Tag: Justice ministry

Chris Wattie/Reuters OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada has been trying for weeks to shift the country’s attention from accusations by his former justice minister that his government improperly pressured her on a criminal case. On Wednesday, members of his party helped him do that by blocking the minister from testifying again about the matter before a parliamentary committee. Mr. Trudeau’s opponents immediately cried foul. “What does this say to Canadians?” said Tracey Ramsey, a member of the New Democratic Party. “That they have something to hide.” The committee is controlled by Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal party. He also told lawmakers that Ms. Wilson-Raybould, who was moved to the less prestigious post of veterans affairs in January before she resigned from the cabinet, was first offered the job of Indigenous affairs minister but turned it down. And Conservatives pushed for the committee to call her back. Trudeau directed his committee members to shut down the committee’s investigation into the SNC-Lavalin scandal,” Pierre Poilievre, a Conservative, told reporters. Since then, the Liberals appear to have been trying to focus the conversation on a budget that will be presented on Tuesday and will outline the government’s priorities leading up to the national election in October. Mr. Trudeau is in Florida this week with his family on a school break vacation.

Donald Trump has mounted another extraordinary attack on his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, blaming him for charges against two congressmen that he said jeopardised Republican chances in the forthcoming midterm elections. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff...... But last month Duncan Hunter, a California representative, was charged with misuse of campaign funds while Chris Collins of New York was indicted for insider trading – over a share tip alleged to have been made in 2017, when Trump was in power. The two men were Trump’s first supporters in the House. Sessions made that call after it was revealed he did not disclose to senators meetings with the Russian ambassador during the election campaign. “These two men have been charged with crimes because of evidence, not because of who the president was when the investigations began.” Trump’s positive remarks about supporters charged with criminal wrongdoing echoed his comments about the case of Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman who was convicted last month on eight counts of tax and bank fraud brought by Mueller’s team. Trump’s implication that the Department of Justice runs politically motivated investigations is contrary to stated DoJ policy. Really sick!” The firing of Comey, which led to the appointment of Mueller, is one aspect of the special counsel’s investigation of whether Trump has attempted to obstruct justice in the Russia affair. Every Day is Extra review: John Kerry on Vietnam, Syria, Paris, Iran … and Trump Read more Many election models predict that the Democrats will take back the House in November, with the votes of supporters eager to see Trump impeached.