Posted on 12/04/2017 6:52:33 AM PST by Golden Eagle
The documents outlining Michael Flynn's guilty plea in the Trump-Russia investigation do not allege collusion or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election. They do, however, suggest that the Obama Justice Department was intensely interested in Flynn's discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak about policy issues — sanctions against Russia, a United Nations resolution on Israel — during the presidential transition, when Barack Obama was still in the White House and Donald Trump was preparing to take office.
At the time, top Justice officials suspected Flynn of violating the Logan Act, the 218-year-old law under which no one has ever been prosecuted, that prohibits private citizens from acting on behalf of the United States in disputes with foreign governments. Starting in the summer of 2016 and intensifying in the transition period, the Logan Act, while mostly unknown to the general public, became a hot topic of conversation among some Democrats. A number of lawmakers, former officials, and commentators called on the Obama administration to investigate the Trump team for a possible Logan Act violations — and to do it while Democrats still controlled the executive branch.
At the same time, inside the Obama Justice Department, it appears the Logan Act became a paramount concern among some key officials in the critical weeks of December 2016 and January 2017. Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates has told Congress that the Logan Act was the first reason she intervened in the Flynn case — the reason FBI agents were sent to the White House to interview Flynn in the Trump administration's early days. It was that interview, held on Jan. 24, 2017, that ultimately led to Flynn's guilty plea.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Clearly this does not appear to most to be nearly enough to remove Trump from office, but keep in mind this is a political trial for Trump himself, not a criminal one, and 100% of the Democrats in Congress stand ready to impeach.
Trump needs to continue to hammer the hypocrisy and unfairness of the Mueller investigation, and start working harder to get a second special counsel setup to investigate the investigators for their own past misdeeds.
VIDEO PROOF: Obama Admin Confirms ‘No Problem’ With General Flynn Contacting Foreign Officials
It’s not an obscure law. It’s just never enforced, but that won’t stop Trumps enemies from trying to enforce it on Trump & Co.
I have a differing opinion is that the Logan act is inoperative to the President Elect, once certified. Regardless of whether the law states it or not.
There are very similar old type laws regarding sedition. Perhaps we should resurrect them too.
“I have a differing opinion is that the Logan act is inoperative to the President Elect, once certified. Regardless of whether the law states it or not.”
I think that’s absolutely spot on, since I’m sure all P-E have done the same
Does anyone honestly expect a new President to start from zero on Day One?
GMAB
If every allegation against Flynn related to his contacts with the Russian was true, there was nothing illegitimate about it at all. The idea that the Logan Act would preclude someone working for an incoming administration from establishing contact with foreign governments is laughable -- especially in a case like this where all of the evidence indicates that the requests made to the Russians were ultimately for the BENEFIT of the United States (i.e., asking the Russians not to react in an aggressive, adversarial manner to the sanctions that the Obama administration was imposing on them).
There is a very broad area for interpretation when it comes to being a lobbyist - even a registered lobbyist - for a foreign power and taking their money ( often in the firm of campaign donations) to influence US policy
If the Obama Administration had signed off on the calls I would rather consider that this whole thing has been orchestrated for the court of public opinion.
The Obama Administration approved the call, they knew the call was happening, even as they were likely colluding with the Hillary campaign and others on the matter of the so-called dossier hit piece, the FBI questioned Flynn where there was no underlying crime just to try to get him to mess up. Consequently the trash of the DNC and in the LMSM have been flooding the airways with all this for the last year.
The Logan Act is just part of the game with these leftist, they don’t want anything less than a win in 2018 and all that they’ve done, including the likely unindependent Muller, is about the political outcome.
I hope recent rumblings that Sessions may not have been as passive as he’s seemed are true. But even if they are, expect the next big story to be parroted for the year to come to be Trump conducting a witchhunt ... Witches hate witchhunts....
If you search long and hard enough, well not really that hard at all, you will find that in your daily life you are probably breaking a half dozen laws.
Selective enforcement is what allows the left to criminalize opposition. It was allows Hillary and Obama to escape or never be prosecuted. But it results I. trump being indicted for Jay Walking. Obama actually sent members of his incoming administration to Russia. What was normal practice is now criminal when the opposition does it.
The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 make the transition team Federal employees and no longer private citizens.
Great posts so far. However the specific issue is that Flynn supposedly did more than just reach out, he asked them to change their policy with regard to actions Obama was taking as the US President at that time. And, supposedly, the Russian responded that they had in fact changed their policy after Flynn's call, per the article. This is supposedly what Mueller spelled out in his official announcement about Flynn's plea, and what his expected testimony is.
I'm certainly not trying to make Mueller's case for him, nor do I think it's legit, I'm just trying to make sure we know exactly what they're planning, because if you don't know, you can't defend, just like we must call it Islamic terrorism, etc.
Why would Flynn need to be told to contact the Russians when, according to democrats, Trump and his whole team had been colluding with them all along?
Wow, this is probably the first time most anyone has heard of that. Can you please expound while we dig further ourselves? Thanks!
I take it you didn’t read the article? Obama’s DOJ used the Logan Act the set up Flynn. It was never about prosecuting anyone under Logan, but using it as a pretense to get the FBI involved, and set up a perjury trap. Read the article, it outlines outrageous actions by the Obama admin.
Presidential Transition Act of 1963
Public Law 88-277
...persons receiving compensation as members of office staffs under this subsection, other than those detailed from agencies, shall not be held or considered to be employees of the Federal Government...
For crying out loud Ike went to Korea in Dec 52 in the middle of the war to tell Rhee what his plans were and that Rhee better agree to them. He also contacted the leaders of our allies to appraise them. Pres elects and their staffs are not private citizens.
Was unfamiliar with this so I looked it up. As I read it, it says the opposite. The Pres / VP elect can designate staff to have quasi government employment within various agencies and they will be paid at government rates but it explicitly says:
"Notwithstanding any other law, persons receiving compensation as members of office staffs under this subsection, other than those detailed from agencies, shall not be held or considered to be employees of the Federal Government except for purposes of the Civil Service Retirement Act, the Federal Employee’s Compensation Act, the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959.
No, it was all about protecting Hillary and her minions from the deserved consequences of their misbehavior by directing attention elsewhere.
The article is worth as read. It is consistent with most of your points.
The article presents a great chronology tracing how the Democrats latched upon the Logan Act, knowing full well it was not enforceable and the alleged misdeeds not even applicable, to build a fake anti-Trump narrative to justify a Special Counsel, thus to undermine Trump politically. It’s not illegal to get dirt on other candidates from foreigners, let them buy $4200 worth of Google ads, etc.; they needed something they could pretend was actually illegal, and the Logan Act was the best they could come up with.
York doesn’t write this, but after reading the article, it is darn obvious that a hidden hand guided this whole process, from putting the words “Logan Act” into every Democrat mouth and newspaper page, to appointing a Special Counsel of their choice. The notion that the Obama administration set up a Logan Act Trap for Flynn by authorizing foreign contacts fits perfectly with what York outlines.
Seen as a whole, it’s hard not to see this as a major element of a destabilization operation aimed at destroying an American President. Now, what kind of people have experience doing that? This article is one more small step towards outing what is little different from a coup d’etat.
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