"The evidence was also under a congressional subpoena and preservation order," said The Wall Street Journal editorial, quoted in
a Commentary piece by Noah Rothman, who continues:
And what kind of cooperation did the FBI receive in exchange for this concession? Not much, it seems. Mills continued to serve as Clinton’s counsel despite having received immunity, a privilege that betrays the fact the FBI saw her as a material witness to what might have been a crime.
The immunity deals the FBI was doling out like candy effectively prevented them from carrying out a thorough investigation into the bizarre behavior of the State Department officials in Clinton’s orbit...
The Justice Department’s decision to provide FBI Director Comey with the powers of a prosecutor (instead of simply an investigator) is conspicuous. The evidence the FBI decided to dismiss is bizarre. And the sneering of Clinton defenders at anyone who dares to notice these things is confounding. It seems as though everyone—including the Republican Party’s primary voters—have done all in their power to insulate Hillary Clinton from the consequences of her mistakes. But at what cost will all this protection come? Is it all worth it?
ADDED:
Nixon is rolling over in his grave.
President Nixon: I'd like for you to take all these tapes, if you wouldn't mind. In other words . . .
Haldeman: Yeah.
President Nixon: I'd like to--there's some material in there that's probably worth keeping.
Haldeman: Yeah.
President Nixon: Most of it is worth destroying. Would you like--would you do that?
Haldeman: Sure.
It would have worked! No, no, Mr. Nixon. Rest in peace. It would not have worked. You were not loved. You had to make the people want to love you first. Don't worry. We will have a new President soon, and I assure you — the American people will not love him/her.
Posts
58 comments:
We think we might have found the smoking gun, boss.
Where?
In one of the boxes.
Don't you see the No Smoking sign on the wall? Get rid of it.
The entire treatment of Cheryl Mills - and particularly the FBI's d struction of the laptop - is the biggest story of this campaign. But instead we get prattling about polls.
Comey should be asked to resign in the next hearing. The FBI destroyed evidence that Congress subpoenaed! It did not have that authority. Recall the outrage over Rosemary Woods and the 8 minute gap in the tape.
"The evidence was also under a congressional subpoena and preservation order,"
-- Shouldn't it be illegal to destroy them then?
If the FBI destroyed supboenaed materials, people should lose their jobs over it. People should go to jail for it. Imagine an insurance company destroying subpoenaed claims forms with the OK of the investigators. The left would ruin that company, and rightly so.
Matthew Sablan said...
"The evidence was also under a congressional subpoena and preservation order,"
-- Shouldn't it be illegal to destroy them then?
And who would enforce the law? Obama's DoJ? In the perhaps unlikely event of a Trump victory, Comey needs to be fired at the FBI and the DoJ needs to be cleaned up as well. They've proven they're incapable of doing their jobs.
What's with the knock on Republican primary voters?
Ok, you don't like Trump. But why ruin an otherwise solid bit of writing with your disdain for the voters?
As Nolte likes to say on twitter, "Burn it all down."
As I have said before many a time on this blog, it all points to Obama in the end. That is who the ultimate cover up is for. Trump if he can stay on time and on target and not meander all over God's creation needs to clearly spell out that Clinton is a criminal and so is Obama and his Administration and that Congress needs to appoint special prosecutors to clean out the DoJ, the IRS and the FBI among others.
AliciaMachadoAliciaMachadoAliciaMachado
There are two ways to go.
1. Stand-up for the rule of law, protest and elect politicians who will stand up for the rule of law applied fairly and evenly.
2. Align yourself with the totalitarian regime and delude yourself that it will protect you.
If you follow number 2, you are what's known as a "useful fool". When the totalitarian regime does away with the opposition, they'll go looking for other enemies to pursue and you are it.
"Is it all worth it?" Anyone who asks the question doesn't understand what is happening. Of course it's "worth it." These people want power. They will do anything to get it and keep it. As they have shown.
From the last post, a quote: Plenty has been said about the way American women feel invisible once they reach 60, or 50, or — gack — even 40 today...
Isn't Hillary Clinton's entire career an arc toward invisibility? At 40 she was hiding her past. At 50 she was hiding her past. At 60 she was hiding her past. At 68 the cover-up is so complete that the woman behind the sunglasses is almost completely gone.
Given a self-defined choice between visibility and power Clinton chose power.
It was this WSJ Op-ed, and another similar column by Andy McCarthy (who has been on this case throughout) that prompted my comments on other Althouse posts, about the possibility of a Clinton impeachment in 2019, if the 2016 election can hold Republican majorities in congress, and the 2018 midterm can get Senate Republicans close to 60.
I trust no one overlooked this line from Noah Rothman: "It seems as though everyone—including the Republican Party’s primary voters—have done all in their power to insulate Hillary Clinton from the consequences of her mistakes." (Emphasis added.)
This is why any talk by republicans about 2020 is stupid or pernicious.
If Hillary wins the rule of law is dead. The republic will need to be renewed and the tree of liberty refreshed.
Of course Chuck puts all the blame on republican primary voters. Hillary is innocent in all of this.
eric said...
What's with the knock on Republican primary voters?
Because, eric, very simply; the primary season choice of Trump is the single most conclusive event that will lead to the election of Mrs. Clinton, about whom you and I probably feel the same.
Annnd...its all the Deplorable Trump voters' fault! Because that energizer bunny Jeb Bush would have been relentless in prosecuting the electoral case against Hillary and Comey and the rigged system. (Even though we now see every generation of the Bush Dynasty embracing the Clintons as virtual kissing cousins.)
I think you ought to be allowed to destroy evidence. That's a made-up crime for hindering an investigation against you, which seems to me to be a fundamental right.
Trump's limitations are being ruthlessly exposed right now. Obamacare is melting down and he won't talk about that. He will do a 3:00 am tweet about a twenty year old dispute with a beauty queen. He will always be himself and that probably will cost him the election.
Of course this whole thing goes to the top. We already know of Obama emails in the pile, using a pseudonym. Clinton was Secretary of State for heavens sake. There are certainly communications to her and with cc's and threads from anyone and everyone. This was never about just Clinton.
This all is just the tip of the iceberg, and that includes the open corruption of the Clinton Foundation.
Like an iceberg, this isn't about the top either, but also about the underwater mass, the little people, career and appointees. It's no wonder why the FBI chickened out, this would have required burning out Washington.
@bp: "Of course this whole thing goes to the top . . . This was never about just Clinton." Right. And O had to contain the damage because he plans to do a Clinton 2.0--a bigger foundation, placing allies in the bureaucracy, influence-peddling mixed with race-baiting and climate-shaming, premised on Michelle making noise about running for office. You read it here first.
There are many reasons not to vote for Hillary, but for me this is the supreme one. Our country has always been about keeping the government accountable to the people. The corruption that has occurred over the past 8 years while the press will never be undone if above-the-law Hillary is elected.
...and I assure you — the American people will not love him/her.
Don't be so sure.
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
George Orwell, 1984
At this point, I have difficulty finding a reason to follow our laws outside of a concern of state-imposed tyrannical violence.
Why?
Because, as Matthew said:
If the FBI destroyed supboenaed materials, people should lose their jobs over it. People should go to jail for it. Imagine an insurance company destroying subpoenaed claims forms with the OK of the investigators. The left would ruin that company, and rightly so.
...and we all know NOBODY will lose a job or go to jail. Not one person.
And then, in a few years, we'll hear people SHOCKED at Hillary's corruption. The press will mention how bad it is and how it is a problem with ALL politicians.
Trump should end the campaign on a promise to return law to the country and that a vote for Hillary turns us into a banana republic. Because it does.
Because, eric, very simply; the primary season choice of Trump is the single most conclusive event that will lead to the election of Mrs. Clinton, about whom you and I probably feel the same.
you act as if anything would've been different if Bush won.
It wouldn't have been.
"you act as if anything would've been different if Bush won."
-- Bush wouldn't have had a Twitter meltdown over Ms. Universe. Heck, I feel safe saying that about any of the baker's dozen candidates we had.
[They'd have found something else to screw up, but that particular screw up wouldn't have happened.]
The FBI is a subdivision of the Department of Justice which works for the Executive, i.e. President Obama, and orders are orders.
This goes back to my judgement that the situation is hopeless.
Its not about Obama's petty ambitions or whatever.
It is that whole iceberg, both the visible and invisible portions, are hopelessly corrupt, down to nearly the last petty functionary. This can't be fixed by replacing executives, because they will be quickly corrupted if only because they will find themselves making excuses for all the ongoing garbage that they are now responsible for - that's what happens when you put a good, competent, ordinary executive in charge of a total dogs breakfast. There's no better way to break a man.
This can't be purged, because the whole mess will then cease to function (see executive auto-corruption above), and since there are so many rice bowls attached to this mess, it can't be replaced, because that will be very unpopular.
The only real way out, and that is assuming that modern US society has enough competent, honest people to re-staff this monster, is if somehow some external force simply dismissed the US government, entirely, and forced its re-build from the ground up with all-new people.
"you act as if anything would've been different if Bush won."
Well, one difference would be Hillary would be headed for an embarrassing drubbing.
What fucking weasels.
Oh, but things will get so much better when Hillary is in charge.
Hey, is the national Media covering this despicable bullshit at all? Just kidding.
FBI: Lapdogs for Hillary!
Related: FBI Materials Reveal 2 Boxes of Clinton Emails Went Missing
Also, you know, the interviews show a senior State Dept. official pressured other State employees to change markings on redactions to hide the fact that the redactions were for classified material. You know, what the lawyer people usually call "evidence tampering."
Ho-hum.
-- Bush wouldn't have had a Twitter meltdown over Ms. Universe. Heck, I feel safe saying that about any of the baker's dozen candidates we had.
There would've been any of a large number of things the press would've obsessed over. And if Bush responded, he would be "obsessing". We've seen this game played for years now. How did McCain morph into a far right wing kook who fucked around on his wife? Evidence certainly wasn't required.
Well, one difference would be Hillary would be headed for an embarrassing drubbing.
Nope. The same press ignoring that and attacking Trump on trivial shit...would do that to Bush. And he'd be unwilling to hit back. He'd be tied to his brother in a way Hillary is not being tied to Obama.
Thinking anybody else would be doing better is folly. They turned nice, kind, and charitable Romney into a cancer-giving misogynist who abuses dogs.
Revolution seems like the best case scenario now. Hopefully violent.
"Nope. The same press ignoring that and attacking Trump on trivial shit...would do that to Bush. And he'd be unwilling to hit back. He'd be tied to his brother in a way Hillary is not being tied to Obama."
IMO, Clinton is such a flawed candidate the press would not have been able to drag her over the finish line.
Hmm, I have a scenario for a fantasy novel. Its amazing how many of these things come to my head, and me unable to write.
A fed-up conservative slides into the dark side, and somehow succeeds in invoking a Satanic miracle, whereby Tamerlane's horde is translated to Washington DC via time-travel, and burns it out, erecting their usual towers of skulls, etc. The only consolation for the victims is that they are Muslim.
The interloping Tatars are subsequently shot by Texans, so there is at least a happy ending.
Well, its a premise anyway.
"IMO, Clinton is such a flawed candidate the press would not have been able to drag her over the finish line."
They can drag anyone anywhere they like. Its not about the candidate, its about the $.
"They can drag anyone anywhere they like. Its not about the candidate, its about the $."
The press is not omnipotent. Do you believe they supported the election of George W. Bush?
I was enraged watching OReilly talking with Judicial Watch and Seculow from American Center for Law and Justice last eve. Discussion of the IRS scandal, which still seems active, and Hillarys email/foia scandal convinces me the gatekeepers in the federal government are corrupt. The members of the unelected bureaucracy and the political ruling class are treated differently than you and I.
They no longer work for us, but have set things up to enrich themselves at our expense.
Its time that this ends.
My favorite FBI conclusion is when the server company referred to the requests to alter evidence under subpoena as "Hillary's Cover-Up Operation" that the FBI accepted the story that it was just a joke. I guess Comey makes jokes that have no kernel of truth, the way so many of us do.
E-mail-gate. Benghazi-gate. The Libya-ISIS Affair. Etc. Clinton and Obama have been busy.
It' over, our republic is lost. The IRS destroyed the two hard drives that were the only repository of the instant messages between Lois Lerner and another conspirator. Lerner wrote an email saying that IM was the best way to avoid congressional oversight because the messages weren't stored on the server. Well, I have a couple of decades of experience with various computer messaging systems, and guess what? THe messages are stored on the local hard drives.
If you don't believe me, do this little thought experiment. If Lerner was IMing somebody in a conversation, do you think that each message she sent was not kept in context of a conversation by her messaging program? No, the conversations were there on her computer as she did it. If they weren't stored on the server, and that was the setting, they had to be stored somewhere. The only place left is on the hard drive, you know, like Skype does, and like your phone does. When you have a text conversation, all of those messages in the convo are retained on your phone.
But here the IRS destroyed this evidence, Lerner took the Fifth, and everything is just hunky dory and the press has zero interest in why.
After this election, when Hillary wins, I am going to send her campaign a couple grand to get on her good side, re-register as a Democrat, and try to live like people in dictatorships do, having no sense of responsibility for what the political class does.
tim, just remember that many if not most of these conservative journalists (and even the conservative Republicans at Judicial Watch and on the House Oversight Committee) who are doing all of this good work exposing the obstruction of justice in the name of Clinton, are mostly all former or current NeverTrumpers.
NeverTrump does not equal pro-Hillary.
