Wyden seeks DOJ records on Caterpillar investigation ‘halted’ by Trump admin

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday requesting records on the Trump administration’s alleged “interference” with a criminal investigation into Caterpillar (CAT.)

The letter was sent by Wyden and fellow Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), who said they are looking into whether Trump officials blocked the company’s multibillion-dollar tax fraud investigation, and if former Attorney General Bill Bar — who represented the company before he was appointed to the Department of Justice — fully recused himself from the investigation.

The senators’ request for records comes after they launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s alleged interference in 2021.

City in Oregon named among top 10 family-friendly travel destinations in US

“It appears that senior Trump DOJ appointees squashed a criminal investigation into CAT, one of the world’s largest corporations, when President Trump nominated CAT’s lawyer Bill Barr to be U.S. Attorney General,” the senators said. “Furthermore, it appears this political interference may have also prevented an investigation into a multibillion-dollar corporate tax fraud scheme. In short, it appears that Bill Barr’s work on behalf of CAT minimizing its exposure to federal investigation became the official policy of the Trump DOJ.”

In the letter, the senators claim Richard Zuckerman, a Trump-appointed head of the DOJ tax division, blocked federal agents from reviewing evidence from a court-ordered search warrant and stopped agents from interviewing a key witness in the case.

The lawmakers furthered Zuckerman “blindsided” prosecutors by ordering them to stop the CAT investigation weeks after meeting with CAT attorneys — noting it appears CAT lobbied with DOJ officials to shut down the investigation.

Oregon one of least ‘tax friendly’ states, according to analysis

“These revelations raise fresh concern that the Trump DOJ gave a sweetheart deal to one of the largest corporations in the world on high-profile criminal matters, potentially including a tax controversy involving billions of dollars,” the senators wrote.

They continued, “Mega-corporations and the ultra-wealthy have long exploited their access to the best lawyers money can buy to avoid criminal prosecution. Based on the available information, it would be difficult to imagine a case that illustrates that exploitation in practice more clearly than this matter involving CAT and the Trump DOJ.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.