Garland intends to release portion of Jack Smith’s report related to Jan. 6 probe
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(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland intends to publicly release the portion of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report related to his federal election interference case against Donald Trump, according to a court filing Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed Trump’s classified documents case, on Tuesday temporarily blocked the release of Smith’s final report in order to prevent “irreparable harm,” while the matter is considered by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prosecutors in Wednesday’s filing argued that Garland has the “inherent” authority to release the report, and they asked the Eleventh Circuit to vacate Judge Aileen’s Cannon’s order and deny the request from Trump’s former co-defendants Walt Nauta and staffer Carlos De Oliveira to block the release of the report.
While defense attorneys had sought to block the release of the Volume One of the report related to the classified documents case — and not Volume Two, which covers Trump’s election interference case — Judge Cannon’s order referred only to the “final report,” and not the two volumes within, suggesting that the entire report was blocked from release.
Prosecutors, in Wednesday’s filing, said, “The Attorney General intends to release Volume One to Congress and the public consistent with 28 C.F.R. § 600.9(c) and in furtherance of the public interest in informing a co-equal branch and the public regarding this significant matter.”
Garland does not intend to publicly release the report related to the classified documents case at this point, according to the filing, though the volume will be available to the ranking members and chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
Trump pleaded not guilty in June 2023 to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities, and took steps to thwart the government’s efforts to get the documents back.
The former president, along with longtime aide Nauta and staffer De Oliveira, also pleaded not guilty in a superseding indictment to allegedly attempting to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Smith has been winding down his cases against the president-elect due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
(NEW YORK) — East Coast residents and lawmakers are again demanding answers after another slew of drone sightings in the region, with the origins of the alleged craft still unclear.
Matthew Murello, the mayor of Washington Township in New Jersey, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that he believes “something’s going on,” expressing concern and frustration at the lack of answers from federal authorities.
“I’m not trying to stir anything up, but we all know — if you just turn on the television — that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion,” Murello said. “They can carry payloads. They can be used for all kinds of really aggressive-type things.”
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday that “many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be lawfully operated manned aircraft, adding there was “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.”
But Murello said those living under the drones are not reassured.
“That’s a wonderful thing to tell your residents,” he said when asked about Kirby’s assurances. “That’s fantastic, until it’s not.”
“Nobody knows what these things are doing,” Murello added. “Best case scenario, they’re just getting video of us. Again, I don’t know why out here. We’re nothing but farm country. If you want videos of cows, I’ll be happy to send you some.”
Murello cast doubt on the official statements suggesting “no perceived threat.”
“We’ve heard that before from our federal government — ‘We’re not looking, we’re not watching you, we’re not watching your calls, we’re not doing everything and don’t worry — we’re here and we’re here to help you’,” he said.
Murello was among a group of New Jersey mayors who wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy asking for more information. The mayors were subsequently invited to a meeting, but Murello said the governor did not attend.
Instead, state police told the mayors they had little information on the drones. Authorities, Murello said, could not explain why some drones are being flown without emitting radio frequencies or using transponders — both of which are required by law when a drone is used at night.
Murello said he had personally seen “a couple” of drones “around my town.” He disputed Kirby’s statement that many of the reported sightings were of misidentified manned aircraft.
“I have no way of telling you how big it was, but I can sure as heck can tell what they sound like,” the mayor said. “And I know that they are not. What Adm. Kirby said — which is a manned aircraft — that just isn’t right.”
“I’ve seen multiple rotor, helicopter-type aircraft hovering above the tree line,” Murello said, recalling one police official who said the drones can be up to 6 feet in diameter. The fact that most are spotted at night makes it “very difficult to kind of get an idea on them,” Murello added.
Reports of drone activity forced the temporary closure of runways at New York’s Stewart International Airport on Friday. The potential danger to aircraft is causing concern on the East Coast, Murello said.
“If pilots don’t see these things and they’re 6 foot in diameter and they hit an airplane — that is not going to end well,” he said.
Senators are also pushing federal agencies for more information. Last week, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim wrote to the heads of the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security requesting meetings.
“We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days,” the letter said, requesting a briefing “as soon as possible on how your agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these incursions.”
The mystery has caught the public’s attention, with photos and videos of alleged sightings proliferating across social media. One FBI official told reporters Saturday that out of the nearly 5,000 tips the agency had received, less than 100 generated credible leads for further investigation.
As the search for answers continues, Murello said he sees “only two logical conclusions.”
“One is somebody knows something and they’re just not willing to tell us,” the mayor said, suggesting potential national security sensitivities around the Morristown Airport and President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course.
“If this is an area that needs to be surveilled in the eventuality that the incoming president is going to spend a lot of time here, you know what? I’m fine with that. Just simply say it’s an issue of national security,” he said.
An “even scarier” explanation is that “we’re the greatest nation in the world with the most technologically advanced military on the planet earth, and we don’t know what the hell these things are,” Murello added. “That’s scary.”
The DHS and FAA have both warned against attempting to shoot down a suspected drone, citing the danger of falling debris and ammunition.
It is illegal to shoot down a drone. Anyone who does so could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Murello said he would “definitely” not advise anyone to try to down a drone. “You also don’t know if you do hit it, where it’s going to come down and where are the rounds of ammunition going to land,” he said.
“But I will say that, speaking with friends of mine that are current and former state troopers, we have the technology to be able to bring a drone down,” Murello added, suggesting it was “absolutely silly” that law enforcement authorities are not authorized to down drones unless they are deemed a threat by the federal government.
