Justice Department agrees to brief Dems as Trump touts "spygate"

The FBI is charged with investigation governmental institutions that break the law. How else can we hold criminals with political power accountable?

Should we allow the President to break all our systems so he can retain power while breaking the law? Who else holds him legally accountable, but the FBI?

 

Well, other than the FBI's word(Comey, etc) we really don't have any proof of the allegations. Just that they decided to look into them. That job has now been handed to Robert Mueller, who's faring no better than the FBI did. Aside from that, you yourself noted that at the time, it was a counterintelligence investigation, and information was 'tactily' endorsed by the FBI to CNN.

There is simply no excuse, and there mustn't ever be an excuse for an FBI Director to withhold information from a legally, duly elected sitting President. It was an act of Insubordination. We know from Comey's personal behavior, that he was antagonistic towards President Trump. That antagonism is further proof of insubordination.

You just have to ask yourself why you're trying to justify insubordination against a sitting President.

 

100% agree*

* Unless most of that information is about potential illegal acts by that President, or those directly around him

 

It doesn't matter what Giuliani or anyone said , it's the law that was important and that, like the hokey pokey, is what it's all about.

And, again, the President can fire anyone who works for him and it's nobody's business what his 'intent' might have been.

 

Collusion is not a crime and there was no crime at the time this Special Counsel was named and there was no crime to investigate.. There has to be a crime or there is nothing. Vague suggestions of 'collusion' and 'suspicions' don't cut it.

You continue to use the world 'investigation' but there was no crime to be investigated. It's all well placed gossip, smoke, mirrors, conspiracy theories and 'insurance policies'.. We don't initiate Special Counsels on such flimsy matters and, as a result, you can now see it all beginning to unravel.

 

Yes, it's the law that matters, not the propaganda being put out there to circumvent the Constitutional responsibility of Congress to check the power of the President and impeach if he does something illegal. Will Congress do their duty? That remains to be seen.

Since you're unfamiliar with the law, you probably don't realize that mens rea, or bad intent, is required to prove obstruction of justice. Oops, that means Mueller is looking at the very real CRIME of obstruction of justice and Rudy had something to say on that too. He's not comfortable with Trump answering Mueller's questions on obstruction. Rudy is Don's boy. You might want to ask yourself why the president's lawyer is uncomfortable with his client answering questions about obstruction of justice. There is a reason, and you can't spin it.

You're wrong on everything in this post, legally. Collusion is a crime and it is related to bribery of an elected official. Since Rosenstein specifically mentioned Trump campaign collusion with Russia in the document where he appointed Mueller and spelled out the scope of the investigation, perhaps you're ill informed. There most certainly is crime being investigated by Mueller. If it is vague to you, I'd suggest other news sources, because there is more than vague innuendo. Are you aware that one person is presently in prison from this investigation?

You're right, we don't initiate a Special Counsel investigation on flimsy matters. That should tell you something.

 

Yet that is exactly what happened.

 

You seem to want the proof shown to you before indictments are issued. That's not the way it works.

The FBI didn't just start a counterintelligence investigation willy nilly. Had they not started an investigation, they would have been derelict in their duty to protect this country, and their oath of office. Read this.. http://observer.com/2018/05/what-did-the-fbi-do-in-2016-about-russian-connections-to-donald-trump/

When the President is the subject of an investigation, and Trump is, then giving him the evidence that will be used against him, before he is even charged, is crazy.

Trump's behavior was antagonistic to Comey. Until Comey wouldn't pledge loyalty, Trump praised Comey because he hurt Clinton in the election. See how many times Trump tweeted about Comey. See how many times Comey said something about Trump. Trump asked for loyalty. This has been shown to have happened to other Trump appointees too. When Trump asked Comey to drop the Flynn investigation for political reasons, he asked Comey to act unethically, and Comey resisted. How you see that as Comey being antagonistic toward Trump is beyond me.

 

We'll see when the Mueller report comes out, won't we?

 

Yet...so far nothing.

 

The fat lady isn't singing, so… it ain't over yet.

 

For two years. Highest FISA warrant against Page reserved for terrorists yet he walks free. Time to realize the fat lady has already sung.

 

Mueller was appointed a year ago, not two. The investigation before Mueller was mostly counterintelligence. With Mueller we got a criminal investigation too. So, Mueller's team has had one year. Benghazi was 4 years. The Clinton email server investigation was 2 years. The Watergate investigation was 2 years. If you really want him to hurry up, talk to your boy Trump. The sooner he interviews with Mueller, the sooner things can come to a close. If he declines, this may get really long and go through the Supreme Court.

I get you're in a hurry to close up the case before more is discovered, but Mueller is a long ways ahead of the news reports. The fat lady hasn't even warmed up for a performance, much less started singing.

 

Yet...still nothing.

 

I was referring to his book and to his other degoratory comments. There wasn't too much of a basis for the counterintelligence investigation(Halper made wild claims about Flynn in the UK that were since debunked.). And there's even less of a basis for the criminal investigation.

