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Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice Hardcover – May 1, 2014
- Print length436 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSidney Powell
- Publication dateMay 1, 2014
- Dimensions6.25 x 1.5 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101612541496
- ISBN-13978-1612541495
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Editorial Reviews
Review
''When you ve finished reading this fast-paced thriller, you will want to stand up and applaud Powell's courage in daring to shine light into the darkest recesses of America's justice system. The only ax Powell grinds here is Truth.'' --Patricia Falvey, author of The Yellow House and The Linen Queen, and former Managing Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
''Last year four government officials demonstrably lied under oath, and nothing has been done to them--two IRS officials, the Attorney General, and James Clapper-which caused Ed Snowden to release the fact that the US is spying on its citizens and in violation of the 4th amendment. That our government is corrupt is the only conclusion. This book helps the people understand the nature of this corruption-and how it is possible for federal prosecutors to indict and convict the innocent rather than the guilty.'' --Victor Sperandeo, CEO and author, Trader Vic: Methods of a Wall Street Master
''This book is a testament to the human will to struggle against overwhelming odds to right a wrong and a cautionary tale to all-that true justice doesn't just exist as an abstraction apart from us. True justice is us, making it real through our own actions and our own vigilance against the powerful who cavalierly threaten to take it away.'' --Michael Adams, PhD, University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of English Associate Director, James A. Michener Center for Writers, University of Texas--Austinor
''I have covered hundreds of court cases over the years and have witnessed far too often the kind of duplicity and governmental heavy-handedness Ms. Powell describes in her well-written book, Licensed to Lie.'' --Hugh Aynesworth, journalist, historian, four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, author, November 22, 1963: Witness to History
Review
KIRKUS REVIEW
A former Justice Department lawyer, who now devotes her private practice to federal appeals, dissects some of the most politically contentious prosecutions of the last 15 years.
Powell assembles a stunning argument for the old adage, “nothing succeeds like failure,” as she traces the careers of a group of prosecutors who were part of the Enron Task Force. The Supreme Court overturned their most dramatic court victories, and some were even accused of systematic prosecutorial misconduct. Yet former task force members such as Kathryn Ruemmler, Matthew Friedrich and Andrew Weissman continued to climb upward through the ranks and currently hold high positions in the Justice Department, FBI and even the White House. Powell took up the appeal of a Merrill Lynch employee who was convicted in one of the subsidiary Enron cases, fighting for six years to clear his name. The pattern of abuse she found was repeated in other cases brought by the task force. Prosecutors of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen pieced together parts of different statutes to concoct a crime and eliminated criminal intent from the jury instructions, which required the Supreme Court to reverse the Andersen conviction 9-0; the company was forcibly closed with the loss of 85,000 jobs. In the corruption trial of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, a key witness was intimidated into presenting false testimony, and as in the Merrill Lynch case, the prosecutors concealed exculpatory evidence from the defense, a violation of due process under the Supreme court’s 1963 Brady v. Maryland decision. Stevens’ conviction, which led to a narrow loss in his 2008 re-election campaign and impacted the majority makeup of the Senate, seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back; the presiding judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate abuses. Confronted with the need to clean house as he came into office, writes Powell, Attorney General Eric Holder has yet to take action.
The author brings the case for judicial redress before the court of public opinion.
Review
Reviewed by John Senger
May 27, 2014
Powell has done the law and every citizen a great favor by calling out an unholy practice of government attorneys.
Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice, by defense attorney Sidney Powell, is a lurid tale of deceit and amoral behavior on the part of government prosecutors. It is so well written and researched that the story makes for a stunning read.
Powell is an experienced trial and appellate court attorney. She has an ability to make complex legal and related factual issues clear to the most casual reader and has applied these skills to revealing the practice of US attorneys deliberately suppressing evidence that reflects the innocence of a defendant. This practice is rampant, Powell argues, despite the prosecutors’ constitutional duty to disclose such evidence. As examples of the havoc this practice wreaks, Powell discusses the prosecution of former Alaska senator Ted Stevens and the work of the Federal Special Task Force appointed in the wake of the financial collapse of Enron in 2001, among other cases. Powell pulls no punches. She calls out by name the prosecutors she believes engaged in unethical and deceitful behavior. She is adept at keeping several plots moving in parallel worlds. When necessary, she provides direct quotes from trial transcripts and court orders to support her arguments.
