Free Republic

On November 19 the FBI raided the home of Clinton Foundation whistle blower Dennis Cain According to the daily caller In the wake of a bombshell Daily Caller News Foundation investigative report late last week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley demanded answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray about a Nov. 19 bureau raid on the home of a recognized whistleblower. The whistleblower, Dennis Cain, who was once employed by an FBI contractor, reportedly turned over documents to the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz regarding the bureau’s failure to investigate potential criminal activity regarding former Secretary of State...

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors have told defense lawyers in recent weeks that they are “tying up loose ends” in their investigation, providing the clearest clues yet that the long-running probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election may be coming to its climax, potentially in the next few weeks, according to multiple sources close to the matter. The new information about the state of Mueller’s investigation comes during a pivotal week when the special counsel’s prosecutors are planning to file memos about three of their most high profile defendants — former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump...

Judicial Watch Sues for Documents on Obama DOJ Effort to Shut Down Clinton Foundation Investigation Judicial Watch Files Supreme Court Brief against Government Abuse Judicial Watch Fights for Rule of Law in Battle with Anti-Trump Politicians Not Forgotten – Judicial Watch Sues for Vietnam POW-MIA Docs Is Maxine Waters Fit to Chair House Financial Services Committee? Judicial Watch Sues for Documents on Obama DOJ Effort to Shut Down Clinton Foundation Investigation A major scandal, largely uninvestigated, is the Obama Justice Department’s protection of Hillary Clinton. As per usual, Judicial Watch is taking the lead on this issue. We just...

Former FBI Director James Comey says Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker "may not be the sharpest knife" in the drawer. Comey made those comments during an interview Monday with WGBH News in Boston. Comey said Whitaker "may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer" but Comey said Whitaker "knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons."

Full Title: Here We Go: Office of Special Counsel Opens Investigation on Acting AG Matt Whitaker Over Hatch Act Violations An independent federal investigative agency is looking into whether acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker violated prohibitions on political activities by federal employees by accepting contributions to his 2014 Senate campaign earlier this year. Last January and February, when Whitaker served as chief of staff at the Department of Justice, four individuals donated a total of $8,800 to the committee for Whitaker’s unsuccessful 2014 run for a Senate seat in Iowa, according to Federal Election Commission records. Austin Evers, the executive...

Matthew Whitaker doesn’t have to fire Robert Mueller to throw a wrench in the special counsel’s investigation. Much of the focus on President Trump’s appointment of Whitaker to temporarily replace former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been on the possibility of Whitaker removing Mueller, a move that would undoubtedly spark public outrage and trigger full-scale investigations by Democrats, who are poised to take control of the House in January. ADVERTISEMENT But federal regulations offer Whitaker, now acting attorney general, broad authority with respect to the special counsel that extends beyond the ability to remove Mueller, giving him the ability to...

Europe must get a handle on immigration to combat a growing threat from rightwing populists, Hillary Clinton has said, calling on the continent’s leaders to send out a stronger signal showing they are “not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support”. In an interview with the Guardian, the former Democratic presidential candidate praised the generosity shown by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, but suggested immigration was inflaming voters and contributed to the election of Donald Trump and Britain’s vote to leave the EU. “I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what...

Watchdog group American Oversight filed three complaints against Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on Wednesday, alleging that he may have violated the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal employees. The group, founded by a former Obama State Department attorney, claims that Whitaker's recently released financial disclosure forms reveal undisclosed conflicts of interest. “The nation’s highest law enforcement officer should be above reproach, but Acting Attorney General Whitaker’s financial disclosures raise potential concerns of both dishonesty and covert partisan conflicts of interest,” said Austin Evers, the group's executive director. The group filed their complaint alleging Hatch Act violations to...

Three Democratic senators on Monday filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of President Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general. Whitaker was appointed by Trump to lead the Justice Department after Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out of the role earlier this month. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono filed the complaint against Whitaker in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday. All three issues fiery statements. “Installing Matthew Whitaker so flagrantly defies constitutional law that any viewer of School House Rock...

Hans von Spakovsky: Acting AG Matt Whitaker has no conflict of interest and no reason to recuse himselfUnder the ethics regulations that apply to Justice Department lawyers, Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has no conflict of interest. Hence, he has no ethical or legal obligation to recuse himself from supervising Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The demands that he do so are expressions of political theater with no factual or legal basis. Whitaker is being criticized for having voiced an opinion about Mueller’s investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. For example, on Nov. 11,...

So funny to see little Adam Schitt (D-CA) talking about the fact that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker was not approved by the Senate, but not mentioning the fact that Bob Mueller (who is highly conflicted) was not approved by the Senate!

Rep. Adam Schiff of California on Sunday said Democrats will be keeping a close eye on acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, deeming him a “flawed appointment” who cannot be trusted to guide the Russia investigation. Mr. Schiff, who is poised to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said his panel will root out and expose any efforts Mr. Whitaker takes to curb special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into potential interference in the 2016 election. The acting attorney general has criticized the scope of the investigation in the past. Mr. Schiff also said Mr. Trump’s decision to tap Mr. Whitaker...

President Trump on Sunday said he is giving acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker free rein over special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, including limiting or shutting down the investigation. “It’s going to be up to him,” Mr. Trump said in an interview aired on Fox News Sunday.” “I wouldn’t get involved.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley brushed aside demands to hold a hearing on the ouster of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the designation of Matthew Whitaker as his acting replacement, saying Thursday that the law appears to have been followed. Mr. Grassley also said it was “ironic” that Democrats are now intent on defending Mr. Sessions, who they excoriated for the nearly two years he was in office. The Iowa Republican said he’s confident President Trump followed the Vacancies Reform Act in naming Mr. Whitaker, who was not in a Senate-confirmed position but who, according to the...

Trump’s DOJ says Whitaker can serve in acting role without Senate confirmation. Matthew Whitaker can properly serve as acting attorney general without Senate confirmation, the Justice Department said in a legal opinion released Wednesday, though the document is unlikely to end the debate over Mr. Whitaker’s installation as the country’s top law-enforcement officer.

The Department of Justice is expected to release an opinion detailing how Whitaker’s appointment is legal

(snip) -- This tells me, someone wanted this information into the bloodstream of public knowledge; ..... ..... Who wanted this out there? The answer to that question, is uniquely narrow when you think about the documents and the position the person would have to hold in order to influence the release. Because of the documents in question, the person would need to be inside the DOJ. Because of the content of the documents, the person would have to be important enough to have access and knowledge of the bigger dynamic at play. This person would also need to be high...

Robert Mueller (the entire team) was put into place by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in 2017. The specific selection of Robert Mueller was an outcome of recommendations and advice from FBI Chief Legal Counsel, James Baker, and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

A trio of likely House committee chairmen and prospective Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday laid out their oversight investigation strategy. Democrats secured sweeping victories this month in House races to secure a majority in the lower chamber of Congress. The party will soon wield the ability to launch investigations and subpoena witnesses as a result, setting up a potentially acrimonious next two years with the White House. Democrats on Sunday previewed some of those likely investigations, starting with whether Trump's actions impact special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and including possible interference with the media and the census. The White...