Tag: Andrew McCabe
WITCH HUNT: FBI Ignored Exculpatory Evidence to Proceed With ‘Aggressive’ Investigation of Trump, says Barr
WASHINGTON– Attorney General William Barr came out swinging against the FBI Tuesday, claiming the agency ignored exculpatory evidence which would have cleared President Donald Trump of any wrong doing in order to proceed with it’s investigation against him.
In an interview with Fox News, Barr said the FBI launched a “very aggressive investigation” into the Trump campaign which led the way to the Russia probe.
“I think before the election, I think we were concerned about the motive force behind the very aggressive investigation that was launched into the Trump campaign without — you know, with a very thin, slender reed as a basis for it,” Barr said. “It seemed that the bureau was sort of spring-loaded at the end of July to drive in there and investigate a campaign.”
“There really wasn’t much there to do that on, and that became more and more evident as they went by,” Barr added, “but they seemed to have ignored all the exculpatory evidence that was building up and continued pell-mell to push it forward.”
The attorney general said effort to investigate Trump following the election remained “intense” even after it became “painfully obvious” there was little basis to do so.
“The other area of concern is that after the election, even though they were closing down, some of it as we’ve seen in the [Michael] Flynn case and say there’s nothing here, for some reason they went right back at it, even at a time where the evidentiary support or claimed support, like the dossier, was falling apart,” Barr said. “And it’s — it’s very hard to understand why they continued to push and even make public in testimony that they had an investigation going, when it was becoming painfully obvious, or should have been obvious to anyone, that there was nothing there.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who has been investigating the Russia probe’s origins, says he intends to find out what FBI officials knew in regard to information that may have excluded Trump, who knew it and when.
“I believe it goes to the very top, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it,” Graham said Sunday during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” “and that means Sally Yates and Rosenstein, and McCabe and Comey are all going to come before the committee and they’re going to be asked, ‘What did you know and when did you know it?’”
STONE GETS HARD TIME: Trump adviser Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months
WASHINGTON — Trump ally Roger Stone was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison Thursday for making what prosecutors said were false statements to investigators regarding the Trump-Russia probe.
Prosecutors had suggested that Stone, 67, serve nine years.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, while sentencing Stone, said the prison term originally sought by federal prosecutors was “too excessive.”
“Mr. Stone lied,” Jackson said, denying allegations put forth by Stone’s defense team that he had been persecuted for his conservative stance. “He was not prosecuted, as some have claimed, for standing up for the president. He was prosecuted for covering up for the president.”
Stone, who was convicted in November on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress on charges that stemmed from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, chose not to speak on his own behalf during the sentencing.
President Trump took quickly to Twitter following Stone’s sentencing, blasting the decision as politically motivated.
“’They say Roger Stone lied to Congress.’ @CNN. OH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?” he tweeted.
The sentence is a far cry from the probation sought by Stone’s defense team, who cited their client’s age and lack of criminal history.
Stone was the sixth Trump aide to be convicted of charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential election.
In addition to his sentence, Roger Stone was fined $20,000 and given restrictions on travel pending his defense team’s motion for a new trial over claims of juror bias. Stone remains free on bond pending the outcome of the motion.
Jail Bound? Ex-FBI Director Andrew McCabe Loses Appeal to Avoid Criminal Charges
WASHINGTON– Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was notified by Justice Department officials Thursday that they have rejected his appeal to avoid being criminally charged for lying to federal agents.
The Justice Department’s decision clears the way for McCabe to be indicted, say legal experts.
The news comes just one month after McCabe sued the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney General William Barr, claiming his firing in March 2018 was unlawful. McCabe was terminated by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions after an internal investigation revealed he had disclosed the agency’s probe into the Clinton Foundation.
According to sources, the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia informed McCabe’s attorneys last month that charges against their client were being recommended.
McCabe and his legal team formally appealed the recommendation through Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and the U.S. attorney, Jessie Liu, on Aug. 21.
