GOP Senators Scrutinize Proxy Advisers Over Potential Conflicts
'While your influence over corporate governance has grown substantially, your practices have increasingly departed from sound economic principles, undermining the interests of shareholders and the competitiveness of US capital markets,' Chairman Tim Scott, along with Senators Mike Rounds and Bill Hagerty, wrote in a May 20 letter to Glass Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
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The Hill
5 minutes ago
- The Hill
Bove vote dogged by new whistleblower complaints
Senate Democrats are seeking clarification about whether there is an ongoing investigation into Justice Department official Emil Bove after three different whistleblowers came forward with information ahead of his confirmation vote for a lifetime appointment to the bench. The request from Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) comes as a third whistleblower filed a complaint against Bove, alleging the nominee misled the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bove, previously one of Trump's personal defense lawyers, serves in the No. 3 role at the Justice Department and has been nominated to sit on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. After clearing an initial procedural hurdle, a vote on his nomination could come as soon as Tuesday night. Schiff and Booker ask the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General to confirm for lawmakers whether they have ignited an investigation into Bove. 'As the Senate approaches a final vote this week on Mr. Bove's nomination to serve as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, it is imperative that Senators exercise their constitutional duty of advice and consent with full knowledge of Mr. Bove's actions,' they wrote. 'We therefore request that you clarify for Senators whether your office is undertaking any investigations of or related to Mr. Bove. In the event these whistleblower complaints and other reports have not already prompted investigations by your office, we urge you to undertake a thorough review of these disclosures and allegations.' They argue the three different whistleblower complaints 'paint a picture that Mr. Bove likely violated laws and Department regulations, and abused his authority while acting as one of the Department's most senior officials.' According to The Washington Post, a third whistleblower has forwarded new allegations about Bove's role in ending the prosecution of New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) on bribery charges. Prosecutors who worked the case refused to drop the charges and sign onto the dismissal notice, prompting a wave of resignations. Bove said during his confirmation hearing that the Trump administration needed Adams's cooperation on immigration matters, prompting cries from Democrats that the move was a clear quid pro quo. 'Policy reasons made it appropriate to drop the charges,' Bove said at the time. He has already been accused by whistleblower Erez Reuveni of suggesting the Justice Department defy any court orders blocking the Trump administration from deporting migrants to a foreign prison under the Alien Enemies Act, saying DOJ might have to tell the courts 'f–k you.' A second whistleblower has stepped forward with information they say corroborates Reuveni's allegations. A judge has since begun a probe into whether the Justice Department defied his order to halt or turn around flights carrying Venezuelan men deported under the Alien Enemies Act, finding probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his order to immediately halt deportations. Bove has said he could not recall whether he used the expletive but said during his confirmation hearing that he 'certainly conveyed the importance of the upcoming operation.' Details are scarce on the third whistleblower complaint. 'A new whistleblower, whose disclosures have not been publicized, has strong evidence that Emil Bove was not truthful to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing for his nomination to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals,' Peter Carr, a spokesman for Justice Connection said in a statement. The group, a DOJ alumni group that assists whistleblowers, was asked to release a statement on the whistleblower's behalf. 'The whistleblower has tried to share this information with Republican senators for weeks and they have not provided any response. We urge the senators to hear from this whistleblower before the final vote on his nomination.' The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. GOP members have not stopped by Booker's office to review the documents provided by the latest whistleblower, the Post reported. Committee members asked Bove questions on a number of topics. Beyond whether he encouraged defiance of court orders, he was also asked about leading the effort to fire prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and collecting a list of FBI agents who worked on investigations into rioters. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) backed Bove out of the committee, saying that while he will not confirm those who condoned Jan. 6, he did not feel the nominee had condoned the riots. Bove advanced after an initial round of voting where Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were the only GOP members to vote against him. Democrats previously demanded a hearing with Reuveni, but the panel's Republicans blocked it. 'Another whistleblower has come forward with evidence that raises serious concerns with Emil Bove's misconduct,' Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said. 'This is another damning indictment of a man who should never be a federal judge—and Senate Republicans will bear full responsibility for the consequences if they rubber stamp Mr. Bove's nomination.'
