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Ben Penn

@benjaminpenn.bsky.social

1.3K followers 190 following 110 posts

Bloomberg Law reporter covering the Justice Department [email protected] Signal: benpenn.06

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Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 11

“You caught me,” Mizelle said in a statement. “I associate with smart, hardworking professionals that have achieved incredible success in their careers. Perhaps I should socialize more with people who have spent their entire career as a beat reporter for the 46th most viewed publication in the US.”

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 11

Scoop: DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle is working to get his wedding groomsman & law school housemate installed in a senior DOJ role overseeing white collar enforcement. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ’s Mizelle Said to Push His Groomsman for White Collar Post

Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle, a leading voice in overhauling law enforcement to meet President Donald Trump’s agenda, is moving to appoint his wedding groomsman and law school housem...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 5h

Overnight scoop from Megan Crepeau and me: A grand jury declined to indict 2 Chicago-area ICE protestors on charges of assaulting agents, an extremely rare rebuke that's been a phenomenon in DC, LA & now Chicago following Trump law enforcement takeovers: news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/g...

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Two Chicago-Area ICE Protesters

A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Reposted by Ben Penn

Seth Stern @sethstern.bsky.social · 14h

A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said, Megan Crepeau and @benjaminpenn.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Two Chicago-Area ICE Protesters

A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: We obtained letter showing Trump alerted Senate "as a courtesy" that he's replacing DOJ IG, suggesting he could bypass Congress (despite it being required under IG Act).
"Priorities of my Administration will be better reflected" in new IG. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Veteran Takes Watchdog Role as Trump Shakes Up Oversight (1)

The White House appointed a career Justice Department veteran, Don Berthiaume, as DOJ’s new acting inspector general several months after its longtime watchdog departed.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 5d

News: DOJ instructed all US attorney's offices they "should NOT seek a stay on any civil immigration matters" during government shutdown, breaking from how Trump 1 DOJ handled such cases in 2019 shutdown. Civil litigators being told they're not furloughed.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Seeks to Continue Civil Immigration Cases in Shutdown

The Justice Department has directed US attorneys to proceed on all civil immigration cases during the government shutdown, departing from protocols that restricted work on such matters when federal fu...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 12d

New: DOJ directs all US attorney's offices to prosecute sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children for fraud and other crimes, per internal memo from DAG Blanche.
Story with Ellen Gilmer: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Orders Criminal Charges Against Sponsors of Migrant Children

The Justice Department is directing all 93 US attorney’s offices to prosecute adult sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children for fraud and other crimes, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in ...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Reposted by Ben Penn

Seth Stern @sethstern.bsky.social · 12d

President Trump’s replacement of a Virginia US attorney with an inexperienced loyalist underscores the lose-lose situation facing Senate Democrats, @benjaminpenn.bsky.social reports
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

US Attorney Ouster Forces Senate Democrats into No-Win Situation

President Donald Trump’s politically motivated replacement of a Virginia US attorney with an inexperienced loyalist underscores the lose-lose situation facing Senate Democrats wishing to hold sway ove...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 15d

How DOJ's plan to eliminate a high-performing office focused on consumer health & safety has been beset by confusion and delays, including a disagreement between heads of Civil & Criminal divisions over trans care subpoenas. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Rethinks Reorganization Tied to Gender-Affirming Care Probes

The Justice Department’s civil division is retaining criminal authority on healthcare statutes being used to probe children’s hospitals on gender-affirming care, backtracking from an April plan to tra...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 15d

To resolve conflict, Civil Division has partially walked back plan to transfer consumer protection branch’s criminal authority to Criminal Division. Civil leaders were far more keen to keep the trans cases, while Crim didn’t want them. Civ AAG Shumate memo lays out split jurisdiction with Crim.

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 15d

Exclusive: Trump administration’s criminal probes of children’s hospitals over trans care are colliding with White House’s reorg to slash bureaucracy, leading to a disorderly rollout at DOJ that lawyers describe as anything but efficient. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Rethinks Reorganization Tied to Gender-Affirming Care Probes

The Justice Department’s civil division is retaining criminal authority on healthcare statutes being used to probe children’s hospitals on gender-affirming care, backtracking from an April plan to tra...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 15d

News: Trump's planned nominee for US attorney in Eastern VA, Lindsey Halligan, arrives today as interim chief prosecutor. She's sworn in by Bondi to get to work in an office under pressure to indict Tish James. w/ @suzannemonyak.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...

Halligan Sworn In as Top Prosecutor in Eastern Virginia

Lindsey Halligan has been sworn in as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, two days after another conservative lawyer was installed to lead the office in an acting capacity.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 17d

NEWS: Virginia's ousted US attorney, who resisted Letitia James indictment, is replaced today by Maggie Cleary, an inexperienced prosecutor who recently expressed a desire to end DOJ weaponization for Trump. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 20d

Scoop: Trump DOJ departs from protocols that prevented politicized civil rights hiring to restock a depleted division. At least two new hires were removed or suspended from prior prosecutor jobs while facing complaints. With @suzannemonyak.bsky.social:
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump DOJ Said to Unwind Apolitical Civil Rights Career Hiring

The Justice Department is consolidating civil rights attorney hiring authority with a handful of Trump-aligned supervisors, departing from practices that were designed to avoid politicization, accordi...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 20d

A new front in Trump DOJ's battles with courts on US attorneys:
Delaware's chief judge, a Trump appointee, preempts DOJ's preferred pick for Delaware US attorney by soliciting applications directly to the court, drawing rebuke from DAG Todd Blanche.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump-Appointed Judge Triggers Face-Off on Delaware US Attorney

A Trump-appointed judge is soliciting applications for Delaware’s US attorney, preempting the Trump administration’s selection of a permanent candidate and prompting rebuke from Deputy Attorney Genera...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Reposted by Ben Penn

Seth Stern @sethstern.bsky.social · 27d

A rotating group of four assistant US attorneys, a supervisor, and paralegal have had to be on call starting at 5:30 p.m. every night for a 24-hour shift to handle the federal arrest surge, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social and @benjaminpenn.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Prosecutors Work Overnight in Trump-Directed DC Anti-Crime Surge

Federal prosecutors at the Washington US attorney’s office have been required to work overnight shifts and pushed to charge more cases during a Justice Department law enforcement surge.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 28d

This is the first court ruling on White House/AG Bondi’s targeting of at least 20 medical providers - criminally and civilly - for gender-affirming care. Judge says he doesn’t believe DOJ’s stated reason for investigation.

