When Justice Is Partial
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The country has watched the FBI treat one presidential campaign with kid gloves, the other with informants, warrants and eavesdropping. They’ve seen the Justice Department resist all efforts at accountability, even as it fails to hold its own accountable. And don’t get them started on the one-sided media.
And they are now witnessing unequal treatment in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. Yes, the former FBI director deserves credit for smoking out the Russian trolls who interfered in 2016. And one can argue he is obliged to pursue any evidence of criminal acts, even those unrelated to Russia. But what cannot be justified is the one-sided nature of his probe.
Consider Mr. Cohen, the former Trump lawyer who this week pleaded guilty to eight felony charges. Six related to his personal business dealings; the other two involved campaign-finance violations arising from payments to women claiming affairs with Donald Trump. The criminal prosecution of campaign-finance offenses is exceptionally rare (most charges are civil), but let’s take Mr. Khuzami’s word for it when he says Mr. Cohen’s crimes are “particularly significant” because he’s a lawyer who should know better, and also because the payments were for the purpose of “influencing an election” and undermining its “integrity.”
If there is only “one set of rules,” where is Mr. Mueller’s referral of a case against Hillary for America? Federal law requires campaigns to disclose the recipient and purpose of any payments. The Clinton campaign paid Fusion GPS to compile a dossier against Mr. Trump, a document that became the basis of the Russia narrative Mr. Mueller now investigates. But the campaign funneled the money to law firm Perkins Coie, which in turn paid Fusion. The campaign falsely described the money as payment for “legal services.” The Democratic National Committee did the same. A Perkins Coie spokesperson has claimed that neither the Clinton campaign nor the DNC was aware that Fusion GPS had been hired to conduct the research, and maybe so. But a lot of lawyers here seemed to have been ignoring a clear statute, presumably with the intent of influencing an election.
Prosecutions under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) are also exceptionally rare, though Mr. Mueller is getting media kudos for hammering the likes of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates for failing to register as lobbyists for foreign entities. The law is the law.
But under this standard, where are the charges against the principals of Fusion GPS, who Sen. Chuck Grassley has said look to have been lobbying on behalf of powerful Russians against a U.S. sanctions law, with its payment again funneled through a law firm? This was a sideline to its dossier work, but Mr. Mueller usually has no issue with sideline charges.
Or what about an evenhanded look at dossier author Christopher Steele ? FARA also requires foreigners to register if they act on behalf of a foreign principal. Recently disclosed emails from senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr show the British Mr. Steele pleading the case to the Justice Department on behalf of a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska.
Of the seven U.S. citizens Mr. Mueller has charged, five have been accused of (among other things) making false statements to federal officials. But there have been no charges against the partisans who made repeated abjectly false claims to the FBI and Justice Department about actions of their political opponents. There have been no charges against those who leaked classified information, including the unprecedented release of an unmasked conversation between former national security adviser Mike Flynn and a Russian ambassador. Nothing.
Some of these charges might not stand up in court, but that’s beside the point. Plenty of lawyers would poke holes in the campaign-finance charges against Cohen, or the “lying” charges against Mr. Flynn. Special counsels wield immense power; the mere threat of a charge provokes plea deals. It’s the focus that matters.
Prosecutors can claim all they want that they are applying the law equally, but if they only apply it to half the suspects, justice is not served. Mr. Mueller seems blind to the national need for—the basic expectation of—a thorough look into all parties. That omission is fundamentally undermining any legitimacy in his findings. Lady Justice does not wear a blindfold over only one eye.
Write to kim@wsj.com.
Appeared in the August 24, 2018, print edition.
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Mueller isn't fooling anyone. He is derelict in his responsibility to investigate all the other pertinent events listed in Ms Strassel's article.
Question: why is the SDNY charging Cohen criminally for a campaign finance violation? That is usually a civil charge
Question: why isn't Tony Podesta being charged in a similar fashion as Paul Manafort was charged?
Question: why is he going back ten years to investigate a business or back to 2005 to investigate Paul Manafort?
Beware the SDNY. It's up to no good.
