Whom to Trust?

For John, BLUF:  Question everything.  Tear and compare.  Trust few, unless they have proven themselves worthy of trust.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Meet the Leakers!  Russiagate Was More Incestuous Than You Could Believe

From PJ Media, by Columnist Stephen Green, 13 August 2025, 11:20 AM.

Here is the lede plus four:

Many years ago, Bill Whittle gave me the sharpest definition you might ever read for the proper role of journalism in a healthy republic:  "They're the antibodies of the body politic." But we do not live in a healthy republic — and journalists too often are part of the cancer we're trying to eliminate.

Case in point:  So-called journalists who, instead of investigating Russiagate claims, performed as marionettes for the Obama-era intelligence community, determined to rig and then undo a presidential election.

And now we have at least two names.

I'll get to those in just a moment, but first, this important reminder.

At the center of the Obama White House’s fabricated Russia collusion narrative is Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland for mortgage fraud.

The two are Reorter Ellen Nakashima, of The Washington Post, and Reporter Michael Schmidt, of The New York Times.

Then there is this:

John Solomon and Jerry Dunleavy reported late on Tuesday that "Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman admitted to [FBI] agents in interviews he routinely communicated on behalf of [then-FBI director James] Comey, his longtime friend, with Times reporter Michael Schmidt, whose work was among the newspaper's 2018 Pulitzer-winning stories on Russian election interference."

Pulitzer-winning fake news — good grief.

The sad part of this, for me, is that a Pulitzer Prize was awarded and likely won't be revoked.  Just as Reporter Walter Duranty's Pulizer for what turned out to be the Holodomor, was never revoked.

I am counting on the Press to aim for the target and to come close.  For them to be a partisan hack is not only very disappointing, but is bad for our Republic.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Pendleton Passé?

For John, BLUF:  Just another reason why folks are open to another Trump term.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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FAKE NEWS

From Instapundit, by Law Professor Gail Heriot.

Here is the post:

:Before the Commission on Civil Rights releases a report, we try to agree on findings and recommendations.  It’s hard.  But for our report on Anti-Asian Racism, the Commission was able to muster a majority in favor of a limited number of recommendations.  That’s progress–at least for those who like to see a little bipartisanship now and then.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t done us a bit of good.  The Commission’s staff recently issued an “infographic” on the report that lists “Key Recommendations for Action.”  But with one exception, they’re not the recommendations the Commission actually agreed to.  We figured in that it was a mistake of some sort.  But no.  When four Commissioner informed the Staff Director of the problem, we expected he’d fix it quickly.  But he has declined to do so.

The bureaucracy is out of control.

This makes one wonder if The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, from 1883 was a mistake.  The Act, from back when Chester A Author was President. was designed to end the turmoil of the spoils system.  This was strengthened by the 1939 Hatch Act, which was wsritten to kep the Civil Service out of political activity.

During the 2020 election cycle, Federal Executive employees gave $37,368,311 ($27,141,594 to Democrats vs $9,026,820 to Republicans)(72.63% to Democrats and 24.15% to Republicans).

Perhaps we should go back to thee Spoils System, so Republicans, when they gain office, can have a bureaucracy that will support them in executing their program.

Having saiod thsat, I never sensed that my Father, a Civil Service, ever pursued a "politial agenda", nor did either of my two Brothers in the Fedeersl Civil Service.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Indirect Approach

For John, BLUF:  Former President Donald Trump must be seen as a major threat to Democrats and Bureaucrats, for them to go to these extremes to prevent him running for office.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Will Colorado Force Trump Off the Ballot?

From PJ Media, by Reporter Lincoln Brown, 7 September 2023, 6:12 PM.

Here is the lede plus three:

No matter where one stands on Donald Trump, one must agree that it is the understatement of the century to say that the saga is unprecedented in American history.  The efforts to ensure that the man never sets foot in the Oval Office again are destined to become the stuff of legends and history lessons, not to mention a docudrama on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

The latest effort to ensure that nothing orange ever passes through the West Wing again (with perhaps the exception of an actual orange) involves invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, specifically, Section Three:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.  But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. (Emphasis added.)