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 28d

NEWS: Federal judge blocks Trump DOJ's subpoena of Boston Children's Hospital for sensitive records on transgender patients, ruling that high-priority investigation was launched with an "improper purpose, motivated only by bad faith.” news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Judge Stops ‘Bad Faith’ DOJ Probe of Boston Hospital Gender Care

A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s subpoena for personally identifying data on gender-affirming care patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, finding the Trump administration’s high-prio...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 28d

NEWS: Federal judge blocks Trump DOJ's subpoena of Boston Children's Hospital for sensitive records on transgender patients, ruling that high-priority investigation was launched with an "improper purpose, motivated only by bad faith.” news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Judge Stops ‘Bad Faith’ DOJ Probe of Boston Hospital Gender Care

A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s subpoena for personally identifying data on gender-affirming care patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, finding the Trump administration’s high-prio...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 30

Overnight scoop: the last man standing in DOJ’s sanctuary cities working group quit on Friday. The island senior career officials were exiled to - as apparent punishment - if they wanted to keep working under Trump is now deserted. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump DOJ’s Sanctuary Cities Group Loses Last Exiled Member

The last member of the Trump Justice Department’s so-called sanctuary cities working group has departed, marking the potential end of a second term plan to demote and reassign senior career officials.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 29

Update from @maiaspoto.bsky.social: LA federal defenders, citing Alina Habba opinion (& our reporting on Acting US Atty Essayli "overruling the findings of the govt’s own agents & line prosecutors), asks court to disqualify Essayli as chief LA prosecutor
news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/j...

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Jul 29

Deep dive w/@maiaspoto.bsky.social: LA US Attorney Bill Essayli has overruled counsel of sr prosecutors, instructed staff to disregard DOJ policies & forced lawyers to redo indictment failures before new grand juries - once yelling "F*&^ the Justice Manual."
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump’s LA Prosecutor Orders Cases His Staff Say Lack Evidence

In the three-plus months Bill Essayli has run the Los Angeles US Attorney’s Office, he has ignored and overruled the recommendations of senior prosecutors, instructed staff to disregard Justice Depart...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 25

Exclusive from @suzannemonyak.bsky.social & me on continued upheaval at DOJ civil rights division:
- 2 probationary attorneys fired
- Others forced into sections focused on voter fraud & anti-DEI probes
- AAG Dhillon hires "new class of civil rights warriors"
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

DOJ Fires and Reassigns Civil Rights Lawyers as New Hires Arrive

The Justice Department civil rights division’s much shrunken career staff is facing new firings, forced reassignments, and demands for summaries of recent work as its leaders hire outside attorneys an...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 21

3) These revelations surrounding the subpoena for children's health data are fueling criticism from lawyers that Trump's targeting of gender care services is more about scaring providers than building legally sound prosecutions. Please read my full story, with Ian Lopez

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 21

2) Civil Div head Brett Shumate signed subpoena on day he was sworn in, breaking from tradition of career branch chief signing it. But that chief had just resigned, and on her way out the door was asked to sign a stack of hospital gender-related subpoenas. She declined, citing serious concerns.

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 21

Two key abnormalities from our reporting on Trump DOJ transgender care subpoena:
1) DOJ urged judge to publicly identify hospital being investigated, an unheard of posture from prosecutors who typically want to stay covert to avoid compromising a case ...
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Justice Department Expands Gender Care Probe as Hospital Fights

Justice Department political leaders are probing gender-affirming care services at one of the nation’s largest, most renowned pediatric hospitals, as new details show an aggressive strategy to advance...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 21

Scoop: Trump-nominated US Atty in rural Va. has already resigned & is replaced by the man he beat out for the job. Todd Gilbert arrived last month as interim US atty while awaiting confirmation. Rob Tracci was installed as his No. 2 this month & now takes over. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump US Attorney in Virginia Resigns, Succeeded by Competitor

The Trump-nominated US attorney for the Western District of Virginia abruptly resigned as the office’s interim leader Wednesday, and is being replaced by the lawyer he’d edged out for the job.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 18

How a veteran line prosecutor who’s never supervised and is known for working alone leaned on his ties to Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles to land a predtigious nomination to run DOJ’s Criminal Division news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump’s Unusual Criminal Chief Pick Benefits From West Wing Ties

A small-office prosecutor without supervisory experience has leapfrogged into a Trump nomination to lead 600 Justice Department criminal attorneys in Washington—thanks in part to his ties to the White...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · Aug 15

Exclusive: Another Trump US attorney--and 1st one on the border--receives an "acting" appointment to sidestep judicial approval. New Mexico's Ryan Ellison gets extended as his term was about to expire, following public confrontations w/ judges on deportations news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Trump DOJ Extends US Attorney on Border After Judicial Criticism

The Trump administration converted New Mexico’s interim US attorney to “acting” as his temporary term was expiring, the latest chief prosecutor—and first on the border—to sidestep traditional judiciar...

news.bloomberglaw.com