Posted on 12/22/2017 2:42:50 PM PST by Signalman
So, last month, there were rumors that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was looking into whether a special counsel would be necessary to look into Clinton-Uranium One transaction. In his testimony to Congress in November, he threw cold water on it, saying there wasnt enough evidence to appoint one. Now, NBC News is reporting that Sessions has instructed prosecutors at the Justice Department to interview the FBI agents who were involved in the Uranium One probe and explain the evidence they obtained [emphasis mine]:
On the orders of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Justice Department prosecutors have begun asking FBI agents to explain the evidence they found in a now dormant criminal investigation into a controversial uranium deal that critics have linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton, multiple law enforcement officials told NBC News.
The interviews with FBI agents are part of the Justice Department's effort to fulfill a promise an assistant attorney general made to Congress last month to examine whether a special counsel was warranted to look into what has become known as the Uranium One deal, a senior Justice Department official said.
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A senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the initial FBI investigation told NBC News there were allegations of corruption surrounding the process under which the U.S. government approved the sale. But no charges were filed
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In recent weeks, FBI agents who investigated the case have been asked by Justice Department prosecutors to describe the results of their probe. The agents also have been asked if there was any improper effort to squash a prosecution, the law enforcement sources say.
The senior Justice Department official said the questions were part of an effort by the Sessions team to get up to speed on the controversial case, in the face of allegations from Congressional Republicans that it was mishandled.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment.
The Uranium One case has been at least reported extensively by the media. It involves the Clintons, Russia, uranium, and a former Canadian-owned mining company called Uranium One. The Russian state-owned energy corporation Rosatom wanted a majority stake in the company, which was announced in 2010. Between 2009-2013, Rosatom gradually gained more control of Uranium One, while its then-chairman, Ian Telfer, gave over $2 million from his charitable foundation to the Clinton Foundation. Eventually, since uranium is a national security priority, the Council on Foreign Investment had to approve the sale; the secretary of state is on the nine-member panel. During this time, that was Hillary Rodham Clinton. In addition, Bill Clinton received a $500,000 check from a Russian bank involved in the Uranium One transaction; the former president was asked to deliver a speech. Previous reports had Uranium Ones mining stakes in the U.S. at 20 percent, meaning that the Russians would absorb those interests. That figure has been revised down to 11 percent. Hillary Clinton never disclosed these donations and it fed into the narrative that if you give money to the power couple, especially via their foundationsomewhere on the timeline a socioeconomic dividend would be delivered to the donor.
It was recently discovered that the Obama White House knew the Russians were also bribing their way through the deal, had their payment schedule, but did nothing in the hopes of resetting relations with Moscow. So, why are we revisiting this again? Ed Morrissey at Hot Air had a few reasonsall of them fraught with politics, though some aspects worthy of congressional oversight and an inspector general inquiry:
For one thing, Donald Trump has put a lot of pressure on Sessions to investigate Hillary Clinton, mainly to force the media to acknowledge that the Clintons had more commercial and political ties to the Russians than Trump ever did. He wanted a sauce for the goose probe to balance out what Trump considers a witch hunt investigation on Russia-collusion speculation. When the latter was still in-house at the DoJ, Trump wanted an FBI investigation for the former; now that the collusion probe has a special counsel, Trump wants the same thing for Uranium One.
That pressure increased two months ago after The Hills John Solomon uncovered an FBI informant who claimed that the DoJ had prevented him from blowing the whistle on Russian extortion and influence operations going back to 2009. That involved the Uranium One deal, among others, and specifically targeted Hillary Clinton. In response, Congress demanded that the DoJ lift the whistleblowers non-disclosure agreement. A month later, Sessions told Congress that he was considering the necessity of appointing a special counsel to review the actions of the Obama-era DoJ in regard to Uranium One and the potential for a criminal investigation.
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No matter what Sessions decides, hell run the risk of large-scale political blowback. If he chooses to shut it down without a special counsel, hell be torn to shreds by Trump and his supporters; if he appoints a special counsel, Democrats will accuse him of touching off a constitutional crisis (it wont be, but thats been their slogan all year). Thats why it will either be a special counsel or nothing at all, too. Even though theres no reason at all to go outside the DoJ for such an investigation, Sessions wont want his fingerprints on it.
