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Posted on 03/01/2018 6:11:59 PM PST by bitt
...
Mr. Trump’s Wednesday tweetstorm included a blast at both men after news that Mr. Sessions had asked Mr. Horowitz to look into whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation went rogue when it asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a warrant against ex- Trump aide Carter Page. The president complained that Mr. Horowitz will “take forever, has no prosecutorial power and [is] already late with reports on [James] Comey, etc.” He berated the inspector general as “an Obama guy” and asked why Mr. Sessions won’t use “Justice Department lawyers” to investigate “massive FISA abuse.” And then, of course: “DISGRACEFUL!”
Hardly. The Sessions request is the best—arguably the only—way to get an honest assessment of 2016 out to the public. Congressional Republicans are doing excellent work, but they face Democratic sabotage and a biased media. The Justice Department has no business investigating itself, and any finding from the Trump Justice Department would be cast as tainted. The last thing anyone should want is another special counsel, who would bring still more controversy and really would “take forever.”
No one should underestimate the power of the inspector general. Congress created these watchdogs in 1978 after the nightmare of trying to pry information out of a crooked Nixon administration. Inspectors general were deliberately placed within the executive branch and empowered to seek out information in ways that Congress can’t, even with subpoenas—including by demanding quick and comprehensive access to documents and promptly interviewing relevant officials. But inspectors general are still accountable; They go through extensive vetting before appointment and have a statutory duty to report to Congress. Most take their duty of neutrality seriously.
And no one should underestimate Mr. Horowitz’s ability to plumb the FISA case. The gripe that Mr. Horowitz is an “Obama guy” is silly. Inspectors general don’t serve set terms, and it is normal for them to span administrations. Mr. Horowitz was sworn in during the Obama presidency, but he also served under George W. Bush on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. He is so highly regarded that only a few years ago his fellow inspectors elected him chairman of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, which oversees standards and training.
Further, Mr. Horowitz proved willing to take on irregularities during the Obama years. In 2012, just six months on the job, he issued a scathing report on “Fast and Furious,” the gun-walking scandal. He ultimately recommended 14 officials for disciplinary action, and the report led to the resignation of a senior Obama appointee.
In 2015, he led the fight against an outrageous Obama administration legal opinion claiming inspectors general could not access agency wiretaps, grand jury testimony or credit information unless they first got permission from the agency they were inspecting. It was a naked attempt to block oversight, and Mr. Horowitz persuaded 68 of the 74 inspectors general to sign a letter of protest. He also testified in favor of the Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016, which restored those rights. Congress passed it without dissent.
Most important, Mr. Horowitz has proved willing to work alongside congressional investigations, and appears to be a fan of transparency. If Mr. Trump were paying attention, he’d know that the only reason the public has seen the damning text messages between FBI colleagues Peter Strzok and Lisa Page is because Mr. Horowitz demanded them and did not object when Congress asked for them. And when the FBI claimed to have lost a tranche of those texts, it was Mr. Horowitz’s office that recovered them. A Horowitz probe should be no bar to Congress continuing its work, or to the declassification of the underlying documents.
Mr. Horowitz has 450 special agents, auditors, inspectors and attorneys on his staff, and he is said to be nearly done with his investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email scandal a little more than a year after he started it. He’ll have more than enough resources to delve quickly into the FISA case, in all its complexity.
True, inspectors general lack prosecutorial power. Their job is to review evidence, establish whether crimes have been committed, and make referrals for action. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley had already asked Mr. Horowitz to investigate FISA abuse, and many in Congress are eager for the inspector general to deliver both facts and a judgment on whether there was abuse or criminal behavior.
Mr. Horowitz’s greatest asset is his neutrality. The public is reeling from narratives and counternarratives, even as it has been denied the ability to see much of the evidence. This is a chance for an independent report of the facts. If Mr. Trump wants to see the Russia rumble finally get to an honest end, he’ll let Messrs. Sessions and Horowitz get on with their jobs.
Write to kim@wsj.com.
“No Department is Perfect...”
“House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., wrote in his letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions”
He just as well burned the letter then sending it Sessions.
Maybe I should just post 600×600 From now on.
Didn’t look, at all, that big on my phone...
If anyone is eventually punished for all the evil done by the obama administration it will be a couple of lowly scapegoats.
Like some temporary office clerk who typed up the FISA forms and the janitor who swept the floor and emptied trash baskets while FBI higher ups texted and sexted and threw darts a drawings of president Trump.
The WSJ article from your link skips over all the negative information about Michael Horowitz.
But forget all that. Let's assume that the Obama appointed, Fast & Furious "whitewashing", Michael Horowitz does do a real investigation.
Going by his track record, it will take another 14 months for the investigation to complete.
And then he'll send his report to the recused Jeff Sessions, who will then hand it off to the Acting AG and "proven professional", Rod RosenWeasel to bury it further.
What's not to like about that?
Is that up there with “what difference does it make?”
Which means Rosenstein attempted to cover it up.
“Comey, Lynch, Obama”. “American Fools and Traitors”, coming to a cable channel this year.
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I fixed it by inserting between the img and src the HTML instruction, height=400. It would read, img height=400 smc=
I think Trump is busy chasing the RATs in the other parts of the house to crushing RAT heads involved in Obamagate. However, their day will come and I am sure President Trump is just as anxious as we are when he sees them nipping at his son-in-law.
Boy, I bet Ol Jeffy will get right on that and help Mr Nunes out /s
MAY HAVE???
the magic negro and his cronies ruined the FBI, IRS, justice dept Cia etc etc etc.
The negro that just keeps giving and giving.
Mookabooker belongs in stocks for ALL to throw shit at.
The HTML sandbox is a great place to practice.
Mark Levin: It’s time for FISA court judges to face scrutiny
Mar. 01, 2018 - 10:20 - Devin Nunes submits letter stating that the FBI may have violated criminal statutes; Mark Levin speaks out on ‘Hannity’ as Levin’s legal foundation files motion on alleged FISA abuses.
http://video.foxnews.com/v/5743526136001/?playlist_id=930909813001#sp=show-clips
Duhuh
AND..........
AND..
And our amazed frustration at the lack anything being done about it will continue unless and until Trump actually goes on offense and appoints a special prosecutor.
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