Posted on 03/08/2018 4:00:36 PM PST by EyesOfTX
The Evening Campaign Update (Because The Campaign Never Ends)
I’ve been traveling this week, so I just noticed this myself this afternoon. In an interview with Fox New’s Shannon Bream Wednesday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions dropped a bomb when, after asked about allegations that officials within the FBI and the DOJ had violated the FISA process in order to spy on the Trump Campaign, he said the following:
“I have appointed a person outside of Washington, many years in the Department of Justice (DOJ), to look at all the allegations that the House Judiciary Committee members sent to us; and we’re conducting that investigation.”
Wait, what? When did that happen? Why all the secrecy? What is this person’s name? What else might the person be looking at? Here are some thoughts on what the answers to those questions might be.
First, you have to look at this from Sessions’ point of view: He leads the DOJ, and thus the FBI as well. Having his own DOJ lawyers investigate the FBI and DOJ anti-Trump cabal’s abuses would present a clear conflict of interest, as I pointed out last week.
My bet is that he took this action after he became aware of potential FISA abuses shortly after he assumed office in March of last year. At that point, during his first briefing with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, he would have been made aware of the IG’s investigation into the FISA and other related matters, and thus would have become aware that he had a set of truly bad actors in his midst. That is likely something Sessions already suspected, since it had become obvious during his confirmation hearing that he had personally been under illegal surveillance, but a briefing from Horowitz would have confirmed that reality.
Sessions would not have wanted to formally appoint a special counsel at that time, because that is a very public act, one which requires the public identification of the person who was being named. Remember also that, at that time, Horowitz’s own investigation had only been up and running for a few months, meaning that some of the bad actors we know about today had not yet been identified, or had cases fully developed against them.
Formally appointing a special counsel at that time would have given all of these people the chance to either flee, cover their tracks, or even lawyer up before cases could have been fully developed. Remember that we have only begun to publicly find out people like Strzok, Ohr, Page, McCabe and Baker since the first of December. Remember also that the disciplinary actions taken against them have been designed to keep them close and controlled.
It is also very interesting to note that none of these and others who have been identified as bad actors have been quoted in the press at all. This is in direct contrast to James Comey, who went around leaking and singing like a jaybird for a few months after President Trump fired his sorry butt, and who is about to release a book next month.
This silence by the other bad actors most likely means one of two things: Either these people have lawyered up and are keeping quiet to protect themselves in preparation for being prosecuted, or they are actually cooperating with Horowitz and Sessions’ unnamed outside lawyer in their ongoing investigations.
The quote from Mr. Sessions is a clever reference to the fact that he has had an outside prosecutor working on all of this stuff for quite some time now. It is also most likely another move to set the stage for the impending release of IG Horowitz’s own report. Unlike Horowitz, this unidentified special prosecutor would have the power to convene a grand jury – and may have already done so – and quickly begin issuing subpoenas based on the recommendations contain in the Horowitz report.
Thus, Sessions next statement from the interview:
I am well aware we have a responsibility to insure the integrity of the FISA process. We’re not afraid to look at that. The inspector general — some think that our inspector general is not very strong; but he has almost 500 [employees], most of which are lawyers and prosecutors; and they are looking at the FISA process. We must make sure that it’s done properly, and we’re going to do that. And I’ll consider their request.”
He’ll not only consider their request, he’s had a special prosecutor preparing the playing field for quick action on those requests for months now.
Clever. Boom.
That is all.
Follow me on Twitter at @GDBlackmon
Today’s news moves at a faster pace than ever. Whatfinger.com is my go-to source for keeping up with all the latest events in real time.
I hope to heck this is right.
“but the election is this year.”
We have one every two years. So we will get another “hiatus” now?
L
“Neither you nor any of the anti-Sessions crap posters have an iota of proof of what he has or has not been doing”
...and neither do you. IMHO it is best to keep the pressure on Sessions to do the right thing. By the way we are not alone on this. There are plenty of people including Congressmen who wonder what in the hell is Sessions doing? Who is really running the DOJ? Hannity, Greg Jarret and others are wondering the same thing.
... recused himself on Thursday from any investigation into charges that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
That's false. Sessions' recusal is a matter of written record, including giving the reason for recusal. What he recused from was investigations into wrongdoing by the Trump campaign.
The press lies about everything. Never believe what they say, always look for the raw source material.
I think it's fair to also view the frustration as because any progress is completely in the dark. It's natural to seek evidence of progress, and there is scant to no evidence of progress.
Not to excuse or justify the chronic Sessions critics, I have a couple score in my DNR list. Just saying that the impatience and frustration have a basis.
“Sessions has, allegedly, been the AG for over a year.
Please show me one, just one, single, solitary example of him prosecuting any instance of political corruption in DC.”
As I’ve said on other Sessions-bashing threads, proper investigations are conducted in secret, indictments obtained in secret through secret Grand Juries. The patriots in this administration do not leak, especially where secrecy is essential.
Investigations also take time. There are dover a dozen on-going investigations of Obama-era criminality at this time.
We will see perp walks when the time is appropriate for them and not sooner.
Trust Trump/Sessions
See the post three comments before yours -- then, STFU!!!
