Posted on 03/08/2018 4:00:36 PM PST by EyesOfTX
The Evening Campaign Update (Because The Campaign Never Ends)
I’ve been traveling this week, so I just noticed this myself this afternoon. In an interview with Fox New’s Shannon Bream Wednesday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions dropped a bomb when, after asked about allegations that officials within the FBI and the DOJ had violated the FISA process in order to spy on the Trump Campaign, he said the following:
“I have appointed a person outside of Washington, many years in the Department of Justice (DOJ), to look at all the allegations that the House Judiciary Committee members sent to us; and we’re conducting that investigation.”
Wait, what? When did that happen? Why all the secrecy? What is this person’s name? What else might the person be looking at? Here are some thoughts on what the answers to those questions might be.
First, you have to look at this from Sessions’ point of view: He leads the DOJ, and thus the FBI as well. Having his own DOJ lawyers investigate the FBI and DOJ anti-Trump cabal’s abuses would present a clear conflict of interest, as I pointed out last week.
My bet is that he took this action after he became aware of potential FISA abuses shortly after he assumed office in March of last year. At that point, during his first briefing with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, he would have been made aware of the IG’s investigation into the FISA and other related matters, and thus would have become aware that he had a set of truly bad actors in his midst. That is likely something Sessions already suspected, since it had become obvious during his confirmation hearing that he had personally been under illegal surveillance, but a briefing from Horowitz would have confirmed that reality.
Sessions would not have wanted to formally appoint a special counsel at that time, because that is a very public act, one which requires the public identification of the person who was being named. Remember also that, at that time, Horowitz’s own investigation had only been up and running for a few months, meaning that some of the bad actors we know about today had not yet been identified, or had cases fully developed against them.
Formally appointing a special counsel at that time would have given all of these people the chance to either flee, cover their tracks, or even lawyer up before cases could have been fully developed. Remember that we have only begun to publicly find out people like Strzok, Ohr, Page, McCabe and Baker since the first of December. Remember also that the disciplinary actions taken against them have been designed to keep them close and controlled.
It is also very interesting to note that none of these and others who have been identified as bad actors have been quoted in the press at all. This is in direct contrast to James Comey, who went around leaking and singing like a jaybird for a few months after President Trump fired his sorry butt, and who is about to release a book next month.
This silence by the other bad actors most likely means one of two things: Either these people have lawyered up and are keeping quiet to protect themselves in preparation for being prosecuted, or they are actually cooperating with Horowitz and Sessions’ unnamed outside lawyer in their ongoing investigations.
The quote from Mr. Sessions is a clever reference to the fact that he has had an outside prosecutor working on all of this stuff for quite some time now. It is also most likely another move to set the stage for the impending release of IG Horowitz’s own report. Unlike Horowitz, this unidentified special prosecutor would have the power to convene a grand jury – and may have already done so – and quickly begin issuing subpoenas based on the recommendations contain in the Horowitz report.
Thus, Sessions next statement from the interview:
I am well aware we have a responsibility to insure the integrity of the FISA process. We’re not afraid to look at that. The inspector general — some think that our inspector general is not very strong; but he has almost 500 [employees], most of which are lawyers and prosecutors; and they are looking at the FISA process. We must make sure that it’s done properly, and we’re going to do that. And I’ll consider their request.”
He’ll not only consider their request, he’s had a special prosecutor preparing the playing field for quick action on those requests for months now.
Clever. Boom.
That is all.
Follow me on Twitter at @GDBlackmon
Today’s news moves at a faster pace than ever. Whatfinger.com is my go-to source for keeping up with all the latest events in real time.
With 500 employees, it takes the IG this long?
Reinforces my instinct, that government is extremely bloated, inefficient, impossibly slow.
“Reinforces my instinct, that government is extremely bloated, inefficient, impossibly slow.”
...irreparably corrupt and illegitimate.