This sad story also reveals how Powell lost faith in the justice system she served, having represented an individual she believed was wrongly convicted in matters relating to the Enron scandal. In a spectacular epilogue, Powell outlines what has become of the various players involved in the proceedings she chronicled in the book. Several of the miscreants escaped punishment and, in fact, were promoted.
As a US attorney, Powell has prosecuted about 350 criminal cases. During her career, she had the utmost faith in the criminal justice system and particularly the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas. In a candid admission at the end of the book, she notes, “As for me, I question deeply whether I can continue to practice law. I have lost trust and faith that most of the Fifth Circuit judges will do the tedious work, keep an open mind, put ideology aside, rule based solely on the law, and ferret out the true facts in the most difficult cases if it means ruling against the government. If one can be heartbroken by a court, I am.”
From the Inside Flap
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Sidney Powell; First Edition (May 1, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 436 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1612541496
- ISBN-13 : 978-1612541495
- Item Weight : 1.76 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 1.5 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #61,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Sidney Powell was an Assistant United States Attorney in three judicial districts under 9 United States Attorneys from both political parties. She represented the United States in 350 criminal appeals, and represented private parties in another 150, all resulting in more than 180 published decisions. She was the youngest Assistant U.S. Attorney when she began practicing. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and the past president of the Bar Association for the Fifth Federal Circuit and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.
Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice is a book she prayed she would never have to write. It's written in the style of a legal thriller to be enjoyable and understandable to non-lawyers, but it is the true, behind-the-scenes insider perspective on major litigation during the last decade. If you think you know the truth about what happened to Arthur Andersen, Merrill Lynch, Enron, and former United States Senator Ted Stevens, think again. You won't know the truth until you read LICENSED TO LIE. It tells a very human story that every informed citizen, lawyer, and judge should know. The foreword to the book is written by Judge Alex Kozinski, one of the most brilliant legal minds in the country. He is the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but he wrote the foreword in his personal capacity.
She also writes for the New York Observer, and her opinion pieces at www.Observer.com have received over 16,000 facebook posts, countless tweets, and other methods of "sharing." Please check them out. They include 1. All the President's Muses 2. Holder Protects Corrupt Prosecutors 3. War on Wall Street 4. Meet Emmet Sullivan (the IRS Judge who scheduled a hearing for July 10); 5. One Two Punch (IRS faces Two Federal Judges), and others. Her news articles and opinion pieces may be found at http://observer.com/author/sidney-powell/ . These outstanding stories have been picked up multiple times by the Drudge Report, Investors Business Daily, Breitbart, Fox News, Greta Van Susternen, and countless other blogs and reporters. She is the only published authority on federal Judge Emmet Sullivan, former White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, and now Mueller team special prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, and others.
She has been featured on Fox News, the CATO INSTITUTE (broadcast on C-Span), NewsMax TV, and countless radio shows. She has spoken on the topic of prosecutorial misconduct for two federal judicial conferences and numerous bar associtions. Her website is www.LicensedtoLie.com.
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Customers find the book compelling and informative. They describe it as an eye-opening must-read that reads like a thrilling fictional novel. The writing quality is described as well-written and easy to understand. Some readers feel the book exposes corruption in the justice system. However, opinions differ on the level of scariness.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and a must-read for anyone in the legal profession. They describe it as a page-turner that reads like a thrilling fictional novel. Readers mention it's an eye-opening read to learn what real US citizens are up against. Many consider it a wonderful, worthwhile read and a must-have for college civics and government courses.
"...Truly fascinating. It reads like a thrilling fictional novel, only much more densely packed with complex real-world connections and correlations,..." Read more
"...Powell could have gathered such detail and presented it in a compelling narrative. Very well done." Read more
"...I would recommend this book to anyone. It is very interesting and disturbing." Read more
"Excellent book by this brave, brilliant attorney...." Read more
Customers find the book informative and well-documented. They describe it as an important, valuable read that provides solid evidence and lays the groundwork for action. The author's unique viewpoint exposes the truth in an interesting way. Overall, readers find it an eye-opener and a must-read for those who care.
