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119-hr-7072119th Congress

FAIR Justice Act

Sponsored By: Representative Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]

Introduced

Summary

Bans politically motivated requests to the Department of Justice. This bill would make it a federal crime to knowingly ask DOJ to investigate or prosecute a person solely for a political purpose and would set reporting rules and penalties.

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  • Covered officials face criminal penalties for prohibited requests. A "covered person" would include the President, the Vice President, employees of their executive offices, and individuals (other than the Attorney General) holding positions listed in 5 U.S.C. 5312. Violators may be fined, imprisoned for up to 5 years, or both.
  • DOJ officers and employees must report prohibited or reasonably suspected prohibited requests to the DOJ Inspector General within 45 days. The bill also makes failure to follow the reporting rule subject to the same penalties.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Ban political prosecution requests by officials

This bill would make it illegal for a covered person to knowingly ask a Department of Justice officer or employee to investigate or prosecute a particular person if the request is made solely for a political purpose. "Covered person" would include the President, the Vice President, staff in their executive offices, and other senior officials listed in 5 U.S.C. 5312 (except the Attorney General). Any DOJ officer or employee who receives a request that is prohibited, or that they reasonably believe is prohibited, would have to report that receipt to the DOJ Inspector General within 45 days. Violating the ban or the reporting rule would carry a fine, up to 5 years in prison, or both.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]

MA • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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