Regarding your questions, Mueller's "investigation" is merely a means to get someone to "sing" and "compose" so they can gather "proof" about Trump which would then lead to impeachment. Period. Full stop.
It is a 'civil charge' when it is found to have been done inadvertently. Cohen ADMITTED that he did it for corrupt reasons.
BTW, the Cohen case isn't being prosecuted by Mueller so I don't know why Strassel included it in her tirade.
That one isn't on Ms. Strassel's list of 'pertinent events' so it looks like she doesn't view that as an issue.
It's called the 'statute of limitations'.
BTW, what business are you referring to?
Which is a lot of BS, just like saying "it was done to affect the outcome of the election". Who stuck that line in there?
Are there campaign violations for valid reasons? (that would be the minor problems Hillary Clinton & Obama had with it, right?)
That one isn't on Ms. Strassel's list of 'pertinent events' so it looks like she doesn't view that as an issue.
Actually it dosen't need listing. The point of the article is the double standard and the dogged approach to one group of people, while ignoring another group, who may have committed criminal acts to implicate the President.
Ms Strassel has a winning argument here. It is not a narrative. There is no spin. If one is honest, it is obvious that Trump & his campaign are the only ones being looked at, while there were others on the other side who had a direct involvement in the 2016 campaign as well as the conduct of investigations. The American people can see all that. Keep beating that drum Bobby, there is a red wave coming!
Cohen elocuted to that FACT just the other day. BTW, as officers of the court, neither the prosecutor or Cohen's attorney can allow him to knowingly elocute to a lie...
It isn't a question of 'valid' or 'invalid'. It is a question of CIVIL and CRIMINAL. You should know that since YOU asked the question...
Actually, there is a crap load of spin. Here's an example:
'Maybe so'? Wow, now THAT'S incriminating isn't it...
Oh and BTW, who are these lawyers she is talking about? Sorta looks intentionally vague to me...spin.
Here's another example:
The statement by Grassley was made in a letter to the Acting AG back in early 2017 inquiring about a FARA complaint that was filed against Fusion GPS in DECEMBER of 2016 by Bill Browder. BTW, there is NO indication in the filing that the alleged FARA violation had criminal intent.
So that begs the question: Is Strassel too stupid to recognize that it would be a WASTE of Mueller's resources to investigate or make a referral to the FARA when one had ALREADY been filed OR she is counting on uninformed readers to believe her bullshit. SPIN!
BTFW, remember when Flynn was allowed to retroactively file as a Foreign Agent in 2017? Why isn't Strassel decrying the 'disparity' in how Flynn was treated versus Manafort? Why aren't YOU? SPIN!
Ironically, neither you nor Strassel seem to recognize that Sessions isn't recused from conducting those investigations.
On one hand, y'all allege that Mueller has gone beyond his mandate and on the other y'all DEMAND that he conduct an investigation that he hasn't been tasked to conduct.
If one is honest, one would be holding Sessions responsible for any failure to investigate Fusion GPS's alleged FARA violation and the allegations against Hillary for America. That's under HIS authority...
Oh and BTW, you must have forgotten the IG investigation 'looking at' alleged FISA abuses by the DOJ and FBI.
That's the IG, where is Mueller???
Are all of y'all averse to READING? Go read Mueller's appointment letter. Sheesh...
What the hell does that have to do with anything. He has a wide open mandate, we know!!!!! The complaint is that he wanders about looking into all things Trump, very much unrelated to Russia, yet has refused to look at things democrats did which are very much related to "Russia"!
Iv'e never know anyone who has disputed so much settled fact as you have.
Only for federal crimes he encounters during the course of the investigation, but it seems that federal crimes are rather common with Trump and his associates.
Well... So far we haven't seen any private citizens spending a million dollars of their own money investigating Trump to find evidence that he was actually born in Kenya. Talk about a witch hunt.
