DOJ inquiry into origins of Russia investigation has shifted to criminal probe

[GMDino]

Well, here we go.

This is what happens when the DOJ is told its job is to defend the POTUS.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/24/doj-inquiry-into-russia-investigation-shifts-criminal-probe/4091645002/

Quote:The Justice Department's politically-charged inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation has shifted to a criminal probe, a person familiar with the matter said late Thursday.


The move is all but certain to fuel fresh suspicion among Democrats that Attorney General William Barr is providing political cover to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly disparaged former special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation into the Kremlin's intervention in the 2016 election as a "witch hunt."


Barr launched the inquiry in April into whether federal investigators abused their surveillance authority as they sought to understand Russia's interference during the 2016 presidential campaign.


Barr later appointed Connecticut's chief federal prosecutor, John Durham, to manage the investigation.


It was unclear Thursday evening when the examination moved from an administrative review to a criminal investigation. The development was first reported by The New York Times.


Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, praised Barr after news of the criminal investigation broke.

“If true, this shows Bill Barr is doing EXACTLY his job: following the facts,” Meadows, former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said on Twitter. “Those who damaged America and broke the law to spread this hoax are about to face accountability.”


In a joint statement, Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, and Adam Schiff, D-California, two House chairmen leading wide-ranging investigations of the president, said the news reports raise concerns that Barr’s Justice Department “has lost its independence and become a vehicle for President Trump’s political revenge.”

"If the Department of Justice may be used as a tool of political retribution or to help the President with a political narrative for the next election, the rule of law will suffer new and irreparable damage,” the chairmen said. 

James Baker, the FBI’s former general counsel who oversaw the launch of the Russia investigation, and Michael Bromwich, attorney for former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, declined to comment.

So the DOJ is investigating the DOJ which will lead into an investigation into that investigation and so on and so forth as Trump's administration starts the beast eating itself.


Sad.


Oh, btw:

⁦@amyklobuchar⁩ has uncovered evidence that the DoJ buried the whistleblower complaint re Trump’s call to Zelensky by failing to refer the matter to the FEC.

Another low for the DoJ under Barr.#ImpeachTrump#ImpeachBarr#DoJCoverUp#DrainTheSwamp https://t.co/kwGien3LJZ

— Nancy⚖️?? (@nml423) October 23, 2019

[Goalpost]

So something has been uncovered that is conceivably criminal. One or both of two things I would guess. One....somebody was surveilled without cause or having permission for. Or two...a process on the court was fraudulent to obtain surveillance.

[hollodero]

(10-25-2019, 09:46 AM)Goalpost Wrote: So something has been uncovered that is conceivably criminal.  One or both of two things I would guess.  One....somebody was surveilled without cause or having permission for.  Or two...a process on the court was fraudulent to obtain surveillance.

Or three, it is a fishing expedition, set up to open the door for a new round of speculations on right wing media outlets. This does seem within the scope of Barr's behaviour.

The reason I say that is that the Russia investigation did have its merits, as evidenced by many convictions and the conduct laid out in the Mueller report. This was not a witch hunt and this whole investigation into the 'oranges' seemed very unfounded to begin with. #releasethememo.

[Belsnickel]

(10-25-2019, 09:46 AM)Goalpost Wrote: So something has been uncovered that is conceivably criminal. One or both of two things I would guess. One....somebody was surveilled without cause or having permission for. Or two...a process on the court was fraudulent to obtain surveillance.

Not necessarily. All this means is that they opened a criminal investigation, not that anything potentially criminal has been found. It could be they found nothing administratively wrong but they want to keep this going for propaganda purposes so they opened a criminal investigation. We don't know because we don't have all the information, which is why DoJ isn't supposed to comment on having these investigations open.

[fredtoast]

Have to let them investigate.

If it drags on through the election cycle with no results I will start to call it a sham, but at this point fighting against an investigation would be giving Trump gas to throw on the fire.

[jj22]

Trump is so desperate to distract from the Ukraine Impeachment hearings, he wants the focus back on Russia collusion. It's that bad.

Fine by us. We have no problem talking about both.

Win/Win for the Resistance.

So we have Mulvaney's confession and Don Jr.'s confession. Where do you guys want to begin?

[Dill]

(10-25-2019, 09:46 AM)Goalpost Wrote: So something has been uncovered that is conceivably criminal.  One or both of two things I would guess.  One....somebody was surveilled without cause or having permission for.  Or two...a process on the court was fraudulent to obtain surveillance.

Hey GP, remember that Trump's demand from the Ukrainian president was not so much that he investigate Biden and CrowdStrike, but that he ANNOUNCE an investigation.

For the Trump base, smoke is as good as evidence.  And Trump wanted the smoke now.

That should guide your interpretation of a Barr-run DOJ's decision to upgrade an investigation into the FBI Russia investigation to "Criminal."

My GOSH!  What could they have FOUND to trigger that?!?  

Have people forgotten how the 7th Benghazi hearing, before it ended, was finally THIS CLOSE to the bottom of that scandal?!?

[ballsofsteel]

Trump and his right wing anus licker lemmings throwing up fake news to make people stop thinking about all the crimes he committed.
Someone should help Trump learn read a teleprompter. He looks like he is on drugs.

[fredtoast]

(10-25-2019, 03:46 PM)Dill Wrote: For the Trump base, smoke is as good as evidence.  And Trump wanted the smoke now. 

I watch Fox and one of my favorite lines they use is "this certainly raises questions".  Here is how it works.

"Today President Obama had lunch with Hillary Clinton."

"Well this certainly raises some questions.  Why wasn't the press invited?  What are they trying to hide?  Could it be that Hillary is counselling the President on how to dispose of a dead body?  Or how to hide the fact that he is really a radical Muslim bent on installing Sharia law in the United States?"

You think I am joking?  Well you all heard about Bill Clinton meeting with Janet Reno while waiting on the tarmac at Miami airport, right?  How exactly did that qualify as suspicious behavior when Bill could have picked up the phone and talked to Reno (or set up a meeting) anytime he wanted?  Yet I still hear the echo chamber citing that nefarious rendezvous as proof of how crooked Bill Clinton is.  


So there does not even have to be any real smoke to get the rubes to yell "Fire!"  All there needs to be is a Fox commentator saying the word "smoke".