ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

Justice Department reporter

Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump mired in Epstein controversy as Wall Street Journal reports on 2003 letter
The controversy over President Donald Trump’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey is outside court during the Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
‘Fear is the tool of a tyrant’, fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey tells colleagues
Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey who as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan worked on cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, has told colleagues in a note that “fear is the tool of a tyrant” and that her firing without reason should fuel “a fire of righteou
 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey is outside court during the Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, prosecutor on Epstein case and daughter of ex-FBI director
The Justice Department has fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a prosecutor in the federal cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference at the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Pam Bondi dodges questions on Epstein and Bongino amid Justice Department turmoil
Attorney General Pam Bondi has refused to answer questions about files related to Jeffrey Epstein and her clash with a top FBI official.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Justice Dept. fires more prosecutors, support staff involved in Trump prosecutions, AP sources say
The Justice Department has fired additional lawyers and support staff who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into President Donald Trump.
 
This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)
Epstein ‘client list’ doesn’t exist, Justice Department says
The Justice Department will not release more files related to the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation despite promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.
 
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
What the Justice Department’s push to bring denaturalization cases means
The Justice Department is ramping up efforts to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who commit crimes or pose a national security risk.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Takeaways from AP’s report on Attorney General Bondi’s comments about evidence in Epstein case
The Associated Press has spoken with lawyers and law enforcement officials in cases concerning Jeffrey Epstein who say they have not seen and do not know of a trove of recordings like what Attorney General Pam Bondi has described.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Mystery surrounds the Jeffrey Epstein files after Bondi claims ‘tens of thousands’ of videos
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s comments about evidence the Justice Department is reviewing from its Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation have fueled anticipation about the expected release of more files related to the New York financier.
 
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
More than 300 charged in $14.6 billion health care fraud schemes takedown, Justice Department says
State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people in the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history that uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Justice Department abruptly fires 3 prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases, AP sources say
The Justice Department has fired at least three prosecutors involved in U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases, according to two people familiar with the matter.
 
Mairelise Robinson, a U.S. citizen who is 6 months pregnant, attends a protest in support of birthright citizenship, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
What’s next for President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order in the courts
A federal judge in New Hampshire has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.
 
This courtroom sketch depicts Kilmar Abrego Garcia sitting in court during his detention hearing on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (Diego Fishburn via AP)
Justice Department says Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face US trial before any move to deport him again
The Justice Department says it intends to try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal smuggling charges in Tennessee before it moves to deport him, addressing fears that he could be expelled again from the U.S. within days.
 
Emil Bove, attorney for then former President Donald Trump, attends Manhattan criminal court during Trump's sentencing in the hush money case in New York, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via AP, File)
Trump judicial nominee Bove denies advising Justice Department lawyers to ignore court orders
A Justice Department official nominated to become a federal appeals court judge says he never told department attorneys to ignore court orders, denying the account of a whistleblower who detailed a campaign to defy judges to carry out President Donald Trump’s deportation plans.
 
Sheriff's deputies walk near the scene of an explosion Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
Man charged with supplying chemicals to Palm Springs fertility clinic bomber dies in custody
A Washington man charged with aiding the bomber of a fertility clinic in California has died after he was found unresponsive in federal custody.
 
Emil Bove, attorney for then former President Donald Trump, attends Manhattan criminal court during Trump's sentencing in the hush money case in New York, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via AP, File)
Trump judicial nominee suggested ignoring court orders on deportations, whistleblower claims
A top Justice Department official suggested the Trump administration might have to ignore court orders as it prepared to deport Venezuelan migrants it accused of being gang members, a fired department lawyer alleged in a whistleblower complaint made public Tuesday.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a news conference about Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the Justice Department, Friday June 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Close ally of drug kingpin ‘El Mencho’ gets 30 years in prison as US ramps up pressure on cartels
Two close associates of the fugitive Jalisco New Generation boss known as “El Mencho” have been brought to justice in a U.S. courtroom as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the cartel it recently designated a foreign terrorist organization.
 
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson speaks during a news conference at the United States Courthouse in Minneapolis, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Minnesota shooting suspect had dozens of potential targets, prosecutors say
Prosecutors say the man charged with killing one Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another had dozens of apparent targets, including officials in at least three other states.
 
Members of law enforcement agencies search for shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, at a house Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Suspect in shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers targeted 2 others that night, prosecutors say
Prosecutors say the man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another went to the homes of two other lawmakers to carry out more carnage on the night of the shootings.
 
This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to the police
The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another has been taken into custody, ending a nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge.
 
Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife who were shot earlier in the day, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Champlin, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and husband killed in what Walz calls targeted political attack
Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers. Authorities have identified him as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, of Green Isle.
 
This undated photo provided by Murray Osorio PLLC shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Murray Osorio PLLC via AP)
Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US, charged with transporting people in the country illegally
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been charged by the Trump administration with transporting people who were in the country illegally.
 
Emil Bove, attorney for then former President Donald Trump, attends Manhattan criminal court during Trump's sentencing in the hush money case in New York, Jan. 10, 2025. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via AP, File)
Ex-Trump defense lawyer Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official, is picked to be federal judge
President Donald Trump says he’s nominating his former criminal defense lawyer Emil Bove to become a federal appeals court judge.
 
The Boeing logo is displayed at the company's factory, Sept. 24, 2024, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes
The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the company to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people.
 
Flowers and candles are pictured as law enforcement work the scene after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were killed in a shooting near a Jewish museum in DC
The man charged with fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington as they were leaving an event at a Jewish museum told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
 
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Justice Department moves to cancel police reform settlements reached with Minneapolis and Louisville
The Justice Department has moved to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, that called for an overhaul of policing following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
 
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at Medgar Evers College Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Justice Dept. investigating former New York Gov. Cuomo over pandemic testimony, AP source says
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after Republicans recommended that he be charged with lying to Congress over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
 
Congresswoman Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., exits the grounds at Delancey Hall ICE detention prison, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J, (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Prosecutors charge McIver with pushing and grabbing agents while trying to stop mayor’s arrest
Federal prosecutors allege Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey pushed and grabbed officers while attempting to block the arrest of the Newark mayor outside an immigration detention facility.
 
Congresswoman Rep. LaMonica McIver demands the release of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after his arrest while protesting outside an ICE detention prison, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J, (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Democratic Rep. McIver denounces assault charge against her after skirmish at ICE center
New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor says she’s charging Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver with assault after a skirmish with federal officers who arrested the Newark mayor outside an immigration detention center.
 
Damage to a building is seen after an explosion in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The FBI is investigating the explosion at a California fertility clinic as an act of terrorism
A law enforcement official says the person believed responsible for an explosion at a California fertility clinic posted online ramblings including a belief that the world should not be populated.
 
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