"...Read the book. Whatever the ending, it is an eye-opener, a must-read for those who care about Justice and our Republic. And need to KNOW...." Read more
"This is an important book--a call to action...." Read more
"...Ms. Powell' s descriptions are very powerful." Read more
"Great book with a lot of basic facts about how the “justice” system works at the federal level...." Read more
Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the author's straightforward style that explains the legal issues involved. The story is captivating and the author does an excellent job of presenting context. Overall, readers describe the book as a brave look at not only what could happen but also what could have happened.
"...with complex real-world connections and correlations, being real as opposed to invented...." Read more
"Sydney Powell is a very good writer who brings the reader along on her very involved and important cases of government prosecutions...." Read more
"Great narrative...." Read more
"...License to Lie is a superbly written page-turner that I hope our policy makers will read...." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's corruption. Some find it a fascinating yet frightening read about corruption that is going unchecked in the US. They describe it as a legal thriller, even though it's all true. Others say the book lays bare the unimaginable corruption of the Department of Justice through a riveting story of unethical prosecutor misconduct and suborning perjury.
"Shocking, appalling, Kafkaesque. Add perverse, nightmarish, and evil, and you have accurate descriptors of the corruption of the U.S. prosecutors,..." Read more
"...Powell is a great writer and she has structured this as a legal thriller, even though it's all true. That makes it a real page-turner...." Read more
"...anymore in legal battles with the United States DOJ--they lie, withhold evidence, intimidate witnesses and on and on...." Read more
"...As I have written in my book on the subject, our criminal justice system is deeply flawed. It should both protect the innocent and punish the guilty...." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's scariness level. Some find the content disturbing, riveting, and suspenseful, while others describe it as chilling, nightmare-like, and painful.
"...I would recommend this book to anyone. It is very interesting and disturbing." Read more
"Shocking, appalling, Kafkaesque. Add perverse, nightmarish, and evil, and you have accurate descriptors of the corruption of the U.S. prosecutors,..." Read more
"This book is compelling and terrifying. I could not put it down...." Read more
"...with a riveting story...." Read more
Reviews with images
Scary Account of Prosecutorial Misconduct with Parallels to Today
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015Shocking, appalling, Kafkaesque. Add perverse, nightmarish, and evil, and you have accurate descriptors of the corruption of the U.S. prosecutors, who ran roughshod over the lives and honor of innocent citizens, the wrongly indicted and potential witnesses alike, FOR YEARS, and the Department of Justice itself. .... Our DOJ. The US DOJ. ..... Not that of some banana republic somewhere, not that of Stalin's USSR, Hitler's Germany, Mao's Communist China, Kims' North Korea, ...
"Licensed to Lie" is absorbing, riveting, an emotional roller coaster. It will make your blood boil, and rightly so. It (the saga) brought me to tears several times; tears of sadness, tears of indignation, tears of relief, even tears of rage.
Except for one part (the 2005 Supreme Court vignette re Andersen, which didn't quite hang together until finally sorted out using online sources for the statutes, in context, which Sarbanes-Oxley modified in 2002, before the SC arguments; the author was apparently skirting a technical aside, at the expense of rendering some of the questions seemingly awfully superfluous), it kept me spellbound, reading rapidly, but reflecting often. Truly fascinating. It reads like a thrilling fictional novel, only much more densely packed with complex real-world connections and correlations, being real as opposed to invented. Like a painting painted from actuality, as opposed to one relying only on imagination, with all the added, unpredictable depth of detail of reality. You want to gobble it down, but at the same time to slow down to fully appreciate and savor it.
The astonishing prosecutorial corruption and gobbledygook "arguments", the years of persecution of the innocent, the sheer judicial incompetence and resolute obtuseness, the absurd politicalization of the issues, exposed by "Licensed to Lie", are a clarion call to all those who despise Injustice, who love and demand Justice, a call to arms to DO something to rein-in our out-of-control, megalomaniac, narcissistic, increasingly corrupt federal government, lest we continue down the road to becoming people of, by, and for The Government.