The Hill
5 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump trade policies less damaging than expected: IMF
President Trump's trade policies are less damaging than expected, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgrading the projections of global economic growth for this year and 2026. The IMF, a Washington-based financial institution that works on facilitating international trade and sustained economic growth, projected a 3 percent global economic growth for 2025, 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous forecast from April, according to its Tuesday report. The organization, which consists of 190 member countries, is also projecting a 3.1 percent growth in 2026, 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous forecast. 'This reflects stronger-than-expected front-loading in anticipation of higher tariffs; lower average effective US tariff rates than announced in April; an improvement in financial conditions, including due to a weaker US dollar; and fiscal expansion in some major jurisdictions,' the IMF said in the new 12-page report. Similarly to the April findings, global headline inflation is expected to dip 4.2 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year. 'The overall picture hides notable cross-country differences, with forecasts predicting inflation will remain above target in the United States and be more subdued in other large economies,' the group said. Companies 'frontloading' imports before Trump's tariffs when into effect, along with the slight tumble of the U.S. dollar assisted in the growth of the world economy, IMF's chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told The Financial Times. 'At the time of the April forecast, we had an effective tariff rate on [imports into the US] of 24 per cent,' Gourinchas said. 'We're now looking at an effective tariff rate of 17 per cent. While 17 is still much higher than where we were in January, there's been some easing of the tariff pressure.' China and the U.S. economies have received upgrades in the IMF's forecast, along with the United Kingdom, which will be the third-fastest-growing economy within the group of seven (G7) this year and in 2026. 'In both tariffing and tariffed countries, elevated uncertainty and volatility require robust prudential policies to safeguard financial stability,' the IMF wrote in the report. 'Crucially, the ambiguous and volatile landscape also requires clear and consistent messaging from central banks and the protection of central bank independence, not only in legal terms, but also in practice,' the organization added.
Los Angeles Times
35 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
White House maneuvers to keep Essayli as L.A.'s top federal prosecutor
The White House moved Tuesday to keep interim U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli in power as Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor, the latest maneuver to keep controversial appointees in positions across the country. Essayli — a former Riverside County assemblyman, staunch conservative and Trump ally — was appointed to his post by U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi in early April. Interim appointees need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate within 120 days. But Trump never moved to formally nominate Essayli for confirmation by the U.S. Senate, where he would have faced fierce opposition from California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff. That left Essayli's fate in the hands of a local federal judicial panel, which reportedly declined to name anyone to the post. Essayli it set to become Acting Attorney after his interim period expires Wednesday, seemingly giving him another 210 days in the position before he has to face any formal confirmation process. Essayli's status was first reported by Fox News and subsequently confirmed to The Times by a federal law enforcement source who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation with the media. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles referred all questions to The White House, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry. The move is the latest sign of the Trump administration's willingness to use legal workarounds to keep its appointees for U.S. Attorney in power as the clock ran out on their interim status. In upstate New York, a judicial panel declined to name John A. Sarcone III, or anyone else, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. In response, Bondi appointed Sarcone to a lower position in the office but effectively gave him the powers of the top federal prosecutor. In a letter to the chief U.S. district judge, later posted by the court, Sarcone said he'd been designated the first assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of New York and is now serving as the acting U.S. attorney for the district 'indefinitely.' In New Jersey, a judicial panel rejected Trump's pick, Alina Habba, one of the president's former personal attorneys who had no experience as a prosecutor before being named the state's top federal law enforcement official. In response, Bondi moved to fire Desiree Leigh Grace, a career prosecutor and registered Republican who the judicial panel named to replace Habba. Trump later rescinded his nomination of Habba and appointed her as acting U.S. attorney. Experts have called both situations legally dubious. Habba's appointment has reportedly halted federal court hearings, grand jury proceedings and plea deals in New Jersey due to questions over her authority to serve as acting U.S. attorney. On Tuesday morning, Bloomberg Law reported that Trump used a similar move to keep Sigal Chattah as Nevada's top federal prosecutor. Her interim term was also set to expire Tuesday. Essayli's time as L.A.'s top federal prosecutor has been marked by controversy. Not long after getting the job, he moved to offer a no-jail plea deal to L.A. County sheriff's deputy Trevor Kirk — who had already been convicted of assault for using excessive force when he threw a woman to the ground and pepper sprayed her while responding to a 2023 robbery in a Lancaster supermarket. The woman was not armed or committing a crime when Kirk confronted her, court records show. Essayli's decision, which was not prompted by new evidence regarding Kirk's guilt or innocence, led several veteran prosecutors to resign. Prosecutors who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation within the office have described Essayli as a chaotic and belligerent leader who seems more focused on advancing the president's agenda than making decisions that comport with the law. While Essayli has taken a hard line against demonstrators who allegedly broke the law during massive June protests against the Trump administration's immigration raids in Southern California, a Times investigation shows he's struggling to prove those cases in court. Multiple federal law enforcement sources told The Times that a number of protest-related cases pushed by Essayli have failed to even secure grand jury indictments, where prosecutors face a significantly lower burden of proof than at a jury trial. Of the nearly 40 cases related to demonstrations or alleged interference with immigration raids that Essayli has filed, just seven have netted indictments, records show. In one explosive moment, sources told The Times that Essayli screamed at prosecutors to disregard Department of Justice rules on bringing cases with weak evidence, insisting they must secure indictments for Bondi. The U.S. Attorney's office dismissed the Times story, claiming it was based on 'factual inaccuracies and anonymous gossip.' The statement offered no specifics about disputed facts and Bloomberg Law reported the same anecdote this week. Queally and Mejia reported from Los Angeles. Wilner reported from Washington D.C.