Because Mueller had nothing, thus taking Manafort down was going to give him the information Mueller 'needed' on Trump .. all the others he has cannot give him what he wants, the smoking gun to the supposed 'Russia Connection' …
I am all for finding the 'truth' behind the lies .. yet are 'we' actually getting that? Or are 'we' getting the results after the fix was already in? Seems to me the 'sting operation' was already in play beginning in March of 2016 - roughly the same time that Papadopoulos and Page began affiliation with the Trump campaign … Papadopoulos was being set up in March of 2016 by 'the professor' but remember the investigation did not begin until July 31 of 2016..
I want to know what the former administration knew and when they knew it and why they did nothing to prevent Russia from 'meddling' in the US's 2016 election... ever bit as much as I want to know what the Trump campaign knew and when...
Which infers that there IS a 'Russian Connection' that Manafort can testify about.
BTW, after Gates' testimony, it's pretty clear that he knows about just about everything Manafort did and why. Gates was also part of the Trump Campaign AND Administration long after Manafort left. So it would seem that Gates is the link to the 'Russian Connection' that you claim Mueller 'needed'.
Manafort may well have held out too long to be of much value to Mueller...
I want to know why despite all evidence to the contrary, including Congressional testimony, you believe that the 'former administration' did nothing.
Didn't you get the left wing memo going around? Russiagate is done. Now it's all about paying off porn stars. At least until next week. If that doesn't work then it'll be time to pull out that Russia trope again.
Aww yes Gates .. interesting fellow for sure.
Just my opinion based on events .. I do think that Obama did tell Putin to 'knock it off' once .. and he did take steps in late December 2016, which was well beyond after the fact...
Lets see.. ummm first off Obama's hands were tied, because he would be seen as 'meddling' himself in the election had he taken steps against Russia during the actual 'meddling' by Russia .. next I think it was McConnell's fault that the former administration was not more forthcoming to election officials...………. ……………………………….!
There were many moving parts - I get that, but if Russia was truly a threat it should have been address immediately .. my opinion Dulay
Do you really believe that sanctions and expelling Russians accomplishes anything when dealing with Vlad? I would think Crimea would be a pretty good indicator that sanctioning Russia only hurts the Russian people and are not a solution - as Vlad cannot be sanctioned personally cuz the US is still doing business with Russia
Obama's Cybersecurity Chief testified that they were instructed to concentrate on securing state and local voting systems for Russian interference. From everything that I have read, they were successful.
As for Vlad being effected by sanctions, he most certainly IS. Vlad is a mob boss and when his oligarch's bottom lines are effected by sanctions, his cut is effected too. THAT is why Vlad wants the Magnitsky Act repealed. Even though Vlad isn't named in the act, it's costing him millions every year.
Um-hum, that would be another lie by the FBI about when the investigation started. Stay tuned as liberals here will try to provide cover for the leadership of the FBI who are now under investigation
I want to know what the former administration knew and when they knew it and why they did nothing to prevent Russia from 'meddling' in the US's 2016 election... ever bit as much as I want to know what the Trump campaign knew and when...
On Jan 5, 2017 Obama met with Comey & others. Susan Rice would later write (on inauguration day) that Obama reminded them to do things by the book. You can bet it was just the opposite.
Brace yourself, the SDNY is preparing to name Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator, despite the fact that Trump should get the same defense that Hillary Clinton got - there was no intent! (A candidate can use as much of his own money as he wants). Mueller, on the other hand, is now looking into Trump's old business dealings.
What the Clinton campaign, the FBI and the CIA did are off the table as far as Mueller is concerned
Why wouldn't Vlad want the Magnitsky Act repealed .. is was a bill signed by Obama, impacting 18 people solely based on what was thought to be ………….. .. now there is a Global Magnitsky Act .. the US government can call for sanctions based on human rights violations anywhere in the world .. I think lil Kim is the only leader in 2014 to be personally sanctioned for human rights violations …
I thought I had better support my claims regarding this act that was enacted based on speculation... Speculation is fun though isn't it...