In the meantime, Trump will have what he wants a potential bookend to the collusion nothingburger that may force the news media to report on the Clintons and all their slimy dealings in conjunction with the Clinton Foundation. How long Sessions will string that out is anyones guess, but in the end its not just the Clintons whose reputations will be on the line. It involves the Obama administration too, whose DoJ silenced the FBI informant for some reason. That alone is worth an Inspector General review and Congressional oversight.
I sure hope you’re right. However, for Mueller to skate on this, HE would have to have turned State’s Evidence, or flipped himself somehow. How does THAT work.
On the other hand, Trump wanted Mueller appointed and had nothing to fear over "Russian collusion." Mueller stacked his staff with Swamp lawyers intent on crucifying Trump, and set them about looking for evidence of crimes that neither Trump nor his team ever committed. It was a honey pot and a brilliant diversion. The Swamp and most Americans have been watching the shiny object while AG Sessions has been working in secret. Classic Trump.
I won't ask for evidence, because I'm sure you have none. Good bye!
We'd have to have been in Trump's office on April 16 to know that. That's when Trump interviewed Mueller for the FBI job that Mueller had already held for twelve years - two years beyond its ten year limitation. All we know is that Trump's man Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel the very next day, on April 17.
It could be that Mueller was confronted with his own culpability from his 2001-2013 FBI tenure and "turned" by Trump to redeem himself and his otherwise distinguished record. That is plausible.
It could also be that Mueller was a white hat all along but was stonewalled for three years by Obama and his corrupt attorneys general. Mueller was appointed by President Bush in 2001 and by law should have retired in 2011, three years into Obama's first term. Why would Mueller agree to the two-year extension that the Senate approved for him? Was he convinced that Obama would be defeated and a new Republican president would appoint an honest attorney general? Mueller was in position to know where many "bodies were buried" and would be a valuable ally to a reformer president. In hindsight, this is very plausible.
Time will tell. Until then, I must trust President Trump.
“...Time will tell...trust Trump...”
President Trump knows he did not collude with the Russians and so is not concerned about the Mueller investigation.
I also trust President Trump. Remember, he has access to all classified info and knows a lot more than we do.
bump
Evidence is circumstantial, but if you remove emotion and coldly examine what can be observed - including the contrasting behaviors of the two sides - this is the only logical conclusion. Here's a cursory timeline that shapes the argument:
October 9, 2016. During the second presidential debate, Trump promised Hillary to her face "I didn't think I'd say this, but I'm going to say it and hate to say it: But if I win, I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies, so much deception. There has never been anything like it. And we're going to have a special prosecutor."
January 13, 2017. President Trump nominates Rod Rosenstein, then United States Attorney for Maryland, to be Deputy Attorney General.
April 16, 2017. President Trump interviews Robert Mueller for the job of FBI director. This is odd, given that Mueller was then ineligible to hold the job. The 73-year-old Mueller had previously served 12 years as FBI director and had required Senate confirmation to serve beyond its 10-year statutory term limit. Then, the very next day...
April 17, 2017. Deputy AG Rosenstein appoints Mueller as special counsel - with curiously broader authority than its expected purpose required. Order Number 3915-2017 granted to Mueller the authority to investigate and prosecute the following:
(i) any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and
(ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation; and
(iii) any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R § 600.4(a)."
It is now apparent that President Trump knew two things early on:
1. Neither Trump nor his campaign ever colluded with the Russian government and had nothing to fear from any investigation; and
2. There was a mountain of evidence that Hillary Clinton and many of her swamp mates received bribes from Russia in exchange for one-fifth of America's uranium, and Mueller knew all about it - and the existence of a paid FBI informant - since he was FBI Director between 2001 and 2013.
Judging from the Swamp critters' panicked and unhinged behavior, it is apparent that the fix really was in with Robert Mueller - but not like they were led to believe. As Trump knew from the beginning, none of the evidence would implicate him, but would implicate his enemies instead. President Trump chose his man (Rosenstein) to appoint the man he had just interviewed (Mueller) to be special counsel - just as he promised Hillary back on October 9, 2016. Donald John Trump keeps his word.
