Karen Kadish  //  7/25/19  //  Daily Update

Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. A federal district court granted a preliminary injunction against a new rule requiring asylees to apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach after leaving their country of origin. The Department of Justice opened an antitrust inquiry into tech companies.

MUELLER’S CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.

• Mr. Mueller was generally reluctant to make claims that went beyond his report, and did not engage with either political party’s attempts to use the hearing to color the Russia investigation or to force Mr. Mueller to go beyond the Special Counsel’s report. (WaPo; NYT; WSJ; The Atlantic)
• President Trump publicly criticized Mr. Mueller’s testimony and the congressional hearings. (WaPo; NYT)
• Just Security compiled law and intelligence experts’ views on the Mueller hearing.
• Just Security also compiled experts’ analyses of the Special Counsel’s report and of Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the report.

IMMIGRATION

President Trump threatened to retaliate against Guatemala with tariffs due to Guatemala’s refusal to sign an immigration deal that would require migrants to seek asylum in Guatemala before coming to the United States, reports Elisabeth Malkin at The New York Times.

Tension continues on the new asylum rule implemented by the Trump Administration which requires asylees to apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach after leaving their country of origin.

• A district court in California issued a preliminary injunction against the policy
• A district court in Washington declined to issue an injunction against the policy (ImmigrationProf Blog; NYT)
• This proposed policy violates United States immigration law and is cruel, writes Michael Dorf on Verdict.
• The asylum system mirrors the tort system in that it gives remedy to people who are the victims of others’ malfeasance, but it does not provide protection for those who are victims of natural disasters or other forms of ill fortune, writes Michael C. Dorf on Dorf on Law.

JUSTICE & SAFETY 

Attorney General William Barr admitted that adding back doors to technology for law enforcement access increases vulnerability to illegal access of electronic devices, reversing the DOJ’s former position on the subject, writes Bruce Schneier at Lawfare.

REGULATION

The Department of Justice has opened an anti-trust inquiry into tech companies. (The Hill)