Posted on 12/31/2017 11:10:39 AM PST by Drew68
Rep. Devin Nunes, once sidelined by an ethics inquiry from leading the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia probe, is reasserting the full authority of his position as chairman just as the GOP appears poised to challenge special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
The California Republican was cleared in December of allegations he improperly disclosed classified information while accusing the Obama administration of exposing the identities of Trump affiliates on surveillance reports. Since clearing his name, Nunes has stepped up his attacks on Mueller’s team and the law enforcement agencies around it, including convening a group of Intelligence Committee Republicans to draft a likely report on “corruption” among the investigators working for the special counsel.
Though Nunes has not officially wrested his panel’s Russia probe back from the Republicans he deputized to run it, the chairman’s reemergence as a combative Trump loyalist has raised alarm among Democrats that the future of the investigation may be clipped short or otherwise undermined. Even some of Nunes’s GOP allies have expressed concern about his tactics, prompting rare public warnings that he should temper his attacks on federal law enforcement.
“I’m interested in getting access to the information and not the drama,” Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said earlier this month, when Nunes began threatening contempt citations for FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein in the wake of revelations former Mueller team members had exchanged anti-Trump texts.
More recently, Gowdy said that his “heart would be broken” if Nunes follows through on reported plans to issue a corruption exposé about the FBI, citing concerns that issuing such a report outside the context of a comprehensive investigation of the Justice Department could prove damaging to law enforcement.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Your district should be very proud of Nunes.
He is doing the work Sessions won’t do.
And he does it even when the camera’s are off.
((Unlike Rooster Gowdy))
Happy New Year FRiend!
Hope everyone has a great 2018.
Yes. The IG investigation is much more important, and has been silently and meticulously tracking everyone engaged in attempting to illegally take down our President since Jan 12.
The congressional hearings and their ensuing mountains of leaks would seriously compromise the case against all of the deep state scum. This is why people like Chris Wray and Jeff Sessions are stonewalling congress on the dossier.
Jeff Sessions was forced to recuse himself from anything pertaining to Clinton because he said a lot of very true things about her being a crook while campaigning for Trump, so in essence, Sessions would be seen as being the same way we see Peter Strzok, minus the gummy mistress/lawyer...I think Sessions is busy trying to untangle the destruction Obama did to law enforcement on many less interesting, but neccesary ways...
Also, Jeff Sessions was the guy who saw through and denied George Papodoulos any access to Trump and as well as any meetings he tried to set up with Russian players in the spring of 2016.. Sessions was campaigning for Trump before many of us supported Trump... So everybody cool your jets on Jeff Sessions.
This isn’t “Law and Order”, there likely won’t be any credits rolling on your TV sets.
I agree. The Democrats want President Trump to shut it down. They know there's no collusion, the investigation is uncovering swamp corruption, and if Trump shuts it down they can accuse him of hiding something. That's why right now there are so many cries of, "You better not shut it down! Someone must protect Mueller from Trump! We've got to draw a red line!"
"Psst. Why haven't you fired Mueller already?"
You have it backwards.
The congressional committees going back to November 2016 were requesting that the IG investigate.
Committee Chairs Nunes, Goodlatte, Grassley made the requests. They and some of their members are the reliable ones. Nunes was a supporter of Trump and he worked on Trump's transition team. Conversely, IG Horowitz is a Barney Frank protege who was appointed to his IG position by Obama.
This isn’t “Law and Order”, there likely won’t be any credits rolling on your TV sets.
I don't watch much TV and your above comment, specifically your description of Horowitz as being silent and meticulous, sounds like a made up TV script.
Hey Karoun...GREAT NEWS, Buddy!
Sorry....Gowdy is DUMB as hell, but I don’t think he said that quote!
Now that I think about it, I doubt Gowdy said it. He may be dumb but not that dumb. Fake news?
Here's the issue with the Nunes committee investigation, as I see it:
There's nothing wrong with an investigation, and it's certainly "legitimate" to the extent that it remains an investigation aimed at obtaining and organizing factual matters relevant to House oversight of the FBI.
The problem is that the House of Representatives has no law enforcement authority in these matters at all. If Nunes is 100% successful and accomplishes everything he sets out to do (and more), then all he can do is hold committee hearings and publish a report of findings. That's it. Look up and down this thread and see all of the Freepers complaining that this was all Trey Gowdy ever did in his committee chairmanship. This was all Gowdy ever did because this was all he was legally empowered to do.