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(BeauBo: OP courtesy info post only...)
Not to excuse or justify the chronic Sessions critics, I have a couple score in my DNR list. Just saying that the impatience and frustration have a basis.
___________
You are very right..... I have also been very frustrated.
BTW, I never thought of putting together a "do not reply" list. Pretty smart. ( I assume that's what "DNR" means.)
Sources, shmources.
Wait and see and maybe a small cookbook with crow recipes might be in order.
Yep. That's what it means. I figure I have some responsibility to NOT add to the noise here. Repetetive "he's worthless / he's not" exchanges are just noise.
Thanks for the additional facts, much appreciated.
That quote was from "bigbob'. You should have included him on your post if you're so down on that comment.
...and neither do you. IMHO it is best to keep the pressure on Sessions to do the right thing. By the way we are not alone on this. There are plenty of people including Congressmen who wonder what in the hell is Sessions doing? Who is really running the DOJ? Hannity, Greg Jarret and others are wondering the same thing. --------
Do you think your negative, uninformed yammering on this site "keeps the pressure on Sessions"? I'm sure he's not listening to you.
___
Fully agree with you.
The IG report lands soon (on the Ides of March ?), followed up by indictments of various elements of the Obama Crime Syndicate.
There is clearly a plan by the good guys leading up to the mid-terms.
And timing is everything.
Trump I trust. He’s earned it.
Sessions hasn’t. So I don’t.
Pretty simple.
L
That is a response based on a certain logic, thanks for that.
I respectfully disagree, though, that The Don, as things stand today, is likely to lose any of those things.
We have our biggest margin in the House. And, anecdotally at least, many people I know including life long moderate Dems, are loving several things Trump has done to include signing the House-driven tax bill - though I personally had hoped for much better.
In the Senate we have a smaller margin, but the '18 situation strongly favors Republican gains. Simply because an unusually high percentage of the seats up for election this cycle are Dem seats. Several of those in Trump country. To this point those particular candidates have not faced the extremely rough and effective Trump campaign style. But it will be coming straight at them this year. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how some of them react. I'm not wise enough or bold enough to predict the vastly empowering magic 60 in the Senate, but I do think it will be a net gain.
Regarding Trump's own fate in 2020, at this point I would bet both mine and the neighbor's much bigger farm on him winning bigly. People increasingly like the tax bill, their growing 401Ks, the much needed shift to America-first thinking. He's finally accomplished what the pathetic establishment crowd never could, actually worked against: turn the R's into the party of the working class. If this NK thing works out at all well, then I believe he'll be unstoppable.
On the more subjective guess angle, I still think the whole Trump / Sessions friction is actually just more Trump strategic fiction. He loves Jeff. How could he not? Besides the great political cover he provides by being his uncommonly honest self, DOJeff is Trump's absolute best campaign promise keeper. And people love positive action much more than perceived political protection. I think Trump is being Trump and Sessions is being Session. Jeff is winning, as usual, on legal and policy fronts. And Trump is attempting to take credit for it by pressuring Sessions publicly. Don't get me wrong, Trump does get valid credit either way because he was wise enough to pick Sessions, a guy who historically could NOT care less about public abuse as long as he wins for Truth and Justice behind the scenes.
Also, I don't want to be personally critical or anything in this regard, but I have always hated the establish thinking which says we have to be defensive this cycle so that we hold numbers for next cycle. That crowd has campaigned and fund-raised of that fear-based strategy for too dang many cycles now. Trump beat their asses by using a more Patton-like forward-leaning offense.
Anyway, I strongly believe at this point that you and I will both be drinking Champagne littered with confetti in both '18 and 2020.
Very well said and I agree with you 100%.
I could take Jeff’s statement to mean that he has Eric Holder working on the case.
Sealed Indictments have risen to over 1.3 Trillion. You have to believe that. The proof is “someone with a Pacer Account”. /s
“FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months”
“The investigation resumed after the election, with the FBI’s Little Rock office taking the lead, said one person familiar with the matter. Still, there was some skepticism inside the Justice Department that it would ever produce charges.
“It was never a great case, but it’s still being worked,” said one person familiar with the probe.
Republicans in particular have long raised concerns about what they viewed as corruption and conflicts of interest at the Clinton Foundation, in particular Clinton’s dealings with its donors while she was secretary of state. GOP lawmakers had called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions in July and September to explore various Clinton Foundation dealings, as well as other matters, by appointing a special counsel to look into Clinton-related issues. In November, the Justice Department wrote that Sessions would direct senior prosecutors to look into the cases about which they raised concerns and hinted that some might already be under investigation.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd wrote at the time that part of what the department would do was assess whether “any matters currently under investigation require further resources,” although he said his letter should not be construed as confirming or denying any probe.
By that time, according to the people familiar with the matter, agents already were investigating the Clinton Foundation.”
The Boyd letter of 11-13-17 to Goodlatte referenced in the preceding article; IG Horowitz has the Judiciary’s request for an investigation of the Clinton Foundation and I guess we may soon see if he acted on it:
You’ll need to read Free Reign’s 107 and my reply at 139.
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