The recommendation of McCabe’s indictment is the latest development in the FBI’s investigations around the 2016 presidential election, when the agency was charged with investigating both Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
McCabe, 51, has often been the subject of President Donald Trump’s rage. The president frequently called for McCabe’s termination on the grounds that he was biased against him and that he had tipped the scales in the FBI Russia probe to favor Clinton. McCabe denied the president’s allegations.
KESSLER: Here’s the real reason the FBI investigated Trump
WASHINGTON (Newsmax) — Now that no charges will be filed, everyone in the media and political world is asking how or why the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation specifically targeting President Donald Trump.
The answer is simple: According to his book “The Threat” and his “60 Minutes” interview, Andrew McCabe as acting FBI director opened the investigation into Trump and urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel to investigate him based almost entirely on Trump’s comment to NBC’s Lester Holt that he thought about “this Russia thing” when he decided to fire Jim Comey as FBI director in May 2017.
“And, in fact, when I decided to just do it [fire Comey], I said to myself, I said ‘you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’” Trump said in the interview.
With those confusing words, it sounded as if Trump was saying he fired Comey because the FBI director was pursuing the Russia investigation and Trump wanted to stop it.
But Trump made it clear to aides afterward that he meant quite the opposite — that he was aware that firing Comey could prolong the Russia investigation. What Trump said in the interview immediately after his comment about “this Russia thing” confirms that and exposes McCabe’s rationale for opening the investigation of Trump as a fraud
Trump went on to say to Holt that he supported a full investigation into Russian interference in the election. He said he never tried to pressure Comey into dropping the existing FBI probe of Russian interference in the election — a legitimate investigation that never specifically targeted Trump.
“I want to find out if there was a problem in the election having to do with Russia,” Trump told Holt.
Then, as noted in my book “The Trump White House,” Trump went on to say: “As far as I’m concerned, I want that thing to be absolutely done properly. Maybe I’ll expand that, you know, lengthen the time [of the Russia probe] because it should be over with, in my opinion, should have been over with a long time ago. ‘Cause all it is, is an excuse, but I said to myself, I might even lengthen out the investigation, but I have to do the right thing for the American people.”
The media largely ignored Trump’s statement making it clear that he realized that by firing Comey, he was probably prolonging the existing FBI investigation rather than obstructing it. Nor, in all the endless stories about the Russia investigation did the media point out that Trump never actually interfered with the FBI investigation, that he was not a target of an FBI investigation when he fired Comey, and that he did not corruptly cover up, destroy evidence, or make false statements to mislead investigators, all of which happened during Watergate when President Nixon clearly obstructed justice.
In his book McCabe deliberately and dishonestly omitted the rest of what Trump said to Holt about his dismissal of Comey probably lengthening the Russia investigation. In fact, in a second reference to why Trump’s comment in the interview justified an FBI investigation, McCabe said in his book that there was no need to look further into evidence of Trump’s motivations for firing Comey since “… the president already had publicly made the connection between Comey’s firing and ‘this Russia thing …’”
In addition, McCabe parenthetically cited the fact that in a “demeaning and dismissive way,” Trump had called the ongoing FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—which included the possibility of collusion by the campaign — a “witch hunt,” as if voicing his opinion as president and defending himself had anything to do with a criminal act that could help justify opening an FBI investigation.
Thus, the entire basis for starting the FBI’s obstruction and collusion investigation specifically targeting Trump according to the man who says he started it was outrageously based on a phony predicate that dishonestly and deceitfully ignored the rest of what Trump said in the NBC interview.
The fact that anyone in the FBI would cite criticism of an FBI investigation as a reason to investigate that individual has to be embarrassing to everyone in law enforcement. But more importantly, the fact that McCabe would acknowledge opening an investigation of Trump that could have led to criminal charges based on his comment to Lester Holt and then suppress what the president actually said in that interview is far more shocking than all the claims we see in the media about the FBI’s FISA warrant applications, the so-called dossier, or the alleged wiretapping of the Trump campaign.
I have covered the FBI since J. Edgar Hoover was director. I have written three books on the FBI, one of which led to the dismissal of William Sessions as FBI director over his abuses.
And for my book “The Secrets of the FBI,” Robert Mueller as FBI director gave me unprecedented access to the bureau.
