Althouse: "Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page admitted... that 'the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information'..."

March 13, 2019

"Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page admitted... that 'the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information'..."

"... [Texas Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe] alleged in a social media post late Tuesday, citing a newly unearthed transcript of Page's closed-door testimony..... 'So let me if I can, I know I’m testing your memory,' Ratcliffe began as he questioned Page under oath, according to a transcript excerpt he posted on Twitter. 'But when you say advice you got from the Department, you’re making it sound like it was the Department that told you: You’re not going to charge gross negligence because we’re the prosecutors and we’re telling you we’re not going to —' Page interrupted: 'That is correct,' as Ratcliffe finished his sentence, ' -- bring a case based on that.' The document dump was part of a major release by House Judiciary Committee Republicans, who on Tuesday released hundreds of pages of transcripts from last year's closed-door interview with Page, revealing new details about the bureau's controversial internal discussions regarding an 'insurance policy' against then-candidate Donald Trump. Fox News has previously reviewed portions of Page's testimony."

Fox News reports today (about testimony from last summer).

Trump tweeted: "The just revealed FBI Agent Lisa Page transcripts make the Obama Justice Department look exactly like it was, a broken and corrupt machine. Hopefully, justice will finally be served. Much more to come!"

181 comments:

rehajm said...: Get your popcorn ready!!!!; 3/13/19, 12:00 PM
TreeJoe said...: In a rationale society and criminal justice system, multiple individuals would be jailed and/or lose their public pensions as a result of this.

Man, the decision to fire James Comey seems more and more brilliant as time goes on.; 3/13/19, 12:00 PM
Meade said...: LOCK HER UP!

(And by her I mean Barack Obama.)

Baracker up.; 3/13/19, 12:02 PM
Original Mike said...: "Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page admitted... that 'the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information'..."

Anybody with common sense has known this since forever.; 3/13/19, 12:04 PM
Lucien said...: Was that before or after AG Lynch met in secret with the spouse of the subject of the FBI investigation (er, “matter”)?
No way that could be an obstruction of justice, huh?; 3/13/19, 12:04 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Mueller’s Forensics-Free Findings, a memorandum sent today to Attorney General William Barr by the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

The memorandum's second, third and fourth paragraphs:

[quote]

.... We veteran intelligence professionals (VIPS) have done enough detailed forensic work to prove the speciousness of the prevailing story that the DNC emails published by WikiLeaks came from Russian hacking. Given the paucity of evidence to support that story, we believe Mueller may choose to finesse this key issue and leave everyone hanging. That would help sustain the widespread belief that Trump owes his victory to President Vladimir Putin, and strengthen the hand of those who pay little heed to the unpredictable consequences of an increase in tensions with nuclear-armed Russia.

There is an overabundance of “assessments” but a lack of hard evidence to support that prevailing narrative. We believe that there are enough people of integrity in the Department of Justice to prevent the outright manufacture or distortion of “evidence,” particularly if they become aware that experienced scientists have completed independent forensic study that yield very different conclusions. We know only too well — and did our best to expose — how our former colleagues in the intelligence community manufactured fraudulent “evidence” of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

We have scrutinized publicly available physical data — the “trail” that every cyber operation leaves behind. And we have had support from highly experienced independent forensic investigators who, like us, have no axes to grind. We can prove that the conventional-wisdom story about Russian-hacking-DNC-emails-for-WikiLeaks is false. Drawing largely on the unique expertise of two VIPS scientists who worked for a combined total of 70 years at the National Security Agency and became Technical Directors there, we have regularly published our findings. But we have been deprived of a hearing in mainstream media — an experience painfully reminiscent of what we had to endure when we exposed the corruption of intelligence before the attack on Iraq 16 years ago.

[end quote]

The memorandum is signed by 17 veterans of the US Intelligence Community, including:

William Binney, former NSA Technical Director for World Geopolitical & Military Analysis; Co-founder of NSA’s Signals Intelligence Automation Research Center

Richard H. Black, Senator of Virginia, 13th District; Colonel US Army (ret.); Former Chief, Criminal Law Division, Office of the Judge Advocate General, the Pentagon

Mike Gravel, former Adjutant, top secret control officer, Communications Intelligence Service; special agent of the Counter Intelligence Corps and former United States Senator

Larry C. Johnson, former CIA and State Department Counter Terrorism officer

John Kiriakou, former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and former senior investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Edward Loomis, Cryptologic Computer Scientist, former Technical Director at NSA

David MacMichael, Ph.D., former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council

Ray McGovern, former US Army infantry/intelligence officer & CIA analyst; CIA Presidential briefer; 3/13/19, 12:04 PM
wendybar said...: I'm still waiting for Tony Podesta to get indicted for not signing the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
But as a friend of the Clintons, I highly doubt he will be touched.; 3/13/19, 12:05 PM
Nonapod said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 12:05 PM
Nonapod said...: So the fix was in from the jump. It's good to have this small confirmation. But was there ever any real doubt that this was not the case? And does anyone imagine that anything at all will actually be done about it? Do you imagine that Hillary Clinton will now be charged with anything?

After all, the Clinton's are part of a special class of people who are above the vulgar rule of law. They are divine beings who transcend such petty concerns; 3/13/19, 12:06 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: but Hillary wants to run again. Well, actually not run - she wants to be crowned.

Can Mueller crown her?; 3/13/19, 12:09 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Doesn't that make Obama's DOJ as corrupt as HER->...?

The DOJ needs purging. Now.; 3/13/19, 12:10 PM
Leland said...: The interesting thing is that these people got away with it, but then became delusional with success and tried to over throw a duly elected President.; 3/13/19, 12:12 PM
gspencer said...: Name the names.; 3/13/19, 12:13 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Hillary got away with it.

Bryan Pagliano set up Her Private Server so she-> could hide her secret deals.

We are a Banana Republic.; 3/13/19, 12:13 PM
Hey Skipper said...: To me, that sounds hella like real, actual, no kidding, obstruction of justice.

But I'm merely a deplorable. What the heck could I possibly know?; 3/13/19, 12:16 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: So much for claiming Page was in the tank for Clinton. All the demonization she got and then this revelation. One has to just laugh. So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?; 3/13/19, 12:17 PM
Drago said...: This is merely actual under oath testimony by a central player who has her testimony backed up by other players (Jim Baker, top FBI lawyer, also thought Hillary should be charged until his superiors "convinced" him at the very end to "change his mind").

Loretta Lynch also claimed, under oath, that no one in the DOJ was involved in the decision by Comey/FBI to not charge Hillary.

Lies on top of lies.

Irrefutable at this point.

Of course, we have already seen that many on the left/LLR side of things do not appreciate under oath testimony from those who testify against interest with other corroborating evidence that shows the obama admin weaponizing federal agencies against domestic political opponents.

As leftist funded and leftist thinking Bill Kristol of the hoax "conservative" site The Bulwark admitted happily, he'll side with the weaponized East German-Stasi -like state over the republican's every day of the week.; 3/13/19, 12:17 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: MSDNC & CNN(D) all over it.

*crickets*; 3/13/19, 12:18 PM
Paul said...: Well, Trump was right! FBI and DOJ at the top are as corrupt as Nancy Pelosi's knickers.; 3/13/19, 12:18 PM
Big Mike said...: What was the timing of the advice to Lisa Page’s team from the Obama DOJ vice Lynch’s meeting with William Jefferson Clinton on the tarmac at Phoenix airport?

Time to put Loretta Lynch and Hillary Clinton into adjacent cells in Leavenworth.; 3/13/19, 12:18 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Inga - you still think Peter Strozk is a hero? You said he was a hero.; 3/13/19, 12:18 PM
mccullough said...: I have no problem with the president saying no prosecution whenever he wants. Obama said no prosecution for gross negligence.

Trump should embrace what Obama did. The president is the one with the executive power. He can delegate it but he can also take it back whenever he wants.

The fiction that the Justice Department is “independent” is ridiculous. The judiciary is independent from the executive branch. The Attorney General works for the president. The head of the FBI works for the president.

I don’t blame Trump for dunking in this tweet. He should maybe troll some more by saying he’s thinking of sooounting a special counsel to look into whether Obama and Lynch obstructed Justice by telling the FBI not to look into the gross negligence issue any more.

