Posted on 10/27/2020 7:33:35 AM PDT by SJackson
One is supposed to believe that Attorney General William Barr is in charge of the Department of Justice, and that FBI Director Christopher Wray works for Barr. Both men purportedly work for President Donald J. Trump. President Trump has been very clear about his desire and directives to declassify and release all materials related to the “Russia!” hoax. The President is consistently ignored by his staff.
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Judicial Watch submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on February 16, 2018, to the FBI. It sought text messages sent from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, between FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and FBI attorney Lisa Page, FBI Special Agent Jennifer Leonard, FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, and/or Obama administration Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco. In response, the FBI denied the request, asserting (incredibly) that text messages are not subject to FOIA.
Judicial Watch challenged the FBI’s determination. It filed an administrative appeal with the Department of Justice arguing that “text messages involving government-related business sent between government officials, whom all of the persons identified in the scope of the request are, do in fact constitute government records that fall within the purview of FOIA.” [Emphasis added]
In response, the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy remanded Judicial Watch’s request for “further review,” but the FBI ignored the directive and continues to withhold any text messages. Judicial Watch sued on October 19, 2020, just a few days ago, after the FBI failed to respond (again) to the remanded request.
The Wray FBI is acting in a disgracefully dishonest manner, and the attorneys of the Barr Justice Department are the advocates peddling this nonsense in federal courts. Here is what your government says it can do: Delete and keep secret all text messages – including those by the dirty cops running an illicit coup against President Trump.
Keep in mind that this sort of arrogant, uncorrected (and largely ignored) corruption goes on in Washington DC all the time. AG Barr accepts it all and takes no action.
Last month, Judicial Watch uncovered that senior members of Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office (SCO) repeatedly and “accidentally” wiped over 20 phones assigned to them. All just a coincidence, right?
The President has the authority to appoint his own Special Counsel (28 C.F.R. Part 600). He is not required to wait for AG Barr to act. Given AG Barr’s affinity for nonsense like Mueller’s wiped phones and denying that government text messages on government phones, sent by government agents, on government time about government business are somehow not government records – one is left to believe the President has waited far too long for AG Barr to actually “do” something (beyond Durham’s indictment one third-stringer flunky DoJ attorney [Clinesmith].
Ask yourself why AG Barr fights Judicial Watch in virtually every FOIA lawsuit seeking records over the Obamagate coup plot. Why does he permit the FBI to claim in court that their agents’ text messages on their government phones are not government records? That’s insultingly preposterous – but it is the Justice Department’s position. Your tax dollars in action.
At this point, one must believe that someone in the Trump White House has caught onto this pattern of conduct at the FBI and the Justice Department. The President is not well-served if this goes on and on and on – at this point for years – and no real action is taken. The past Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Rick Grenell, seemed to make some headway. Now DNI John Ratcliffe has moved the ball down the field a few more yards. Should President Trump be re-elected, the time will have come to break some china and flip over some tables at the FBI and Justice. Hopefully, President Trump will then show people what a “disruptor” truly looks like.
FBI Director Christopher Wray works for Barr.
The org chart has Dir FBI reporting to DAG (Rosen), who reports to AG (Barr).
Rosen should be put on the spot, too, maybe more than Barr.
As soon as Trump wins, he will act to appoint a Special Council. And it won’t be ANYONE from DC! He needs an INVESTIGATOR, not a damn lawyer!
We don’t know.
But that’s a short column...
The President has the authority to appoint his own Special Counsel (28 C.F.R. Part 600)
Read the regulation ... 28 CFR 600.1 - Grounds for appointing a Special Counsel
Under this regulation, POTUS can order AG to appoint, and fire AG if AG doesn't.
Not saying POTUS can't directly appoint, but that action is not what the regulation spells out.
“My guess is that Senate Republicans have warned, urged, and begged Trump not to roil the waters on these issues before the election or control of the Senate will be lost.”
FR really needs a like button.
I don’t know I’m right. I can’t help but suspect the FBI has sat on the laptop, not just to injure Trump, but to hold as leverage over President Biden. I’m just saying Trump must want payback at this point. If Barr can’t point to serious indictments after the election, he will be gone too. Trump knows they sandbagged him.
Difference without distinction. The FBI is a minor bureau inside the DOJ, which answers to Barr.
Barr talks a good game...talks.
“Why Does Barr Let Wray Lie and Flout the Law?”
Because he’s in on it.
No action before the election, that has been obvious for 3 months.
Unless Wray, Barr and others are fired after the election, no action after the election either.
““Why Does Barr Let Wray Lie and Flout the Law?””
Bad optics in an election year. Wait until after the election. Depending on the DoJ’s priority list and Trump’s reelection, Wray could be gone as soon as November 15th or Trump might keep him on longer to redeem himself and move on all the Deep State corruption.
If Trump loses, he has 77 days until Biden is inaugurated to drain the swamp. More like get revenge on everyone who hurt him during his 4 years in office. The list is long, but Trump never had a problem with it.
Like Diogenes the Cynic, President Trump, should he be reelected, will have to wander far and wide to find a non swamper.
As a US Attorney once told me, the law is what I say it is, not what it’s text states.
If Trump loses and tries to take action in the remaining 77 days, he will be ignored. The office holders will simply refuse to step down, since they know the dems (and most repubs) will have their backs.
Tic tic tic. Playing defense and running out the clock.
At least we have been relieved of ONE USSC POS who believed the same.
Agreed. Will be surprised to see any of our domestic enemies doing anything proper for the next week at least.
Come for the King, best not miss because he just may get re-elected.
OMG. I agree on the like button. Maybe we could have “like” and “sucks”? Honestly free republic is so much better than citizenfreepress yet it gets all the publicity.
Answer: Once a Bushie...
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