Judge gives ex-officer nearly 3 years in Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffs DOJ call for no prison time
The federal judge involved in sentencing rejected the US Justice Department's recommendation for no prison time for Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the botched drug raid but did not hit anyone.
Hankison was the only office on the scene charged with Taylor's death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in connection with the case that fuelled nationwide protests against police brutality across the US.
US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings said no prison time 'is not appropriate' and would minimise a jury's verdict from November. Jennings said she was 'startled' there weren't more people injured in the rain from Hankison's blind shots.
She sentenced the 49-year-old to 33 months in prison for the conviction of use of excessive force with three years of supervised probation to follow the prison term.
The 26-year-old's Breonna Taylor's death, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice and police brutality protests nationwide in 2020.
Taylor was shot in her hallway by two officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg. Neither of the other officers was charged in state or federal court after prosecutors deemed they were justified in returning fire into the apartment.
Louisville police used a drug warrant to enter Taylor's apartment but found no drugs or cash inside.
Three other police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant in the Taylor case, but none have gone to trial. None were at the scene when Taylor was shot.
The warrant used to enter her apartment was one of five issued that night in search of evidence on an alleged drug dealer that Taylor once had an associated with.
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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump administration delves into MAGA distractions in deviation from the so-called Epstein files
President Donald Trump and his administration have been delving into distractions for their Make America Great Again base in deviation from its handling of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges related to the trafficking and sexual abuse of dozens of minor girls. His life and death have been the center of conspiracy theories, notably among Trump's base, as the feds have been tight-lipped about the evidence collected. The Trump administration has been facing backlash after the Justice Department and FBI said in a memo released earlier this month there was no client list of Epstein's associates who may have partaken in his crimes and Epstein did indeed die by suicide. Trump announced last week he had requested Attorney General Pam Bondi to release certain Epstein files, 'subject to court approval.' 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!' he wrote on Truth Social. Trump and his administration have instead worked to focus on other issues, from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to the names of Washington and Cleveland sports teams, to one of his Democratic foes, former President Barack Obama. The White House denied these moves are a distraction, telling the Independent, 'It's absurdly rich for the media to speculate about attempts to distract the American people when that has been their modus operandi for decades.' On Sunday, Trump took to social media to attack Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, Samantha Power, former administrator of the U.S.A.I.D., and he also posted a bizarre AI-generated video of Obama being arrested and thrown in jail. Regarding the fake Obama video he posted, Trump appeared to have been referring to comments made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures Obama had orchestrated a 'years-long coup' to keep Trump from the White House. On Friday, Gabbard announced she was referring Obama administration officials, including ex-FBI Director James Comey, to the Justice Department for prosecution over allegations they had 'manufactured' intelligence to substantiate the idea that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election to help Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump won the election over Clinton and became president in 2017. House Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat, rebuked Gabbard's claims. 'It's a day that ends with 'y' and Donald Trump desperately wants to change the subject, so Director Gabbard is rehashing decade-old false claims about the Obama Administration,' Himes said in a statement Monday. Himes said every 'legitimate' probe into the matter found 'no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.' Trump has also called for the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians to revert their names to the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, respectively. He even went as far as to threaten the Commanders' new Washington, D.C. stadium deal, writing on Truth Social Sunday: "I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.' On Monday, the Trump administration released more than 230,000 pages of federal documents related to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 assassination. Former Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who has been critical of Trump, called out the irony. 