Trump administration officials terminated a federal criminal investigation into the coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican and close ally of the president. The now-cancelled probe involved a joint effort by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice to determine if incessant Clean Water Act violations at Southern Coal mining operations constituted criminal behavior.
As prosecutors fought for records, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, headed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, ordered staff to put “pencils down,” shutting the investigation.
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A Justice Department spokesperson said the office determined the case was inconsistent with administration priorities and more appropriate to resolve through the civil process.
Former federal prosecutor Rick Mountcastle criticized the intervention, noting he had “never heard of that happening before” and warning against creating an “untouchables list” of people immune from enforcement.
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