The D.C.-based group Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW) has joined the fight to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot by filing a lawsuit Wednesday in the District Court in the City and County of Denver, Colo.  A press release on CREW’s website states that Trump has, in fact, violated the 14th Amendment, and Crew has filed the suit on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters.

But, yet, Impeachment failed and recent indictments do not include either "insurrection or rebellion".  So insurrection or rebellion can be imputed by the exclusion of Mr Trump from the ballot?  It would appear so.

There is a gamble here.  That would be that the tens of millions who have voted for Mr Trump in the past, and wish to vote for him in the future will not rise up against the Government, in a real insurrection.  I would not encourage such acton.  If Mr Trump is denied the opportunity to stand for office then his suppoorters should unite around another candidate, one who promises to go after the deep state.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Investigating the Federal Government v the Citizens

For John, BLUF:  One's view on this is probably influenced by the degree to which one believes the federal Government is being "weaponized" agaist the Citizenry.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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McCarthy Reveals Who Will Be Investigating Biden's Weaponization of the Federal Government

From PJ Media, by Reporter Stephen Kruier, 25 January 2023, 10:56 PM.

Here is the lede plus four:

Part of the package of “concessions” made by Kevin McCarthy in his bid to become speaker of the House of Representatives was that he promised to launch a formal investigation into Joe Biden’s egregious weaponization of federal law enforcement for his own political gains.  He wasted little time in fulfilling that promise, announcing on Tuesday which Republicans would be involved.

The Hill:

McCarthy said in a letter to his Republican colleagues that the subcommittee will expose the “weaponization of government against our citizenry, writ large.”

The subcommittee will be led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who was a close supporter of McCarthy during his Speaker bid and who serves as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. McCarthy said earlier this month that Jordan would chair the subcommittee.

The other GOP members of the committee will be Reps. Darrell Issa (Calif.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Chris Stewart (Utah), Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), Mike Johnson (La.), Chip Roy (Texas), Kelly Armstrong (N.D.), Greg Steube (Fla.), Dan Bishop (N.C.), Kat Cammack (Fla.) and Harriet Hageman (Wyo.).

Yes, Rep Jim Jordan is a good choice for Chairman.

I am interested in seeing the outcome of these committee hearings.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Stay In Your Lane

For John, BLUF:  This appears to be about COVID-19, but turns out to be about citizens losing faith in Public Health authorities and thus wandering out of bounds.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Toxic Individualism':  Pandemic Politics Driving Health Care Workers From Small Towns

From NPR, "All Things Considered". by Mr frank Morris, December 28, 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country's social fabric.  The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents — health care workers.

A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop.

This is from NPR, which refused to cover the Hunter Biden imbrogio.♠  So, is NPR again serving the interests of the Deep State (Permanent Bureaucracy and their political allies)?  How do we tell?.

I worry about this assult on "individualism".  The emphasis on the ability of the individual member of society to rise based on his or her talents and hard work seems to be shifting to an emphasis on everyone rising together, with no one standing out.

We come face to face with the Japanese proverb:

the nail that sticks out gets hammered down

Look for an additional Blog Post on this topic.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Another institution dismantled by desire to please Tom Perez, here is the Wikipedia page on Mr Hunter Biden, with the China dealings explained away.

Abuse of Authority

For John, BLUF:  I am not sure how far back this kind of thing goes, but maybe back to the early Presidents, although I doubt zG Washington did it.  For sure it needs to be held down.  It is unseemly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Obama Personally Asked the FBI to Investigate Someone on Behalf of George Soros,' Says Alan Dershowitz

From PJ Media, by Ms Megan Fox, 17 February 2020.

Here is the lede:

In an interview with Breitbart News, Alan Dershowitz claimed he is in possession of documents that will show Barack Obama asked the FBI to investigate an unnamed person on behalf of George Soros.  Those documents, he says, will come out during a lawsuit that will be filed in the future.  Dershowitz said the only difference between Trump and other presidents influencing the Department of Justice is that Trump is open about it while the others "whispered."