Obviously I wasn't planning on replying, but I have to hand it to you. That is by far the best post supporting what is clearly an outlying theory, that no one outside of message boards is even considering as possible, that I have yet seen.
Yet it still falls empty based on everything we know. And to claim it is the "only logical conclusion" when it actually defies most logic, is by far your weakest part. I won't try to match your excellent formatting, and presentation, but will address each point.
Yes, Trump said he was going to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hillary. However, he also stated shortly after the election. Hopefully you remember this as well, so I don't have to find the links. But since your point is simply an assertion that Trump intended to do that, there is an equal and opposite assertion that he was not going to.
Yes, technically Trump nominated Rod Rosenstein. However, no one believes that Trump even knew he he was before he was appointed. Rosenstein's nomination was recommended by someone to Trump, most likely Jeff Sessions, since the position is the deputy to the AG. But the only reason the name Rosenstein became known to anyone, is because Trump has lambasted him, ever since. He's called him a Democrat, repeatedly, starting with Trump's famous tweet "I'm being investigated for firing the FBI director, by the person who told me to fire the FBI director! Witch Hunt!"
Yes Trump interviewed Mueller for FBI director, because Obama had already proven that any term limit of 10 years was false. Mueller was extended by Obama right in the middle of the Uranium One investigation, so anyone claiming that Mueller may have objected to Obama, or was being controlled by Obama, is wrong else Mueller wouldn't have agreed to that extension.
Rosenstein appointed his longtime associate Mueller to the special counsel position in less than 24 hours of being authorized to do so. According to reports, both Sessions and Trump were caught off guard, and per Trump himself the appointment was completely inappropriate due to multiple and obvious conflicts of interest. It's also been revealed that Mueller is currently operating under a DOJ waiver for conflict of interest, which makes it an obvious inappropriate appointment for a supposed "independent" special counsel.
Near the end you claim that none of the evidence would implicate Trump, yet we've seen Mueller already arrest 4 Trump associates, with strong indication that his son-in-law Kushner will be next. Do you really believe that Trump would have agreed, in advance, for 4 of his team members, including his campaign manager, and national security advisor, to be arrested in a misdirection ploy? It wouldn't have taken 4 of them for that, nor would there have been a need for a SWAT like raid on Manafort, etc. Yet still no SWAT raids on any Democrats, or FBI agents?
No, despite the points you have attempted to make, Mueller and the entire DOJ are clearly aligned against the President. McCabe and Strzok, who are known to have illegally prevented Hillary from ever being charged, still have jobs at the FBI. Sessions has publicly squabbled with the President and Congress constantly, trying to prevent any evidence of wrongdoing coming to light. All of your points are at least 9 months old, and the picture has become quite clear since that time.
My guess is you came to this conclusion back in April, per your timeline, and haven't really revisited it since. I suggest you do so now, starting with the revelation that Mueller's probe was a quote "insurance policy" that was put in motion by McCabe and others at the FBI, per the recent text messages from Strzok. McCabe's recent admission to the Committee that he couldn't verify basically anything in the dossier that was used to get the FISA warrant, that Trump exposed shortly after becoming President, is another huge hole in your theory that Trump approved of any of this. He was illegally surveilled, framed, and his family is now in danger of being arrested by an out of control prosecutor, that Trump himself has called a quote "democratic hit job."
I rest my case.
Thank you, Always A Marine.
As for timing, I came to this conclusion back during the summer after observing that the "Trump versus Sessions" theater seemed a bit overdone and therefore was contrived. Any successful sting operation requires skilled deception at all levels, and it has to look good for anybody to buy it. But the president's occasional public exclamations against Sessions, Rosenstein and Mueller must be weighed against his consistent refusal to act against Sessions. I strongly believe they are acting in concert.
As for those few petty pleas, there has to be some minor bleeding and I believe LtGen Flynn will be made whole. I also believe Manafort was a double agent for Hillary during his very brief stint with the Trump campaign. When this is over, President Trump will have absolute pardoning power at his disposal and I believe he will exercise it justly.