"Not a smidgen of corruption."
"President Obama's scandal-free administration."
Thanks, voters.
Bush wouldn't have had a Twitter meltdown over Ms. Universe. Heck, I feel safe saying that about any of the baker's dozen candidates we had.
No, he would have been hip deep in the Ruling Class make believe campaign to elect "The First Woman President" on the off chance that she would grant him some favors.
You people don't seem to understand that only a crazy guy who would tweet something at 3 AM is crazy enough to take on The Deep State and try to throw it out of office.
Some twerp here accused me of wanting a revolution a few months ago. No, I don't want one but one may be coming.
As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I Make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market-Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.
We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.
We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market-Place.
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.
With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings.
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew,
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four --
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
* * * * *
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man --
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began --
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire --
And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!<
"Shouldn't it be illegal to destroy them then?"
Since Althouse already brought up Nixon-
It's not illegal when the FBI does it.
IMO, Clinton is such a flawed candidate the press would not have been able to drag her over the finish line.
That's naïve. They'd do what they're doing now...make the story about anything but HER.
I was enraged watching OReilly talking with Judicial Watch and Seculow from American Center for Law and Justice last eve. Discussion of the IRS scandal, which still seems active, and Hillarys email/foia scandal convinces me the gatekeepers in the federal government are corrupt. The members of the unelected bureaucracy and the political ruling class are treated differently than you and I.
They also hate you.
Trump was asked about Manafort and Lewandowsky all the time. I don't think Hillary has been asked about Cheryl Mills in a public forum even one time.
I'm beginning to think the Attorney General must no longer be appointed by the President.
"That's naïve. They'd do what they're doing now...make the story about anything but HER."
As I said upthread, they couldn't keep W from being elected. Twice.
Chuck said...
eric said...
What's with the knock on Republican primary voters?
Because, eric, very simply; the primary season choice of Trump is the single most conclusive event that will lead to the election of Mrs. Clinton, about whom you and I probably feel the same.
If all of those Republican candidates couldn't beat Trump in the primaries, how could any of them beat Hillary in the general election? There were some good candidates in the field but not nearly enough people voted for them, hence Trump. As much as I don't care for him, he is the only one that has a chance of keeping Hillary from becoming the next president. You can sit on your high horse and refuse to vote for him or sit out the election all together. That's your right. But if you do and Hillary wins, you'll have zero credibility when you complain about something she does that you don't like. Trump may not give you everything you want in a candidate. I get that. Hillary gives you nothing you want. Something is better than nothing.
Michael K said...
Some twerp here accused me of wanting a revolution a few months ago. No, I don't want one but one may be coming.
Here's your scenario. The criminal Clinton is elected. The traditionally law-abiding white middle class, awake to government's selective application of the law in so many areas, decide that the only ones looking out for them are themselves. Firearms sales continue to skyrocket. The Harridan™ bans civilian firearms ownership by executive order, citing the Australian model. "I take this action to combat a national emergency of gun violence." Americans comply with the turn-in regulations at the rate of 5%-6%, entailing DHS to recruit a force of home breaching teams to confiscate weapons. Shooting inevitably follows. Gun owners organize in self defense. The rest is alternate history.
The American Revolution began with a failed attempt to confiscate civilian weapons. Not much has changed.
"If all of those Republican candidates couldn't beat Trump in the primaries, how could any of them beat Hillary in the general election?"
The large field made it harder, not easier, for someone to beat Trump.
I would love for Trump to ask Hillary if she thinks there is a problem at the IRS, and if not, why did so many people take the Fifth and why was so much evidence destroyed? Or, wait, wait, wait, Hillary, or, since that's how you ran State, do you think that is all perfectly normal?
Bush using his megabux to destroy Rubio was no help either. That man and Cruz should crawl into the ground together and rot.
Coulda shoulda woulda, NOW Trump is the only answer and worth the gamble.
"We are not weasels" declared Director Weasel.
tim in vermont said...
It' over, our republic is lost.
After this election, when Hillary wins, I am going to send her campaign a couple grand to get on her good side, re-register as a Democrat, and try to live like people in dictatorships do, having no sense of responsibility for what the political class does.
10/7/16, 12:07 PM
But you won't vote for Trump.
>>>And then, in a few years, we'll hear people SHOCKED at Hillary's corruption. The press will mention how bad it is and how it is a problem with ALL politicians.
Here's the thing...I really can't see the press doing that. They will dutifully cover up for her. They already are - they edit video, excise embarrassing portions from Clinton speeches.
The most they can bring themselves to do is to whine "She could be more transparent."
She can't.
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