The Wall Street Journal - 14.11.2019

A4| Thursday, November 14, 2019 PWLC101112HTGKRFAM123456789OIXX ** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.**

The Justice Department

suggested in a filing that it

had no immediate plans to

prosecute former FBI Deputy

Director Andrew McCabe,

saying on Wednesday that it

would no longer try to keep

documents related to Mr. Mc-

Cabe from being publicly re-

leased because of an ongoing

enforcement proceeding.

A federal judge had given

the Justice Department a

deadline of this week to dis-

close whether it planned to

charge Mr. McCabe, who has

been under investigation

since last year for allegedly

misleading internal investiga-

tors about a media disclosure.

When imposing that dead-

line, Judge Reggie Walton

criticized prosecutors for

leaving the case “in limbo”

and said the lack of a decision

was undermining the credibil-

ity of the department and the

court.

A federal grand jury met in

September to consider

charges against Mr. McCabe

without issuing an indict-

ment, in a sign the case

against him could be in jeop-

ardy.

The judge’s order came in

a lawsuit by the nonprofit

group Citizens for Responsi-

bility and Ethics in Washing-

ton, which is seeking records

about the internal Federal Bu-

reau of Investigation inquiry

into Mr. McCabe.

The Justice Department

sidestepped the question of

Mr. McCabe’s exact status in

its Wednesday filing, saying

only that it would no longer

invoke an exemption in the

Freedom of Information Act

that allows the agency to

limit the release of any infor-

mation related to an enforce-

ment proceeding.

The agency had earlier said

it couldn’t provide the infor-

mation because of the ongo-

ing investigation. A spokes-

woman for Mr. McCabe

declined to comment.

The judge had asked for a

prosecutor from the U.S. at-

torney’s office, which is in-

vestigating Mr. McCabe, to

appear at a hearing scheduled

for Thursday and answer

questions about the investi-

gation. In the Wednesday fil-

ing, the Justice Department

asked to waive that request,

given it would no longer seek

to withhold documents based

on any investigation. Later in

the day, Judge Walton denied

the request.

An attorney for CREW ob-

jected to that request in a

separate filing on Wednesday,

saying that the Justice De-

partment has resisted turning

over information for months

based on the inquiry.

The Justice Department’s

actions so far raise “serious

questions about the govern-

ment’s conduct and the extent

to which it may have abused

court processes to advance its

own interests over those of

the public,” CREW wrote,

adding: “[T]he Court, the

plaintiff, and the public are

entitled to an explanation for

DOJ’s sudden and unex-

plained reversal.”

The DOJ’s internal watch-

dog concluded last year that

Mr. McCabe misled investiga-

tors about his role in provid-

ing information related to an

investigation into the Clinton

Foundation in October 2016

to a Wall Street Journal re-

porter. Mr. McCabe has long

disputed the allegations.

Mr. McCabe, who helped

oversee politically sensitive

investigations related to both

President Trump and 2016

Democratic nominee Hillary

Clinton, has, like his former

boss James Comey, become

the subject of frequent Twit-

ter attacks by Mr. Trump.

Mr. McCabe was fired from

his job in March 2018 just a

day before he was eligible to

retire with full benefits, and

in a lawsuit against the DOJ

in August, he said his firing

was unlawful and part of a

plot to remove law-enforce-

ment officials who Mr. Trump

deemed insufficiently loyal to

his personal interests. The

DOJ has denied the allega-

tions and filed a motion to

dismiss the case.

BYARUNAVISWANATHA

No Plans

To Pursue

McCabe,

Filing

Suggests

U.S. NEWS

these immigrants are required

to wait to a year from about

five months. In the past, the

government was required to

issue a work permit within 30

days of an asylum seeker ap-

plying for one. The adminis-

tration did away with that

deadline in September.

The impact of the new rule

would likely not be felt by

most new asylum seekers, as

the administration is now re-

quiring them to wait in Mexi-

can border cities as their asy-

lum claims are processed in

U.S. courts. But the proposal

would help accomplish a long-

sought goal of President

Trump—laid out in an April di-

rective to federal agencies—to

make the asylum process less

attractive to would-be seekers.

The administration says

that migrants from Central

America, who make up the

majority of those illegally

crossing the U.S.-Mexico bor-

der,aredrawntodosobythe

country’s asylum system. Most

immigrants who passed an ini-

tial “credible fear” interview

were until recently allowed to

remain in the U.S. for years as

their claims wended through

the backlogged immigration

court system. While they

waited, these immigrants were

permitted to work.

Previous administrations

have viewed work permits as a

way of making sure these asy-

lum seekers remained self-suf-

ficient in the U.S. while they

waited. The current adminis-

tration believes the opportu-

nity to work—and send remit-

tances to family members in

their home countries—is a

driver of illegal immigration.

“Illegal aliens are gaming our

asylum system for economic

opportunity, which undermines

the integrity of our immigration

system,” said acting USCIS di-

rector Ken Cuccinelli.

