Ethics and Official Misconduct

• Prosecutors Said to Pursue New Investigation of Letitia James - A longtime hairdresser for the New York attorney general has come under scrutiny as the Justice Department’s efforts to charge Ms. James on other fronts falter.
• The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited. - Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show.
• After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It. - In the 1970s, Congress passed a raft of laws to hold the White House accountable. President Trump has decided they don’t apply to him.
• In Hearing Transcript, Jack Smith Defends Decision to Indict Trump - The former special counsel accused President Trump of “exploiting” violence on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an interview released by House Republicans.
• They, Too, Died After Beatings by Guards. No One Raised an Alarm. - Two brutal killings, less than three months apart, in New York State’s prison system raised troubling questions: Had other inmates met similar fates?
• Hundreds Sue Virginia Hospital and Executives Over Unneeded Surgeries - More than 500 women claimed that they had received unnecessary operations. Hospital leaders said they were not aware of a doctor’s misconduct.
• Mistrial in Case of N.Y. Official Charged With Working for China - Linda Sun was accused by federal prosecutors of selling her allegiance and being rewarded handsomely for influence peddling.
• Pelosi Long Resisted Stock-Trading Ban for Congress, Fueling Suspicion - The former speaker failed to appreciate the groundswell of support for banning the practice, refusing to give an inch amid G.O.P. accusations that she was corrupt.
• The Billionaires Have No One to Blame but Themselves - The first rule of dark money is to quit blabbing about it. Did they think people would thank them for it?
• FBI Agents Sue Patel After Being Fired Over Kneeling at George Floyd Protest - A five-year-old photo of agents kneeling at a D.C. protest after George Floyd’s killing led to the firing of about 16 agents.