized” by political activists in recent years to ensnare officials across DOJ’s ranks into costly and time-consuming proceedings.
“This unprecedented weaponization of the State bar complaint process risks chilling the zealous advocacy by Department attorneys on behalf of the United States, its agencies, and its officers,” the proposed rule said. “That chilling effect, in turn, would interfere with the broad statutory authority of the Attorney General to manage and supervise Department attorneys.”
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
ICE Police and Immigration & Deportation (Douglas Rissing/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security has now picked another state on which to focus its immigration enforcement action: Maine.
On Wednesday, DHS launched “Operation Catch of the Day” — an operation targeting criminal illegal migrants in the state, according to a DHS spokesperson.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin singled out Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and “her fellow sanctuary politicians” for prompting the need for the federal immigration crackdown in Maine.
“We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state. On the first day of operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Under President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens.”
It was not immediately clear how long DHS plans to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Maine or if the Customs and Border Protection agents currently operating in Minneapolis will move to Maine.
Mills, who has had previous run-ins with President Donald Trump over the past year, is running for the U.S. Senate.
In a statement released on Monday, Andrew Benson, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, said people have the right to protest, but not turn to violence, and seemed to indicate a DHS operation was coming.
“In the coming days, if Maine citizens seek to exercise their rights to assemble and protest, it is vital that these protests remain peaceful,” Benson said. “Anyone who forcibly assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer, willfully destroys government property, or unlawfully obstructs federal law enforcement activity commits a federal crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
There was no immediate comment from Mills on the ICE operation in Maine. But in a Jan. 14 video statement released on social media, Mills said she and members of her administration had unsuccessfully attempted to glean any information about the federal government’s enforcement plans in her state.
Mills said the state was taking proactive steps to prepare for the immigration crackdown.
“I have directed the Maine State Police to work closely with local law enforcement as necessary, to provide whatever support is needed in advance of and during any potential federal operations,” Mills said.
She said her administration had also been in contact with city officials in Portland and Lewiston, the largest cities in Maine, as well as the state attorney general, “to coordinate our response.”
“If any operations take place, our goal as always will be to protect the safety and the rights of the people of Maine,” Mills said. “Look, Maine knows what good law enforcement looks like because our law enforcement are held to high professional standards, they undergo substantial professional training, and they are accountable to the law. And I’ll tell you this, they don’t wear a mask to shield their identities, and they don’t arrest people in order to fill a quota.”
Mills said she fully supported the right for the people of her state to protest, as long as they do so peacefully.
She also directed a message to the federal government.
“If your plan is to come here to be provocative and to undermine the civil rights of Maine residents, do not be confused. Those tactics are not welcome here,” she said.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline slammed ICE in a statement on Wednesday, saying the agency’s “terror and intimidation tactics reflect a complete lack of humanity and concern for basic human welfare.”
“These masked men with no regard for the rule of law are causing long-term damage to our state and to our country,” Sheline said. “Lewiston stands for the dignity of all the people who call Maine home. We will never stop caring for our neighbors.”
(SALT LAKE CITY) — Police in Salt Lake City said two people are dead and six others wounded after a shooting outside a funeral on Wednesday evening.
No suspects are in custody and an active manhunt is underway, Salt Lake City Police Department public information officer Glen Mills said.
Police received a call for the shooting shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel on Redwood Road.
Police said a funeral was taking place at the chapel when an altercation broke out in the parking lot and shots were fired.
Of the surviving victims, three are in critical condition and three are in unknown condition.
Police are still determining if there was one suspect or multiple suspects.
In a statement, Sam Penrod, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the church was aware of a “serious incident” outside the church meetinghouse while a memorial service was taking place.
“We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,” the statement said.
Paige Shiver speaks during an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Paige Shiver, a former executive assistant with the University of Michigan football team, said she felt that former head coach Sherrone Moore manipulated her during their nearly four-year relationship she characterized as an “open secret” within the athletics department.
Speaking out for the first time since Moore was arrested last December for trespassing, Shiver, 32, told ABC News that what started out as a consensual relationship became one in which she felt trapped over time. She said Moore, 40, told her he was in a loveless marriage and would soon divorce his wife, and that every time she tried to end the relationship, he would threaten suicide or plead with her not to leave.
Moore “had complete control over me, over my emotions, over my career, and he knew that, and he used it against me,” she said. “Every time I tried to pull away, every time I tried to get out of even Michigan, he always had a way to pull me in and make me feel that I couldn’t leave him because he was so miserable without me.”
Moore was sentenced to 18 months of probation this month after being fired for the relationship. He had faced a up to six months of jail time after pleading no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device. A felony home invasion charge was dropped as part of a plea deal.
The charges are related to a Dec. 10 incident in which Moore entered Shiver’s apartment the same day he was fired, according to police, who said he blamed Shiver for his firing and threatened to kill himself with butter knives. Shiver said she feared for her life and asked him repeatedly to leave.
“He’s six four and he comes in with his hood up, looking down at me, saying I ruined his life and is crying,” she said. “He’s not listening to me. And it’s like he knew he had control over me. He knew he had power over me.”
According to text messages Shiver shared with ABC News, Moore texted “I hate you” and “My blood is on your hands” to Shiver after the incident.
When asked for a response to Shiver’s account, Ellen Michaels, Moore’s attorney, said that “Sherrone Moore has closed this chapter.”
In response to a request for comment about Shiver’s claims, the university provided a statement, reading: “The University of Michigan terminated Sherrone Moore promptly upon discovering his undisclosed workplace relationship with a direct report. His conduct violated university policy, and we expect more from our leaders. The University of Michigan is committed to ensuring a professional and respectful workplace for all members of its community.”
In December, university President Domenico Grasso said the school was investigating the situation involving Moore “to uncover any additional germane and material information and to assess whether there may be related misconduct by others.”
Shiver started as an intern in the program in October 2021 and said her romantic relationship started months later in January 2022. She was promoted to be Moore’s executive assistant when he was promoted to head coach in 2024.
She described Moore during this time as emotionally dependent on her, a relationship she said the department encouraged.
She said she was often told by senior coaches to console Moore “to calm him down” when he was upset, sometimes during game halftimes. She said she went along with it because she feared for her job security. “No one cared about my feelings. They wanted to use me to help him so that they could get through the season,” she said.
“He and other coaches had control over my career, especially him. I mean, he could fire me in a second,” she said. “People knew, but no one was doing anything about it.”
In May 2022, during her relationship with Moore, Shiver said she discovered she was pregnant. At the time, she said her doctors advised she have an abortion to avoid complications from Pompe Disease, a rare and progressive disorder she was diagnosed with years earlier. Moore, Shiver said, told her she “had to do what’s right” for her body. She had the abortion that July.
Last October Shiver says she denied the relationship during an interview with the university human resources department.
She told ABC News that she didn’t disclose the relationship because she didn’t trust the process that she felt had protected Moore for years.
“They knew the things that he was doing to me and no one did anything about it because they cared more about winning football games, not having another scandal, and trying to protect the head coach,” she said.
She waited until December to tell attorneys hired by the university about the relationship.
Shiver is no longer employed by the University of Michigan. She said that, besides her disappointment with the university, she was disappointed that Moore only received probation.
“I don’t think it reflects what he did to me,” she said. “He took no accountability.”
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