Immigrant-rights advocates

argue that by cutting off the

ability to work, the government

is pushing an already vulnera-

ble group into a more desper-

ate situation. Asylum seekers

aren’t eligible for public bene-

fits such as Medicaid or food

stamps unless the government

grants them asylum, providing

them a path to citizenship.

Last week, the agency pro-

posed for the first time attach-

ing a $50 fee to asylum applica-

tions, making the U.S. one of a

handful of countries to charge

fees for humanitarian protec-

tions. The fee wouldn’t be re-

quired for most people crossing

the border but would apply to

others seeking asylum, such as

those who overstay their visas.

Most asylum seekers who

have crossed the border since

September won’t qualify for

protection in the U.S. at all,

under another policy that bars

applicants from qualifying for

asylum if they cross through

any other country en route to

the U.S. The Supreme Court al-

lowed that policy to be imple-

mented temporarily, but the

matter is still being litigated.

WASHINGTON—Most new
asylum seekers would no longer
be permitted to work while they
wait for their claims to be pro-
cessed, under a proposal by U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration
Services, the federal agency
that handles asylum claims.
The proposed rule, filed
Wednesday and set to be pub-
lished officially Thursday in
the federal register, would
make new asylum applicants
ineligible for work permits if
they cross the border ille-
gally—a path most migrants
follow to enter the U.S. more
quickly. The Trump adminis-
tration has said it wants asy-
lum seekers to present them-
selves at legal ports of entry,
but under a different policy
known as “metering,” it re-
stricts the number of migrants
it allows to enter each day.
Applicants for asylum would
also be blocked from working
if they have committed a fel-
ony or any of a set of misde-
meanors listed in the rule, in-
cluding a DUI.
Asylum seekers who would
not be barred from receiving
work permits—primarily, peo-
ple who cross at legal ports of
entry and applicants already
residing in the U.S.—would
need to wait longer to apply
for a work permit. The pro-
posal would extend the time

BYMICHELLEHACKMAN

Asylum Seekers Face More Work Restrictions

President Trump wants to make the asylum process less attractive. Above, migrants in Mexico.

LEXIE HARRISON-CRIPPS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

jurors, returning to a theme

prosecutors opened the trial

with: “Roger Stone knew that

if this information came

out...it would look really bad

for his longtime associate

Donald Trump.”

Mr. Stone is accused of ly-

ing to the House Intelligence

Committeein2017toprotect

Mr. Trump as lawmakers on

the panel investigated Russian

interference in the presiden-

tial race and possible coordi-

nation between the campaign

and Moscow. U.S. intelligence

agencies and the probe led by

former special counsel Robert

Mueller concluded that Rus-

sia’s interference to assist Mr.

Trump’s election was far-

reaching, but Mr. Mueller

didn’t establish a conspiracy.

The matters about which

Mr. Stone is accused of deceiv-

ing lawmakers include the

identity of his intermediary

with WikiLeaks; whether he

had any texts or emails with

that intermediary; and

whether he discussed those

communications with the

Trump campaign. Mr. Stone’s

attorneys have denied he lied

about anything and said he

was only answering the nar-

row questions he believed he

was being asked.

Mr. Stone is also accused of

trying to intimidate the per-

son he claimed was his inter-

mediary, liberal radio host

Randy Credico, and press him

not to testify before Congress;

Mr. Stone has also denied that.

An attorney for Mr. Stone,

Bruce Rogow, said the govern-

ment’s argument that Mr.

Stone lied to protect Mr.

Trump made no sense, given

that Mr. Trump had won the

election by the time Mr. Stone

testified.

“There is no purpose, there

is no reason, there is no mo-

tive...for Mr. Stone to have

done this,” Mr. Rogow said,

telling jurors that Mr. Stone

had understood lawmakers’ re-

quests to be about only Rus-

sia, not WikiLeaks, and that he

never meant to mislead any-

one.

“So much of this case deals

with the question: So what?”

Mr. Rogow told jurors.

In response, prosecutor Mi-

chael Marando closed the gov-

ernment’s case by saying,

“Truth still matters. Mr. Stone

came in, lied to Congress, ob-

structed that investigation....

That matters, and you don’t

look at that and say, ‘So

what?’ ”

After three hours of argu-

ments, the judge said she

would provide jurors with in-

structions Thursday morning,

after which they could begin

deliberations.

Closing arguments came af-

ter Tuesday’s testimony from

Richard Gates, Mr. Trump’s

former deputy campaign man-

ager, who said he was with the

candidate in July 2016 when

Mr. Trump received a phone

call from Mr. Stone. Seconds

after that call, Mr. Gates said

Mr. Trump told him that more

information would be com-

ing—a comment that appeared

to refer to additional email re-

leases that would embarrass

Democrats.