I seem to remember St. Janes Comey being really bothered that Trump suggested to lay off Flynn. That was obstruction of justice worthy of Sideshow Bob Mueller’s snipe hunt.

So why didn’t St James mention the stand down order on gross negligence?
It’s like Comey is a political hack.; 3/13/19, 12:19 PM
Drago said...: Remember, many lefties and LLR's on this very site claimed every one of these revelations was "propaganda" and "lies" and now will have nothing to say and simply move along.; 3/13/19, 12:19 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: Is this Presidential obstruction of justice?; 3/13/19, 12:19 PM
Drago said...: It's clear why Schiff and the entirety of the dem/left/LLR's did not want ANY of this information unredacted and released.

It's enough to drive Althouseblog "Adam Schiff Fan Club President" LLR's back into counseling.; 3/13/19, 12:21 PM
mccullough said...: Let’s hear about the stand down order from Obama and Holder not to prosecute any individuals from Wall Street for the meltdown.

The stand down order not to prosecute Jon Corrine but to instead initiate a CFTC civil action.

Every decision on who gets prosecuted and who doesn’t is the ultimate responsibility of the president. Let’s stop pretending the DOJ is independent or even should be.; 3/13/19, 12:23 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 12:23 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: @McCullough

I seem to remember St. James Comey being really bothered that Trump suggested to lay off Flynn. That was obstruction of justice worthy of Sideshow Bob Mueller’s snipe hunt.

So why didn’t St James mention the stand down order on gross negligence?
It’s like Comey is a political hack.

Indeed.; 3/13/19, 12:24 PM
Drago said...: And keep in mind, this is simply 2 unredacted under oath testimony transcripts released out of the literal hundreds and hundreds of documents and evidence that republican's have been demanding be made available to the public.

Just 2 of the hundreds.

And it completely exposes so many of the left's/LLR's lies over the last 3 years.

Can you imagine what is going to happen when the unredacted FISA warrants and hundreds of hours of other testimony is released?; 3/13/19, 12:24 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Inga - you still think Peter Strozk is a hero? You said he was a hero.”

Indeed I do. He and Page were lovers and probably shared everything regarding this case. He and Page were on the same side. Now if Page is your heroine, then you may want to rethink your attitude toward Strozk, or else your poor head might explode with cognitive dissonance.; 3/13/19, 12:24 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Inga - Strozk was fired for lying and you think he's a hero. That's some strong leftwing loyalty.

Got it.; 3/13/19, 12:25 PM
The Bergall said...: Time for a special counsel.........(sic); 3/13/19, 12:27 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Inga- you don't really care that Hillary set up and used a Private Server while head of the State Dept do you. And you voted for her =- not Jill Stein. Admit it.

On election night you were so excited about the first female crook - she was about to win in South Carolina - until She didn't.

and of course you know that Trump stole the election from the rightful owner of the election because the Russians colluded to hack American brains away from wonderful Hillary.; 3/13/19, 12:27 PM
Drago said...: "He and Page were lovers and probably shared everything regarding this case. He and Page were on the same side. "

And both Strzok and Page in their communications with each other admitted there was "no there, there".

Page testified under oath that LONG AFTER the hoax dossier (which we now know was fed illicitly to the FBI from Nellie Ohr to Bruce Ohr to McCabe directly) was still not verified in any way, it had already been used to get the FISA warrant on Page.

Page's testimony clearly demonstrates the FBI and DOJ lied to the FISA court in their application for the warrants.

BTW, interestingly, it was the clear indications of this about a year and half ago that began to turn Andy McCarthy's opinion on this effort from the "I can't believe the FBI/DOJ would ever do something to the FISA court was explicitly set up to avoid" to "I can't believe the FBI/DOJ did in fact do this thing I thought was impossible" mode.

That was right about the time certain LLR's ceased linking to McCarthy because he was no longer a "useful" idiot who believed deeply in the "integrity" of the system to stop such behavior.; 3/13/19, 12:29 PM
traditionalguy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 12:31 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Strozk was an insider Hillary hack. He is as arrogant as HER->

His texts revealed the insider corruption at the FBI.

Inga thinks this guy is a hero.; 3/13/19, 12:31 PM
Drago said...: This is a key reason why Mueller has to keep this investigation going forever or try to structure any remaining activity anywhere as prohibiting the wholesale release of unredacted information.

The dems have to keep all this info under wraps and to do that they will continue what they have been doing for over 2 years which is arguing that NONE of this info can come out.

Democracy Dies In Darkness indeed....; 3/13/19, 12:31 PM
traditionalguy said...: We seem to be entering the "Much More to Come" movie debut. This President's initials will soon have be written DJT(Q)on the movie credits.

And the Movie will include what the beloved Brits, who have been begging DJT(Q) to keep what MI6 did for Renegade and Killary a secret since September.

For a cartoon, this month's show will also debut the short made for TV movie: " RBG Where Are You?"; 3/13/19, 12:33 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Page realized her former creepy lover needed a kick to the curb and she told the truth.

Strozk remains a disgraced liar.; 3/13/19, 12:33 PM
traditionalguy said...: FTR: Strozk was the CIA Officer assigned to control the FBI. But he will probably get prisoner exchanged with the CIA.; 3/13/19, 12:37 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Strozk should be indicted and prosecuted.; 3/13/19, 12:38 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Inga...Allie Oop said...

Now if Page is your heroine,...

Who is calling her a heroine? She seems a pretty contemptible person who, in this case, had to admit something under oath that she probably would rather not have admitted.; 3/13/19, 12:39 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Can I see a show of hands of people who were surprised by this?

Is that a hand I see waaaaay in the back.....?; 3/13/19, 12:46 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: This isn’t the only thing that Page said about the Midyear Exam (MYE) investigation of Crooked Hillary and her use of her private email server to conduct official business as Secretary of State. She also suggested that the DoJ essentially denied the FBI the normal things that the latter need assistance from the former for. In particular, they refused to provide them with prosecutors to go into court to get search warrants, or to go before a grand jury to find probable cause. Which explains why there was never a search warrant or subpoena issued by them for Clinton’s server and electronic devices. Normally, in a case like this, the FBI would have shown up at Clinton’s house with a search warrant and a bunch of forensic experts. Every computer and electronic device in the house would have been seized, sent back to the office, imaged, and completely screened and investigated. But with the DoJ refusing the FBI the use of prosecutors, the FBI was limited to asking Clinton kindly for what she and her people believed it safe to give the FBI, about half of the emails there, none showing the quid pro quo selling of American foreign policy that the private email was designed to hide. Another thing that the DoJ did was to require that they be present, in great numbers, any time that anything was done with the investigation, including when interviewing Clinton. Apparently, including Clinton’s closest confederates and coconspirators as her attorneys, the attorneys at her unsworn FBI interview vastly outnumbered the non attorneys, and half of them were from the DoJ. Think of it - even though Peter Strzok ran the interview, the DoJ had more people in the room than did the FBI. Page indicated that this was coming from the top of the DoJ, but could not say if it was being driven by AG Lynch, or her loyal hatchet lady, DAG Sally Yates.; 3/13/19, 12:46 PM
Drago said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 12:47 PM
Drago said...: Page's testimony by and large aligns with Bakers testimony and those 2 were at the heart of everything the Stasi-FBI/DOJ/DOJ-NSD/DIA was up to.

Of course, the communist-voting and Muslim-brotherhood supporting CIA hack director Brennan will at some point be exposed for the up to 7 operatives he ran into the Trump campaign to plant seeds and then bring around other CIA contacts to harvest those seeds and weaponize the setup against Trump.

Of course, Brennan used his good pal Australian diplomat and Clinton Foundation donor/pal Downer and Brit GCHQ Head Hannigan to help out.

Which is why Hannigan had to resign immediately after Trump took office because the Brits knew they were used by Brennan.

Think of this as the "quiet" British response to the more official and public Ukrainian Govt public apology to Trump for having worked with the Clinton campaign to set Trump up.

The Ukrainians did not want to remain on the bad and illicit side of the issue when they would be needing offensive military weapons to ward off further Russian incursions.

