The long-awaited Inspector General report came out today and there were some interesting tidbits in it. To start with, five FBI employees have been referred for investigation for anti-Trump messages sent during the Hillary Clinton email probe.
The Justice Department inspector general has referred five FBI employees for investigation in connection with politically charged texts, revealing in its report on the Hillary Clinton email case that more bureau officials than previously thought were exchanging anti-Trump messages.
The long-awaited report largely dealt with the Justice Department and FBI’s handling of the Clinton case but uncovered numerous messages that “appeared to mix political opinion with discussions about the MYE investigation.”
MYE, or “Midyear Exam,” was the code used in the FBI to refer to the investigation into Clinton’s private email server.
“Some of these text messages and instant messages mixed political commentary with discussions about the Midyear investigation, and raised concerns that political bias may have impacted investigative decisions,” the report read.
This is, of course, in addition to Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who we had already known were engaged in anti-Trump messages where they discussed an “insurance policy” to stop Donald Trump. However now we have the most blatant example yet from the two lovebirds of their intention to stop Donald Trump.
Trump is ‘not ever going to become president, right? Right?!’ Page texted Strzok.
‘No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it,’ he responded.
It is quite obvious with these seven FBI employees that they let their partisanship cloud their judgement and rules out any chance they had to claim they were conducting a non-biased, non-political investigation.
Interesting enough the one person the Inspector General said did not act on political bias was James Comey, although he found the former FBI Director to have been “insubordinate” and in violation of “FBI norms.”
Here is more:
A long-awaited report by the Justice Department’s watchdog Thursday found no indication that political bias affected decisions in the FBI’s 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server, but the review criticized agents and ex-FBI Director James Comey for violating bureau norms during the probe.
Comey was singled out for withering criticism by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, including accusations of insubordination against top Justice Department officials and of making “a serious error of judgment” in notifying Congress shortly before the 2016 election that the FBI was re-opening its Clinton email probe.
So basically James Comey did not follow FBI rules, was insubordinate, and lacked good judgement. (All fire-able offenses by the way.) But we are to expect none of this was done for political reasons. It almost reminds me of the outcome of the email investigation when James Comey listed all the reasons Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted and then recommended no charges because she was “extremely careless” and not “grossly negligent.”
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
While we all anxiously await the release of the long-expected Inspector General report later today here is an interesting little story which will fall by the wayside: It appears as if Robert Mueller “accidentally” released the names of some journalists who were in contact with the FBI, as well as the names of some European politicians, in the Paul Manafort case before trying to un-release them. Here is more:
Although Mueller has been tight-lipped about evidence and witness identification up to this point, his team appears to have screwed up by outing journalists who “produced messages to the FBI” about Manafort’s alleged “coaching up” on lobbying practices. Manafort was indicted in D.C. back in October 2017 for alleged financial fraud and violating lobbying disclosure laws. There’s also a case against him in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).
“Special Counsel accidentally exposed names of former journalists and European politicians allegedly involved in Manafort’s secret Ukraine lobbying. Just filed a new version with redactions,” explained Washington Post reporter Rachel Weiner:
“Unredacted government exhibit showing alleged attempts by Manafort and Kilimnik to influence witness testimonies has been released. The witnesses, journalists […] produced the messages to the FBI,” the Atlantic‘s Natasha Bertrand added.
In a later tweet, Bertrand wrote, “Oh boy. Looks like releasing this unredacted was a mistake–special counsel has just re-filed this and other docs with redactions.
So either this was an honest mistake and Robert Mueller is incompetent or this was intentional. Personally I am of the belief that if something happens in politics it was meant to happen, nothing happens by mistake.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Andrew McCabe sues the Justice Department and the FBI
Following the recommendation of the FBI Inspector General Andrew McCabe was fired by Jeff Sessions just days before he was set to retire with a full pension. According to this story Andrew McCabe is now suing the Justice Department and the FBI over his firing because they did not let him see the report. Here is more:
Lawyers representing former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe filed a suit against the Justice Department and FBI on Tuesday, alleging that they wouldn’t give up files connected to his ouster.
McCabe’s lawyers claimed the Justice Department has denied access to the sought-after information out of concern that the documents could be later used against them, the lawsuit said. The suit also named the office of the DOJ inspector general.
“We don’t create or adjudicate under secret law or procedure,” David Snyder, a lawyer representing McCabe, told The Associated Press.
And here is more:
According to the lawsuit, McCabe’s firing came after “proceedings that violated federal law and departed from applicable administrative rules, standards, policies and procedures.” It noted that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires related documents to be produced for review.
“Defendants, however, have not disclosed those materials, whether proactively or upon request from Plaintiff as counsel for Mr. McCabe. That failure is contrary to law,” the lawsuit said. “It is incongruous with Defendants’ public, and repeated, representations to the effect that Mr. McCabe was dismissed from the FBI following an ‘extensive and fair investigation’ which was carried out ‘according to Department of Justice procedure.'”