"Licensed to Lie" deals mainly with failures of the DOJ (Executive Branch) and the District and Appellate Courts (Judicial Branch), but the other two "estates" of our Republic, the Legislative Branch and our Free Press, share in the ignominy as well. More generally, today it seems more and more difficult to decide which of the four estates of our Republic, each of which serves an essential role in preserving our Freedom and Liberty, has sunk the lowest, which is most Corrupted, which is most malfeasant, which is most misfeasant, which is most nonfeasant.
By the time I was into the last quarter or so of the book, the performance of the judiciary (the judges) repeatedly left a sour taste in my mouth. Literally. Disgusting. Soon, I began feeling that sense of being "dirty", of needing a shower, that I had felt a couple of times before, when serving on grand juries. This time was very different though. The feeling came not from the association with the dire allegations, the testimony, the "accused", the purported depraved deeds, the low behavior, and dismal world-views ... it came from association with the prosecution, the prosecutors, or rather the persecution, the persecutors, and the various distracted, apparently clueless, and incredibly culpable judges .... and the harm they needlessly and senselessly inflicted on the innocent.
I have written this review before finishing the book, while I still have both hope and fear for the ending, to avoid spoiling it for anyone who will read it. Read the book. Whatever the ending, it is an eye-opener, a must-read for those who care about Justice and our Republic. And need to KNOW.
Also, many kudos to the truly heroic figures to be found in the pages of this book, especially the Browns. And especially the author herself, and her long-suffering colleagues. It is hard to imagine the incredible fortitude it took to fight this incredible fight, over many long years, and what courage of conviction it took to steadfastly defend even those wrongly accused, while suffering all the "slings and arrows", the egregious stonewalling, of the outrageous and unreachable antagonists, the prosecutors and the judges, both, in reality, the persecutors.
One last comment before I return to finish the final chapters of the book. I have long wondered what pernicious impacts the follies of our Supreme Court --- the 5-4 decisions, the olio majorities, the narcissistic purely-personal ideological "opinions", the "rights" loudly trumpeted in one decision only to be violated by the Court itself in another, the illegitimate suspension BY THE COURT ITSELF of the Constitutional rights of some citizens, the piecemeal destruction of our precious and irreplaceable WRITTEN Constitution in favor of a fictitious "living" Constitution, whose eisegetic "living" part in reality resides only in the personal opinions (with a lower case "o"), personal prejudices, and Talmudic pseudo-logic of the living justices, producing not a "living" Constitution but a "vampire document", the "living dead" : for a written document that does not mean what it says, is dead --- might have on our subordinate courts and judges, on our halls of Justice. ... I fear "Licensed to Lie" speaks all too clearly to that question.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2019Sydney Powell is a very good writer who brings the reader along on her very involved and important cases of government prosecutions. It is astonishing to me that the tactics used in the Enron and Ted Stephens cases, are the very same tactics used against Flynn, Manafort, Stone and others. Intimidation, deception, altering 302's, hiding evidence, and oh yes, raids and threats of long prison sentences unless you "cooperate." The willful blindness of judges and the courts in siding with the government's case is such a violation of justice.
It is astounding to see that Christopher Wray oversaw the operations and that Weinstein and others actively involved only prospered and were promoted to high positions, while ruining countless lives. To be exonerated seven or eight years later, is too little...too late.
And yet, there is no admission of misconduct or government apology, or discipline of the lawyers. It gives you a lot to think about. This information in this book will stay with me a very long time. It is beyond me, how Powell could have gathered such detail and presented it in a compelling narrative. Very well done.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2015This is an important book--a call to action. To paraphrase a recurrent line from in the popular theatre work, The Book of Mormon, there are maggots in our scrotum. In this true, well documented story, there are destructive creatures destroying the fabric of our existence, the Constitution, from inside the Department of Justice and with the support of politicians. Our legal system is being systematically destroyed by very smart, very evil people in the US Department of Justice. They are doing it with our tax dollars. Sure, it will take them awhile, but...
