Conservative presidential power expert set to assist investigation into Trump foes
John Yoo, a conservative lawyer who is well-known and notorious in some legal and political circles, will assist in a Justice Department investigation that theorizes a years-long conspiracy against President Donald Trump and is examining several former top federal officials.
Yoo, now a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, was head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush on Sept. 11, 2001, and is best known for writing the “torture notes” used for detainees after the attacks. He is also a national security expert with experience in presidential power laws and an advocate for expanding the powers of the executive branch.
Yoo will advise Joe DiGenova and Victoria Toensing, two longtime conservative attorneys who serve as prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida and review possible cases against Trump’s enemies. Although he has not yet started, Yoo will serve intermittently as a consultant or special government employee on constitutional matters.
Yoo’s addition to the Miami-based investigation is likely to raise new questions about where DiGenova’s work might be specifically directed; some sources describe it as a massive conspiracy that extends from the investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference to the FBI. Search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion In 2022.
“I’ve known Joe DiGenova and Vicky Toensing for over thirty years, so if they and the United States need my help, I’m happy to help anytime, anywhere, with anything,” Yoo told CNN Sunday night.
Yoo’s new role will put him in a similar position to appellate lawyers who have worked on special counsel investigations at the Justice Department over the past decade.
These included: Robert Mueller investigationThe document, which ultimately ruled that Trump could not be charged with obstruction of justice for trying to shut down the investigation into the 2016 campaign during his first term, brought to light allegations made by the president’s political enemies. This also included the office led by Jack Smith, another former special counsel for the Justice Department. Tried to sue and failed Trump has been indicted for allegedly mishandling secret records after his first term.
The Smith investigation ultimately took the question of a president’s criminal immunity to the Supreme Court in a separate case that was dismissed for allegedly conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss against Trump. opinion of the supreme court ultimately expanded presidential power.
This investigation will likely reverse the questions that have haunted Trump and will now look at government officials who contributed to previous investigations of him, such as former CIA Director John Brennan. Brennan was not charged with any crime, but under investigation.
CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
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