George Webb covered this in earlier utuber reports around the time the Awans were charged. ...something from the Founder’s about citizen grand jury. ..and long forgotten
I am away from FR for long periods sometimes and am not familiar with many commenting folks. Does it seem to you that some of the NeverJeffs are trolls / Russian / etc?
Or are they just folks who are very thinly aware of events, perhaps only interested in being some sort of virtual brown shirts parroting and amplifying what they hear from Trump - who we have to admit sounds irrational himself regarding his great AG sometimes?
Personally, I don't like 4d ninja stuff, but I do think it is possible Trump always has and still does love Jeff. And that the presidential knives in the AG's back are rubber.
I find it OK that some have very, VERY strong opinions about Jeff's recusal and such - that is an valid concern though I'm not concerned about it myself. I just have little patience for folks who are so lazy that they reflexively paint the most honest, conservative and productive guy in Trump's stable as somehow sleepy or unqualified. I doubt I need to re-cap his career for you and I doubt anyone in CA or the thousands of illegals and gang members from here to Central America apprehended thanks to DOJeff since the election would call him sleepy.
“Not everyone who works for the DOJ works in DC. There are offices in other states.”
So he’s “appointed”who, exactly? The AUSA in Missoula? Anchorage?
Sessions is useless.
L
But does the person appointed have prosecutorial power? From what I’m hearing, it sounds as if Sessions is doing a rope-a-dope to placate the Gowdy-Goodlatte push for a second SC. I think this appointee outside Washington D.C. is just investigating whether Sessions should consider Iif an investigation should he ... investigated
Hope I am wrong, but Mr. Recusal thus far has afforded me little reason for confidence
I am sometimes away myself for 6 months several times, and more than a year, until Trump started his campaign.
I think the cult of “Hate Sessions” has different kinds of members. Some outright trolls, and some shallow idiots, some probably medicated or dopers, and some who like to look cool and cynical and think that makes them look smart. It makes them look like uninformed fools at best.
I’m no PhD and no LE or legal background, but it’s obvious to me that any investigator who is any good at all keeps it all silent until he pounces. And huge crimes with numerous perps, often involving foreign entities, do not get investigated and brought to trial in a year.
Comments like yours, and many on Sessions threads, merely reveal ignorance or worse.
Sessions has, allegedly, been the AG for over a year.
Please show me one, just one, single, solitary example of him prosecuting any instance of political corruption in DC.
Just one will do.
Take your time.
I’ll wait.
Until you can do so, piss off.
Best,
L
Supposedly somebody in Little Rock.
So who is this person? And does this person report up to Rod Rosenstein?
“Or you could just knock the anti-Sessions crap off right now.”
When I see real results I will.
I’m with you, little jeremiah. They aren’t doing our side any good.
A lot of people said this was all a sleight of hand.
Anyone with a brain can see that Trump needs sleights of hand in order to do anything. Too bad for Alec Baldwin: the stupider he paints the president, the more room Trump has to get real things accomplished.
When I see real results I will.
For starters Bob, Sessions is recused on any Clinton Foundation investigation. Rod Rosenstein, one of the guys who signed off on the fraudulent FISC application has been in charge on matters like this. So does he oversee this investigation?
Critical thinkers wonder, and rightly so.
Critics of Jeff Sessions aren't doing our side any good.
Donald Trump has been a critic. Do you think Trump hasn't been doing our side any good?
Critics versus haters. Don’t shift the narrative. Are you a Democrat?
bttt, thanks a lot
“Are we there yet, Daddy?
Daddy, are we there yet Daddy Daddy?
Daddy, when are we going to get there?”
You have the patience and depth of understanding of a three year old in this matter.
The Hate Sessions Cult has become like a bunch of toddlers who should be toilet trained by now but aren’t, and are carrying diapers full of crap around with them.
If you were to follow chain of posts upthread that you were agreeing with, you would have noticed that the poster in question wasn't "hating" Sessions but was simply questioning Sessions.
Speaking of twisting the narrative, and being a possible Democrat, you should look in the mirror.
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