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"path": "/immigration/2026/06/08/aakash-singh-justice-department-blanche-boutros-trump-broadview-chicago",
"publishedAt": "2026-06-08T10:30:00.000Z",
"site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
"textContent": "<p>A controversial Justice Department official who’s caught the attention of the “Broadview Six” has been in contact with Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office<b> </b>and was involved in Operation Midway Blitz, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>It’s unclear what role Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh played in the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in the Chicago area last fall. </p><p>But defense attorneys for the \"Broadview Six\" are <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump/2026/06/04/trump-blanche-boutros-doj-broadview\" target=\"_blank\" >now seeking records</a> that could tie Singh to that tainted case — if they exist. Charges were dropped last month against the Midway Blitz protesters following revelations of apparent prosecutorial misconduct.</p><p>The question about Singh's involvement in the case comes after his name<b> </b>appeared prominently<b> </b>in a federal judge’s<b> </b>extremely<b> </b>rare<b> </b>decision<b> </b>in Tennessee last month<b> </b>to toss an indictment<b> </b>on selective or vindictive prosecution grounds. It came in the human smuggling case of <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/06/06/kilmar-abrego-garcia-has-been-returned-to-the-united-states-to-face-criminal-charges\" target=\"_blank\" >Kilmar Abrego Garcia</a>, who was charged criminally after successfully challenging his removal from the United States to El Salvador.</p><p>In his opinion, U.S. District Judge Waverly<b> </b>Crenshaw<b> </b>Jr. wrote that Singh pressured<b> </b>a top prosecutor, calling the case a “priority”<b> </b>and<b> </b>asking, “how close do we think we are to charging?”</p><p>Whistleblowers have also accused Singh of rushing the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/04/24/southern-poverty-law-center-indictment-justice-hate-civil-rights-trump-marc-morial\" target=\"_blank\" >fraud<b> </b>indictment<b> </b>of the Southern Poverty Law Center</a> in Alabama, according to Democrats<b> </b>on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.</p><p>A source said Singh<b> </b>is friendly<b> </b>but known for pushing an extreme hard line — an approach reflected in other media reports. He<b> </b>once<b> </b>urged<b> </b>federal prosecutors<b> </b>to<b> </b>“go big and go loud”<b> </b>to generate headlines while charging protesters, according to <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/politics/justice-dept-prosecute-protesters.html\" target=\"_blank\" >The New York Times</a>.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-6e0000\" name=\"image-6e0000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ce4e9a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5a0a94c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b4952c9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh, right, poses for a photo at offices for the Justice Department\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b4952c9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/50ecfe4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b4952c9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1149+0+244/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2Fae%2F7aedcb844521ab5dcad4b664524b%2Fg9krgsywoaeyext.jpeg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh, right, poses for a photo at offices for the Justice Department.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Ed Martin/X</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>In January, he told high-ranking prosecutors from across the country that President Donald Trump was<b> </b>their<b> </b>“chief client,” <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/in-your-face-doj-aide-rides-prosecutors-for-chief-client-trump\" target=\"_blank\" >Bloomberg Law</a> reported. A co-worker also referred to Singh as an octopus with 93 tentacles — one for each U.S. attorney’s office he’s communicating with,<b> </b>according to the Bloomberg report.</p><p>So it’s not surprising Singh would be in contact with Boutros’ office. That’s especially true during <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/09/08/trump-chicago-crime-pritzker-national-guard-ice-truth-social?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=090925%20Morning%20Edition&utm_content=090925%20Morning%20Edition+CID_8198ca4c8936998efce45f5340df929e&utm_source=cst_campaign_monitor&utm_term=Trump%20launches%20long-promised%20Chicago%20deportation%20campaign&tpcc=cst_cm\" target=\"_blank\" >Midway Blitz</a>, which Boutros has described as the largest<b> </b>law<b> </b>enforcement<b> </b>surge<b> </b>in the history of the Chicago region.</p><p>Boutros’s office declined to comment. A Justice Department spokesperson said<b> </b>Singh<b> </b>“oversees the 93 [U.S. attorney’s offices] for the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, a position that exists across any administration.</p><p>“This necessarily entails the advancement of federal law enforcement priorities set by the president, the [attorney general] and the [deputy attorney general],” the spokesperson said. “While [the office of the deputy attorney general] articulates and advances these priorities, career [federal prosecutors] at each [U.S. attorney’s office] work with federal agents to investigate and prosecute individual cases, consistent with the law.”</p><p>Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche<b> </b>served as deputy attorney general until earlier this year, after <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump/2026/04/02/the-latest-trump-says-pam-bondi-is-out-as-his-attorney-general\" target=\"_blank\" >Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi</a> and Blanche stepped into her old job temporarily. Trump has said he will nominate Blanche to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official on a permanent basis.