McCabe’s lawyers signaled they wanted “immediate” access to documents including an inspector general manual outlining the guidelines governing the office and FBI policy guides on how disciplinary matters should be handled.
This is not an unexpected move, in fact I would have thought it would have happened sooner, it is only natural that Andrew McCabe would do whatever he could to hold onto his government pension.
If Andrew McCabe wants to see the report all he has to do is wait until tomorrow because the full report is due out and it could be very interesting to say the least.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un meet in Singapore
Without question the big news of the day should be the historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore last night but I am sure the mainstream media will come up with a distraction, or if forced to cover the story, will have nothing good to say about it.
We do not know much about the meeting at this point other than it lasted a couple of hours and it is being reported the meeting went. Here is part of what the two leaders had to say:
“The world will see a major change,” he said. “I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump to make this meeting happen.”
“We’ve developed a very special bond,” Trump said, adding that the summit turned out better than anyone could have predicted.
And here is some more:
The president spoke briefly to reporters after the handshake, affirming that he would meet with Kim “many times” saying that he had a “great personality” and was “very smart.”
“Good combination,” he added, describing him as “a very worthy, very smart negotiator.”
“We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and our countries,” he said.
When asked what he learned about Kim, Trump replied, “I learned that he’s a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much.”
After meeting with the press Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un unexpectedly signed an agreement promising the United States and North Korea would work towards normalizing relations and the complete denuclearization of the peninsula. Here are some of the details of the agreement:
1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
Of course this is nothing official but it is a good faith step in the right direction and hopefully a sign of things to come as the two leaders look to solve the differences between our two countries.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
As Bernie Sanders supporters are well aware the 2016 Democratic primary was rigged against him and now we are learning that as many as 40 states may have illegally funneled up to $84 million to Hillary Clinton’s campaign to help her during the 2016 general election. Here is more:
Nevada’s Democratic Party could be pulled into a federal lawsuit that alleges the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee illegally funneled millions to state parties that sent the money back to the DNC to support Clinton.
The scheme was designed to circumvent campaign contribution limits, said Dan Backer, a Virginia campaign finance attorney who filed the lawsuit. Backer represents the Committee to Defend the President, a pro-Donald Trump political action committee that first filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in December.
“You had individuals giving $300,000,” Backer said Friday. “They’re not doing it because they care about Nevada’s or Arkansas’ state party. They’re doing it to curry favor with and buy influence with Hillary Clinton.”
Backer said the FEC failed to take action before a required deadline, prompting the lawsuit. Up to 40 state parties could be involved in $84 million worth of money transfers, Backer said.
The article linked to above is only about Nevada’s role in the alleged scheme and they are denying any wrongdoing, calling the lawsuit a political stunt. As for the 40 states involved in the lawsuit I believe their defense is “look quick, there are Russians over there!”
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, June 10th open thread: ‘Thought Contagion’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, June 10th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
Last week we discussed 5 stories, did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. You can subscribe to America’s Watchtower to receive email updates. You can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive. This widget updates my tweets in real time and allows you to respond or retweet my tweets right from the blog.
Here is the latest from Muse called “Thought Contagion” as performed live earlier this year.
frui diem
Former Senate Intelligence Committee security director, James Wolfe, arrested in leak investigation
It looks like there might be some progress being made in the leak investigation as the first arrest was made. It is being reported here that former Senate intelligence Committee security director, James Wolfe, has been arrested for lying to the FBI. Here is more:
A longtime US Senate staffer was arrested late Thursday on charges of lying to federal agents as part of an investigation related to the unauthorized disclosure of non-public information, according to a federal indictment.
Federal prosecutors accuse James Wolfe, the former security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, of lying to FBI agents in December 2017 about his contacts with three reporters, including through his use of encrypted messaging applications. According to the indictment, Wolfe made false statements to the FBI about providing two reporters with non-public information related to the matters occurring before the committee.
The indictment provides a detailed account of Wolfe’s interactions with one specific unnamed reporter. Prosecutors say Wolfe eventually admitted to being in a personal relationship with that reporter, dating back to 2014.
Yet he “maintained that he had never disclosed to REPORTER #2 classified information or information that he learned as Director of Security for the (Committee) that was not otherwise publicly available.”
As of right now the charges are lying to the FBI and there is nothing about leaking classified information but what did he lie about? He lied about giving “non-public” information to a reporter. Whether or not any of that information turns out to have been classified we will have to wait and see, but then there is this.
Wolfe had extensive contact with reporters about “MALE-1,” who was reportedly identified as Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser.
Wolfe received classified information about “MALE-1” on the same day he exchanged 82 text messages with “REPORTER #2,” according to the indictment. A few weeks later, “REPORTER #2” published an online article that revealed the identity of “MALE-1.”
On April 3, 2017, Watkins’ byline appeared on a BuzzFeed article that revealed that Page had met with a Russian intelligence operative in 2013.
Wolfe allegedly called “REPORTER #2” nearly a half-hour after the story went live and had a phone conversation for about seven minutes.
In December 2017, Wolfe allegedly messaged “REPORTER #2.”