Millions? Vlad is thought to be the richest man in the world - and no one knows how much he is even worth. Do not think anyone really has a smack'ling of a clue what bothers Vlad .. beyond a coup taking place in the Ukraine the final weekend of the Sochi Olympics .. the US and the EU whining and dining the interim PM of the Ukraine - most likely caused Vlad to react by protecting his then 'leased' military base and port by 'annexing' Crimea (which is a foregone conclusion.. do not think the Ukraine will ever get that piece of real estate back)
Based on certain narcissistic behavior the US is going about the 'punishment' of Vladimir Putin all wrong … former President Obama did not take the correct approach either... Just my personal opinion
Prior to inauguration the media was buzzing about White House staffers stashing 'evidence' so it could not be destroyed by the incoming administration .. I still wonder if that 'evidence' has been found ...
Isn't there more than one book when it comes to politicians and rules?
Except there WAS intent and Cohen admitted to it in a Federal courtroom.
Except it wasn't Trump's 'own money'. There is documented proof that the Trump ORGANIZATION paid Cohen back out of the Trump 'Trust', which is Trump's business run by the kiddies.
Cohen pled to making an illegal campaign contribution and the Trump campaign failed to report it.
Which would still make it his own money .
The 4405 wording never made it into 6156.
The Act actually reads:
So it isn't merely that they are 'thought to be' perpetrators of human rights violations, the SOS has to sign off that there is reason to believe [evidence] that they DID perpetrate human rights violations. Since they are foreign nationals, that is one of the only ways we can make an attempt at holding them responsible since Vlad has no intention of doing so and may well have instructed them to do what they did...
You obviously have NO CLUE about companies. The Trump Organization is NOT Trump. If it WERE, Trump would be PERSONALLY LIABLE for everything the Organization does. In short, the Trump Organization PROTECTS Trump's PERSONAL funds from lawsuits against the Organization. Oh and BTW, there's the FACT that the ORG and Trump file separate taxes...
According to you and CNN. Cohen has no idea what was in Trump's mind. James Comey has left us with a very high bar when it comes to "Intent"
Except it wasn't Trump's 'own money'. There is documented proof that the Trump ORGANIZATION paid Cohen back out of the Trump 'Trust', which is Trump's business run by the kiddies.
Certainly not campaign money. My how we wiggle around to try and convict Trump. That's weak at best.
Cohen pled to making an illegal campaign contribution and the Trump campaign failed to report it.
Cohen pleaded guilty to things that may or may not be crimes. You seem to have derailed the article. We are not putting Cohen on trial here, we are discussing Mueller's tunnel vision when it comes to that 2016 campaign and all things associated with it.
Why isn't Mueller investigating Fusion GPS or the Clinton campaign?
It's called the "Steele Dossier" and it wasn't hidden, it was sent everywhere
Actually, according to Cohen's indictment. Go read it for yourself.
Again, from the indictment. I said the Trump Organization, no campaign funds.
I repeat, from the indictment, they cite the statute. Reading is fundamental.
Cohen is the first one mentioned in the seed.
I did just that in my 1.2.2 comment and I answered your question there too.
Nope, you hid behind an indictment written by activists and statements made by a man who will say anything.
Nahh, I do not think the dossier was what was 'supposedly' stashed away .. personally I think it was media fodder in order to keep a narrative alive that the new administration could not be trusted and there was 'this evidence' to prove it - but it had to be stashed in order to make the non information more relevant!
And those "bread Crumbs" that were scattered?
That's hilarious Vic.
Do you think that everyone that works for the DOJ are activists or just the Acting US Attorney that signed Cohen's charging document?
I'm pretty fucking sure that Cohen's high priced lawyer, Guy Petrillo, informed him that if he lies, his ass is SOL. BTW, Guy Petrillo signed off on the plea too. Look up the obligations of an officer of the court to help you figure out what that means.
But hey, if believing that Cohen lied to a Federal Judge helps you sleep at night...
I did read through HR 6156 …
Interesting that the US once again thinks it knows what is best for others .. worrying about deterioration of economic and political freedoms all the while choking the citizens of Russia with sanctions against the [so called] 'Russian oligarchy' ..
