DOJ vets say politically charged moves close to election violate norms

Washington — The raid of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's home. The indictment of a prominent Virginia state senator for drug and bribery offenses. The charging of two ex-FBI officials with lying about their roles in the investigation of Hunter Biden.The overt investigative steps that the Justice Department took on these three criminal cases just weeks before the midterm elections were once unheard of under past administrations, Democratic or Republican.Former DOJ officials say Attorney General Todd Blanche's Justice Department has entered uncharted waters in ways that could influence politics as voters cast ballots, in contravention of long-standing policies and practices."The practice and approach has been and should be that discretion is the better part of valor," said Gregory Brower, the former U.S.

attorney for Nevada under President George W. Bush. "If you don't absolutely need to do something within 60 days of the election, the better practice was, for good reason, just don't do it. If the evidence is there, it's going to be there after the election."A Justice Department spokesperson rejected the criticism it has received about the timing of the cases, telling CBS News in a statement: "This Department is following the facts and the law, not anyone's political timetable."A flurry of activityThe very public investigation into Omar involving accusations of immigration fraud, the drug and bribery charges against