Weissman Prosecuted for Withholding Evidence

Timothy Birdnow

Deputy FBI director Andrew Weissman is facing serious ethics charges in New York.

Weissman, you may remember, was point man for Robert Mueller in his witch hunt probe of President Trump in the early years of the Trump Presidency.

FTA:

Serious ethical charges against FBI Deputy Director Andrew Weissmann are pending before the First Judicial Department Disciplinary Committee in New York. The charges arise from his role in hiding evidence favorable to the defense when he was a federal prosecutor leading the Enron Task Force.The Department of Justice is handling his defense.

According to the DOJ, there was no violation of the rules of ethics, even if Weissmann "plainly suppressed” evidence favorable to the defense—as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Enron Task Force did. Mr. Weissmann, who also serves as General Counsel to the FBI, has pitched his entire ethics defense on the claim that the Rules of Professional Conduct require prosecutors to disclose to the defense team only information that is both favorable and"material.” That may be the standard for reversing a criminal conviction under the Supreme Court’s 1963 decision inBrady v. Maryland, but the ethical rules require more.

So Weissman hid exculpatory evidence. How many other such cases are there? Inquiring minds want to know.

But of course even if Jack Smith or Alvin Bragg or Big Fani get caught, it will be after the election when it will no longer matter.

The Democrats are willing to risk it.

In times past nobody tried to weaponize the law because it was a double-edged sword, easily weaponized by the enemy. Everyone understood that. But the GOOP has gone into complete surrender mode and the Democrats know they can do this and there will be limited response (if any) from  the cowards in the GOP.

Why not do it? When there is no price to be paid there is no reason not to do so.

I'm encouraged to see this, especially in  the extremely liberal state of New York.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 10:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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