Loretta Lunch hired to defend the NFL to fight Brian Flores lawsuit

The National Football League has hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to defend it in a high-profile race discrimination case filed earlier this month by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

Lynch, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is working with the law firm’s chairman Brad Karp on the litigation, according to four sources familiar with the situation.

Lynch has a legal history with the NFL.

She was tapped by the New York-based NFL in late 2020 to work on an inquiry into claims of misconduct involving owners of what was then called the Washington Football Team.

[SOURCE: BLOOMBERG LAW]

DHS Debunks Trump Claim That Loretta Lynch Let Russian Lawyer Into U.S.

In his attempts to tarnish President Obama, Donald Trump tries to find a way to blame Obama or his administration for all of his problems. He now blames Obama appointee Loretta Lynch for letting the Russian lawyer into the country that his son foolishly spoke to and attempted to collude with in an attempt to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. Of course like most Trump claims this one isn't true either and the Department of Homeland Security has been quick to point that fact out. George L. Cook III African American Reports.

In the days before her June 2016 meeting with Donald Trump, Jr. and other top Trump campaign aides, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was granted a visa by the US State Department to enter the country.

"In Sept. 2015, DHS paroled Natalia Veselnitskaya into the U.S. in concurrence with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, allowing her to participate in a client’s legal proceedings," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to BuzzFeed News Thursday night.

"Ms. Veselnitskaya was subsequently paroled into the U.S. several times between 2015 and 2016, ending in February 2016. In June 2016, she was issued a B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa by the U.S. Department of State," it said.

The statement contradicts remarks made by President Donald Trump earlier Thursday, suggesting that the Russian lawyer had somehow been allowed into the US by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“Somebody said that her visa or her passport to come into the country was approved by Attorney General Lynch,” Trump said at a press conference in Paris. “Now, maybe that's wrong. I just heard that a little while ago, but a little surprised to hear that. So, she was here because of Lynch."

Almost immediately, a spokesperson for Lynch put out a statement insisting that she had no authority over whether or not the Russian lawyer was allowed to enter the country.

"Lynch, as the former head of the Justice Department, does not have any personal knowledge of Ms. Veselnitskaya's travel,” the statement said.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it granted Veselnitskaya special permission to enter the US in 2015, so that she could participate in a civil court case involving her client, the Russian-owned investment company Prevezon Holdings. The parole status was granted at the behest of the Department of Justice, specifically the Manhattan US Attorney's office, which had accused Prevezon of a massive money laundering scheme.

The timeline of Veselnitskaya's parole status appears to line up with statements she made in court during that case, in which she claimed that she had been denied a visa but granted parole so she could represent Prevezon. But in January 2016, after Veselnitskaya filed an affidavit saying that her parole status would soon expire, Justice Department lawyers told the court that her presence in the US, was no longer necessary.

Veselnitskaya's parole subsequently expired in February 2016, according to DHS. When she returned to the US in June, it was under a standard visitor's visa, newly issued by the State Department. It is not clear what prompted the State Department to change course on its decision to grant Veselnitskaya a visa.

But it was on that trip that Veselnitskaya met with key aides for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, on the premise that she would provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton. She remained in the US until at least the following week, when she traveled to Washington, DC, to push members of Congress into repealing the Magnitsky Act.

[SOURCE: BUZZFEED]

Loretta Lynch not happy with FBI Director James Comey letter to Congress

On Friday, James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, acting independently of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, sent a letter to Congress saying that the F.B.I. had discovered e-mails that were potentially relevant to the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private server. Coming less than two weeks before the Presidential election, Comey’s decision to make public new evidence that may raise additional legal questions about Clinton was contrary to the views of the Attorney General, according to a well-informed Administration official. Lynch expressed her preference that Comey follow the department’s longstanding practice of not commenting on ongoing investigations, and not taking any action that could influence the outcome of an election, but he said that he felt compelled to do otherwise.

Comey’s decision is a striking break with the policies of the Department of Justice, according to current and former federal legal officials. Comey, who is a Republican appointee of President Obama, has a reputation for integrity and independence, but his latest action is stirring an extraordinary level of concern among legal authorities, who see it as potentially affecting the outcome of the Presidential and congressional elections.

“You don’t do this,” one former senior Justice Department official exclaimed. “It’s aberrational. It violates decades of practice.” The reason, according to the former official, who asked not to be identified because of ongoing cases involving the department, “is because it impugns the integrity and reputation of the candidate, even though there’s no finding by a court, or in this instance even an indictment.”

Traditionally, the Justice Department has advised prosecutors and law enforcement to avoid any appearance of meddling in the outcome of elections, even if it means holding off on pressing cases. One former senior official recalled that Janet Reno, the Attorney General under Bill Clinton, “completely shut down” the prosecution of a politically sensitive criminal target prior to an election. “She was adamant—anything that could influence the election had to go dark,” the former official said.

[SOURCE: THE NEW YORKER]

Loretta Lynch comments on Terence Crutcher, Keith Lamont Scott shootings

A the International Bar Association’s 2016 Annual Conference on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch commented on the police-shooting deaths of two black men in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C., according to a Department of Justice press release. She made the following comments:

“On Monday the Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” she said. “As always, the Justice Department will be thorough, impartial and exhaustive in reaching a determination about this incident.”