'Trump releases MLK Jr files…. Didn't limit it to 'pertinent' and 'grand jury.' So do the same for Epstein,' he wrote on X late Monday. Also on Monday, the Justice Department announced it honored Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's request for information related to the FBI's handling of its probe into Clinton's emails. The FBI had investigated Clinton's use of a private email server for official communications during her time as secretary of state under Obama. No charges were filed against Clinton. When asked if the administration is trying to distract from the Epstein drama, Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, told the Independent, 'It's absurdly rich for the media to speculate about attempts to distract the American people when that has been their modus operandi for decades, which is why no one believes the garbage being spewed at them. The only distractions are the media's continued obsession with non-stories and their refusal to report on what's actually happening: the execution of the most consequential six months of any administration and the success of the President's agenda.' House Democrats have also criticized their Republican colleagues for blocking efforts to force the release of the Epstein files. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told progressive political YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella Monday, 'For years Republicans promised to release the Epstein files…now they have the opportunity…and they refuse to do so,' adding, 'I have a simple question for the Speaker and Republican leaders and members of the House of Representatives on the GOP side: What are you hiding from the American People?" Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, wrote on X late Monday, 'Ummm so let me get this straight: Republicans have ground Congress to a halt and are considering adjourning the entire House for 6 weeks to avoid releasing the info they have on Epstein? What is going on here?' She was responding to an X post from Politico's Meredith Lee Hill, in which she wrote, citing unnamed sources, the House Rules Committee will likely not meet at all this week amid the Epstein drama and other issues. Congress will recess for August. Hill said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, 'confirms to me it's 'not likely' Rules return - meaning House would leave without advancing immigration and several other bills.' Most Americans think the Trump administration is covering up evidence in the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's federal case, according to a new poll. A poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov from July 11 to 14 found 67 percent of Americans believe the government is hiding evidence related to the late financier. Only 8 percent of respondents believe the government is not covering up evidence about Epstein, while 25 percent are unsure. When asked if the government should release all documents relating to the feds' Epstein case, 79 percent of respondents said it should. Only 5 percent said the government shouldn't release the files, and 17 percent were unsure.
15 minutes ago
Senate Republicans grapple with Epstein case amid reports on Trump ties
While President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein have been public knowledge for years, recent reports highlighting their past friendship before a falling out have forced congressional Republicans to publicly confront Trump's Epstein connections like never before. Several GOP senators spoke out Thursday, a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche informed Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files that the Department of Justice and the FBI reviewed. The officials told Trump of their plan not to release any additional documents, the report says, because the material contained child pornography and personal information of victims. President Trump, according to the Journal, said he would defer to the Justice Department's decision not to release additional files. According to the report, Trump was also informed that the names of many other high-profile individuals appeared in the documents, which the Journal reported was not evidence of wrongdoing. The president has received criticism from several Republicans and conservative pundits over the Justice Department's response to the probe. They have called for more details on the Epstein files. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally, was asked Thursday about what advice he would give the president. "Be as transparent as you can. Get it all out," the South Carolina Republican said. "... The idea that Trump did something nefarious and Biden sat on it for four years, It's hard to believe. Just put it out. Let people look at it." Republican Sen. Josh Hawley told ABC News he was not concerned Trump slow-walked the files' release because of potential embarrassment. "I mean everybody knows that he knew Epstein at some point. There's a video of it. Now, he's said this for years, so I don't think any of that's a surprise that he's mentioned the documents," Hawley said. "Anybody who ever met him is going to be mentioned, so I don't think that's a big deal … but nor is it a reason to withhold the documents," he added. Many senators, such as Republican Thom Tillis, aren't backing off on their calls for the records to be fully released. "I'm where I've been every time you always ask me this question. Release the damn files," he said. "And I doubt seriously, in spite of the fact that the House went home, that you're going to forget about this between now and Labor Day." Hawley proposed partnering with the House Oversight Committee, which subpoenaed convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition in August. "Do a joint House-Senate Committee on this, and have her testify, and assuming she has something real to say, but I think she would," Hawley proposed. Meanwhile, despite their limited power, Democrats are pushing harder and demanding that Bondi testify about what she told the president. "There should be no secret meetings, no secret deals with Maxwell or anyone else … There ought to be subpoenas, if necessary, and compulsory disclosure," Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told ABC News. "The attorney general should volunteer to testify and bring with her all of the files."
CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
Some in Congress want more Jeffrey Epstein material released than White House has sought
Washington — The increasing pressure on the Trump administration to release more details about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows little sign of easing soon. It's put President Trump's allies in Congress in a bind as they try to balance the Republican base's demands for the release of all Epstein-related files against the White House's desire to move on. For now, Mr. Trump has asked that only federal grand jury transcripts be made public. One of the Justice Department's requests to unseal grand jury transcripts has been denied. The Trump administration has asked for grand jury transcripts related to investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007 in Florida, as well as transcripts related to separate grand juries convened in New York that resulted in charges against Epstein in 2019 and against his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking charges in 2021. Some Republicans have rebelled and are backing efforts to make more details public. Meanwhile, Democrats are fanning the flames by trying to force Republicans to take politically risky votes on the issue and accusing the GOP of trying to hide something. "What are they hiding from the American people? Release the files so that the American people can make a decision on their own," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Wednesday that "No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents." A day earlier, Johnson announced the lower chamber would be heading home early as members clashed over the Epstein issue. A bipartisan effort led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California to compel the release of Epstein-related files could have enough support to force a floor vote soon after House lawmakers return from their five-week break in September. The legislation, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, would require the Justice Department to release much more than the grand jury testimony that the president has asked courts to make public. It calls for the release of documents relating to all investigations into the disgraced financier and his accomplice Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case and internal Justice Department communications. It would also make public any records "concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data" related to Epstein and his associates, as well as documentation about his death. Supporters of the legislation said it's necessary because it would be legally binding, unlike a Republican resolution — which may not ever get a vote — that was offered last week as a way to quiet dissent. The resolution from Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina calls for the release of much of the same documentation, but would carry no legal weight if the Trump administration does not follow through. Epstein died by suicide while in federal custody in Manhattan as he was facing sex trafficking charges in 2019. Prosecutors alleged he exploited and abused dozens of underage girls from 2002 through 2005. In Florida in 2008, he pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges — one of them for soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. During Mr. Trump's first term, his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, resigned following criticism of his handling of Epstein's 2008 plea deal when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida. Epstein served 13 months in a jail work-release program after he was originally accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls and young women. Johnson argued the Massie-Khanna effort does not include enough protections for Epstein's victims. He said Congress has a moral and legal obligation "to protect the people who have been the victims of these unspeakable crimes so that their names are not drug through the mud." On Wednesday, three Republicans on a House Oversight subcommittee voted with all Democrats on the panel to subpoena the Justice Department for the Epstein files. The White House has not responded to the latest congressional efforts, although Mr. Trump has referred to the whole saga as a "hoax," as his administration faces criticism over the handling of the Epstein files. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has been looking into Epstein's financial network for three years and has called on the Trump administration to release the Treasury's records. Last year, the Biden administration allowed committee staff to look at portions of the confidential file. Wyden said it shows more than 4,700 in potentially suspicious wire transfers adding up to nearly $1.1 billion flowing in and out of just one of Epstein's bank accounts and hundreds of millions through other accounts. Wyden sent a letter this week to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Justice Department to further investigate Epstein's financial transactions and whether several big banks turned a blind eye to suspicious transfers. The senator's office said the attorney general has not yet responded. The Justice Department has not yet responded to a request for comment. "The Treasury Department's Epstein file contains significant information on the sources of funding behind Epstein's sex trafficking activities," Wyden wrote. "Epstein clearly had access to enormous financing to operate his sex trafficking network, and the details on how he got the cash to pay for it are sitting in a Treasury Department filing cabinet." Lawmakers are also seeking testimony from Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse underage girls. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell on Wednesday, requesting that she sit for a deposition in August "to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations." Todd Blanche, the second-highest ranking official at the Justice Department, is meeting with Maxwell on Thursday at the U.S. attorney's office in Tallahassee. The Justice Department announced earlier this month that a review of evidence in the Epstein case found no indication of a "client list" and said no more files would be released, citing victims' privacy. The decision upset Trump supporters who believe that the federal government has concealed information about Epstein to protect powerful figures.
