Posted on 12/23/2018 1:39:51 AM PST by Trump_the_Evil_Left
John Huber has developed almost mythical status among pro-Trump tweeters since former Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed him to investigate why the FBI spied on Trump’s aides and whether they protected Hillary Clinton and her foundation over alleged misdeeds. They hoped the Salt Lake City-based prosecutor would aggressively expose the malfeasance that has already led to firings and resignations among the bureau’s top brass.
Instead, more than a year since his appointment, Huber’s lack of traction on either front is leading many once hopeful supporters to dismiss his investigation as a “sham."
RealClearInvestigations has learned from potential witnesses, their lawyers and others close to the investigations, that Huber has not impaneled a federal grand jury to subpoena witnesses or hear evidence.
They are puzzled as to why he has failed to interview key witnesses – such as disgraced FBI officials and Trump advisers targeted by them, as well as Clinton Foundation whistleblowers -- who could shed light on whether FBI and Justice Department officials misused their power when they obtained spy warrants to monitor Trump adviser Carter Page; or whether such officials turned a blind eye to millions of dollars in foreign Clinton Foundation donations influencing Clinton’s official decisions as secretary of state. Even when whistleblowers have reached out to Huber, offering reams of evidence, his office has not followed up, they say.
While some witnesses and their attorneys complain he’s not doing his job, some critics who once had high hopes for Huber now suspect he was never expected to. They say Huber’s appointment was always political, that the Justice Department had no interest in exposing its own corruption and named this longtime department official to mollify Republicans who clamored for the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate FBI and Justice activities under the Obama administration.
“At the time, people wanted a special counsel, but Jeff Sessions announced he brought in Huber and people said, ‘OK, we got Huber on it,’ ” former Justice Department prosecutor Victoria Toensing said. “But it was a head fake.”
Now a private attorney in Washington, Toensing represents a whistleblower in the so-called Uranium One scandal, who she says still has not been contacted by Huber. Her client, Doug Campbell, an FBI informant who claims to have evidence that Clinton helped Russians secure U.S.-based uranium rights in a quid pro quo for large donations to her family’s foundation and speaking fees for former President Bill Clinton from the Russian company at the heart of the deal.
“He should have contacted Doug Campbell within the first two months” of being assigned by Sessions to look into the 2010 uranium deal, Toensing said.
“It’s a farce,” she added. "It’s an embarrassment how this has been handled.”
Huber’s office would not speak directly to the complaints, but asserted that his inquiry is active and ongoing.
Two other Clinton Foundation whistleblowers reached out numerous times to Huber’s office, starting in April, and offered to turn over 6,000 pages of evidence, only to get the silent treatment for several months before finally hearing back after Republican leaders supporting the expert witnesses made a stink about the snub on Fox News.
Private financial-crimes investigators Lawrence Doyle and John Moynihan say they got no response after sending evidence of alleged foundation tax fraud, misappropriation of funds and pay-for-play schemes to Salt Lake City by mail in April and again in May. After hearing nothing back, they followed up and were told the materials had been “lost." So they re-sent them by FedEx in October. But again, they heard nothing. Then, finally, they received a call on Nov. 30 from an assistant U.S. attorney there, who said he would “review" the material.
“It’s disappointing it took that long,” said Moynihan, a former Justice official.
Just days earlier, GOP congressional leaders had called Huber to testify and give them a progress report on his work at a hearing originally scheduled for Dec. 5. Republicans are suspicious of the timing. The hearing was rescheduled without Huber.
“I find it just very coincidental that on Nov. 30 — a few days before the hearing [and] after they had been noticed that we wanted them to come and testify -- all of a sudden, they would start following up,” said House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Mark Meadows.
Huber ultimately balked at the invitation, reportedly because he would have to appear with the ignored whistleblowers. “He was never scheduled to testify,” House Oversight spokeswoman Amanda Gonzalez Thompson confirmed.
The Clinton Foundation probe isn’t the only case where Huber appears to be dragging his feet.
Sessions told Congress he also tasked Huber with looking into whether FBI investigators and Justice lawyers misled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court by making deliberate misrepresentations about evidence presented against Page, whom they targeted as a “Russian agent." Allegations include omitting material facts and exculpatory evidence undermining their probable-cause case.
For instance, they never told judges that their application relied heavily on a dossier of anti-Trump opposition research funded by the Clinton campaign. Recently revealed emails show then-FBI Director James Comey raised concerns about the reliability of the “unverified” dossier before he signed the initial application for the FISA warrant in October 2016.
Page, who denies the allegations, says he has not been contacted by Huber’s office.
“Never heard anything from Utah,” he said in an interview.
In fact, Page added, “I have spoken with no federal law enforcement officials this year.”
In addition, Huber has yet to interview a key Justice official involved in the surveillance activities.