I hope this report is wrong, but I am doubtful.  Given the IRS efforts to suppress the Tea Party Movement this would not be out of line with other Obama Administration actions.  take Benghazi, for example.  Abuse of the legal system.

Is there any reason for those outside the DC Beltway to not doubt the integrity (integrity) of the upper echelons of the Federal Bureau of Investigation?

Are the Democrats in Congress blind?  Or don't they care, as long as Nancy Pelosi can be Speaker.  Her of the "Impeached for Ever."

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Recognizing the Swamp

For John, BLUF:  This topic seems like it was based upon some Republican master plan.  Sort of like how Republicans view Democrats and Media people and their talking points.  While it may be a Republican "Talking Point" it also seems to conform to what we are seeing ongoing, like former FBI Acting Director McCabe getting a pass after lying, but LTG Flynn and Mr Roger Stone getting a lot of time recommended, and being bankrupted by the process.  It looks bad and it smells bad.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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President Trump Starts to Drain the Swamp, Yanks Liu

From PJ Media, by Correspondent J Christian Adams, 14 February 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

This was the week that President Trump really started to drain the swamp.  It came when he yanked the nomination of Jessie Liu to a Treasury Department post.  The decision was all Trump’s, and occurred after Trump learned details about what was going on when she was United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Though Trump was most aggravated with Liu not clamping down on the outrageous sentencing recommendations of her staff in the Roger Stone case, there was a long list of other concerns that made it clear to the President the extent of ideological weaponization across the Justice Department.

Let’s start with Roger Stone for now.

Liu’s so-called “career prosecutors” devised a sentencing recommendation of nine years in prison for behavior that became commonplace anytime former Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before Congress under oath.

Lest we forget, Holder was found in criminal contempt of Congress in a bipartisan 255-67 vote.  Back then, most House Democrats didn’t find contempt of Congress to be an impeachable offense.  Don't forget, House Democrats marched off the floor during the Holder contempt vote.

This nicely illustrates the central theme that has animated Trump’s impeachment, Justice Department investigations of Trump, Liu’s yank, and the entire political saga of the last three years.

Justice is no longer blind.  Investigations, charges, and even prison terms depend on the ideological views of the targets.

I am sure Ms Jessie Liu is a competent leader, but I can see how the President may have lost some confidence in the impartiality of the Civil Service.  I am not sure he can get it back.  Or if the next Democratic Party President will feel fully confident in the professional advice he or she receives from the non-political staff.

.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Leaks of DC

For John, BLUF:  .  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Bolton and the First Law of Leaks

From PJ Media, by Blogger Charlie Martin, 5 February 2020.

Here is the lede plus two:

I'd guess that the most common kind of news article out of Washington would be an article reporting something breathless that was leaked to the reporter by an anonymous source. This is usually gussied up with frills and flounces, like "a source close to the Administration" or "a source with knowledge of the situation".

I'm not one to say that all leaks should be eliminated, even if they could be eliminated. Which they can't. Leaks can serve a good purpose — there are a lot of times a leak makes public some real issue. But we always should keep in mind the First Law of Leaks:

Every leak is being leaked to promote the agenda of the leaker, and is being shaped to the leaker's advantage.

Then four corollaries:

So once you see something that's been leaked, you should ask yourself four questions:

1. How is it being reported?
2. Whose agenda does the leak serve?
3. How surprising is it?
4. So?

Leaking is a natural part of government.  It is gossip at a national scale.  Sometimes it is a way for the Government to test the waters for new initiatives.  It has its purposes.  But, it is also a way for the entrenched bureaucracy to resist some new broom.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Carter Page Sues the DNC, et al

For John, BLUF:  This is actually a sad outcome, in that if the Presidential Campaign of 2016 had not involved Deep State actions this would probably not have come to pass.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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BOOM:  Carter Page Sues DNC Over Bogus Steele Dossier:  'This Is Only the First Salvo'

Here is the sub-headline:

From PJ Media, by Reporter Matt Margolis, 30 January 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

Fox News reported Thursday morning that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the law firm Perkins Coie for their role in funding the unverified Steele dossier that was used to justify surveillance against him.