Powell writes about how the US government system of justice works today in criminal cases, with white collar crime as the illustrative case. It's ugly. Powell uses the Enron case to illustrate her outrage. Corrupt politicians enable corrupt US attorneys, who corrupt our legal system under the screen of enormous political power.
Suddenly the bad guys, in the form of US attorneys working on our nickel, have enormous power to intimidate, bully and destroy lives. Who among us can argue effectively with them? Only those in the system who are relatively unassailable, it seems to me. Someone has to get inside the good guy network and involve the power structure in fixing things. People need to be hurt--bullies are afraid of that.
It's about guaranteed equity for everyone as provided by our law -presumed innocence until proven guilty. Powell documents how US attorneys make a mockery of the principles we hold dear. There is no such thing as a level playing field anymore in legal battles with the United States DOJ--they lie, withhold evidence, intimidate witnesses and on and on. Vertical playing fields are patently unfair on their face and are becoming evident to a lay guy like me. Otherwise, the game has changed. Society will adapt; that could be ugly.
We're seeing our troops killed and maimed, altering negatively the lives of our finest young men and women, and spending untold billions of dollars in wars to protect the rights of foreign citizens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Powell documents in great detail how those rights are being systematically destroyed at home by the very people charged with domestic protection of these rights mandated by the US Constitution.
Read Licensed to Lie. It's an eye opener and a call to action.
Robert Cook Pulse: The third of the Cooch adventures in national security (The Cooch series of national security thrillers Book 3)
- Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024Great narrative. It also proves how out of control DOJ continues to be about holding their own personnel accountable for unjustly destroying peoples lives. Ms. Powell' s descriptions are very powerful.
Top reviews from other countries
MichaelReviewed in Canada on July 11, 20215.0 out of 5 stars When a lie not a lie?
Sidney Powell in an impartial presentation of facts unveils the current continuous egregious abuses of power by federal prosecutors and the federal courts and their representatives who insulate these lawyers to do so. Courts insulation that results in false convictions of innocent defendants whose lives are destroyed. Sidney Powell accredited lawyer herself, presents evidentiary proof of these abuses in power where she represents clients as an appellate lawyer in such big cases as the United States vs. Enron & United States vs. Merrill & Lynch. These federal court outcomes with their hidden abuses of legal precedences have been presented to the public in this book as the narrative for the media these corrupt representatives of the U.S. federal government fabricated to advance their careers into higher echelons of national power. Despite these abuses being exposed in courts through theses cases of law by Ms. Powell, other lawyers and judges faithful to the rule of law this book exposes that they continue. This book is a vital treatise of how broken the United States Department of Justice has become and the much needed reforms that if not enacted put all citizens and their freedoms in serious jeopardy.
Mr. Mark MillsReviewed in France on December 9, 20205.0 out of 5 stars A brave and frightening book
I discovered that Sidney Powell had written a book, as part of what I read about her investigations into voting machines and possible fraud in the recent US election. Since everyone has an opinion about that, and about the people involved in it, I wanted to find out a bit more about Ms Powell, her character. This is a brave, fascinating and frightening book, and Sidney Powell comes across as someone I would trust with my life and liberty.
"melanieoliver"Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 20195.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
This book is detailed but still an excellent read, highlighting the numerous cases of injustice. Sidney Powell has written a compelling if not disturbing analysis of how the justice Department is anything but. Excellent read!
Glenn CurranReviewed in Australia on August 4, 20195.0 out of 5 stars Who would think that a government department charged with justice wouldn't deliver it
Maybe there have been rebuttals of SP's thrust of political corruption, but I am not convinced of their worth. SP painstakingly outlines the blatant distortion of justice to achieve a conviction. As for some of the lead characters who have risen beyond their level of competence, I am appalled. Especially after some were involved in the Trump Russia collusion narrative.
DavidReviewed in Canada on April 14, 20195.0 out of 5 stars Insight to the beginning of the end
This book is a harbinger of the end of America. Democracy only survives when those in power are honest. Ms. Powell spins an incredible story of deep corruption throughout the entire legal system, from prosecutors to judges to the law societies in several jurisdictions. No country survives a corrupt judicial system. This is a must read for every patriot who cares about America.