I think the US needs to revisit their position - as one cannot out narcissist a narcissist of Putin's caliber …. snubbing a punk like lil Kim makes him pout [crush his people a bit more] and fire test missiles .. snubbing an individual like Putin kicks his brain into overdrive and he will show his abilities in multiple ways [see 2016 US election]
Yes Vic .. there are many bread crumbs scattered - once again keeping some form of 'relevant' fodder alive and well...
Right, because NSA documentation of Russian communication with members of the Trump Campaign wouldn't be important enough to protect from being 'disappeared'...
Would there be need for WH staffers to be stashing NSA documentation? Please …
Who copied you? Q? Russiagate is hardly done. Are all cons willfully misinformed or just incapable?
I think the DOJ is very concerned about it's reputation (as is the FBI). There is a lot in the closet. They are stonewalling, biding their time, like you, hoping the democrats win the House in November
I'm pretty fucking sure that Cohen's high priced lawyer, Guy Petrillo, informed him that if he lies, his ass is SOL. BTW, Guy Petrillo signed off on the plea too. Look up the obligations of an officer of the court to help you figure out what that means.
Who else represents Cohen?
Cohen had millions of dollars in tax problems. A real slam dunk for prosecutors. So what does the SDNY do? They get him to plead guilty to questionable "crimes" involving campaign finance violations. There is no mistake about why they would do that, is there?
Altering it to what?
Are you unaware that the vast majority of the NSA ARE WH staffers, appointed by the President?
Proof? Link? ANYTHING other than proclamation?
Lot's of words there but no answer to my question.
BTFW, I am not stonewalling or biding my time. I'm right here refuting you the posit of your seed, successfully I might add.
Why does it matter? We are talking about the evidence in his guilty plea. Why deflect?
Please supply evidence of your allegation?
BTW, what do you mean by 'questionable' crimes?
There is no mistake about that being an utterly unfounded conspiracy theory. Your argument in devolving rapidly.
I see you wasted no time in celebrating her death to score some political points despite her family's wishes. Good on you man!
Political points? Was it political points when one of our illustrious members used Heather Heyer's picture as an avatar. Where were you then???
despite her family's wishes.
Don't speak for them. It's your wishes
You used Molly Tibbit's pic as your avatar for gosh sake. Get outside the far right wing bubble. Regarding, " Don't speak for them. It's your wishes ", get fucking real. The Tibbetts are disgusted Trump and the damn gop are abusing Molly's memory for their rank racial politics.
I used that picture for a week to make progressives look at it. She was murdered by someone who didn't belong in the country. If it happens again I will do it again for another week. I don't care who likes it.
There is a distinct difference between celebrating someone's death and celebrating someone's life.
So, you were using Molly's tragic death to make your own racial points for purely political purposes?
Reading comprehension! We really need it. I am concerned.
Re Read post # 1.5.3.
Have a nice day
It speaks volumes about his character.
Oooo? and who determines the difference?
The use of Heather's imagine was to celebrate her life .. using Molly's was to celebrate her death - that is rich Dulay .. pathetic rhetoric, but rich nonetheless ...
Since you said it, it's your pathetic rhetoric, not mine.
Please don't endeavor to put words in my mouth.
The vast majority of murderers in this country "belong here". Putting their pictures up as well?
"The country has watched partisan pundits paint the FBI treatment of one presidential campaign as with kid gloves, the other was painted as informants, warrants and eavesdropping. They’ve corrupted most poorly educated persons who have no ability to see through the smoke screen making the Justice Department look as if it's resisting all efforts at accountability, even when it holds its own accountable."
There, fixed the first paragraph to be far more accurate.
The fact is bipartisan long time loyal patriots in the FBI and justice departments are diligently investigating corruption. Trump and his band of criminals came in claiming all politics was corrupt so they felt justified in their own blatant corruption, what they didn't understand was that the supposed corruption they claimed was happening everywhere was mostly hyperbole or being committed by Republicans like Duncan Hunter, Chris Collins, Bernie Kerik, Brian Doyle, Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay and Denny Hastert. And the reason they are all bitter and gnashing their teeth over the Mueller probe is that they know they have a lot of criminal activity that could be uncovered and are as nervous as a bank robber stuck in a vault.