Page's attorneys described the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois’ Eastern Division on Thursday, as the “first of multiple actions in the wake of historic” Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse.

“This is a first step to ensure that the full extent of the FISA abuse that has occurred during the last few years is exposed and remedied,” Page's attorney John Pierce told Fox News.  “Defendants and those they worked with inside the federal government did not and will not succeed in making America a surveillance state.”

Pierce added, “This is only the first salvo.  We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how high."

And well he should.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Rejected Question

For John, BLUF:  Senator Rand Paul has always been a bit of a maverick, but that doesn't mean he has been wrong.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Revealed:  Rand Paul's Question That Chief Justice Roberts Refused to Read

From PJ Media, by Mr Matt Margolis, 30 January 2020.

This is the long form version of Senator Rand Paul's question during the Trump Impeachment Trial.  The one Chief Justice Roberts refused to read.

From. my "Conspiracy Theory" point of view it is an interesting question.  The leakage at the National Security Council has been not just appalling, but also a detriment to good democratic governance.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Confused Over Ukraine

For John, BLUF:  Yes, Virginia, there is a DeepState, and it is trying to thwart the American People by thwarting their elected President.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'Assistance was essential' — Pentagon leaders advised Trump against freezing aid to Ukraine, senior official testifies

From Task and Purpose, by New York Daily News Reporter Chris Sommerfeldt, 12 November 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

A senior Pentagon official told impeachment investigators that President Donald Trump's freeze on nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine posed a strategic nightmare for the Defense Department and put the American-allied country in a deeply dangerous position, according to impeachment inquiry testimony released Monday.

Laura Cooper, a deputy assistant defense secretary overseeing U.S. policy on Ukraine, corroborated key parts of previous impeachment testimony during her Oct. 26 deposition and provided a new window into the Pentagon's role in trying to block Trump's attempt to press Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden's family and other Democrats before the 2020 election.

Cooper said national security officials across the government were confident Trump was wrong in holding up the $391 million in military assistance while pushing for the Ukrainian investigations

And what does President Barack Obama say about giving lethal aid to Ukraine?♠

In the mean time it is turning out that Democratic House Members believe that running for President (or at least for the Democratic Party nomination) exempts one from any investigation of corrupt conduct.

Sad.  Very sad.

Regards  —  Cliff
♠  Hint:  He opposed it and thwarted it until the day he turned the Presidency over to Donald J Trump.

We Were Warned

For John, BLUF:  The inability of some to accept Donald Trump as President is not just disappointing to me, but a sign of those who want stability over democracy.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Deep State hatched its plot against Trump very early, and they told us so

From The New Neo, by an Anonymous Massachusetts Blogger, 28 September 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Right after the 2016 election, I read some articles describing people in government who had decided to stay put and secretly sabotage Trump.  These articles weren’t exposes written by the right; they were proud confessions from the left, part of the righteous Resistance.

We are seeing the fruit of that today.

Read it for the whole ugly story.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Just in Time

For John, BLUF:  If you don't believe in coincidences you won't like this coincidence.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Intel Community Secretly Changed The Whistle-Blower Rules To Allow The Trump-Ukraine Complaint Just Days Before It Was Filed

From Red State, by Bonchie, 27 September 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

This is a major, major development in the Trump-Ukraine saga and it points exactly at what a lot of people suspected.

The Federalist’s Sean Davis has discovered that the intel community secretly changed the rules governing whistle-blowers, including amending the required form, in order to allow 2nd hand information to suffice.  This happened just days before the Trump-Ukraine whistle-blower filed his complaint

This references an article in The Federalist , "Intel Community Secretly Gutted Requirement Of First-Hand Whistleblower Knowledge"! Which is subheadlined "Federal records show that the intelligence community secretly revised the formal whistleblower complaint form in August 2019 to eliminate the requirement of direct, first-hand knowledge of wrongdoing."

Yes, the Whistleblower complaint does look a little too polished, which raises the question of if this is a coordinated hit job.  I just can't imagine Speaker Nancy Pelosi being involved in such an underhanded action.

