Comey, Rice, Clapper among GOP senator's targets for subpoenas amid Obama-era probe

The Hill ^ | 05 28 2020 | Jordain Carney

[yesthatjallen]

Some of the most high-profile figures of the Obama administration are among a list of officials Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) would like to subpoena as part of his investigation into the FBI's probe of Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign.

The list, released by Johnson's office on Thursday night, comes after he scheduled a committee vote for June 4 to seek subpoena authority.

Former FBI Director James Comey, former national security adviser Susan Rice, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan are among dozens of officials Johnson will request authority to subpoena.

"I am asking for this authority to ensure the committee has the ability to quickly and efficiently seek compulsory process should it become necessary. We have a great tradition in this country of peaceful and cooperative transitions of power, and the American people deserve to know if any wrongdoing occurred to corrupt the process and sabotage the new administration," Johnson said in a statement.

He added that they were voting on the authorization "with the hope that subpoenas won’t be necessary."

In addition to requesting authority to subpoena specific individuals, Johnson also wants authority to issue subpoenas to the FBI for records related to Crossfire Hurricane, the name for its investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign; the State Department for any records related to Christopher Steele, who compiled a controversial research dossier against then-candidate Trump; and the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General for records related to its review of surveillance warrant applications related to former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

SNIP

[TLI]

He added that they were voting on the authorization "with the hope that subpoenas won’t be necessary."

No, but handcuffs probably will be needed.

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[DIRTYSECRET]

I’d go after Rice first. Let the left take another stand.

[circlecity]

So, the goal here is to force them to take the 5th? Does that help or hurt chances of conviction if (hopefully when) the are indicted. I think it would help Trump politically if they take the 5th.

[adorno]

This is a ‘go through the motions’ or pretend, that congress is doing something about the corruption that occurred during the last 4 years in the Obama administration. But, surely, there was corruption on the part of the democrats that perpetrated the sham investigations and made things worse. Why not put them under investigation too? Democrats knew that it was all a sham, and they put the country and Trump through the biggest hoax in American history.

Flynn should file lawsuits against each and every FBI agent and Obama employee that put him through 4 years of torture. Trump needs to do the same, especially against Pelosi and Schumer and Schiff and Nadler and all of the other democrat stooges that went along with what they knew to be a complete fallacy.