25 members of the FBI leadership have either been removed or demoted. The Clinton campaign used middle men to contact Russians to compile dirt on Trump (real or imagined). That document was wrongly used to spy on a political campaign and start up investigations.
That is not hyperbole - IT IS FACT
Wait WHAT? Are you actually admitting that some of the dirt was real? Hell HAS frozen over!
Secondly, Trump admitted to using middle men to meet face to face with Russians to get dirt on Clinton. Point?
What political campaign was Page a part of in Oct. 2016 Vic?
And what has that produced? Over two dozen indictments, a dozen guilty pleas, a convicted criminal who was the head of Trumps campaign, a dozen indicted Russian spies, proof Trump paid off a porn star and playboy playmate he'd had affairs with during the campaign, and more than half of the Steele dossier has been verified, the rest simply hasn't been verified, none of it has ever been proven false. I'd say that proves the dossier was properly used in conjunction with other verified evidence brought to the FISA court for the warrants. Every day it feels more and more like Trump supporters are using the legal jargon of career criminals claiming the damning evidence against them shouldn't be allowed just because the guy who collected it didn't like them and somehow that's not fair. Funny how they can't actually refute the damning evidence and simply have to resort to attacking the messenger. And as for not being fair, where was that during the years that partisan Republicans with a gullet full of hate towards Hillary spent tax payer money on 8 partisan investigations which were forced top eventually concede she'dd done nothing criminal? Where were the "Oh, these investigators hate Hillary so we shouldn't believe anything they produce on Benghazi and her emails."? But when it comes to Trump, a handful of negative tweets is apparently evidence that the entire investigation is bunk.
The disparate treatment is a long term problem for the DOJ. We just learned yesterday that Comey lied and the fbi never looked at hundreds of thousands of emails on Abedins computers and never did the legally required damage assessment on the new emails they did find.
Link?
According to Trump's standards, your source is a disgrace to journalism.
Nicely done! They end up having to attack the link.
Yes, let's praise the posting of a link that has so little substantiated evidence in it that it's unworthy of refuting...
You seem to have trouble accepting the most obvious facts. Unless your head is firmly buried in the sand those two opening paragraphs cannot be denied:
"The country has watched the FBI treat one presidential campaign with kid gloves, the other with informants, warrants and eavesdropping. They’ve seen the Justice Department resist all efforts at accountability, even as it fails to hold its own accountable. And don’t get them started on the one-sided media.
And they are now witnessing unequal treatment in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. Yes, the former FBI director deserves credit for smoking out the Russian trolls who interfered in 2016. And one can argue he is obliged to pursue any evidence of criminal acts, even those unrelated to Russia. But what cannot be justified is the one-sided nature of his probe."
You seem to have trouble following the thread. My comment wasn't about your seeded article, it was about Sean's link.
The author failed to support her posit that Mueller's probe is one sided and I gave examples of her BS spin.
BTW, you're conflating facts with opinion.
Fact; Robert Mueller is NOT looking at anything the Clinton campaign did
Fact: Robert Mueller is NOT looking at FISA abuse
Now we can get to opinion. I'll ask you the same question Bret Bier asked Jim Comey:
Do you see any difference in the way the Clinton e-mail investigation was conducted and the Trump investigation is being conducted?
Fact: Robert Mueller is NOT tasked to look into the Clinton campaign.
Fact: Robert Mueller is NOT tasked to look into allegations of FISA abuse.
Yes. I see that from the beginning, the Clinton email investigation was public and politically motivated while not until AFTER the election did the Trump investigation become public.
Now as to results. The Clinton email investigation resulted in ZERO indictments.
I haven't watched any news today so I don't know what the numbers are up to from the Mueller investigation.
BTW, I note that you call it the 'Trump' investigation rather than the 'Russia' investigation. Interesting...
So, your answers, which I have to conclude are extremely disingenuous are the following:
Mueller dosen't have to look at anything he dosen't want to, as well as having an open mandate. Thus you defend him by saying although he is obviously biased and exactly doing what Ms Strassel is accusing him of - because he has every legal right to do it!
