The Russiagate Backstory

For John, BLUF:  It is just possible the Obama Administration didn't have clean skirts WRT Russiagate.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Rosenstein:  The “Previous Administration” Didn’t Tell Us The Whole Truth, And Don’t Get Me Started On Comey

From Hot Air, by Mr Ed Morrissey, 26 April 2019.

Here is the lede:

Rod Rosenstein won’t stick around much longer at the Department of Justice, but the deputy Attorney General will make his departure memorable.  At a dinner hosted by the Armenian Bar Association, Rosenstein took aim at critics, the media, and especially Russia, whose aims at destabilizing the US remain vastly underappreciated, he warned.  However, when describing his last two years at the center of the Russiagate maelstrom, Rosenstein took veiled shots at the Obama administration, James Comey, and Congress for their roles in stoking those fires:

This makes Rod Rosenstein sound like a stand up guy, which makes him a credit to DOJ and the American System.

I hate this mess (Russiagate) and wish it would go away, before the hidden origins drag our nation further into the muck, but maybe we do need a house cleaning.  I hope Mr Horowitz is a man of integrity.

Hat tip to my Wife.

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

Is the End of Russiagate Near?

For John, BLUF:  There are all sorts of signs the Mueller Investigation is starting to wind down.  However, come January the Democratic Party Controlled House of Representatives will be raring to go.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Where Does the Trump-Russia Investigation Go from Here?

From The New Yorker, by Mr John Cassidy, 30 November 2018.

Here is the lede plus five:

By referring to Donald Trump as “Individual 1” in a criminal filing, and confirming that the President was involved in efforts to pursue a big Moscow real-estate deal deep into the 2016 campaign, the special counsel, Robert Mueller, appears to have set the Trump-Russia endgame in motion.  In thinking about how it will play out, there are at least four things to bear in mind, all of which the past few days have highlighted:  Mueller knows more than anybody else; he remains unlikely to bring criminal charges against Trump himself; the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill consists of invertebrates; and Trump is utterly shameless.

The comment about Special Counsel Robert Mueller knowing more than anyone else could apply to the narrow Russiagate hunt, as defined by the press.  Does it apply to the larger question of how we got here?  Where are we on the "Golden Showers" accusations?  The utter carelessness of the "home brew" server, who paid for the information used to secure FISA Warrents?

Yes, until President Trump leaves the Oval Office, the only recourse is Impeachment and Conviction, or the ballot box in 2020.  We do all know that, right?  Unless Mr Mueller is going to really slow roll the investigation he will not preside over indictments of former President Donald Trump.

I get the "invertebrates" reference, but it isn't like this is a unique moment in political history.

I also get that President Trump is shameless.  Unlike, say, President Clinton?  Please

One of the things I don't quite understand is what people (journalists and Democrats) thought Mr Trump was going to do for a job the day after he lost the election in November 2016—as we were assured he would?  What was he to do with his empire while running for an office he was going to lose?  He was going to lose, right?

I predict a partial report from Mr Mueller.  I will be disappointed, but not surprised.

Hat tip to The New Yorker.

Regards  —  Cliff

Something May Have Happened, or Not

For John, BLUF:  Mr Rod Rosenstein in still on my good guy list, but the future is still unexplored territory.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Exclusive:  Rod Rosenstein offered to resign

From Axios, by Jonathan Swan, early 23 September 2018.

Or something else.  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein did meet with President Trump's Chief of Staff, General Kelly, this morning.  For all we know they exchanged fishing flies.

That said, if Mr Rosenstein offered to resign, that would be an ethical thing to do, if it was something like "If the President would like my resignation I would offer it."  That would be in stark contrast to Ms Sally Yates.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Spying State

For John, BLUF:  Spies are going to spy.  Congress is supposed to protect us from that.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Twitter:

nstapundit.com @instapundit 20 hours ago
A 2015 memo from then-Attorney General @EricHolder reveals that the feds can use FISA to spy on journalists.

Which leads to this article:

Newly Released Eric Holder Memo: Feds Can Use FISA to Spy on Journalists

Here is the sub-headline:

And the guidelines for spying on journalists may be even looser under Trump.

From Reason, by Mr Joe Setyon, 18 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

The federal government can use the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to spy on journalists.  So said a pair of 2015 Justice Department memos, including one from then–Attorney General Eric Holder.

FISA is controversial in itself. The act is supposed to be used to justify surveillance on foreign targets.  But as Reason's Scott Shackford has explained, intelligence agencies often use it to secretly spy on American citizens, sometimes without a warrant.

Did Attorney General Eric Holder not recall the outrage over the FBI, under Director J Edgar Hoover, spying, against the Constitution, on the rev Martin Luther King?  Apparently not.

Then there is this counter-intuitive assertion:

While the memos date to the Obama era, the Trump administration seems willing to snoop on journalists as well.  Earlier this year, the Justice Department demanded the phone and email records of New York Times reporter Ali Watkins in an attempt to find out whether her source, a former Senate aide, had leaked classified information.

Eddington suspects the guidelines for spying on journalists under President Donald Trump may be "looser" than they were under Obama, especially given Trump's "almost daily stated antipathy towards the press as a whole."

Regardless of who's in the White House, one constant remains:  The federal government doesn't seem to have any problems with going after journalists.

Do the editors at Reason realize that because of the Mueller investigation Mr Trump has little to no control over the Department of Justice.  I am not sure we can even call it the Sessions DOJ.  It is probably the Rosenstein DOJ.  It sure seems that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as part of his silent coup, is trying to make it so.

At the end of the day, however, the point needs to be made that the Department of Justice, rather than thinking of the FISA Court as a limited tool, is widening its use beyond where they should.  It is time for Congress to revisit this statute.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

NYT Reveals Deep State at Work

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Chuck Schumer's Bluster

For John, BLUF:  Myself, I think the President should appear at the door of the White House with Mr Rosenstein, all smiles, saying how tough the job is for the Deputy AG.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein disputes report that he discussed using 25th Amendment to remove Trump – and even explored covertly recording him to gather evidence

Here is the sub-headline (one of several):

Chuck Schumer warned Trump not to use the revelation as an excuse to fire Rosenstein, whom the president blames for hiring Robert Mueller

From The Daily Mail, by The Mail's US Political Editor, David Martosko, 21 September 2018.

Frankly, this sounds like more bluster from the Senate Minority Leader.  What would he do?  Throw a temper tantrum?

I would be much more impressed if Mr Schumer had expressed a wee bit of concern for a Deputy Attorney General suggesting we need to sideline the President.♠

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I, for one, think Mr Rosenstein was joking around.