Trump is fighting the greatest criminal conspiracy in American history, and he came into office with a plan and he intends to win. Judging by their panicked behavior, I believe a growing number of the bad actors have finally reached the same conclusion as mine.
Again, time will tell...
Not true, at all, if Mueller isn't actually targetting Trump. According to you, Trump is the one running the conspiracy against us, not the other way around.
He's just sitting back, and playing everyone but you for fools, right? He's got the special counsel secretly working for him, remember! How in the world could he be in danger, according to everything else you've claimed so far?
So you have a MAJOR disconnect in your thinking, obviously, to say Trump is just playing a game on everyone, but is still a victim somehow, which dowsn't add up. You're now going to have to either stick to your guns and claim he's not in any danger at all, or finally admit that he is. There is no middle ground, bud.
Trump is not playing a game on everyone, but running a sting against a criminal conspiracy -- so excuse him for not telling us the game plan. By fooling the conspirators into believing they were going to destroy him, Trump has turned the tables and gained the upper hand. Their panic indicates they're starting to realize they're screwed. We are about to turn a big corner.
A deep smelling swamp to be drained to the bottom !!!
Ok
Just as I thought...Thank you!
He did work for Obama for many years, didn't he? And didn't he agree to.an extension under Obama? An extension that exceeded the normal term limit for FBI director? Why in the world do you think he would have agreed to continue to be the top cop for the Obama’s criminal enterprise, if he wasn't satisfied with the output of their work? Because it's not like he wasn't somehow complicit in everything they did, being in charge of the FBI all that time.
Eric Holder was his boss up the chain too. Would you have agreed to be extended under Holder? A guy who was known for being the only US Attorney General to held in contempt of Congress, if you didn't know. Also known for such scandals as Fast and Furious, otherwise known as “Project Gunrunner,” and the targeting by the IRS of conservatives, among a whole host of other things. And there was your boy Mueller, supposedly the top cop in America?
Don't forget that Mueller worked directly for James Comey at one point too. The two are considered close friends and their relationship is one of the core conflicts of interest that Mueller has that resulted in Mueller now having a conflict of interestnwaiver on fire for being allowed as special prosecutor. It's even been learned that Mueller was secretly meeting with Comey just before Comey testified to Congress, likely to work on their plan to impeach the President.
Andrew McCabe rose to power in Mueller's FBI too. He started out with them right about the time Mueller became director, and quickly worked his way up, despite being directly involved with scandals like the Boston marathon bombing and the Benghazi investigation. He's also well known for helping Comey and Mueller oversee the destruction of evidence and refusal to charge the Clintons or any of their associates for years of crimes against the US.
Then you've got Strozk and Page, who Mueller hand picked to be on his impeachment team of agents to investigate the President, with Strzok listed as the top FBI agent on the case. Mueller had Strzok running the ground operation, getting Michael Flynn for perjury which is so far the Grand Prize of the investigation.
Yet somehow, despite all these close associations with Mueller, despite all the evidence that Mueller is coming after Trump with everything he has, and the endless support that Mueller has received lately from Holder, and Comey, and Yates, you still want to insist that Mueller has secretly working against them?
And all you really have for evidence is that he met with Trump, once? A meeting that Trump has said should have disqualified him from being special counsel, because it is possible that whatever they discussed was supposed to be held in confidence, but maybhavecactually been a trick to gather evidence against the President?
I hope you'll look at the depth of the connections Mueller has to those attempting to take down the President, and realize your evidence to the contrary pales in comparison, in fact it's almost non-existent. Most everyone else sees it as a no brainer, including all the President's supporters in Congress and the conservative media. Maybe you just like being the contrarian, in the face of overwhelming odds, but this appears to be a colossal failure of judgment on the most important political event in decades. Just know this - if Mueller ends up arresting the President's son, or his son-in-law next, as is widely rumored, you're going to have a really tough time selling this BS any more. In fact you'll have a lot to answer for why you supported Mueller to the point we are now.
Trust no one but Donald Trump
Time will tell. Cheers!
Thanks Marine. Cheers to you as well.
No problem.
Merry Christmas.
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