Posted on 08/01/2019 4:54:45 PM PDT by Kaslin
Former FBI Director James Comey may have escaped charges for leaking classified information to the public, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be torched by the pending inspector general report from the Department of Justice. It once again shoots a hole right through the Democrats’ ongoing Trump impeachment narrative that is rapidly falling apart. Russian collusion was outright killed by the report filed by ex-Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as it debunked the already unverified Trump dossier compiled by ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele. Fusion GPS hired him. And they were contracted by the Hillary Clinton campaign to get dirt of Trump. This document is the epicenter of the Trump-Russia collusion myth. Still, this report tried very hard to prove Russian collusion, but there is simply zero evidence to prove it. Period.
The flip side is the so-called obstruction of justice that occurred, with Comey’s firing in2017 being a major date in the minds of liberals. Despite repeated examples that Comey was fired for cause, the Left continues to push this impeachment nonsense. Where things get dicey for liberals is how the Obama DOJ used the Steele dossier to reportedly secure a FISA spy warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. John Solomon at The Hill has more:
Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz’s team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution — a decision that’s likely to upset Comey's conservative critics.
Prosecutors found the IG’s findings compelling but decided not to bring charges because they did not believe they had enough evidence of Comey’s intent to violate the law, according to multiple sources.
[…]
Although a technical violation, the DOJ did not want to “make its first case against the Russia investigators with such thin margins and look petty and vindictive,” a source told me, explaining the DOJ’s rationale.
But Comey and others inside the FBI and the DOJ during his tenure still face legal jeopardy in ongoing probes by the IG and Barr-appointed special prosecutor John Durham. Those investigations are focused on the origins of the Russia investigation that included a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting the Trump campaign at the end of the 2016 election, the source said.
[…]
The lack of prosecution is certain to demoralize some conservatives, who long have called for Comey’s head. But the IG report, set to be released within the next few weeks, likely will provide significant condemnations of Comey’s conduct, sources tell me.
While they cautioned that the IG’s final report won’t be complete until it gets feedback from Comey’s lawyers in the next few days, it is expected to conclude that the former FBI director improperly took with him memos that were FBI property when he was fired, transmitted classified information via an insecure email account, and shared some of the memos with his private lawyers. Some of the Comey memos were classified up to the “secret” level, but the FBI has not disclosed whether those were shared with his lawyers like the classified confidential memo was.
[…]
The IG concluded in prior investigations that Comey’s firing was not driven by Trump’s fears about the Russia investigation ruining his presidency but, rather, by DOJ concerns about Comey’s performance in the Hillary Clinton email probe. Horowitz concluded that Comey wrongly “usurped” the authority of the attorney general when, on July 5, 2016, he announced he would not seek criminal charges against Clinton for transmitting classified information — some of it top secret — on her insecure private email server.
That IG report also chided Comey for criticizing Clinton’s email practices as reckless without filing charges and for improperly announcing the reopening of the email probe in late October 2016, just a few weeks before Election Day when Clinton and Trump were locked in a tight race.
Ironically, Comey’s decision not to charge Clinton for violating the Espionage Act for mishandling classified information on her email server mirrors the same rationale that Barr’s DOJ applied in declining prosecution of him: a lack of evidence of intent.
And Comey is just the first of many DOJ officials who have been accused of shady deeds. Disgraced FBI Agent Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe are also involved in the Obama DOJ’s alleged meddling antics during the 2016 election. It spreads into the State Department, who knew the Steele (aka Trump) dossier was politically biased, and possibly the CIA. George Papadopoulos, a Trump official who was approached by an alleged honeypot, Azra Turk, asking about Trump’s connections to Russia, was first reported as an FBI asset. Papadopoulos said she might have been CIA. This is all part of another offshoot of this reported deep state activity: that the Obama DOJ was spying on the Trump campaign. Well, they sort of were, but not with Papadopoulos. Comey allegedly had an agent inside the Trump White House
They are using this word ‘intent’ deliberately to remind us of the Clinton email decision Comey made. I don’t think ‘intent’ is the real reason they declined prosecution. I think it is more to do with the fact that 1) these memos were classified after the fact and 2) that he shared them with his lawyer (making it privileged in some ways, even though this ‘lawyer’ was really a friend he used to leak the memos) — and while these and other arguments may be irrelevant to the statute, it does make the prosecution of the case more difficult.
And if they suspect they will be filing other charges, they can always resurrect this issue or feel justice will be adequately served with a more solid case to prosecute. Why bring a weak case into a strong one?
No jail? Meaningless.
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Ditto.
Their “if you don’t intend to break a law we’ll let you off” crap doesn’t fly. Next time one of US blows through a stop sign because we didn’t notice it and get a ticket, let’s try that excuse and see how far WE get.
Torched? As in burned at the stake? Okay. I can live with that.
“So what? Not arrested. No problem.”
Not yet. I think Trump wants Barr to do this with maximum effect. Pick the one person who is going to prison for life. (Weissman, Brennan and McCabe come to mind) They are going to start turning on everyone, and it will be because of them people like Comey will finally brought to justice.
I hope you are correct.
I saw that clip. Bagpipes are cool.
Now there is an example of primo, top quality, bureaucratic, ass kissing to retain status within the Deep State machinery.
To the best of my knowledge
a) the law says nothing about intent being required, and without a doubt
b) the bastard in question was part of a coup to unseat a legally elected President of the United States elected by "deplorables" unacceptable to the Deep State which is by definition is a blatantly vindictive act
I hope you are right.
There is no choice but to wait and see what happens. Barr is not recused from anything so it is very likely that he knows what is coming as some have stated so they may believe a much stronger case will be made.
On the other hand, I think most of us instinctively want to see the deep state treated with the same aggressiveness anyone associated with Trump was subjected to by the partisan bunch who “could not exonerate.” This means this story is significant because it is clearly a double standard by this measurement.
I want a true fair and impartial accounting in 100% compliance with our laws and let the chips fall where they will, but right now it looks like Saint Comey is getting a pass that he and his mentor did not give to others.
Nothing will happen. He’s a swamp eel Democrat.
2 years and 40 million dollars wasted and he gets nothing?
Does anyone doubt that he would have thrown Trump or any other innocent person in jail if he could have?
Despite all the optimism, this is a huge victory for James Comey. Leaking classified information is a very serious offense, and if the leaks are true, attorney general Barr brushed it under the rug. A navy enlisted man was sent to prison for inadvertently taking a photo on his submarine. James Comey leaks classified information to the media and to a co-conspirator friend, and walks away. John Solomon and Sara Carter have been the recipients of first-hand information that the department of justice and people in the White House have given them - for 2 years now. Someone leaked the fact that Comey is going to skate away Scott free on this to John Solomon. Despite what everyone is saying, this isn’t good news. Someone in the know is pissed at bagpipe Bob.
I also heard that the one(s) classified after the fact were only classified Confidential.
I get really tired of the exaggerated rhetoric in stuff like this. “Torched” my ass. He was criticized and NOTHING will come of it. I’ll believe “torched” when his lying scheming conspiratorial ass serves 10 years for treason.
I’m ok with holding off and I’m happy with what I see here. First that Huber didn’t pull any punches with Comey, and second is that I’m convinced that Barr is on our side - or he wouldn’t have done what he did (appoint Bull Durham and flat out say that Trump was spied on). If Barr wasn’t, he would be acting like Wray, Coats, and Sleepy Sessions...but he sure as hell isn’t.
So, I’m convinced there’s a strategy at work by not indicting Comey immediately - because of the players involved.
Snap a few photos of a sub and don’t share them. Year in prison and an other than honorable discharge. Young man’s life ruined. Steal classified information out of the FBI (the memos did not belong to Comey once he was fired, work product) to leak indirectly to the press to start a witch hunt to destroy a sitting President. No big deal.
Comey knew that the Mueller would stack his office with Trump haters. How? Mueller was an impotent, bumbling fool and easy to manipulate by the deep state. Comey was in on the start of the soft coup.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
1) They could’ve waited on deciding if there are bigger charges coming. No need to decide not to prosecute.
2) Didn’t the entire legal campaign against Trump aids rely on holding BS charges over heads, like lying to the FBI, in order to get cooperation or incriminating testimony? If it was legal for them, it’s legal to use it on Comey.
Looks like Clinton style exoneration coming to me. Better to threaten prosecution.
And threatening to charge for this doesn’t mess up future charges either. Since when does the DOJ limit itself to one charge as some sort of get out of jail free card for future charges?
What a joke!
I’m hoping the AG is indeed going for a bigger criminal charge against Comey. When I saw the news last evening that the IG was referring Comey for prosecution yet the AG is leaning against it just left me with my jaw dropped. Good grief!
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