Then you use the findings of a fraudulent investigation to defend how it was conducted.
So, like Comey, you see no difference in the way the Clinton investigation was conducted and the way the Trump investigation is being man handled, except unlike Comey, you aren't capable of saying it that way.
Mueller, a lifelong conservative Republican, need not go on gop mandated snipe hunts to satisfy a cabal of krazy wacko conspiracy nuts. Clinton has not served in public office for six years and has been investigated by successive congresses and the FBI and no criminal wrongdoing was ever found. On the other hand Trump's campaign manager and his personal lawyer are now both convicted felons plus his best friends and his accountant are giving damning evidence to Mueller. The indictments, guilty pleas and immunity deals regarding Russiagate are piling up. You cannot keep pointing back to Obama and Clinton. They are irrelevant to the Trump Crisis.
As opposed to a hated populist, he has appointed almost exclusively Hillary Clinton democrats to his legal team.
Clinton has not served in public office for six years and has been investigated by successive congresses and the FBI and no criminal wrongdoing was ever found.
It is only the FBI investigation which counted. The findings are only as good as the integrity of the investigation. Any objective observer can see, there was no integrity.
On the other hand Trump's campaign manager and his personal lawyer are now both convicted felons plus his best friends and his accountant are giving damning evidence to Mueller. The indictments, guilty pleas and immunity deals regarding Russiagate are piling up.
But they have nothing to do with "Russiagate" as you call it. One of Trump's campaign managers (one of 4), who served for a few months, has been convicted for bank fraud committed long before he came in contact with Trump. Cohen, on the other hand, paid off women who were blackmailing Trump during an election. He confessed to everything he was told to and has made self serving statements about how he did business. Neither has anything to do with what Mueller was supposed to be looking into.
Do you think you can admit that?
What forced you to come to that conclusion so strongly Vic?
What 'open mandate' are you talking about? Please provide me with a link. I have read Mueller's appointment letter and it is decidedly NOT an 'open mandate'.
Please don't endeavor to put words in my mouth Vic. Neither you nor Strassel have shown any evidence that Mueller has 'the legal right' to do anything of the sort. BTFW, I am merely stating facts and Mueller doesn't need defending.
What 'fraudulent investigation' are you referring to Vic?
Actually Vic, I stated quite clearly that I DID see differences. Why the need to misrepresent my comment?
So that means that IG Horowitz isn't an 'objective observer' yet Sessions has retained him in his position. Have you called your Congressman and demanded Horowitz be investigated? Then we can investigate the investigator who investigated the investigation.
No need to simply attack the messenger, the message is full of holes. First, they use an anonymous source, "said a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation."
Second, they supposedly led their own investigation into this matter:
"RealClearInvestigations pieced together the FBI's handling of the massive new email discovery from the “Weiner laptop.”
They claim it was an exhaustive search but produce none of their actual results, they simply resort to hyperbole like claiming the FBI "soft-pedaled" the investigation quoting one disgruntled partisan FBI agent who wasn't directly involved in the investigation who claims "It was all just show — eyewash — to make it look like there was an investigation before the election.”
They essentially conclude that "conducting a broader and more thorough search of the Weiner laptop may still have prosecutorial justification."
They then detail a lot of irrelevant nonsense about Strzok and Comey. Big deal, Comey, along with nearly every American, believed Hillary would win over the pompous joke candidate Republicans had picked, and she would have if there hadn't been direct influence from an enemy foreign power trying to undermine western democracy. And Strzok was just expressing what the vast majority of Americans felt about such a worthless narcissist running for President, he was cleared of every allowing his political bias to interfere with his work. If he'd wanted to he could easily have leaked all kinds of damaging information during the campaign as the Russians did against Hillary, but he has much higher integrity and honor than those in Trumps circle.
The first line
... is a damnable lie!
Comey resurrected the email bullshit at a moment when it very likely cost Clinton the election.
The ease with which some people can pronounce even the most egregious lies is... astounding and disgusting...