</p><p>The “Broadview Six” case <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/10/29/kat-abughazaleh-conspiracy-indictment-broadview-protests-donald-trump-deportation-campaign\" target=\"_blank\" >revolved around a September protest</a> outside a suburban immigration facility, where a crowd pushed, scratched and otherwise damaged a federal agent’s SUV. From that crowd, prosecutors charged only six people, all largely involved in local Democratic politics, raising questions about <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/03/30/broadview-six-ice-trump-doj-justice-chicago-midway-blitz\" target=\"_blank\" >selective prosecution</a> and freedom of expression.</p><p>Charged were former congressional candidate Kat<b> </b>Abughazaleh, Oak Park village trustee Brian<b> </b>Straw, former Cook County Board candidate Catherine<b> </b>“Cat”<b> </b>Sharp, 45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Michael<b> </b>Rabbitt, musician<b> </b>Joselyn<b> </b>Walsh<b> </b>and<b> </b>onetime<b> </b>Abughazaleh<b> </b>campaign<b> </b>worker Andre Martin.</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/21/broadview-ice-protest-grand-jury-transcript-kat-abughazaleh-trump\" target=\"_blank\" >Boutros<b> </b>permanently<b> </b>dismissed<b> </b>charges</a><b> </b>in the case after<b> </b>U.S. District Judge April<b> </b>Perry<b> </b>revealed<b> </b>apparent misconduct by prosecutors<b> </b>during grand jury proceedings. She said the conduct was redacted from transcripts<b> </b>that had been given to her by the feds.</p><p>Those transcripts could be made public as soon as Monday.</p><p>The former defendants are now seeking attorneys’ fees, and they’ve asked for records<b> </b>of any communication between<b> </b>Singh<b> </b>and<b> </b>Boutros’ office related to their case. That includes “cell phone records from any cell phone used for such communication with Mr. Singh,” defense attorneys wrote in a recent filing.</p><p>The request is “well-supported based upon publicly available information regarding Mr. Singh’s direct involvement in matters of this type,”<b> </b>they added.</p><p>Boutros’ office previously said no<b> </b>communications<b> </b>exist<b> </b>with<b> </b>“anyone”<b> </b>outside<b> </b>his office, aside<b> </b>from<b> </b>local<b> </b>FBI<b> </b>investigators,<b> </b>regarding<b> </b>investigatory<b> </b>or<b> </b>charging<b> </b>decisions. They’ve said that includes<b> </b>anyone<b> </b>in<b> </b>the<b> </b>White House “and all components and offices of Main Justice,” referring to the Justice Department headquarters.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-eb0001\" name=\"image-eb0001\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f89f759/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/98b5943/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b532a14/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"United States Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois at Dirksen Federal Courthouse, Friday, April 3, 2026.\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b532a14/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a8f82b4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b532a14/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6122x3436+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc1%2Ff4%2F7568d8c64464883764506a1a9644%2Fboutros-260407-07.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros sits for a photo at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in April.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>Perry once <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/07/broadview-ice-kat-abughazaleh-chicago-midway-blitz\" target=\"_blank\" >took prosecutors at their word</a> on that. But that was before the judge discovered improprieties in the case. She told prosecutors “trust has been broken,”<b> </b>and the idea of vindictive prosecution “rears its head.”</p><p>A source who had contact with Singh<b> </b>outside<b> </b>of Chicago said Singh was in regular touch with the nation’s U.S. attorney’s offices. While<b> </b>friendly, Singh<b> </b>has also pushed<b> </b>the<b> </b>Trump<b> </b>administration’s extreme hard-line policies,<b> </b>the source said.</p><p>A law enforcement official confirmed<b> </b>Singh’s<b> </b>involvement<b> </b>in<b> </b>Midway<b> </b>Blitz<b> </b>operations<b> </b>in Boutros’ office.</p><p>A third source, who is familiar with Boutros’ office, said Singh<b> </b>was a point of contact on administration policy and its impact on Chicago cases<b> </b>in the months after Boutros’<b> </b>April 2025 appointment. That was typical for someone in Singh’s role, the source said.</p><p>That person also said Singh, a former rank-and-file prosecutor, seemed to be “mindful of prosecutors and how prosecutors think about cases.</p><p>“They don’t think about them like politicians.”</p><div class=\"RelatedList Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center> <div class=\"RelatedList-title\">Related</div> <ul class=\"RelatedList-items\"> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump/2026/06/04/trump-blanche-boutros-doj-broadview\" target=\"_blank\" >Trump’s acting attorney general backs Boutros amid fallout from botched ‘Broadview 6’ case</a> </li> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/06/01/broadview-six-midway-blitz-abughazaleh-straw-rabbit-perry-trump-ice-crime\" target=\"_blank\" >‘Broadview 6’ defendants reflect on case doomed by feds’ apparent misconduct: ‘We didn’t commit a crime’</a> </li> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/05/21/broadview-ice-protest-grand-jury-transcript-kat-abughazaleh-trump\" target=\"_blank\" >‘Broadview Six’ charges dropped as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor admits case was tainted by misconduct</a> </li> </ul> </div> <p></p>",
"title": "Controversial DOJ official eyed by 'Broadview 6' was involved in Chicago deportation blitz, source says",
"updatedAt": "2026-06-08T10:30:01.667Z"
}