“We don’t need to bring all of them down, we need to bring one of them down,” Murello continued. “We bring one down, we figure out what’s going on.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office released this photo of Steven Douglas Lloyd. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — A suspect who allegedly killed a man and made the death appear to have happened in a fall from a cliff — all in a bid to steal the victim’s identity — has been captured following a weekslong manhunt, authorities said.
Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, was taken into custody on Sunday in Columbia, South Carolina, authorities said.
Hamlett had been sought following the death of a man on a scenic highway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, last month.
Hamlett allegedly called 911 on Oct. 18 to report that he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear and was injured, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He identified himself by a different name on the call, according to the sheriff’s office.
The call was pinged to the area of Cherohala Skyway. During a search of the area, the body of a man with identification matching the name given by Hamlett on the 911 call was found on his person, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, however, determined that was not the deceased person’s identity, and that the victim had been murdered, the sheriff’s office said.
The identification found on the victim had been stolen and used on multiple occasions, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators determined that Hamlett, who is also wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation, had been using that stolen identity, the sheriff’s office said.
The deceased person did not have injuries consistent with a fall or bear attack, according to Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones II. The Knox County Regional Forensic Center determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma, Jones said.
Last week, authorities identified the victim of the murder on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains as Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hamlett allegedly had befriended the victim and “lured him into a wooded area to take Steven’s life and his identity,” the sheriff’s office said. Hamlett had known the victim for several months, according to Jones.
“Steven was known to leave home and live on the streets, but kept in contact with his family,” the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Steven loved the outdoors and was so helpful when it came to others. The family was shocked to learn that their beloved son’s life had been taken by someone that Steven trusted.”
Amid the search for Hamlett, authorities warned that the murder suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
The manhunt was brought to an end on Sunday when an employee at a hospital in Columbia recognized Hamlett and alerted authorities, according to the Columbia Police Department.
His identification was verified by the FBI through fingerprints, according to Jones.
It is unclear why Hamlett was at a hospital.
No further details are being released at this time, Jones said.
Hamlett has charges pending for first-degree murder out of Monroe County and parole violation out of Alabama, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Bill Franklin of Elmore County, Alabama, told Knoxville ABC affiliate WATE that Hamlett had pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault in 2011 and was on parole for that charge.
Arrangements are being made with Tennessee authorities for Hamlett’s extradition to Monroe County, Columbia police said.
It is unclear if Hamlett has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Hamlett was known to have ties to multiple states, and his wanted poster had been shared nationwide.
“The sharing of Hamett’s wanted poster led the public, whom is our most valuable resource, to act as our eyes and ears,” Jones said in a statement on Sunday. “After observing Hamlett at a local hospital, a good citizen alerted the authorities and brought this manhunt to a peaceful end.”
(NEW YORK) — Details about the murder of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017 were revealed for the first time Friday during the trial of the man accused of killing them.
Richard Allen is charged in the murders of Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14. The two friends were found dead a day after they went out for a walk on a hiking trail in February 2017.
Allen has pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder.
Police have never released how the eighth graders were killed. During opening statements Friday in the long-awaited trial in Carroll County, Indiana, the prosecutors provided the jurors with details about the murders.
“You’re going to see the crime scene,” prosecutor Nick McLeland said. “It was a gruesome scene. Libby was completely naked. Her throat was cut, blood all over. Abby’s throat was also cut.”
McLeland said the case is about three things: the “bridge guy,” an unspent bullet found at the crime scene and the brutal murders of Libby and Abby, who were found dead near the Monon High Bridge.
According to McLeland, Libby posted a photo of Abby on Snapchat while they were crossing over the Monon High Bridge. After the girls crossed the bridge, they saw a man behind them, so Libby started a recording on her phone at 2:13 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017, he said.
McLeland said the man pulled out a gun and ordered the girls “down the hill.” The girls complied and then, the video on the cellphone stopped recording.
According to McLeland, Allen testified that he was on the trail that day. Investigators also found a gun in his house, and testing showed a bullet found at the crime scene cycled through that gun.
McLeland said Allen also confessed to committing the crime to his wife and mother voluntarily while in jail.
Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin said in his opening statement that there is reasonable doubt in the case, arguing that the state’s investigation was botched from the beginning.
Baldwin questioned the timeline and cellphone evidence in the state’s case, holding up a phone to the jury and saying, “Forensic data on these phones don’t lie.”
Baldwin said the prosecution claims Abby and Libby were dead by 4 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017, and their bodies were never moved until they were recovered the next day. He said the prosecution’s timeline puts Allen in a parking lot near the trial at 1:30 p.m. but his cellphone data shows he was gone by 2:15 p.m.
Addressing the unspent round found at the crime scene, Baldwin said law enforcement commonly used that type of bullet, but police never investigated if an officer was missing one. He also said the owner of the property where the girls were found owns a similar weapon but his gun was never tested.
The defense also argued Allen’s mental health was in decline while in prison, which led to him to confess to the crime.
The defense told jurors they believe the girls were killed somewhere else and their bodies were returned to the crime scene — that searchers saw no bodies or girl’s clothing in the creek on the night of Feb. 13, and witnesses near the crime scene also never heard any screams.
Baldwin also said hair found in Abby’s hand was a possible match to a female relative of Libby, and not Allen. The defense revealed the evidence for the first time during proceedings earlier in the week.
Ahead of opening statements, Judge Frances Gull ruled the composite sketches of a person of interest in the case released by the Indiana State Police early in the investigation will not be used during the trial.
Prosecutors had filed a motion seeking to prevent defense attorneys from referencing the sketches, arguing they were for generating leads in the case and were not used to identify Allen as a suspect in the case.