Republicans say demoted Justice official Bruce Ohr recently testified to Congress that he’s not been interviewed by Huber about his contacts with FBI officials while they were surveilling Trump aides before and after the 2016 presidential election. Nor has his wife, Nellie Ohr, who worked on the dossier used to support wiretap warrants, according to his testimony.
Meadows sent a letter to Sessions demanding Huber interview Bruce Ohr about his connection to the bureau’s process in obtaining the wiretap. The Republican leader says the FBI used Ohr as a back channel for dossier information. He followed up with another letter in October asking for an update on Huber’s progress.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz: overlapping inquiries. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta Defenders say what appears to be slow progress may be a function of Huber having to wait on Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who is conducting his own investigation into the department’s mishandling of the Clinton and Trump probes. They point out that Huber is shadowing Horowitz’s slow-moving probe and lending any prosecutorial support he sees fit to provide. Inspectors general do not have the power to subpoena outside witnesses and compel testimony, or convene grand juries and seek indictments.
“I am surprised by witnesses saying that they have not been contacted. And there has been no public indications of his use of grand juries or other powers,” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who thought appointing Huber instead of a special counsel would bring faster results. “But that may reflect a priority given to the investigation by Horowitz [because] he had the experience and evidence going into the investigation."
He also noted that Huber may be avoiding overlap with Horowitz’s lines of inquiry.
“Some witnesses have already given statements to other investigators, and there may be less of a need for re-interviews,” Turley added.
However, neither Page nor Ohr has heard from investigators from Horowitz’s office, either.
The lack of movement by the inspector general surprises colleagues.
“Michael Horowitz assured me last summer he would have additional reports (including regarding the alleged FISA abuses), but there’s still no sign of them,” former State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard said.
“I’m disappointed,” he added. "I don’t know what is holding them up."
Horowitz’s office declined comment. But Huber’s insisted he is still conducting his inquiry.
"Mr. Huber was asked to evaluate certain issues and report directly to the attorney general and the deputy attorney general, as appropriate,” Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Salt Lake City, told RCI. "His review is ongoing."
Asked why key figures have gone unquestioned and what areas of investigation he has pursued, she said, "It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the scope or findings of his review.”
Rydalch also declined to provide details about the size of Huber’s team and budget, though he is said to marshal several senior federal prosecutors.
Huber’s appointment came late last year after the chairmen of judiciary committees on the Hill repeatedly called for a second special counsel to investigate Uranium One and alleged surveillance abuses. Sessions said he designated Huber in November 2017 to look into the matters and see if one was necessary.
In a March 29 letter to the GOP congressional leaders, Sessions said he was “confident” Huber would conduct a “full, complete and objective evaluation of these matters.” He pointed to his skills as a prosecutor and to his location 2,000 miles from Washington, where he could operate far removed from Beltway politics and conflicts.
But critics say Huber is, in fact, a typical government insider. An Obama holdover who was also very close to Sessions, Huber previously led the attorney general office’s national security section in Washington and was the executive assistant attorney general. And some question his chops as a prosecutor, citing several bungled white-collar and public corruption cases that his office opened in Utah, though others are quick to credit Huber with recent reductions in violent crime in the state.
“He’s an establishment Justice Department career person, who’s not going to take any strong action against what went on at the FBI and Justice,” former Justice prosecutor Larry Klayman said.
Toensing noted an inherent conflict in Huber reporting his findings to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who signed one of the warrant renewals for wiretapping Page. Others note that Huber may have a local conflict in the Uranium One matter, since the Russian deal involved uranium mining interests located in his state.
“Rod signed one of the FISA applications and is potentially a co-conspirator in the FISA abuse. Why would Huber report anything back to him that’s embarrassing on the FISA front? It makes no sense,” she said. “The whole thing is corrupt and cries out for a special counsel.”
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton agreed, arguing the FBI and Justice can’t be expected to investigate themselves, even with an outside-the-Beltway prosecutor leading the investigation.
“Huber was a distraction to ease pressure for a second special counsel,” he said, adding that Sessions used sleight of hand in crafting his letter to Congress. Technically, he explained, Huber had a mandate from Sessions only to investigate the investigations, not the underlying allegations.
“Huber wasn’t tapped to investigate anything,” Fitton said. "He was tasked to investigate whether to investigate.”
Fitton said he intends to FOIA Justice for the “regular updates” that Sessions said he was getting from Huber.
Once Democrats take back control of the House, they will have little interest in pressuring Huber to keep them in the loop on what are Obama-era scandals.
That leaves the Senate.
While the Senate Judiciary Committee told RCI it has not received "any updates" from Huber’s office or Justice about his work, it plans to continue its oversight as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) takes the gavel from longtime Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in January.
“There’s no imminent plan for Huber to testify,” said committee spokesman George Hartmann. “But Sens. Grassley and Graham have worked closely on oversight issues over the last two years, and I wouldn’t expect either of them to forget about it."
As the saying goes:
Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence.
I take this story with a large grain of “Sources Say” salt. Huber runs a tight ship and we see zero leaks. Let’s see what transpires in the next few months.
When the hammer drops it will be sudden and without warning.
I told folks last year that Huber wasn’t investigating anyone. It’s all about reading comprehension. No one but a few of us actually read and understood his assignment letter from sessions.
Of course all the sessions defenders believed that Huber was the Plan.one more thing in the great awakening that will not come to pass.
Is anybody ready yet to admit the whole thing has been a farce?
huber is a nothing and as I have said all along - Q is a nothing burger - the enemy dragging this out - no a friend! Look at my previous posts - which I have taken hits on!
If Trump doesn't, then it may be safe to conclude that he never really intended to take on the deep state. Rather, perhaps Trump's intention all along was merely to satisfy his on own ego, by which he cleverly seized upon some potent issues that resonated with 50% of the electorate.
On the other hand, let us assume for a moment that Trump is dead serious, and is willing to execute the "Sampson option". As many have correctly surmised, at this point, the only way the republic can be restored is via kinetic action. Since that's the case, the domestic front was must be as fully stocked with patriots as possible. There is nothing Congress or the SC can say/do about overseas troop withdrawals. Likewise, there is nothing Congress/SC can do/say about border deployment. Lastly, there is nothing Congress/SC can do/say about Trump calling out the militia, and declaring certain regions/government operations in a state of rebellion.
The bottom line is we don't know what Trump will do. As an intelligent person, one should hedge their bets accordingly. If Trump rolls over and the border is flung wide open, real estate is going to go through the roof. Look at Calif, England, Canada and even Ireland using this strategy - all playing the housing demand game. However, maybe Trump will bring the troops across the Rubicon ...
No, they won’t admit they were fooled. When January passes with no political figures in Gitmo or in front of military tribunals, The Plan will just become more convoluted. It’s a weird religious cult.
Yup.
Since January, I've been pointing out the "sleight of hand" that was crafted into the Sessions letter.
The social media pimps had a lot of people fooled. A few stragglers still are fooled.
Anyone who actually read the letter from Sessions (spit) with half a brain knew immediately what it was. And some of us said so. The 17letter folks trashed us, quoted Turley (spit), ect.
Huber was “Great PumpQin” #5 or so, gonna rise up real soon! from the patch and reveal eleventy zillion secret indictments. Buffoonery 1st class.
We knew we were right, and have been proven so. Now even Turley is admitting it was a ruse.
Sessions was part of the insurance policy. Need the Collyer (sp?) report unredacted. No way anyone can claim “obstruction!” on it. It will reveal how much illegal spying was going on, looong before “Russia!” They turned our secret databases over to “outside contractors” from AT LEAST 2012. Who were they, what did they get?
Everything, on everyone. Senate. Aides. House. Governors. Mistresses. Phone calls, txts, emails, anything they felt like grabbing.
For. 4 Years.
Anything.
DC is occupied territory. Enemies foreign and domestic control it and USAians are overwhelmed.
The past two years have been a Uniparty run-out-the-clock farce.
Team effort, including Ryan, to insure Dems took the House. Endless recounts to steal even more seats after election.
My one wish all along has been that if/when they come close to achieving their final prize, President Trump has an insurance policy... push one button to release ALL compromising documents on everything.
I get a kick out of the gullible. Your letdown and reality check will be sudden and without warning.
We now know that the NYT has the entire FISA warrant and has had it for almost a year, but not a peep from them about it.
The truth is out there and with lots of supporting documentation but as long as the mainstream media continues to ignore the truth, nothing will happen.
The release of documents will be meaningless.
Or there are no leaks because they haven’t done any investigating. There is nothing to leak.
Nah.... definitely not naive. The truth is out there with more than enough documentation. Millions of us know and believe it. Millions don’t have a clue about any of it. Millions watch and read Maddow, Joe and Mika, TwitterTrolls, The View, Lemon, Brennan, Comey, NYT, NPR... and are convinced that a crime family has taken over the WH and colluded with the RUSSIANS.
So yes, if all original docs are released on everyone and everything for the world to see, they’ll be no turning back. And if were him, I’d want the revenge.
You’ll mean I am not going to get my 6,000,000,000 indictments?
So yes, you stated it perfectly that millions believe a crime family has taken over the WH and colluded with the Russians. I know some of those people.
But without effective Congressional hearings, and no one to convene grand juries and bring charges and prosecute, the blissfully unaware will never know.
The House will now be used to call hearings against Trump without interruption and in minute detail, while the Senate Intelligence Committee continues to undermine Trump.
Same here.
For a long time I’ve thought that Trump will not run again in 2020. I hope I’m wrong.
I’m now willing to admit it.
This ain’t over. Ignore the defeatists.
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