If Nunes publishes a report about corruption and malfeasance in the FBI, the only recourse for Congress is to refer it to the proper authorities for criminal investigation and prosecution. And guess who the "proper authorities" for such an investigation are? The FBI!
This is why I've said all along that there should NOT be a special counsel appointed to look into the obvious malfeasance at the FBI and DOJ during the 2016 campaign and immediately after the election. The problem is that under current law the special counsel would still operate under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Justice Department, and that entire agency is compromised from top to bottom.
A better option would be a "shadow DOJ" set up outside any government oversight, comprised of: (1) lawyers working for victims of the illicit FISA surveillance (these victims could probably raise money legally through outside contributions); and (2) retired prosecutors, intelligence personnel and FBI staff who would pursue any misconduct in the DOJ and intelligence agencies with a vengeance. Using this avenue might lead not only to criminal prosecution down the road, but possibly ruinous civil lawsuits against the individuals involved.
You know who might be the PERFECT guy to lead this type of legal campaign? Jay Sekulow.
I’m not sure I agree with everything you posted there, but those are wise words that everyone complaining about Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein should pay heed to.
I hope you two are advising President Trump!!
I suspect the standards at the Enquirer are higher than they are at the ComPOST.
Alberta’s Child,
Thanks for your thoughtful response, and please know that I do value and respect your opinions, especially your “out of the box” perspective you are well known for.
In your post, you did a very good job of identifying Congress’s limitations, with regard to actual criminal investigations, specifically with regard to their (and my) request of a new, second, special counsel, by reminding everyone that special counsel would still have to report to someone in the DOJ! This is a very important dichotomy to highlight, since it is rarely mentioned by anyone calling for a new special counsel.
Unfortunately, based on the current set of laws, and tools for justice that currently exist, special counsels are no longer available to be directly responsible to Congress. This is probably for the best, due to the over-proliferation of special counsels, by Congresses who were politically opposed to the President, which have the result of continually paralyzing overall government.
However, in this case, it’s still the best tool available. I appreciate your suggestion of a “shadow DOJ” and won’t argue that it wouldn’t be the best overall solution, long term, other than to say it’s just not practical right now.
Based on reports, Mueller is very likely preparing charges against the President’s son-in-law, if not his son, which could throw this whole saga into uncharted, uncontrollable waters. Charges that I feel would be unfair, considering the more obvious crimes of the previous administration that have gone without legal response.
Therefore, in addressing your original point of unavoidable DOJ oversight, I submit to you the only true overall solution, is to re-populate the DOJ with persons more reliable than Sessions and Rosenstein, whose character has unquestionably been assaulted lately based on their continued support of Mueller’s witch hunt. These new appointees could better oversee any potential second special counsel to investigate the DOJ.
This is aligned with how I believe this may play out. Let Nunes and the other Congressional committees release their reports, if not charge Sessions and Rosenstein with Contempt of Congress, as they have been threatening. This of course isn’t the same as a criminal contempt charge, but it would embolden Trump to roll Sessions and/or Rosenstein’s heads, if he feels that is necessary. Then put in the ServPro team, so to speak, to clean up the mess.
Lindsay Graham’s request for a new and second special counsel just this weekend is a major indicator of how this may play out. Remember, he is the one that said that Trump would have quote “Holy Hell to pay” if he fired Sessions. But with Graham now calling for a second special counsel, Sessions is now on much thinner ice if he continues to resist appointing one.
Thanks again for your excellent analysis. Hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes in this long post on New Year’s Eve, but feel free to let me know if I did.
Happy New Year! And God Bless America.
I guess that means I'm completely out in left field on this, then.
Either way, Happy New Year, old FRiend!
Hope you have been doing well, and have a glorious 2018. And tell Bush2000 the same if you get the chance!
The ememedia’s 24/7 outrage ‘reeks of desperation and the knowledge that defeat is inevitable. Devin Nunes has their heroes in his crosshairs now. There is nothing they can do, it’s over.’
ping to #85 and #89 for calming moment..
oops, #83 and 89
It's far from over. Only those that have faith in Sessions, Gowdy, and even Mueller (LOL) would believe such folly.
Happy New Year!
Jay would be great. Happy New Year to you.
Great point. Trump is in a much better position now then he was last summer.
Happy New Year.
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