Hat tip to Hot Air.

Regards  —  Cliff

Russiagate Drags On

For John, BLUF:  There is much we don't yet know about Federal Government efforts to subvert the 2016 Trump Campaign.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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U.S. Intel Gatekeeper Dragging Feet on Trump-Russia Files, Insiders Say

From Real Clear Investigations, by Reporter Paul Sperry, 28 August 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

More than three months after President Trump granted his attorney general unprecedented power to declassify intelligence files, key U.S. intelligence agencies are still withholding documents related to the Trump-Russia affair, say people with direct knowledge of White House discussions on the subject.

The source of the logjam: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which Trump is in the process of shaking up after the resignations last month of its director, Dan Coats, and principal deputy, Sue Gordon.  “Establishment” officials in that agency are still dragging their feet, say the sources, who spoke on condition that they not be further identified.

That the larger Intelligence Community, including the FBI, is still stonewalling Investigations into Federal Government meddling in the 2016 Election should be disturbing to all Americans.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Once A Green Land ♠

For John, BLUF:  I suspect that President Trump's fertile mind is making connections 24/7.  And, If he is like most of us, he is dismissing most of them pretty quickly.  I like that in him.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Was Greenland “for sale” when the Chinese were shopping in 2017?

Here is the sub-headline:

While the American media mocks Trump for Greenland purchase remarks, it misses the strategic motivations behind the move

From Legal Insurrection, by Leslie Eastman, 22 August 2019.

Government by leak.  I guess that is why the previous Administration cracked down so hard on leakers.

In the mean timthe issue of China's interest in Greenland needs to be appreciated.  They have an interest in the Arctic.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Back during a previous warming period Vikings named it Greenland to attract immigrants.

Comey Spying on Trump

For John, BLUF:  It isn't good for the bureaucrats, including law enforcement, to be judging a president at the very beginning of an administration.  After all, the People did vote.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Justice Dept. Watchdog Has Evidence Comey Probed Trump, on the Sly

From Real Clear Investigations, by Mr Paul Sperry, 22 July 2019.

Here is the lede plus seven:

Two U.S. officials briefed on the inspector general’s investigation of possible FBI misconduct said Comey was essentially “running a covert operation against” the president, starting with a private “defensive briefing” he gave Trump just weeks before his inauguration.  They said Horowitz has examined high-level FBI text messages and other communications indicating Comey was actually conducting a “counterintelligence assessment” of Trump during that January 2017 meeting in New York.

In addition to adding notes of his meetings and phone calls with Trump to the official FBI case file, Comey had an agent inside the White House who reported back to FBI headquarters about Trump and his aides, according to other officials familiar with the matter.

Although Comey took many actions on his own, he was not working in isolation.  One focus of Horowitz’s inquiry is the private Jan. 6, 2017, briefing Comey gave the president-elect in New York about material in the Democratic-commissioned dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.  Reports of that meeting were used days later by BuzzFeed, CNN and other outlets as a news hook for reporting on the dossier’s lascivious and unsubstantiated claims.

Comey’s meeting with Trump took place one day after the FBI director met in the Oval Office with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to discuss how to brief Trump — a meeting attended by National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and National Intelligence Director James Clapper, who would soon go to work for CNN.

In his memoir, the former FBI director denied having "a counterintelligence case file open" on Trump -- at least not in the "literal" sense.

In his recently published memoir, “A Higher Loyalty,” Comey denied having "a counterintelligence case file open on [Trump],” though he qualified the denial by adding this was true only in the “literal” sense.  He also twice denied investigating Trump, under oath, in congressional testimony.

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who has written extensively on the Trump-Russia probe as a columnist for National Review, said that just because the president’s name was not put on a file or a surveillance warrant does not mean the Comey FBI was not investigating him.  “They were hoping to surveil him incidentally, and they were trying to make a case on him,” McCarthy said.  “The real reason Comey did not want to repeat publicly the assurances he made to Trump privately is that these assurances were misleading.  The FBI strung Trump along, telling him he was not a suspect while structuring the investigation in accordance with the reality that Trump was the main subject."