I suppose those who are faced with the fact that they hitched their wagons to The Most Corrupt Presidential Administration in All US History must be deeply deeply deeply in denial to continues supporting The Catastsrophe in Chief known as Donald J. "The Original Short Fingered Vulgarian" Trump. They bought and consumed all of the anti-American foreign propaganda which was spoon fed to them by Vlad Putin's Troll Army then they actually went and sold all of that vile and disgusting anti-American enemy propaganda to all their friends and family on US social media all across the internet including right here. That must be hard to accept for supposed "patriots". Plus and importantly, coming on the heels of the most squeaky clean administration in history, zero ranking Obama campaign or administration officials have ever been indicted for malfeasance in office, Trump and his supporters pointing at Obama is ludicrous. The fact is, we are now in the grips of a constitutional crisis brought to us by Trump and Co, "The Most Corrupt Presidential Administration in History". The totally illogical implausible unbelieveable nonsensical diversions and protestations coming from the malicious nabob numb skull far far righties we are seeing today are the last of the true believers flailing around trying to justify and excuse Trump. That is impossible. Trump is already a huge failure. This is not going to turn around. The Trump Crime Family is going down faster than the Titanic. While Trump and Co sinks below the waves expect to see more such nonsense but only willing dupes will believe any of it. We have eyes and we have ears and we will use them despite Trump's exhortations that the truth is not the truth, that we should not believe what we see and hear. can you believe that shit? We can all see and hear and comprehend what is actually happening. In the end the truth is always the truth and the truth will always out. Trying to point to Obama's administration, The Cleanest in US History, to divert from Trump' crimes is simply not working and never will work. Only the willfully deluded could or would fall for that kind of utter bullshit. The same kind of simple mined dupes who became the willing pawns and enthusiastic accomplices of Olde Vlad Putin's Troll Army. I cannot even imagine there will not be an accounting of all this. History will not be kind to those who enabled this catastrophe to be visited upon our nation.
James Comey violated protocol and lied about examining the Abedin emails to clear Clinton before the election..
Anonymous sources say...
According to Trump's standards, your source is a disgrace to journalism.
So your standards are no different than Trumps. Good to know.
What lead you to come to that conclusion?
BTW, your article doesn't mention a fucking thing about the FACT that the IG investigation included the events surrounding the Wiener laptop emails. I wonder why realclearinvestigations omitted any critique of the 2 CHAPTERS of extensive documentation of the events surrounding Weiner laptop emails in the IG report, including the results of the through analysis of the laptop, which your source pretends never happened.
Surely they should be holding the IG responsible for failing to bolster the veracity of their conspiracy theory right?
But, Hillary clearly told us that she lost because of the FBI in general, Comey, the EC, sexism, Wikileaks, right-wing media, Putin, Facebook, Netflix, women, racism, stupid Americans, the "Deplorables", Barack Obama, and a host of other excuses.
Haven't you forgotten something? He kept her in the election...SHE WAS GUILTY AS SIN
I don't seem to remember any conviction. Not even any action in justice.
This is why the Democrats will never get 2/3 of the Senate if they go ahead with their impeachment plans (which of course most won't admit to planning). The people in the sane parts of the country won't support this expensive witch hunt and any Republicans that are tempted to be derelict in their duty and go a along with it knows their careers are done. Voters know a rat when they smell one.
Obviously not, Trump was elected.
He got elected because the only other candidate that had a chance to win the election was a bigger, smellier, more disease ridden rat than he was.
Trump wouldn't be happy with you saying that he would be second fiddle on ANY level...
Fortunately impeachment just takes a simple majority in the House, but once Trump is impeached we'll see if there are any ethical Republicans in the Senate at all.
We may have to find that out. We know from when all the democrats walked out of Congress during Clinton's impeachment. Being ethical is not o requirement for the dnc. Only party loyalty.
I predict there will be as many as there were democrats in the Bill Clinton vote
You took the words out of my mouth. Your'e quick on the draw as well!
That is politics in America now, both parties and their supporters disgust me.
It seems that even the Republicans in the Senate weren't convinced by that BS.
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