Offensive weapons that obambi refused to supply but Trump had no problem supplying.....(hmmmm, but wouldn't that mean the Trump is Putin's puppet line is a lie?.....yes, it would.....); 3/13/19, 12:49 PM
Known Unknown said...: "All the demonization she got and then this revelation."

So she did not lie under oath? Okay.; 3/13/19, 12:49 PM
Retail Lawyer said...: Adam Shitt will get to the bottom of it. He's on the case!

This is like the scandal rocking Canada currently. But Obama / Clinton scandal free.; 3/13/19, 12:50 PM
JAORE said...: Lynch: Dammit, I got caught on the tarmac with Billy Jeff. Nobody's buying the "talked about grand kids" crap. OK, I'll issue a statement that says I'll defer to the FBI's recommendation. Hey, you, underling #47, call the FBI and say Hillary is NOT to be touched.
Comey: No prosecutor (certainly no Federal prosecutor we would pick) would....

Nice setup here.

Seems like a BFD. Now, let's see what CNN, MSNBC, NBC or..... are saying about this.; 3/13/19, 12:50 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Page's testimony is important- while I have known right from the start that the order came from the DoJ/Attorney General/s, the very same people have, for 3 years tried to wash their hands of the decision itself- for example, see Loretta Lynch's "recusal" following the tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton.

Look, the history of the investigation tells you in no uncertain terms that this wasn't even an investigation- if it had been, a grand jury would have been impaneled with subpoena power. This can only be done by US attorneys in the DoJ, not by personnel working for the FBI. That it wasn't done tells you that the DoJ was never going to indict Clinton or any one else involved- never.; 3/13/19, 12:51 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Then the FBI’s deputy director, David Bowdich, stepped in and fired him, saying he had undermined “the credibility of the FBI.

Candice Will, the longtime deputy director of the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), had cited three ways in which Strzok had allegedly violated FBI policies during the election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The first, “unprofessional conduct off duty,” directly related to his use of an FBI-issued cell phone to send the private texts. The second, “investigative deficiency”—later reduced to “dereliction of supervisory duty”— related to Strzok’s perceived delay in searching a laptop that belonged to Anthony Weiner, the husband of a top Hillary Clinton aide, as part of the probe of Clinton’s emails in the fall of 2016. Finally, Will told Strzok that he had committed a “security violation” for forwarding certain sensitive law-enforcement documents to his personal Gmail account. Bowdich’s decision to overrule her and fire Strzok on August 10 was considered highly unusual.”

I don’t see any language about Strzok being fired for lying.; 3/13/19, 12:52 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Bruce's comment at 12:46 is recommended by me.; 3/13/19, 12:54 PM
William said...: Gomer ——> "Surprise, surprise, surprise."

Nothing to see here folks; move along!; 3/13/19, 12:57 PM
Wince said...: Inga...Allie Oop said...
So much for claiming Page was in the tank for Clinton. All the demonization she got and then this revelation. One has to just laugh. So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?

Page tried to finesse her testimony with DOJ "advice", it was only when Ratcliffe clarified did Page admit the DOJ "instructed".

Page must know there's evidence or potential testimony out there that would prove she lied had she not agreed to the "instructed" clarification.

Page is saving her own skin, that's all. Rat off a sinking ship. No hero.; 3/13/19, 12:59 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Inga -
Strozk is a liar. You support a liar.

“unprofessional conduct off duty,”
“investigative deficiency”
“dereliction of supervisory duty”
“security violation”

*Those are all much better than lying. Whew!

Former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom said the "lies" perpetrated by FBI agent Peter Strzok are consistent with the lack of leadership exemplified by the agency’s former director, James Comey.

"He’s a liar. I mean he is a good liar," Kallstrom said of Strzok during an interview [...] “He’s a smart guy so he can lie with great proficiency.”; 3/13/19, 1:03 PM
mccullough said...: The order came from Obama. As it should have. He was the President.

Lynch’s Job is to carry out the president’s orders. He told her not to prosecute Hillary for gross negligence.

Obama did not want Hillary prosecuted. That was his prerogative.

The decision was his. We can stop pretending that the justice department is or should be independent.

If people don’t like the decision, then Obana is to blame.; 3/13/19, 1:06 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Page is saving her own skin, that's all. Rat off a sinking ship. No hero.

+Indeed. and NO one here called her a hero.; 3/13/19, 1:06 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Page was saving herself- she can't know what other people have said on the record, so she was more or less forced to tell the truth as much as she could. What makes her testimony so devastating is that it is a statement against interest.

For background, one should note that she had been burned in the past by McCabe's lies to the IG- it is almost certainly how and why the Page/Strzok text messages were revealed. McCabe told the IG that Page had been the sole leaker of a news story that McCabe himself had told Page to give to the WSJ reporter. Page, when questioned on this, proved otherwise by giving the IG the text messages between herself and Strzok that proved McCabe had lied about the matter. I am guessing, since she and Strzok blew up at the same time, that Strzok probably encouraged her to carry the water for McCabe and refuse to cooperate with the IG- see the "don't contact me again" text to Strzok.; 3/13/19, 1:07 PM
PM said...: Well, that's just vomit under the bridge.; 3/13/19, 1:09 PM
WisRich said...: Yancey Ward said...

3/13/19, 1:07 PM
---------

Good insight Yancey. Imagine what would come out if a few charges were filed.; 3/13/19, 1:15 PM
Howard said...: Lock Her Up... and make Mexico pay for it; 3/13/19, 1:16 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: Simple - Declassify everything related to the investigations.; 3/13/19, 1:19 PM
n.n said...: If people don’t like the decision, then Obana is to blame.

That is the issue under investigation and for our consideration.; 3/13/19, 1:22 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: One thing in Page’s favor, was that it was really her testimony that got her old boss, DD Andrew McCabe, fired. Throughout the OIG report on The McCabe leaking, the IG stated that the person obviously identified as Page was found more credible than McCabe. What had happened was that Dir Comey was asked if he was the leaker or authorized the leaks. He said No. excrement flowing downhill, and DD McCabe was asked. He too said No. Ultimately, Page was asked, and she said “Sure, we did the leaking, McCabe ordered it, and here is the evidence supporting that” (the evidence likely being her contemporaneous text messages with Strzok - the question being whether she provided them to the OIG first, or whether they had them already). This was remarkable, because McCabe had brought her along from his previous posting, created a position for her, and installed her in such a high position, probably well beyond what she could have expected at that point in her career. Up until he expected her to take the fall for him, she had been the perfect protege.; 3/13/19, 1:22 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Nah - Make the American tax payer pay for it. That's the democratic way, Howard.; 3/13/19, 1:23 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Transcripts of secret testimony about the RussiaGate hoax already a long time ago have been leaked to Jeff Carlson, who writes a blog called The Markets Work. Carlson has summarized such transcripts that have been leaked to him.

In particular, Carlson summarized the transcripts of the hearings of Lisa Page in his blog article dated February 25, 2019.

What is new now is that the transcripts are being released to the public by Representative Doug Collins (R - Georgia), apparently on his own individual initiative. It's likely that Collins had leaked the transcripts earlier to Carlson.

This leaking is lawless, and this lawlessness is spreading.

The appointment of Special Counsel Robert "The Whitewasher" Mueller was lawless, and the existence of his investigation to prevent the release of documents to Congress was lawless, and now this leaking of secret transcripts is lawless too.

It's likely that Collins will continue to release transcripts to the public, but nothing will be done to stop him.

The testimony of Lisa Page and the other DOJ/FBI officials should not have been secret in the first place. This cover-up was justified by Mueller's investigation -- as if the revelation of their testimony might impede that investigation.

Lisa Page's testimony about the bogus investigation of Hillary Clinton's e-mails should have been heard publicly. Why was it ever secret?

If her testimony is kept secret for bogus reasons, then eventually the transcripts will be leaked anyway -- justifiably so.

-----

If the Democrats want to continue Mueller's witch-hunt, then President Trump will drag DOJ/FBI through the mud for the next two years. He will declassify documents massively. The public will learn much more about how DOJ/FBI and other Intelligence agencies concocted and developed the RussiaGate hoax.; 3/13/19, 1:24 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Loyal leftists lying for the greater good = hero.
I heard it on Maddow.; 3/13/19, 1:25 PM
Jim at said...: So much for claiming Page was in the tank for Clinton. All the demonization she got and then this revelation. One has to just laugh. So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?

You can't be this fucking stupid.
You just can't.; 3/13/19, 1:26 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “For background, one should note that she had been burned in the past by McCabe's lies to the IG- it is almost certainly how and why the Page/Strzok text messages were revealed. McCabe told the IG that Page had been the sole leaker of a news story that McCabe himself had told Page to give to the WSJ reporter. Page, when questioned on this, proved otherwise by giving the IG the text messages between herself and Strzok that proved McCabe had lied about the matter. ”

You seem to have some better detail here than I do. All I got, I think, from the OIG report was McCabe denying that he authorized the leak, and not that he fingered Page. Do you have a cite to that? Could be in there - I am going from memory, and my better half routinely reminds me that she is the one with the good memory, and not I.; 3/13/19, 1:27 PM
Quayle said...: Just finished watching a fantastic Korean crime drama on Netflix called "Stranger". A major theme of the series is the pressure brought from "above" and from Korea's corporate power brokers on the individual prosecutors on various criminal matters.

I highly recommend Stranger. It was gripping. (Note: I lived in Korea and am somewhat capable in the language, so it may have been easier for me to watch than others.); 3/13/19, 1:32 PM
narciso said...: oddly how neither the times or the journal's news pages, (kim strassel is owed a Pulitzer) or the post, really broaches any of this, but they will go wall to wall on skadden's mortgage fraud,; 3/13/19, 1:37 PM
Dave Begley said...: This was obstruction of justice. McCabe, Comey, Strzok and Lynch all need to be investigated and indicted.

The theory is denying the public of their honest services. They didn't follow standard procedures. They were point shaving.

I just heard on Rush that some DOJ lawyer claimed the statute that Mrs. Clinton violated was unconstitutionally vague. Any precedent for that? No. She violated a malum prohibitum statute and intent is NOT required. On top of that, there are criminal convictions all the time for gross negligence.

Nice to have the DOJ as Hillary's in-house defense lawyers. Rigged.; 3/13/19, 1:40 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: The problems of DOJ/FBI will become much worse if details about the wire-tapping are revealed to the public.

We know now only that a FISA judge allowed FBI to collect all communications -- past, present and future -- of Carter Page, a member of Donald Trump's campaign staff. Page has communicated with many people -- including other members of the campaign staff and other Trump associates.

* Let the public be provided a list of all the US persons whose communications were collected because of the FISA warrant against Page.

* Who else was subjected to such a FISA order? George Papadopolous? Michael Flynn? Paul Manafort?

* If there were other such FISA orders, then let the public be provided a list of all the other US persons whose communications were collected.

* Exactly who in DOJ/FBI was directly involved in the collection of all these communications?

* What did those DOJ/FBI officials do with all those communications?

* When did the collection of all these communications end? (if they have ended)

* Let the public be provided all the FISA applications that were used to justify this collection of all the communications of the affected Trump associates during and after the 2016 election campaigns.

This mess is not over yet. This mess will not be over as long as the witch-hunts against Trump and his associates continue.; 3/13/19, 1:46 PM
narciso said...: sorry manafort's mortgage fraud, which vance the lesser, seems to be pushing,; 3/13/19, 1:47 PM
gilbar said...: so,
just like the reason why they accuse Trump of Collusion is because they're colluding...
the reason why they accuse Trump of Obstruction is because they obstructed; 3/13/19, 1:50 PM
Dave Begley said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 1:53 PM
Drago said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 1:54 PM
Dave Begley said...: mccollough:

Recall the grief visited on Trump for just suggesting that the book not be thrown at General Flynn.; 3/13/19, 1:55 PM
Drago said...: Howard: "Lock Her Up... and make Mexico pay for it."

Not necessary as Mexico has already committed itself to the new Trade agreement which will result in tens of billions more dollars flowing to the US instead of to Mexico through the NAFTA loophole.

The good news for Mexico is that in recognition of their negotiation cooperation the US allowed Mexico to retain some advantages here and there.

Poor Li'l Justin of Canada went "the other way" and the US nailed them by completely closing off the loophole and, thus, presto-chango, the Chinese tell Canada to hit the road and that China will come direct to the US.

Canada then dumps tens of thousands of jobs and its GDP goes to zilcho.

The good news is that Justin has now been caught in actual real corruption at the highest levels as well!!

Thankfully, our Inga declared Justin the "Real Leader of The Free World" (after she declared the same thing of Merkel, May and Macron, in that order if memory serves) so Justin has that going for him....

.....which is nice.; 3/13/19, 1:55 PM
narciso said...: prime minister Zoolander, seems to have slipped to captiva island,; 3/13/19, 1:58 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Or course Page was in the tank for Clinton. The texts revealed it.
She was compelled to reveal what she really knew. LOL - leftists will know consider Page a turncoat.; 3/13/19, 1:59 PM
gilbar said...: so how long will it be before our Life Long Liberal gets his talking points from MSNBC and posts here? I see he's kinda absent; 3/13/19, 2:01 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “So much for claiming Page was in the tank for Clinton. All the demonization she got and then this revelation. One has to just laugh. So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?”

Overall, I think that a lot of people probably misunderstand what was going on. Number one priority was loyalty to the FBI. Number two was possibly keeping Trump out of the White House. Comey didn’t do what he did to exonerate Crooked Hillary because he somehow loved her or wanted her in the WH. Rather, I think that he was caught between a rock and a hard place. The FBI had received a criminal referral showing probable cause that she had violated the Espionage Act as well as the Official Records Act, with her use of a private email server to conduct government business while she was Secretary of State. It couldn’t be ignored. But the DoJ was doing everything that it legally could to sandbag the investigation, short of ordering them off the case. Moreover, many of us probably remember May and June of 2016, when this was percolating through the FBI. The FBI rank and file were pissed, and all evidence is that a number of them were ready to go to the press with their concerns that Clinton was being actively protected by the DoJ, and, thus, the Obama Administration. This was an institutional affront to their independence. Comey got out in front of it, and did the only rational thing he could think of - he split the baby. He laid out a case of gross negligence, then said that no prosecutor would try the case (but not making the point that the reason that they wouldn’t was that the AG/DAG had given orders that they wouldn’t, saving his bosses embarrassment).

The Trump collusion hysteria was maybe more complex. Some, like probably Page, really, really, didn’t want Trump to win. But most were probably just trying to do their jobs apolitically. That is where Steele and Fusion GPS came into the picture. What it looks like to me now is that starting in maybe July, 2016, at an increasing tempo, they were inundated with information strongly suggesting Trump colluding with the Russian government. The reality, of course, was that it was all a hoax, pushed by the Clinton campaign, led by anti Trump fanatic, Christopher Steele (but Darth Blumenthal and his sidekick Cody Sheer were in there too). Making it hard on the FBI to detect reality is that they were getting hit from all sides. They were getting it from the CIA, from the FBI in Europe, from the top of the DoJ (AAG/ADAG Bruce Ohr, #4 in the DoJ at the time), and through multiple articles in the MSM. because of the volume of information (mostly, of course, coming from a single source - Steele), the FBI was pushed from looking at the quality of the information, and bought into the supposed threat. And that, I think, is how normally fairly apolitical FBI people were able to be stampeded into what they ultimately did to destroy the reputation of the agency (that was the reason they were so pissed at the DoJ over Clinton’s emails), believing themselves to be patriots the whole time, saving us from the Russians.; 3/13/19, 2:04 PM
William said...: mccullough said at 3/13/19, 1:06 PM

Lynch’s Job is to carry out the president’s orders. He told her not to prosecute Hillary for gross negligence.

Obama did not want Hillary prosecuted. That was his prerogative.

The decision was his. We can stop pretending that the justice department is or should be independent.

If people don’t like the decision, then Obana is to blame.

That's it. End of story.; 3/13/19, 2:05 PM
M Jordan said...: I have never bought the Stryock/Page affair. Their texts had zero romance in n them. It was part of their cover, that’s why their spouses haven’t left them. But now their whole ruse is up and Page is on save your own neck mode. More to follow. Trump wins 2020 on a Nixonian landslide.; 3/13/19, 2:05 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: All this back and forth, oy. People believe what they want to believe, and when they can't keep up the pretense of belief any longer, they spin. Trump-haters have been awaiting the smoking cannon for two years, and they're convinced it's coming. Maybe, maybe not, but none of the anti-Trumpers knows, they can only speculate and hope. More likely they're in for a big letdown.

Same with this revelation. Pro-Trumpers think it's going to lead to some big purge or upheaval in the Deep State, but it won't. Maybe some small fry like Strzok or Page will get burned, but the big fish will be well protected.; 3/13/19, 2:10 PM
Mr. Fabulous said...: (World Famous Lurker Says....)

Mike Sylwester - while I agree with your points in your 1:46pm post, I think it's actually worse than you describe. It's my understanding that the type of FISA warrant that was issued on Carter Page allowed the FBI to surveill out 2 hops: they could also surveill anyone Page talked to, and then anyone those people spoke with (or email or text, etc) That would almost certainly cover everyone in Trump's campaign, and would probably cover a great many campaign supporters and contributors as well. Perhaps others here more knowledgeable can speak more to the details of the warrant issued on Page.; 3/13/19, 2:11 PM
Big Mike said...: What hawkeye just commented.; 3/13/19, 2:11 PM
walter said...: The Page turns.
But you can still get a Comey's Homey mug:
https://www.amazon.com/Comey-My-Homey-Mugs-James/dp/B073VR7JKD

Sorry..I couldn't find it via Althouse portal; 3/13/19, 2:15 PM
Rob said...: I couldn't help wondering, where is the lovely Lisa now? And with a small amount of Internet sleuthing, I found her here, as Counsel at a boutique data privacy and information security law firm.; 3/13/19, 2:19 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "All I got, I think, from the OIG report was McCabe denying that he authorized the leak, and not that he fingered Page."

Fact- McCabe authorized the leak to the WSJ via Lisa Page. Fact- McCabe denied authorizing the leak when questioned, which Horowitz already knew came from Page herself, he was just trying to establish where the order came from. McCabe, when answering the first question knows he is putting it on Page by deduction, and hoping one of two things- she takes the bullet or lies about it. She chose neither option, and came clean because she had actual proof to back her up-this textual proof is probably the thing McCabe didn't know and why he was willing to toss her overboard.; 3/13/19, 2:20 PM
Andrew said...: @Inga,
Speaking only for myself, I do not think Lisa Page is heroic, but I do think she deserves credit for cooperating and coming clean. She was clearly in the tank for Hillary, but she appears to have been honest about what was actually going on. Maybe she's remorseful, maybe she's just saving her own skin, maybe she's getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend or the entire FBI. But my own impression of Page once the hearings began is very positive (which I did not expect). Strzok, on the other hand, remains an unrepentant villain. I mean, did you see his testimony? He was virtually diabolical. He is the embodiment of the "swamp" dwellers who think they are above the law - smug and full of contempt, abusing power without remorse.; 3/13/19, 2:20 PM
Michael K said...: I think that he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

I was very interested to find out that my FBI agent daughter was absolutely not going to vote for Hillary. She is a natural Hillary voter, government employee, 49 years old that year and single. I took her decision and the forceful way she stated it that there was an FBI grapevine that knew Hillary is dirty.

I think that was what Comey was doing with that July press conference. Heading off an agent revolt at the level below the DC conspiracy,; 3/13/19, 2:22 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Nice to have the DOJ as Hillary's in-house defense lawyers. Rigged.”

The DoJ was very likely just following orders. Obama had publicly stated that Clinton wasn’t guilty. Moreover, it turns out that he communicated with her, using an alternate email account (we are never told whether that was a government account, or he was using a private account - which I suspect, only because it is never mentioned) to communicate via email with Clinton, while she was Sec of State. Either he knew and ignored her use of the illegal email server, or was too stupid to know that receiving email from her at a clintonemail.com (or whatever the actual name was) address meant that she was violating multiple federal laws. In any case, Obama was complicit, if not actually guilty of committing similar crimes himself.

In their defense, the first sentence of Article II gives the President, whether it be Obama or Trump, the entirety of Executive power in our federal government. That executive power includes all prosecutorial discretion. Individual prosecutors only have as much discretion in this area as is delegated them by the President. If a President tells his AG not to investigate a crime, that is his right as President. And the AG has two honorable responses: to obey or resign. That they tried to hide that this was effectively was the case here is a political, and not really a legal, issue.; 3/13/19, 2:23 PM
tcrosse said...: Money talks. Hillary walks.; 3/13/19, 2:23 PM
mccullough said...: Bruce,

Well stated.

Much like the Rule of Law, the Independence of the Justice Deoartment is just another fiction DC types want the citizenry to believe.

Castles made of Sand.; 3/13/19, 2:27 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “I dislike stories about transcripts where they don't provide a link to the complete transcript.”

I also greatly dislike it when the only copies that you can find are on Scribd. That company has made a business out of hosting publicly available documents using an extremely clunky, proprietary, browser to view the documents. A lot of the time, I just grin and bear it, swearing under my breath at how bad the interface is. But I knew that this would be big enough that I could find the PDFs online somewhere, and did. I downloaded them to one of my cloud accounts, and then loaded them into Kindle.; 3/13/19, 2:30 PM
narciso said...: he's a wannabe david frum, Michael Gerson, (why is a question for psychiatrists to answer:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/03/new-york-attorney-general-follows-through-with-threat-opens-investigation-of-trump-projects-including-failed-bid-for-buffalo-bills/; 3/13/19, 2:32 PM
Howard said...: Pretty sure the FBI files owned by Clinton a get out of jail free card; 3/13/19, 2:36 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Mr. Fabulous at 2:11 PM
It's my understanding that the type of FISA warrant that was issued on Carter Page allowed the FBI to surveill out 2 hops: they could also surveill anyone Page talked to, and then anyone those people spoke with (or email or text, etc) That would almost certainly cover everyone in Trump's campaign, and would probably cover a great many campaign supporters and contributors as well.

That is my understanding too.

The list of people would be very long. The public -- even Trump-hating liberals -- would be shocked just by the list of names.; 3/13/19, 2:37 PM
narciso said...: I think we can reasonably assume the parliament is corrupt,

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1099760/no-deal-brexit-vote-result-theresa-may-brexit-news-eu-negotiation-spelman; 3/13/19, 2:37 PM
Drago said...: Howard: "Pretty sure the FBI files owned by Clinton a get out of jail free card"

Anything that worked for Hoover for 50 years can't be all wrong....; 3/13/19, 2:39 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: The list of people would be very long. The public -- even Trump-hating liberals -- would be shocked just by the list of names.

Then if the public could read the FISA application that justified this collection of communications of Trump's associates, then the shock would be doubled.; 3/13/19, 2:40 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Let me add that I found the PDFs of the Lisa Page transcripts, as well as the transcript of Bruce Ohr’s testimony, on the web site of Rep Doug Collins, who was the Congressman who released the unredacted transcripts under the Constitutional Debate clause. Here are his official remarks:

Below are the remarks as prepared.

Rep. Doug Collins: Mr. Speaker, last week, on the floor of this chamber, I released the transcript of the interview of Bruce Ohr from our investigation into apparent wrongdoing at the FBI and DOJ. At that time I said I would make additional transcripts from the committee’s investigation public, and I am here today to keep that promise.

As I stated then, our interview transcripts were pertinent to a congressional investigation. But the 115th Congress ended, the investigation was closed, and copies were shared with certain members of Congress

Mr. Speaker, I request the link www.dougcollins.house.gov/page be placed in the record so the American people can review the transcript of Lisa Page’s interviews.

The American people deserve to know what transpired in the highest echelons of the FBI during that tumultuous time for the bureau.

Out of an abundance of caution, this transcript has a limited number of narrowly tailored redactions, relating only to confidential sources and methods, non-public information about ongoing investigations, and non-material personal information.

I will continue to work to release as many transcripts as possible. The American people deserve transparency.; 3/13/19, 2:44 PM
Nonapod said...: Obama did not want Hillary prosecuted. That was his prerogative.

Interesting opinion. If a crime is commited and a president orders that the perpetrator is not to be prosecuted, it's his right? Is that like preemptive pardon?; 3/13/19, 2:45 PM
narciso said...: this is the bezos spin:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-newly-released-transcript-former-fbi-lawyer-fires-back-on-charges-anti-trump-bias-affected-trump-and-clinton-probes/2019/03/12/f669f198-44f9-11e9-8aab-95b8d80a1e4f_story.html?utm_term=.2542c62c5970; 3/13/19, 2:47 PM
Andrew said...: @Rob,
"I couldn't help wondering, where is the lovely Lisa now? And with a small amount of Internet sleuthing, I found her here, as Counsel at a boutique data privacy and information security law firm."

Oh wow, that is too ironic for words. She has the least private texts in American history.; 3/13/19, 2:48 PM
William said...: It's only obstruction of justice if a Republican does it.; 3/13/19, 2:52 PM
Howard said...: Just think. If Obambi didn't squished the Hitlery investigation, Trump would be building Trump Tower Moscow today instead his kids are facing jail. Can't win for losing; 3/13/19, 2:53 PM
Anonymous said...: This shit pisses me of soooo much. What an obvious double standard for the governing class, with the knowing complicity of the national media.

Once Mueller is done I hope Trump appoints a special prosecutor to look into every nook and cranny of this, and explicitly warns the DOJ, FBI, FISA court, CIA, and NSA that he will take whatever steps are necessary to prosecute malfeasance (including potential future acts of obstruction of justice to cover up the cover-up) to the fullest extent of the law. Those with knowledge of wrongdoing, including the Five Eyes foreign intelligence services, had better get the message that they need to either squeal on the guilty or be treated as an enemy of the American people. If he gets resistance from the careerist bureaucrats in any agency, he should bring in the US Marshals to throw them on the street. If the marshals resist, use the military. If the military resists, call out the unorganized militia.

These would-be mandarins need to get the message loud and clear that they are nothing more than our scummy hired help, and they will do as the President commands or get the f@@k out of our employ. Civil service protections be damned. Fire them now and deal with the lawsuits later, after they have been thoroughly investigated and all the dirty laundry has been exposed. If any branch of government resists, call out whatever force is needed, including a million rednecks with deer rifles, to force compliance with the rule of law.. God damn these enemy occupiers to hell.; 3/13/19, 2:53 PM
Howard said...: Kookum John fantasize about violent rebellion among the obese opiate army of the Apocalypse; 3/13/19, 2:56 PM
mccullough said...: It’s like: The executive power belongs to the President.

He is ultimately responsible for all of it.

He promises to take care that the laws are faithfully executed.

And the House can impeach him and the Senste remove him or the Electoral College can select another president next time if the President runs for re-election.

That’s the system. There is no fourth branch of government that has executive power as well.; 3/13/19, 2:58 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Had the left and Obama not forced Hillary on us, perhaps a non-criminal Democrat could have won against Trump? The choice was Webb, A socialist, and a money grubbing crook.

Still - please crown Hillary preznit - she's wants it so. It's not too late! Plus, look at all the corruption going on - all for her->. Our Constitution must be brought down in retaliation of her loss. The left now want to end giving smaller populated states a voice of their own, they want to tax us at 70-90%, they want to force late term and after-birth abortion, they want to confiscate our guns and our 2nd amendment rights. They want to force tax payers to pay for free this and free that, all at a time when our entitlement programs are already zapping us dry. revenge.
Hillary Clinton is the corrupt gift that keeps on screwing us over.; 3/13/19, 2:58 PM
mccullough said...: The executive prosecutes crime.

Congress cannot initiate prosecutions.

Judges can find someone in criminal contempt if it happens in front of them during a judicial proceeding. That’s considered to be inherent in the judicial power. But they cannot initiate any prosecutions.

Citizens cannot initiate any criminal prosecutions.; 3/13/19, 3:01 PM
Scott M said...: So much for claiming Page was in the tank for Clinton. All the demonization she got and then this revelation. One has to just laugh. So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?

Didn't "I was just following orders" go out with Nuremberg?; 3/13/19, 3:05 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Nonapod said...

Interesting opinion. If a crime is commited and a president orders that the perpetrator is not to be prosecuted, it's his right? Is that like preemptive pardon?

The President is the head of the Executive Branch. All Executive authority is his, and is delegated ( or not ) to his subordinates.

Comey, in his Congressional testimony, acknowledged that Trump had the authority to order him to not go after Flynn.

On the other hand, if done for corrupt reasons, it could be grounds for impeachment.; 3/13/19, 3:06 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: 2:04 - Bruce H.

I think you nailed it.

Comey was walking the line. Memory-holed is the fact that he was investigating Hillary AT ALL - and that fact infuriated the left. The left despised Comey at the run up to the election.

As soon as he was fired by Trump, Comey was forgiven, instantly, and made a hero and a victim by these same hacks.; 3/13/19, 3:09 PM
Anonymous said...: It’s not rebellion, you worthless government bootlicker, it’s about putting down an insurrectionary coup. We have the power to do it, too, no matter how much sneering you urban lotus eaters direct our way.; 3/13/19, 3:10 PM
n.n said...: Deep Plumber did some excellent work when flushing Water Closet, but it is resistant to resolution and persists to overflow, threatening to soil everyone and everything from Obama to DC.; 3/13/19, 3:29 PM
Original Mike said...: Blogger Jim at said...
"You can't be this fucking stupid.
You just can't."

Yeah. She really is.; 3/13/19, 3:30 PM
gilbar said...: they could also surveill anyone Page talked to, and then anyone those people spoke with (or email or text, etc) That would almost certainly cover everyone in Trump's campaign...
The list of people would be very long.

I don't see why they stopped at 2 degrees of separation from Page; if they'd gone Six degrees of Page, it would have legally including EVERYONE ONE THE PLANET; 3/13/19, 3:46 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: hmmm checking my MSM news feeds and seeing the usual half dozen Orange Man Bad stories but not one sentence about this. As Joe would say, this sounds like a big F'n deal. You would expect most brave, truth seeking journalists to fall over themselves in a rush to investigate this. And yet... nothing.

It's almost like the majority of our media works for the DNC.

Wouldn't it be interesting to get Loretta under oath to answer some questions about this? Did she lie when she said she left the decision to prosecute to the FBI. Was the decision made by someone with a higher pay grade?

Inquiring minds want to know.; 3/13/19, 3:49 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 3:53 PM
narciso said...: yes, they probably went full kevin bacon:

https://pjmedia.com/video/its-on-covington-boys-lawyers-sue-cnn-for-275m-in-defamation-lawsuit/; 3/13/19, 3:53 PM
narciso said...: this is the closest to the truth they get,

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/03/13/lisa-page-obama-doj-ordered-fbi-not-to-charge-hillary-clinton-no-collusion/; 3/13/19, 3:55 PM
narciso said...: Most everything else is trump 'pounced' on the revelations,; 3/13/19, 3:57 PM
narciso said...: but vance the lesser's nothingburger, gets the full Wurlitzer treatment,; 3/13/19, 4:01 PM
walter said...: Yes, what else could a man of honor like Comey do in such a predicament?; 3/13/19, 4:03 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Doesn't everyone who has contact with the Clintons lose their honor?; 3/13/19, 4:09 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “I don't see why they stopped at 2 degrees of separation from Page; if they'd gone Six degrees of Page, it would have legally including EVERYONE ONE THE PLANET”

DoJ regulations, probably approved by the FISC. Keep in mind that FISA Title I warrants still have to comport with 4th Amdt protections. Part of what is going on is a result of the dynamics of fighting Muslim terrorism in the wake of 9/11. Prior to that, FISA was essentially designed to apply incrementally, with the FBI able to get warrants for land line surveillance faster than their targets could get new land lines. But all of a sudden, they were fighting terrorists in worldwide networks using burner cell phones. They had to move quickly, and the FISA amendments in the PATRIOT Act were implemented to streamline the process. On its face, FISA, as written, should be sufficient to protect the Constitutional rights of US Persons (citizens and legally present aliens), esp in the US. But then the Obama DoJ, and DAG Sally Yates in particular, went to war, and militarized FISA. She made a small change here, a small change there, in the DoJ regulations implementing FISA, and cumulatively blew open holes big enough to drive semis through.

Interestingly, I had some discussions as the scandal was starting to break open with someone who had briefed Crooked Hillary on national security measures on multiple occasions. At first, having had years of first hand experience with FISA, he couldn’t believe that what was going on was possible under the law. After seeing how Minimization was gutted, and that the DoJ and FBI had approved, then reapproved three times, the FISA warrant on Carter Page based on Clinton campaign dirty tricks, we seem to have converted him to a believer. The FISA abuse we saw by the Obama Administration shouldn’t have been possible under the law. But clever lawyering made it possible.; 3/13/19, 4:12 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Everything about Hillary's ethical problems should have been released by the FBI before January, 2016. Leaked, if an official release was not possible. That would have allowed the Democrat voters to decide if they steal wanted to choose Hillary as their candidate.
The problem with the Democrats is that they do not trust their own voters to make the "right" decision. They, too, have been corrupted by the Clintons.; 3/13/19, 4:12 PM
Rabel said...: Lisa gave up two names at DOJ who ordered the FBI to not pursue charges:

Richard Scott, David Laufman.

Here's Laufman giving an example of his unbiased professional opinion about Trump a couple of months ago.; 3/13/19, 4:27 PM
narciso said...: In other news:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/world/security-council-members-report-no-progress-on-yemen-deal.amp; 3/13/19, 4:28 PM
Mary Beth said...: So now she’s a hero among Trump supporters?

Citation? I'd also like a citation for anything in the texts between Strzok and Page that show affection, to support your claim that they were lovers.; 3/13/19, 4:28 PM
Drago said...: mccullough: "The executive prosecutes crime.

Congress cannot initiate prosecutions"

False...under the correct circumstances.

Those circumstances?

Democrat President/executive branch hack "leaders".
Any democrat voicing concern about "something something Republican".
Presto: Investigation.; 3/13/19, 4:30 PM
Quaestor said...: Mueller’s Forensics-Free Findings, a memorandum sent today to Attorney General William Barr by the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

It has already been established that the person or person who copied mail files from Clinton's homebrew server must have had physical access to the machine or to a mirror backup host.; 3/13/19, 4:35 PM
mccullough said...: An investigation isn’t a prosecution.

A Prosecution is when an indictment or other charging document is filed with a court system.

Congressional investigations aren’t even criminal investigations.

Congress cannot initiate a prosecution.; 3/13/19, 4:35 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: In my more charitable moments I don't blame Comey and the FBI for not bringing charges against a presidential candidate in the middle of an election. I'm uneasy with the precedent that would set. Let the voters fulfill their role as a check and balance. But the more I learn about the surveillance on Trump's campaign, the more I lose that charity.; 3/13/19, 4:52 PM
Birkel said...: mccullough,
Can you tell me precisely when the United States put a king in charge?
Can you cite the Federalist Paper that supports your theory of the Executive?

Because what you are spouting has never been accepted.
And what you are advocating is a strongman.; 3/13/19, 4:57 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “In my more charitable moments I don't blame Comey and the FBI for not bringing charges against a presidential candidate in the middle of an election. I'm uneasy with the precedent that would set. Let the voters fulfill their role as a check and balance. But the more I learn about the surveillance on Trump's campaign, the more I lose that charity”

Keep in mind that Crooked Hillary was the nominee of the party holding the White House and running the DoJ at the time. Trump was of the opposite party. Plus, it has long been suspected that Obama did a deal with in the Clintons to get their support for the 2008 (and probably 2012) general election(s) in exchange for the revenue opportunities of selling foreign policy that accrue to Dem Secretaries of State, PLUS support in the next general election that Obama wouldn’t be running in (2016).; 3/13/19, 5:02 PM
n.n said...: security-council-members-report-no-progress-on-yemen-deal

So, there was progress, unqualified though it may be, just not to their satisfaction.; 3/13/19, 5:03 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: @Bitkel - not sure what you are complying about. Please be more specific. I cited earlier Article II, Section 1, paragraph 1, sentence 1 of the Constitution granting the President all executive power over the federal govt.; 3/13/19, 5:06 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: "Keep in mind that Crooked Hillary was the nominee of the party holding the White House and running the DoJ at the time. Trump was of the opposite party. Plus, it has long been suspected that Obama did a deal with in the Clintons to get their support for the 2008 (and probably 2012) general election(s) in exchange for the revenue opportunities of selling foreign policy that accrue to Dem Secretaries of State, PLUS support in the next general election that Obama wouldn’t be running in (2016)."

I still think it's up to the voters to act as the check and balance in that situation. And they did.; 3/13/19, 5:07 PM
narciso said...: Sorry wrong link:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.boston.com/news/politics/2019/03/13/senate-poised-for-vote-on-withdrawal-from-yemen-war/amp; 3/13/19, 5:07 PM
FullMoon said...: Plus, it has long been suspected that Obama did a deal with in the Clintons to get their support for the 2008 (and probably 2012) general election(s) in exchange for the revenue opportunities of selling foreign policy that accrue to Dem Secretaries of State, PLUS support in the next general election that Obama wouldn’t be running in (2016).

Someone elsewhere opined that Clinton was going to appoint Obama to the Supreme Court and that Obama buying a home in Washington adds credence to that suspicion.; 3/13/19, 5:08 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/19, 5:12 PM
Michael K said...: it has long been suspected that Obama did a deal with in the Clintons to get their support for the 2008 (and probably 2012) general election(s) in exchange for the revenue opportunities of selling foreign policy that accrue to Dem Secretaries of State, PLUS support in the next general election that Obama wouldn’t be running in (2016).

Poor Blago is still sitting in the clink. His wife is complaining that Manafort got less time. I kind of agree with her. Trump should pardon Blago and say that, since Obama got off scot free, Blago should get off too.; 3/13/19, 5:13 PM
Birkel said...: Bruce Hayden,
Are you commenting as mccullough?
Is that your sockpuppet?

Otherwise, what the hell was your last?; 3/13/19, 5:15 PM
Kevin said...: You can't be this fucking stupid.
You just can't.

Don't be so mean. They had all morning to work on this, and it was the best they could come up with for her.; 3/13/19, 5:18 PM
Birkel said...: And let me make the salient point:

When Congress gives its power to the Executive, they spoil the entire system. That has been the conservative point for more than 30 years, probably 40. If Congress can give its power to the president, they can surely restrict how that power is wielded in all sorts of ways.

Otherwise, the Unitary Executive is a tyrant. And we have elected Caesar by proclamation.; 3/13/19, 5:21 PM
Kevin said...: Keep in mind that Crooked Hillary was the nominee of the party holding the White House and running the DoJ at the time.

If the Obama DOJ had gotten off their asses and looked into this pronto, she would have been charged much earlier and prevented from becoming the nominee.

Since they waited, they needed a sham investigation which could only have one outcome without handing over the White House.

They never foresaw it might be the sham investigation itself which tipped the Presidency to the other party.; 3/13/19, 5:22 PM
Birkel said...: Get the genie of "Congressional delegation" back into the bottle before you make the textual its argument.

Otherwise, you are arguing for presidential tyranny.; 3/13/19, 5:50 PM
Skeptical Voter said...: I'm more interested in the fact that the Rethuglicans are starting to release this stuff now. Sounds like they are getting ready to duke it out in the court of public opinion with the Schiff Heads, Go Nads and Mad Maxine.

It's all prepping the battle space for next year.; 3/13/19, 5:53 PM
narciso said...: apparently gowdy couldn't be bothered to do it, might it have changed the outcome of the midterms possibly,; 3/13/19, 5:57 PM
narciso said...: The pretext behind the last link:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/new-u-s-report-omits-saudi-crown-prince-from-jamal-khashoggi-section/; 3/13/19, 6:20 PM
madAsHell said...: So, the TV crew capturing the Clinton-Lynch meeting on the tarmac was planned?? They found Lynch a recusal, and put the ball in Comey's court.; 3/13/19, 6:24 PM
Big Mike said...: If the Obama DOJ had gotten off their asses and looked into this pronto, she would have been charged much earlier and prevented from becoming the nominee.