“The Department of Justice is aware of, and we are assessing, the incident that led to the death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte. We are in regular contact with local authorities as their investigation into the shooting begins to unfold,” Lynch added.

“These tragic incidents have once again left Americans with feelings of sorrow, anger and uncertainty,” Lynch said. “They have once again highlighted—in the most vivid and painful terms—the real divisions that still persist in this nation between law enforcement and communities of color.”

“Protest is protected by our Constitution and is a vital instrument for raising issues and creating change,” she said. “But when it turns violent, it undermines the very justice that it seeks to achieve, and I urge those demonstrating in Charlotte to remain peaceful in their expressions of protest and concern.”

[SOURCE]

Attorney General Lynch speaks out on violence in Ferguson

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, made the following comments on the current unrest in Ferguson during an appearance at the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police:

"Recent events in communities across the country have served as stark and tragic reminders of the tensions that exist in too many neighborhoods between law enforcement officers and the people we serve,'' Lynch told the police group Monday. "One year after the tragic events in Ferguson, Mo., we have yet again seen the consequences for officers and residents when those tensions erupt into violence and unrest.''

"We know that trust is not just a benefit of good police work,'' the attorney general said. "It is essential to its fulfillment. When officers and residents share a foundation of mutual trust and a reservoir of goodwill, residents are more likely to help with investigations: Victims and witnesses of crime are more likely to speak up; and all of us in law enforcement are better able to assist community members when they face difficult circumstances.''

Loretta Lynch Sworn In As U.S. Attorney General

Loretta Lynch was sworn in as U.S. attorney general on Monday, becoming the first African-American woman to fill the position. Watch the video of the swearing in and her brief comments afterward below:

AG nominee Lynch nears vote thanks to new deal

The Senate has reached a deal on a human trafficking bill that paves the way for a confirmation vote on Loretta Lynch's nomination for attorney general.

Al Sharpton launches hunger strike for Lynch confirmation

[SOURCE] The Rev. Al Sharpton's advocacy group and female civil rights leaders launched a hunger strike Wednesday to press for the confirmation of U.S. attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch.

"These outstanding women leaders are taking an exemplary moral stand that should shake the conscience of the nation as to how unfairly this qualified woman is being treated by Senate leadership," Sharpton said Wednesday.

"These outstanding women leaders are taking an exemplary moral stand that should shake the conscience of the nation as to how unfairly this qualified woman is being treated by Senate leadership," Sharpton said Wednesday.

Black Women March to Senate Leader’s Office in Protest Over Loretta Lynch

[ SOURCE] About 20 prominent black women arrived at the ornate office suites of McConnell Thursday morning, asking to meet with him—even if for only a few minutes in the hallway—over the delay in confirming Attorney General-designate Loretta Lynch. They were told McConnell was too busy. The women did meet with McConnell's chief of staff for about 20 minutes.

The group that arrived at his door included Williams-Skinner; attorney Barbara Arnwine, president of the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights; Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Sheila Tyson, a city councilwoman from Birmingham, Ala.; and Marcia Dyson, CEO of the Women's Global Initiative.

They asserted that the treatment of Lynch was a double standard rarely if ever applied to any other nominee for attorney general. Lynch, a career prosecutor who earned a degree from Harvard Law in 1984, has already been confirmed by the Senate twice before. If confirmed currently, Lynch would be the first African-American female attorney general of the 82 individuals who have been confirmed over 225 years.

Lynch has now waited longer for confirmation than any other attorney general nominee in 31 years, and longer than the last five nominees combined. The average wait time for an attorney general nominee is 18 days. Lynch, who has nominated by President Barack Obama Nov. 8, has now waited 138 days.

Some black leaders say Lynch's race playing role in nomination delay

Loretta Lynch's nearly stalled attorney general nomination is becoming rallying cry for liberals who say Republicans are purposefully delaying a vote.

Some black leaders suggested Tuesday Lynch's race could be playing a role in the delay of her confirmation.

President Barack Obama nominated Lynch, who would be the first African-American woman to lead the Justice Department, in November.

"Never ever did we expect that it would take four months in order to get this done. So then one must wonder, what are the reasons? I think race certainly can be considered as a major factor in the reason for this delay, but it's also the irrationality of the new Republicans," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina, head of the Congressional Black Caucus, on a conference call Tuesday. Butterfield said the GOP has been influenced by its "extreme Tea Party right wing."

Read more: Some black leaders say Lynch's race playing role in delay

Sen. McConnell holding vote on Loretta Lynch confirmation hostage.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on CNN's State of the Union that he would put off any consideration of Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch to force a vote on a human trafficking bill that Democrats will likely reject over an abortion provision. In essence he is holding voting on her confirmation hostage until Democrats meet his demands. Watch his comments below:

President nominates Loretta Lynch as attorney general

President Barack Obama on Saturday said he is nominating U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general, describing her as a "tough, fair and independent" lawyer. Watch that nomination below: