Your first paragraph is 100% correct. But with the Feds, US Attorney’s are also present. I did work with the DEA and FBI when I was cop and on occasion they had AUSAs on the street with them, sometimes armed, that were there to provide counsel and advice as situations came up, ie...we grabbed a guy and he wanted to flip right then and there. The warrant application process for a Fed is a longer, more drawn out process than local cops. That’s why they have so many Task Forces. They can get a detective to write a warrant on the hood of car, knock on the door to a judge’s house at 2am and get a paper signed. Then the Feds will “assist” the local police.
So, I’m wondering if Page, Baker, or some other unnamed AUSA or staff lawyer helped draft and present the affidavits to FISC.
As for remedies....Perjury & Violation of Oath of Office...just to start. Going forward they’re looking at other charges and eventually civil suits on both an agency and personal level.
And I have my fingers crossed that your second paragraph, if the IG report is as bad as they’re building it up and the release of documents show how bad this is/was, comes to fruition. Obviously you’ve been in courtrooms. Judges have the ability to be drop the hammer on folks if they want to.
But, a lingering question for me is, what if they’re in on it? That one judge, who is friends with McCabe, seemed to duck out the spotlight rather quickly when the text messages started getting released. And being the snakes that they are, I think at least of few of them have information tucked away in the hopes that it could be a, get out of jail free card.
To think....they all thought she would win, we’d never know anything and they’d get away with all of it. Imagine what they’d be capable of when the target isn’t the President of the United States.
Having been involved with AUSA’s and Task Forces myself, it is not unusual to make a presentation to the AUSA assigned to the Task Force to help draft the warrant. Usually, there is enough of a “personal/professional” relationship the attorney relies on the agent to be a straight shooter.
In this case, since it looks like everything was based out of FBI headquarters as opposed to a field office, you are dealing with more political appointees and the proverbial ass-kissers who are assigned to desk jobs in the bureau. I would imagine the attitude is to “go along to get along”.
As for Judge Contraras, I would bet Strzok and the Judge go back many years and many cases. They obviously socialize in the same circles. Strzok used that relationship to “grease the skids” knowing his personal relationship with the Judge could allow him to BS any shortcomings in the affidavit. I can’t see Contraras as being a willing participant in this as he has way too much to lose. (Think former cases overturned because of misconduct.)
I am hoping the cancer isn’t so deep that it can’t be excised. Giving Barr the scalpel is a start in the right direction. I am confident he will root out the bad actors in the DOJ. My concern is the performance of Wray at the FBI has been less than stellar. He has had sufficient time to identify those involved. Maybe he is waiting on the IG report as well to start housecleaning.
If the IG report is damning, and Barr, Wray and the FISA Judges are truly interested in cleaning up this mess, the dominoes will fall quickly. Otherwise...welcome to another addition of Washington Kabuki Theatre.