Which is why it's not likely that "evidence will be used against him", much less charged. I noted back in February based on comments and on the general direction of the investigation that Mueller would likely not charge Trump. We then later learn in April that he was still a "subject". It's clearly evident that the Mueller team lacks any evidence of criminal wrongdoing, it's also evident that the Mueller team understands the fall out that would come from such a report.

So, what does all of this mean? It means that Mueller is stalling. And stalling is a typical prosecution tactic. The longer they wait, the more 'evidence' might come up. So, will the political will exist for an indefinite investigation until Mueller gets the evidence needed for prosecution?

I don't think so. I don't think that will exists outside of those who dislike the President. And that's what it boils down to.

 

Keep the faith...

 

Colluding is not a crime in itself unless you define what was being colluded. There also has to be a criminal act to justify appointing a Special Counsel and there was none.

You cannot appoint a Special Counsel and then hope to find a crime, as is happening. This would set a horrible precedent if the opposing party established a Special Counsel every time a new President is elected. But that's what's happening now and many short sighted people don't see it. They've created a fictional enemy and now will try to destroy the Republic in order to fight it.

 

If it ever does comes out.

 

For a 'criminal investigation' to happen there must be a crime. What crime occured? Can you be specific?

 

There has to be a very good reason for a President to be impeached and there is none. The job of the DOJ and FBI is to be open and report to Congress, the People's representatives, and they are not doing this. That is closer to treason than anything Donald Trump ever did.

How do you prove 'bad intent' on a President, or anyone for that matter. That can only occur in a police state.

What "obstruction of justice'? Where and when did that occur?

Again, and again. What crime? Please point to a crime that as been commited that would warrant a Special Counsel investigation. Collusion with Russia? What collusion are you referring to?

Yes, the FBI and DOJ must be investigated and come clean with Congress. Only then will the truth be uncovered.

 

Sure. First, there is evidence of multiple campaign financing law violations by accepting something of value from foreigners- including Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel. He employed foreigners in decision making positions of the campaign after being warned that it was illegal to do so. There is also a situation of Trump paying off a porn star and not declaring it on his campaign financing reports.

There is evidence of obstruction of justice and abuse of power in the misleading statement about the meeting in Trump Tower, ordering McGahn to fire Mueller, asking Comey to stop a valid criminal investigation into Michael Flynn, and sending the White House lawyer and Chief of Staff to a classified FBI briefing for Congressional oversight.

There are multiple violations of the Emoluments Clause.

There's also the issue of leaving a known compromised, illegally unregistered foreign agent in contact with top secret classified information of a national security concerns in place for 2 weeks, after being informed of the compromise.

Then there's multiple issues with conflict of interest because Trump did not place his businesses in a blind trust.

 

Read Rosenstein's memo listing what Mueller is to do. He has two responsibilities- one is the continued counter-investigation into what Russia did, and the other is a criminal investigation to what the Trump campaign did in relation Russia being helpful… and any other path the evidence leads him to explore for crimes.

I'd advise you to get past the erroneous point that the Mueller appointment was done illegally. If it were, you can bet the Trump administration and a Republican ruled Congress would have already had the Supreme Court stopping it… and they haven't.

This investigation may save this republic. We cannot allow foreign influence to select the leaders of this country.

 

I wouldn't have followed the same path as Comey, when it came to releasing his book. However, he lost his job and the book deal came along, so I respect capitalism driving the timing.

Do you have a reputable news citation that says Halper's claim on Flynn was debunked? All I have seen said Halper talked to Papadopolous, Carter Page, and Sam Clovis.

The rest of your post is speculation.

Mueller isn't stalling. Trump is. Trump will either agree to interview or he won't. Once Trump decides, Mueller can move on. In the meantime, the Mueller team is planning the Manafort trial, and the Flynn and Papadopolous sentencing, among other things.

 

Were you as eager to have the Benghazi investigation over quickly? That one took 4 years and … nothing. Be patient. Either you or I will be proven correct eventually.

 

Those who were apart of the same association in the UK called them wild and unjustified claims. http://dailycaller.com/2018/05/23/halper-false-russia-claims/ He then went onto point to other things like Flynn sitting next to Putin being proof of nefarious behavior etc. The most benevolent thing I can say about the whole mess, is that the FBI paid for and followed false intelligence. From Halper's misleading "intelligence", to the willful interpretation of Papadoulous's statement all the way to the Dossier itself.

There had never been a credible lead, and if the FBI were being led with people of integrity that alone would've been enough to say "There's nothing there."

Unfortunately, we are currently not being led by people with impeccable character. Neither in law enforcement, or if you have those feelings about Donald Trump, the executive branch. Not a single one of them, has the character that you'd trust them with your life if necessary.

It's wholly possible that both sides fatally injure each other at the end of this stupid, unnecessary conflict and we Citizens will be left to pick up the pieces. Because in all positions of trust, no one rose above their own agendas.