Better yet, if Obama, once he learned that she was not using her official state.gov account, had squared her around, there’d be nothing to investigate hecause there wouldn’t be a crime — more like a small mistake. But he was not much of a manager.; 3/13/19, 6:24 PM
Temujin said...: I'm sorry. Was I supposed to be shocked by this? As usual, the mainstream media will (a) continue to ignore this as long as they can, and (b) continue to not cover this as long as they can.

This attempted coup is the story of the half century and our press will ignore it while breathlessly covering an 11 year old radio interview between Tucker Carlson and Bubba the Love Sponge because...they were told to do so by David Brock.

WTF? The press actually gets insulted when we say they suck at their job and that they just might be the enemy of free people. They really do suck- both as people and as professionals.; 3/13/19, 6:29 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: Jim: "Inga, You can't be this fucking stupid.
You just can't."
Inga: "Hold my beer!"; 3/13/19, 6:30 PM
rcocean said...: Can't we just turn the page?; 3/13/19, 6:34 PM
rcocean said...: And are we all on the same page? 'Cause this is a real page turner.; 3/13/19, 6:35 PM
narciso said...: What page?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/yellowhammernews.com/doug-jones-raised-more-from-europe-asia-than-alabama-last-reporting-period/amp/; 3/13/19, 6:59 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: The Left is playing Prevent Defense.

They just need to drag this out a bit longer in the hopes that they get a Democratic President in 2020 -- then it all goes away, with the help of an incurious press.

They'll take a Trump field goal or two, just as long as time grinds off the clock and they're still in the lead.

When the fourth quarter comes the election cycle will be the equivalent of the marching band taking the field before the game is over. CNN has their tubas and trumpets ready.

I am Laslo.; 3/13/19, 8:10 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Quin Hillyer:

More and more, it appears the Justice Department should have tried to do just that to Hillary Clinton and that only nefarious interference kept the attempt from occurring.

My colleague Becket Adams is correct in writing that newly released testimony by disgraced FBI attorney Lisa Page makes former U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch look blatantly dishonest and makes her infamous “tarmac meeting” with former president Bill Clinton look even sleazier than it already had. Specifically, despite sworn assurances to the contrary from Lynch, Page testified that Department of Justice officials repeatedly dissuaded the FBI from building a criminal case against Clinton for “gross negligence” in her handling of classified information; 3/13/19, 9:20 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: and...

What bears further comment is the legal importance of the phrase “gross negligence.” Page said DOJ advised FBI lawyers that “gross negligence” was a charge they could not “permissibly bring” against Clinton because it was “too vague.”

This borders on nonsense. “Gross negligence” is not some vaguely interpretive standard the FBI was creatively deciphering from penumbras of the federal criminal code. Instead, it is a specific, enumerated standard for prosecution under Section 793 (f) of the U.S. Code’s chapter on “Espionage and Censorship.” It says anyone in possession of protected information “related to the national defense” who, “through gross negligence, permits” that information to “removed from its proper place of custody,” “shall” be penalized with up to 10 years in prison.

“Gross negligence” may not be as precise as a numerical equation such as 2 plus 2, but it’s hardly a mystical concept understandable only by sages and seers. Instead, it is a basic legal standard, appearing in U.S. laws too many times to count, meaning “a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care.”; 3/13/19, 9:21 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Lisa Page testimony means DOJ might want to re-open case against Hillary Clinton; 3/13/19, 9:21 PM
Narayanan said...: Mike Sylwester said...
This leaking is lawless, and this lawlessness is spreading.

In what sense are you using the term 'lawless'?

E.g. in USA free speech is lawless since no law can constrain.
The exposure from the House floor is under privilege against rebuke etc.

He should have been doing it as transcripts became available last year.
Many Republicans are still Uniparty.

Only Solution to catch-22 is Kobayashi Maru strategy.; 3/13/19, 10:03 PM
Kathryn51 said...: Trump tweeted: "The just revealed FBI Agent Lisa Page transcripts make the Obama Justice Department look exactly like it was, a broken and corrupt machine. Hopefully, justice will finally be served. Much more to come!"

Do it, Trump! Damn it, DO IT.

I didn't vote for the fool and I'm not sure I can bring myself to vote for him in 2029 (I keep hoping he will bow out gracefully). But if he declassifies all of the corrupt, ethics-shaving, shenanigans of the FBI/DOJ, he will earn my vote.

Do it, Trump!; 3/13/19, 10:13 PM
mccullough said...: Trump talks a lot.

Order Barr to empanel a federal grand jury in the most favorable jurisdiction and seek an indictment aganst Hillary for gross negligence in handling classified information.

If Barr won’t do it then fire him and keep going down the chain.

But Trump won’t do it. Kushner would advise against it. And Son In Law gets what he wants; 3/13/19, 10:25 PM
tim in vermont said...: There is a bright line between gross negligence and extreme carelessness that anyone can see. This is just nonsense. You need only look at the letter after the name.; 3/13/19, 10:29 PM
tim in vermont said...: If you really can only see people as "heroes" or "villains" you might benefit from therapy.; 3/13/19, 10:38 PM
Unknown said...: Nothing will happen to Hillary or The First Black President.

Nothing at all.; 3/13/19, 11:11 PM
gadfly said...: The big picture numbers so far:

191 charges
75 indictments
26 Russian nationals
6 indicted Trump officials
5 guilty pleas
5 convictions
3 Russian companies

a partridge in a pear tree . . . remarkably, lowly Lisa Page didn't cause any of these.; 3/13/19, 11:53 PM
Illuninati said...: "The big picture numbers so far:

191 charges
75 indictments..."

Excellent point. The US is looking more and more like the Soviet Union did during Stalin's show trials. As Lavrentiy Beria said, "show me the man and I'll show you the crime."; 3/14/19, 2:21 AM
Tommy Duncan said...: Blogger gadfly said...

"The big picture numbers so far:"

The big picture was about Russian collusion. The number for Russian collusion is zero.; 3/14/19, 4:48 AM
gilbar said...: i wonder if the left and our Life Long Liberals are aware that IF the DOJ had allowed justice to take it's course (Hillary being found GUILTY and sent to a nice white collar jail)...
Donald Trump wouldn't have been President. It was (opposition to )Hillary that got him elected; 3/14/19, 6:44 AM
iowan2 said...: 191 charges
75 indictments..."

Score card?

=0(Zero) guilty pleas or convictions that pertain to the Special Counsel charging document.

=0(Zero) indictments that will ever be tested in court.; 3/14/19, 8:13 AM
Nichevo said...: Trump talks a lot.

Order Barr to empanel a federal grand jury in the most favorable jurisdiction and seek an indictment aganst Hillary for gross negligence in handling classified information.

If Barr won’t do it then fire him and keep going down the chain.

But Trump won’t do it. Kushner would advise against it. And Son In Law gets what he wants

The Judenhass really constrains your analytical abilities. Sure, fire Barr. Sure, "go down the chain." Genius! I wonder why nobody ever thought of this! Oh wait, he fired Coney and then the roof fell in. And down the chain from Sessions was...umm...Rosenstein. Can you even think one move ahead?; 3/14/19, 9:42 AM
Rusty said...: "Donald Trump wouldn't have been President. It was (opposition to )Hillary that got him elected "

You reading this , gadfly?; 3/14/19, 10:48 AM
alanc709 said...: Birkel said...
mccullough,
Can you tell me precisely when the United States put a king in charge?
Can you cite the Federalist Paper that supports your theory of the Executive?

Because what you are spouting has never been accepted.
And what you are advocating is a strongman.

You mean, someone like Woodrow Wilson?; 3/14/19, 5:09 PM
Skeptical Voter said...: I dunno. Smoke that gun as it were. As long as we are going down into a maelstrom of charge and countercharge, it might just as well all go on the table. Frankly these fights in Washington D.C. make me wish that all of these jumped up three year old brats, both male and female, could lose. It's hard to see any adult in the room in the swamp on the Potomac.

That includes Trump--although I have to give him credit as the guy who stirred the stick in the cesspool there and let some of the effluvium and miasma out.; 10/11/19, 10:32 AM