A federal jury is set to be-
gin deliberating Thursday over
whether former Trump ad-
viser Roger Stone lied to Con-
gress, after a one-week trial
that included testimony from
several Trump campaign offi-
cials, hundreds of vulgar text
messages and many references
to “The Godfather.”
Prosecutors closed their
case Wednesday afternoon by
highlighting Mr. Stone’s exten-
sive efforts in 2016 to get in-
formation about the website
WikiLeaks’ plans to publish
emails stolen from Democrats
and provide it to the Trump
campaign during the election.
“He lied over and over and
over again,” Assistant U.S. At-
torney Jonathan Kravis told

BYARUNAVISWANATHA

Prosecutors Cast Stone as Liar; Defense Says No Motive

Trade talks between the U.S.
and China have hit a snag over
farm purchases, as officials seek
to lock down the limited trade
deal President Trump outlined
last month.

Mr. Trump has said that
China has agreed to buy up to
$50 billion of soybeans, pork
and other agricultural products
from the U.S. annually. But China
is leery of putting a numerical
commitment in the text of a
trade agreement, according to
people familiar with the matter.
Beijing wants to avoid cut-
ting a deal that looks more fa-
vorable to the U.S. than to
China, some of the people said,
and wants to have flexibility
within the agreement should
tensions escalate again. “We
can always stop the purchases if
things get worse again,” said
one Chinese official.
The farm-purchases dispute
is one of several issues that
have delayed completion of the
limited trade accord announced
by Mr. Trump and Chinese Vice
Premier Liu He on Oct. 11.
Both sides are also at odds
over whether—and by how
much—the U.S. would agree to
lift tariffs on Chinese imports,
Beijing’s core demand that is
linked to its offers on other is-
sues. Chinese officials also have
resisted U.S. demands for a
strong enforcement mechanism
for the deal and curbs on the
forced transfer of technology
for companies seeking to do
business in China—all of impor-
tance to the international busi-
ness community—according to
people familiar with the talks.
Neither the U.S. Trade Rep-
resentative’s office, which is

leading U.S. negotiations, nor

the Chinese Embassy in Wash-

ington responded to requests

for comment.

Speaking to reporters at the

White House Wednesday, Mr.

Trump said talks were pro-

gressing. “We’ll see what hap-

pens, but it’s moving along rap-

idly,” Mr. Trump said. A day

earlier, the president said he

was prepared to raise U.S. tar-

iffs on Chinese imports sub-

stantially if the two sides fail to

reach an accord.

Some former U.S. trade offi-

cials and people briefed on the

talks in Washington worry that

China is demanding too much in

talks when an agreement ap-

pears to be close.

U.S. business groups have

been hopeful for a deal in which

the Trump administration

would drop plans to impose new

tariffs on consumer goods set

for Dec. 15 and roll back 15% lev-

ies imposed on other imports

that went into effect Sept. 1.

China’s Commerce Ministry

hasn’t disclosed any agricultural

commitments, and a ministry

spokesman said last week that

the U.S. had agreed to eliminate

some existing tariffs as a part of

the first phase of what could be

a multipart deal. The tariff-elim-

ination comments drew a re-

buke from Mr. Trump.

Robert Lighthizer, the U.S.

trade representative, isn’t will-

ing to roll back existing tariffs

on Chinese imports, including

widely criticized levies on con-

sumer items, unless Beijing

shows more flexibility on Wash-

ington’s demands, according to

a person familiar with the talks.

On the Chinese side, offi-

cials are doing “exactly what

you would expect them to do”

by holding off on making com-

mitments to Mr. Lighthizer un-

til they are sure the Trump ad-

ministration will eliminate

existing tariffs in “phase one,”

said a former senior U.S. trade

official who has negotiated

with Beijing.

Mr. Trump recently said that

he hoped the phase one agree-

ment could be signed in Iowa.

Iowa and other largely Republi-

can farm states have suffered as

China retaliated against the tar-

iffs on Chinese imports with

smaller purchases of soybeans

and other commodities.

By Chao Deng and

Lingling Wei in Beijing

and William Mauldin

in Washington

Farm Purchases Stall Trade Deal

Beijing resists putting

a number on how much

it will import, seeking

leeway with U.S.

China has retaliated against tariffs on its imports by making smaller purchases of U.S. commodities. A soybean field in Iowa.

JERRY MENNENGA/ZUMA PRESS

ChinaSlowdown

WorsenedinOctober

BEIJING—China’s economy is

showing fresh signs of weak-

ness, presenting policy makers

with a conundrum as they try

to weather the continuing trade

dispute with the U.S.

The National Bureau of Sta-

tistics said value-added indus-

trial output rose 4.7% in October

from a year earlier, slowing from

September’s 5.8% increase and

falling short of a median fore-

cast for a 5.2% rise, according to

a Wall Street Journal poll of 15

economists.

Retail sales, meantime,

climbed 7.2% on the year, lower

than September’s 7.8% increase

and missing economists’ fore-

cast of 7.8% growth.

The new evidence of a slow-

down comes against a backdrop

of rising consumer inflation

driven by surging pork prices.

—Liyan Qi