Posted on 09/02/2017 11:57:33 PM PDT by ForYourChildren
Grassley, Graham seek documents linked to Hatch Act investigation of former FBI head
WASHINGTON – Transcripts reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee reveal that former FBI Director James Comey began drafting an exoneration statement in the Clinton email investigation before the FBI had interviewed key witnesses. Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, requested all records relating to the drafting of the statement as the committee continues to review the circumstances surrounding Comey’s removal from the Bureau.
“Conclusion first, fact-gathering second—that’s no way to run an investigation. The FBI should be held to a higher standard than that, especially in a matter of such great public interest and controversy,” the senators wrote in a letter today to the FBI.
Last fall, following allegations from Democrats in Congress, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) began investigating whether Comey’s actions in the Clinton email investigation violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from using their official position to influence an election. In the course of that investigation, OSC interviewed two FBI officials close to Comey: James Rybicki, Comey’s Chief of Staff, and Trisha Anderson, the Principal Deputy General Counsel of National Security and Cyberlaw. OSC provided transcripts of those interviews at Grassley’s request after it closed the investigation due to Comey’s termination.
Both transcripts are heavily redacted without explanation. However, they indicate that Comey began drafting a statement to announce the conclusion of the Clinton email investigation in April or May of 2016, before the FBI interviewed up to 17 key witnesses including former Secretary Clinton and several of her closest aides. The draft statement also came before the Department entered into immunity agreements with Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson where the Department agreed to a very limited review of Secretary Clinton’s emails and to destroy their laptops after review. In an extraordinary July announcement, Comey exonerated Clinton despite noting “there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information.”
{..snip..}
https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/transcripts-comey-drafted-conclusion-clinton-probe-prior-interviewing-key
Here is the .pdf of letter from Grassley and Graham.
“According to the unredacted portions of the transcripts, it appears that in April or early May of 2016, Mr. Comey had already decided he would issue a statement exonerating Secretary Clinton.”
So, what we are seeing here is Congress Judiciary Committee had been requesting information from the FBI and the FBI has been providing only heavily redacted documents.
With the Congress Judiciary Committee, involving Grassley and Graham, pressuring to get full unredacted documents, this is where we now see the extent of Comey corruption.
This is important. Now that we are seeing "unredacted" documents we finding out the extent of Comeys corruption.
"Seeing under the redactions is necessary for the Committee to assess Mr. Comey’s testimony before Congress."
..and then the request for more information to determine "..Mr. Comey’s testimony before Congress."
"..please provide the following without redactions by September 13, 2017:
1. All drafts of Mr. Comey’s statement closing the Clinton investigation, from his original draft in April or May to the final version.
2. All records related to communications between or among FBI officials regarding Comey’s draft statement closing the Clinton investigation, including all memoranda or analyses of the factual or legal justification for the announcement.
3. All records previously provided to the Office of Special Counsel in the course of its now-closed Hatch Act investigation of Mr. Comey."
Comey should be fired again, then prosecuted.
How many of the witnesses pleaded the fifth?
Trump never fails to astound with his apparently instinctive insight. When he says the fix is in, he’s dead-on accurate.
Comey should have the book thrown at him, but the swamp is probably still too infested for justice to be done.
Tear the FBI leadership to shreds and send people to jail. Shutdown Mueller, it’s clear he is a smokescreen for his pal Comey. Indict Hillary and the Democratic National Committee leadership for corruption. And start putting these criminals in jail throw in some media types too. It is all too smug and incestuous they have forgotten who is in charge.
He is the one who should be probed for ties with Russia. What Chutzpa! And what in the fck is Sessions doing?
I think this is why we need the like
of Arpaio to enforce the law that the feds out of control will not
do. There should be a convention and a process for a state to defend its borders and sue feds undermining it
SOP for six, seven or more decades
I have hopes that the American people will get justice in the sordid episode that revolved around the Obama Regime like turds in a toilet. The scale of the corruption is sickening and if the Republicans don’t nail it down, they are going the way of the dinosaur. I guarantee it will happen.
It was plain as day during the campaigning the fix was in. Hillary knew she had already got a pass of her crimes. The question is how much did Comey get in the deal? Either he made a great payday or the Democrat machine has some real dirt on the slime ball
Anyone having ANY confidence in the FBI or any federal gub mint agency is a fool.
Obammy, the magic negro and his henchmen have politicized EVERY aspect of the feds.
Add to that the GOPe and Dems doing any and everything to continue their obscene power grab and you have one worthless horse crap gub mint.
There’s a former sheriff from Milwaukee looking for a new gig...
Amen!
Comey needs to be water boarded.
Thanks for Sen. Grassley to enlighten the American people of the Comey fiasco. Grassley a powerful senator can do something about it; let’s see what he does (don’t hold your breath).
No sir, this is where we see the tip of the iceberg.
“The King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, `Let the jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. `No, no!’ said the Queen. `Sentence first—verdict afterwards.’ “
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