But, former FBI counterintelligence agent and lawyer Mark Wauck said, the FBI lacked legal grounds to treat Trump as a suspect. “They had no probable cause against Trump himself for ‘collusion’ or espionage,” he said.  “They were scrambling to come up with anything to hang a hat on, but had found nothing.”

Standing back and seeing no FEC violations, one can't help but wonder if it wasn't just animus from the "Deep State".  Of course, the unwillingness of many Democrats to believe and accept the election results added to the problem.

And, we might ask how we would react if we came into a new job, under a cloud of suspicion and were not sure we Old trust the police investigators, who had been hiding things from us.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Alternate Conspiacy Theory

For John, BLUF:  Some of us out there are dubious about Mrs Clinton and dubious of the Deep State, and thus are Trump supporters—you know, Les Deplorables.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Are the Investigations the Cover-Up?

From The American Thinker, by Mr Bryce Buchanan, 26 December 2018.

Here is the Key sentence:

Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe and others discussed the need for an “insurance policy” in case Trump won.

From this is derived the theory that all investigations are designed to shield Mrs Clinton and frame Mr Trump.

As for myself, I am going to believe Mr Mueller will uphold Truth, Justice and the American Way, right up to the point facts prove Howie Carr was right all along.  I am an optimist.

Regards  —  Cliff

NYT Reveals Deep State at Work

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Can't Take a Joke

For John, BLUF:  I think President Trump and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein should appear together on the front steps of the White House, tomorrow, saying "like asking the Russians for Hillary's EMails, this was a joke."  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Rosenstein Suggested He Secretly Record Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment

From WRAL, but of an article from The Old Gray Lady, by NYT Reporters Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt, 21 September 2018.

Here is the lede:

The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, suggested last year that he secretly record President Donald Trump in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration, and he discussed recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office for being unfit.

First off, this has been denied by Mr Rosenstein.  Denied. The alternative story, as mentioned this evening by Ms Laura Ingrham (FOX News Source) is that it was said in jest, as a joke.

But, except to beat another news source to the headline, why would The Old Gray Lady publish this kind of thing.  The President (and a lot of Republicans) is complaining about a "Deep State", and Democrats and the Media are denying it, and here comes the Newspaper of Record talking about it.

Maybe it is part of a Democratic Party political action to further disrupt the Confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.  This would perhaps be in line with Mr Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.  Or perhaps something out of some old Soviet Playbook, as maskirovka.

Given that this revelation comes from former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who supposedly forwarded it to Mr Robert Mueller, perhaps that is where to look.  Was this just another part of the confusion and deception that involved the Steele Dossier and the FISA Court and mid-level DOJ Officials who felt a disturbance in the force on Election Night 2016?

I like the simple answer, which is The Old Gray Lady playing to the prejudices of its readership, the clerisy, trying to give them hope that someday 2016 will be reversed and cosmic order restored.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Thwarting the Will of the People

For John, BLUF:  Rogue Civil Servants acting on their own to frustrate elected officials.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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FBI OFFICIALS DISCUSSED ‘MEDIA LEAK STRATEGY’ AHEAD OF MAJOR TRUMP-RUSSIA REVELATION

From The Daily Caller, by Reporter Chuck Ross, 10 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

Newly released text messages show disgraced FBI official Peter Strzok asked to speak to former FBI lawyer Lisa Page about a “media leak strategy” during a crucial period of the Trump-Russia investigation in 2017.

The text messages were revealed Monday by North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a member of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.

“Our review of these new documents raises grave concerns regarding an apparent systemic culture of media leaking by high-ranking officials at the FBI and DOJ related to ongoing investigations,” Meadows wrote to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in the letter, which was obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation and first reported by Sara Carter.

I guess that if you think President Trump is illegitimate, actions to displace him are acceptable.  The first problem is that tens of millions think President Trump is legitimate.  The second problem is that this kind of action tears down the barriers to future criminal actions by the "deep state" against properly elected officials.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff