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Report: Major Federal Investigation into Clinton Foundation Underway
Townhall.com ^ | August 15, 2016 | Guy Benson

Posted on 08/15/2016 9:24:08 AM PDT by Kaslin

This story dropped late last week, but I held off on addressing it for a few reasons. Let's run through some of those caveats:  First, the substance of the report rests on the assertions of a single source -- who goes unnamed, and who is vaguely identified as a "former senior law enforcement official."  Journalistically, this is very thin.  Second, the piece's central claim appears to fly in the face of CNN's very recent reporting that the Justice Department had shot down requests from three FBI field offices to open a probe into the Clinton Foundation.  Third, the story comes from a conservative-leaning outlet, and has gained no traction in the mainstream media.  All of these points warrant some skepticism, but here are the counterparts:  First, the CNN story that did reverberate throughout the national press was also sourced anonymously, apparently through one person.  Second, it's possible that even if the DOJ's public integrity unit declined to open an investigation into the Clinton Foundation ("bottom line: there is no case that's open right now"), perhaps another branch of DOJ came to a different conclusion.  Third, the Daily Caller also broke the news of Hillary Clinton's upcoming FBI interview back in early July, so they've already established that they have at least one reliable source within the relevant law enforcement circles.  With all of that in place, here's what's being reported:

Multiple FBI investigations are underway involving potential corruption charges against the Clinton Foundation, according to a former senior law enforcement official. The investigation centers on New York City where the Clinton Foundation has its main offices, according to the former official who has direct knowledge of the activities. Prosecutorial support will come from various U.S. Attorneys Offices — a major departure from other centralized FBI investigations...The official said involvement of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York “would be seen by agents as a positive development as prosecutors there are generally thought to be more aggressive than the career lawyers within the DOJ.” ... The former official said the investigation is being coordinated between bureau field offices and FBI managers at headquarters in Washington, D.C. The unusual process would ensure senior FBI supervisors, including Director James Comey, would be kept abreast of case progress and of significant developments. The reliance on U.S. attorneys would be a significant departure from the centralized manner in which the FBI managed the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server and email addresses.

As we mentioned last week, Comey recently refused to answer questions from House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz regarding the existence of any Clinton Foundation-related investigations. Fox News' Catherine Herridge reported months earlier that one branch of the Bureau's broader email investigation was tied into the Clinton family's "slush fund." Fox followed-up on the Daily Caller piece on Friday, drawing a 'no comment.'  A subsequent DC story again asserted the multi-pronged probes are in fact happening, highlighting the anti-corruption record of the US attorney allegedly leading this charge. Preet Bharara put away two powerful New York politicians in this past May, one from each major party; he's also looking into the dealings of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.  As a former top aide to Chuck Schumer, Bharara has been a partisan Democrat in the past, but he's built a reputation leading a fiercely independent and relentlessly tenacious US attorney's office in New York's southern district.  That particular office boasts "a tradition of independence...that has often led to tension with the Justice Department,” according to a former prosecutor and judge quoted in the New Yorker's May profile piece on Bharara.  In other words, if it's true that he's the tip of a prosecutorial spear aimed at the Clinton Foundation, that's a very big deal. For now, though, that's an unconfirmed if.  Bharara's office is also declining comment, for what it's worth.  Meanwhile, here's a testy exchange between a State Department spokesperson and an Associated Press reporter last week, wherein the latter finally lost his patience over the former's repeated obfuscations in response to questions surrounding apparent conflicts of interest between State and the Clinton Foundation.  "Am I not speaking English?"

Reporter Calls Out State Department for Dodging on Clinton Emails: 'Am I not speaking English?'

"We talk to outside groups all the time," she said over and over again, ignoring the fact that the Clinton Foundation wasn't just any outside group, given the huge sums of money involved and Mrs. Clinton's role in the US government at the time. That's why Clinton made all sorts of ethics pledges at the beginning of Obama's first term, several of which she and her foundation went on to flagrantly ignore. The State Department is now stating that those ethics agreements didn't apply to any of her very closest aides, rendering those anti-corruption safeguards farcically useless.  Ms. Abedin and Ms. Mills could, and apparently did, take care of Clinton's valued interests on her behalf.  The hapless spokeswoman finally gulped that State is "confident" that all of the rules were followed, which is exactly what Hillary said when she lied about her improper, national security-compromising email scheme. I'll leave you with CNN's deeper dive into several...unusual  revelations about the Clinton Foundation:

CNN Report On “So Many” Potential Conflicts In New Clinton Emails


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: 2016election; cfcriminalprobe; clintonfoundation; conflictofinterest; corruption; emailscandal; fbi; federalinvestigation; hillaryrottenclinton; preetbharara
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To: Kaslin

Don’t ya know, the corruption is systemic.


41 posted on 08/15/2016 9:55:09 AM PDT by Bogie (Just a coincidence?)
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To: rdcbn

Yes but since the FBI is a division of the DOJ if the DOJ says “no” then the FBI won’t investigate.


42 posted on 08/15/2016 9:55:29 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Kaslin

the prosecutor character in Showtime’s “Billions,” Chuck Rhodes (played by Paul Giammetti) is based on Parakeet Baharara. Guy Benson claim Baharara is an ex-schmuky Schummer aide. enuf said. dont get excited. they have pictures which will stop Baharara from pursuing any indicitment. She must be destroyed at the polls. It is Thumpers to lose. I read 2 articles today if Trump is trying to lose. Inquiring minds are wondering.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/291286-is-trump-deliberately-throwing-the-election-to


43 posted on 08/15/2016 9:57:27 AM PDT by tomd2
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To: Kaslin

I suspect the timing is so they can say they can’t talk about it due to the pending investigation.


44 posted on 08/15/2016 9:59:20 AM PDT by tbw2
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To: Donglalinger

The optimism.of some here about getting her this time reminds me of the optimism about winning the second Obmacare case before SCOTUS when it was clear the first had been fixed. People can hold their breath and turn blue, but the fix is in here, too. A Trump victory is the only hope.


45 posted on 08/15/2016 9:59:34 AM PDT by libstripper (out)
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To: xzins
You are correct, on the other hand. If we had the super majority in both houses, instead just the majority it would be a different story.
46 posted on 08/15/2016 10:00:18 AM PDT by Kaslin (He neededAwesomeOf the ignorant to reelect him. He got them and now we have to pay the consequences)
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To: Kaslin

” Investigative Cover “

New term... coined by the KKKlintons


47 posted on 08/15/2016 10:01:15 AM PDT by GraceG (Only a fool works hard in an environment where hard work is not appreciated...)
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To: tomd2
Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Chief Deputy Majority Whip Bill Alexander (D-Ark.).

Another "reliable" source. Trump's not playing by our rules, so he's not gonna win. Waaah!

48 posted on 08/15/2016 10:04:08 AM PDT by antidisestablishment (If those who defend our freedom do not know liberty, none of us will have either.)
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To: stocksthatgoup

The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.


49 posted on 08/15/2016 10:07:01 AM PDT by seawolf101
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To: Kaslin

These people who call themselves conservative live in a dream world. One where justice is right around the corner, where running another Romney r McCain would be a winner, where since Nixon was scandalous for running government departments as his private offices, that as soon as people come to their senses, Hillary and Obama will have trouble for running the entire government, state dept, military, FBI ETC as private, they’ll be looked at like Nixon

The most insane aspect of their thinking is that they don’t consider that the voters are done with it. Half of the voters actually are scandalized This is what it looks like. The other half proudly supports Hillary and BOs lawlessness. They’ll be screaming well into a second Trump term.

Here’s Guy Benson on 8/9/16. “It’s no secret that I’ve opposed Trump from the beginning, but one of the primary reasons I did so in the primaries was because I feared that his nomination would hand an eminently winnable election to this lying, corrupt, unaccountable statist. Which is another way of saying that I take zero pleasure in constantly reporting data showing such a woman appearing to run away with an election that she so richly deserves to lose.


50 posted on 08/15/2016 10:10:17 AM PDT by stanne
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To: stanne

Well, is he right or not?


51 posted on 08/15/2016 10:11:58 AM PDT by Kaslin (He neededAwesomeOf the ignorant to reelect him. He got them and now we have to pay the consequences)
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To: mad_as_he$$

Not to them it’s not. Remember who it is doing the “investigation”.

The result will be “See, nothing here folks. Maybe the “optics” were wrong but no evidence of any wrongdoing.

Perfect cover to proceed with the coronation.


52 posted on 08/15/2016 10:14:42 AM PDT by slorunner
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To: All
The official said involvement of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York “would be seen by agents as a positive development as prosecutors there are generally thought to be more aggressive than the career lawyers within the DOJ.”


Yeah... past office holders include -

Mary Jo White

James Comey

David N Kelley - co-chir of DOJ 9/11 investigation

53 posted on 08/15/2016 10:16:37 AM PDT by az_gila
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To: dfwgator

54 posted on 08/15/2016 10:17:38 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen ((NOT indicted, is perhaps Hillary's one accomplishment))
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To: Kaslin


55 posted on 08/15/2016 10:19:27 AM PDT by Iron Munro (If Illegals voted Rebublican 50 Million Democrats Would Be Screaming "Build The Wall!")
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To: dfwgator

What does this picture signify?


56 posted on 08/15/2016 10:20:13 AM PDT by stillfree? (My My My)
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To: Kaslin

I think he’s wrong. I like Guy Benson. I think he means well. Here’s part of what he says:

” I feared that his nomination would hand an eminently winnable election to this lying, corrupt, unaccountable statist. Which is another way of saying that I take zero pleasure in constantly...”

Who was he counting on to beat H? She and her husband, the current president are enormously powerful. These guys don’t get it


57 posted on 08/15/2016 10:20:31 AM PDT by stanne
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To: stillfree?

Kabuki Theater, all for show.


58 posted on 08/15/2016 10:21:21 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Thank you.


59 posted on 08/15/2016 10:30:51 AM PDT by stillfree? (My My My)
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To: tbw2

“I suspect the timing is so they can say they can’t talk about it due to the pending investigation.”

Might also be why the health angle is getting so much news. It’s her out in the event they find something, which of course they will but not report it.


60 posted on 08/15/2016 10:32:26 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Common Sense, Trump and Pence. More of the same, Clinton and Kaine.)
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