Jim Jordan, who leads the House Judiciary Committee, is starting a new investigation into a lawyer named J.P. Cooney. Cooney worked on Trump’s January 6th case. Jordan has asked the Justice Department to provide all their files about reviews or checks on Cooney.
This is part of Jordan’s ongoing efforts to look into the people who are investigating former President Trump.
Jordan began this new investigation after the Justice Department’s inspector general released a report on how they sentenced Trump ally Roger Stone. Whistleblower Aaron Zelinsky reported political pressure to change Stone’s sentence.
Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and tampering with witnesses. The report focused on former Attorney General Bill Barr and found no unfair political pressure on the prosecutors despite disagreements about Stone’s sentence.
Cooney, who was in charge of the fraud and public corruption section, helped with Stone’s case. Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress and tampering with witnesses. The report focused on former Attorney General Bill Barr and found no unfair political pressure on the prosecutors, even though there was a disagreement about how tough they should be on Stone’s sentence.
The report discusses Cooney and other prosecutors, saying their worries about politics influencing the case were reasonable. However, it also says that Cooney sharing these worries with his team was not a good idea.
The report explains that the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., had already discussed Stone’s sentence when Timothy Shea, the interim U.S. attorney, talked with Attorney General Barr. They decided on a sentence shorter than the usual guidelines.
Later, Shea allowed the prosecutors to suggest a sentence that matched the guidelines. When Barr saw that the memo didn’t match what he and Shea had discussed, he quickly said it needed to be changed, just hours before Trump criticized the original recommendation on social media.
The report didn’t find Barr guilty of any wrongdoing. Still, it did say that the whistleblower, Zelinsky, was right to worry about political pressure to change the memo. Zelinsky had shared his concerns with Cooney, who seemed to agree.
The report explains that Cooney, who was in charge of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, was worried that political influences might affect Stone’s sentence because of Stone’s connection to President Trump and Timothy Shea’s new appointment as the interim U.S. Attorney.
Cooney’s lawyer disagreed with the report, saying it could make people afraid to discuss concerns about political influence in the future. The lawyer argued that Cooney’s worries were based on his experience and the situation, not just guesses.
Jordan is asking for more details from the Office of Professional Responsibility about their actions to ensure fair and unbiased justice, especially after serious accusations against another lawyer on Jack Smith’s team.
But Jordan is just getting warmed up.
Jordan is also looking into Loren Merchan, the daughter of the judge who handled former President Trump’s criminal trial. Before the trial started, Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Juan Merchan to step down from the case because his daughter worked for a company that helps Democratic clients.
Trump’s lawyers said Loren Merchan had a financial interest in the case because she owned part of and was a leader at Authentic Campaigns, Inc. This company works with big Democratic politicians like President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. They said it is one of the top vendors for the upcoming 2024 election.
Jordan wrote Loren Merchan about her work with Vice President Kamala Harris. He pointed out that her company earned over $7 million while working for Harris. After Harris left the primary race, Loren was promoted to company president. The company also worked on the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign, handling tasks like social media and digital ads.
Jordan said that because the company works with prominent Democrats, there might be a concern that Loren and her company could benefit financially from Trump’s legal case. He is asking for records about the company’s work related to Trump’s case and any communication between Loren and her father.
Despite this, Democrats deny any political motivations in their legal persecution of former President Donald Trump.