“I’ve watched your career take off even before you ever had a career in journalism. … I always tried to give you as much Information (sic) that I could and to do the right thing with it so you could get that scoop before anyone else. … I always enjoyed the way that you would pursue a story,like nobody else was doing in my hal1way (sic). I felt like I was part of your excitement and was always very supportive of your career and the tenacity that you exhibited to chase down a good story,” the message read, according to the indictment.
James Wolfe, according to the article referenced above, did receive classified information on Carter Page shortly before contacting the reporter he had a “relationship” with. (A relationship he lied about to the FBI by the way.) Did he pass on any of that information?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
D-Day remembered 2018
“I am quite positive that the order must be given.”
With those words the plan to liberate Europe was put into motion. On June 4th allied ships set out across the English channel to begin the much waited for offensive scheduled to begin on June 5th. Torrential downpours forced the delay of the mission but the ships could not be turned around unless the invasion was rescheduled. Running the risk of being spotted by the Germans, the ships were to sit there and wait for another opportunity.
June 5th, the allied commanders met to discuss the weather and the future of the invasion while troops were floating in the channel with no place to go and nothing to do but wait for the decision whether the order was a go or whether the invasion would be postponed. The seas were rough and the waves were high, crashing down over the landing crafts. Many of the soldiers were sick and all of them were tired; physically tired and mentally tired. They were also tired of waiting; if there was to be an invasion they wanted to get it over with. To the troops waiting was worse than fighting.
The weather reports looked bad and most likely another postponement would be necessary but Dwight D. Eisenhower was waiting for the final weather report of the day before making his decision. A postponement now would mean calling off the plans altogether at this point and beginning again at a much later date. With the final weather report came some good news; it looked like there might be a break in the weather at just the right time and just long enough to begin the invasion.
Ike began to survey the other generals in the room for their opinions. Opinions were split; it appeared to some that it was too risky and that the weather report wasn’t good enough, or certain enough, to carry out the invasion. It still looked too risky.
Ironically it was a general who was known for his deliberate and careful pace on the battlefield, a general who many thought (including Ike himself and General Patton) moved too slow and was too cautious who may have swayed Dwight D Eisenhower; when asked, General Montgomery said “I would say GO!”
The fate of Europe hung in the balance.
Imran Awan strikes plea bargain with the Feds
NOTE: This post is from June 5th, for the developments of July 3rd please click here.
You might remember the sordid story of Imran Awan and the Awan brothers but in case you have forgotten it goes something like this: The Awan brothers are Pakistani nationals who were working as IT specialists for Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democratic National Committee, and it was reported that up to 30 Democrats employed their services. Shortly after the election the Awan brothers, with the exception of Imran, fled the country after being accused of hacking into government computers. However, Imran Awan was arrested on bank fraud charges as he attempted to flee the country.
The Awan brothers are accused of funneling money to the Middle East and they allegedly have ties to Hezbollah. During the investigation into the Awan brothers–and this is where the story gets very interesting–one of Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s computers was taken as evidence in the case and she was so distraught that she threatened a police chief if her computer was not returned to her.
There is now a new development because it is being reported that Imran Awan has struck a plea deal with the Feds:
https://twitter.com/AlexPappas/status/1004098772534689792
There really is no more information than that, but if I had to guess this is bad news for truth and justice because he most likely plead guilty to a lesser crime and this will be brushed by the wayside. With any luck part of his plea deal will be to turn over information on the higher ups involved in this scandal but at this point I would not count on it.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Paul Manafort accused of witness tampering
Things seem to keep getting worse for Paul Manafort as he is now accused of witness tampering and there are calls for him to be jailed while he awaits trial. Here is more:
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort made several attempts to tamper with witnesses in his ongoing criminal case, prosecutors said Monday as they asked a federal judge to consider jailing him while he awaits trial.
In a court filing , prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller wrote that Manafort and one of his associates “repeatedly” contacted two witnesses in an effort to influence their testimony. The contacts occurred earlier this year, shortly after a grand jury returned a new indictment against Manafort and while he was confined to his home.
The allegations of attempted witness tampering relate to Manafort’s criminal case in Washington where he faces charges of money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukrainian interests. He also faces bank fraud and tax evasion charges in Virginia.
In the latest court documents, prosecutors say that while he was under house arrest, Manafort and his associate attempted to get two witnesses to lie about the nature of lobbying and public relations work they carried out at Manafort’s direction on behalf of Ukraine.
While we are reminded in the first sentence that Paul Manafort was a former campaign chairman for Donald Trump you have to read down several paragraphs to find out this has nothing to do with the 2016 election or Russian meddling in the election.
It looks as if Paul Manafort is in some serious legal trouble here and if found guilty of any or most of the crimes he is accused of he will be going to jail for a long time. However, while this has nothing to do with the 2016 election the left wants to see anybody who ever had any dealings with Donald Trump go down and they will still take some kind of odd pleasure in seeing a Trump associate go down while still trying to link this story to the election.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
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