Not since Hoover opened FBI investigations into anyone who criticized the government and blackmailed presidents and members of Congress has the FBI so outrageously abused its authority.
Ronald Kessler, a former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game” and “The Secrets of the FBI.”
Ronald Kessler contributed to the contents of this OpEd.
‘WITCH HUNT’: Judicial Watch sues for ‘coup’ documents
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for all records of communication of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the Office of the Attorney General Jeff Sessions, or the Office of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussing the 25th Amendment or presidential fitness. Additionally, the lawsuit seeks all recordings made by any official in the Office of the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General of meetings in the Executive Office of the President or Vice President.
The suit was filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to three separate FOIA requests dated September 21, 2018 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:19-cv-00388)). The lawsuit seeks all written and audio/visual records of any FBI/DOJ discussions regarding the 25th Amendment and plans to secretly record President Trump in the Oval Office.
On February 14, 2019, former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe stated in an interview with CBS that “there were conversations about the possibility of removing Trump under the 25th Amendment and confirming that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had offered to wear a wire around the president.”
After President Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, reportedly top DOJ officials discussed whether to recruit cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.
President Trump recently tweeted: “The biggest abuse of power and corruption scandal in our history, and it’s much worse than we thought. Andrew McCabe (FBI) admitted to plotting a coup (government overthrow) when he was serving in the FBI, before he was fired for lying & leaking.”
It was reported in September 2018 that Deputy Attorney General, Rod J. Rosenstein, suggested that he secretly record President Trump in the White House in an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and have President Trump removed. Judicial Watch’s immediate follow-up FOIA requests were ignored.
“It is no surprise that we are facing an immense cover-up of senior FBI and DOJ leadership discussions to pursue a seditious coup against President Trump,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This effort to overthrow President Trump is a fundamental threat to our constitutional republic so Judicial Watch will do everything it can in the courts to expose everything possible about this lawlessness.”
DEMS GET TRUMPED: President authorizes declassification of materials relating to FISA application for Carter Page, and release of ‘all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.’
REPORT: McCabe to sue Trump for wrongful termination, defamation
WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Daily Caller) — Andrew McCabe’s lawyer Michael Bromwich told reporters Friday that the former FBI deputy director is planning on suing the Trump administration for wrongful termination and defamation.
Bromwich announced that McCabe will repurpose the more than $500,000 he raised through a GoFundMe campaign to his official legal defense fund and that the team will “file when [they are] ready.”
News broke Thursday that the Department of Justice inspector general had issued a criminal referral for McCabe to the United States attorney for the District of Columbia.
The IG said in a report provided to Congress that “McCabe lacked candor, including under oath, on multiple occasions in connection with describing his role in connection with a disclosure to the WSJ.”
Former FBI Director James Comey, McCabe’s former direct superior, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday that he likes McCabe “very much as a person but sometimes even good people do things they shouldn’t do,” comments Bromwich said he was “disappointed” to hear.
FULL STORY: http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/20/andrew-mccabe-to-sue-trump-wrongful-termination-defamation/
BREAKING: McCabe ‘criminally referred’ to US Attorney for criminal prosecution
WASHINGTON, D.C.– The Department of Justice inspector general on Thursday referred former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for criminal prosecution.
According to a report published by CNN, the referral comes as a result of the inspector general’s determination that McCabe lied to then-FBI Director James B. Comey on four occasions, three of them while under oath.
Further, the inspector general determined that McCabe was not authorized to disclose information on the investigation because it was not within the department’s “public interest” exception for doing so and found that McCabe’s disclosure was made “in a manner designed to advance his personal interests at the expense of department leadership,”
It is not yet known how the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office responded to the referral, whether prosecutors there are conducting their own independent investigation of McCabe.
In a statement released via Twitter, national security attorney Mark Zaid said of the criminal referral: “It may be referral is mandated but in my experience many OIG investigative conclusions are referred to US Attny’s Ofc as matter of course for review. This type of referral very uncommon for prosecution & usually would be left up to agency for admin action, of which could be none,” said of the report on Twitter.
When reached for statement, a Justice Department official and a spokesperson for McCabe each declined to comment.
WHAT HE KNEW: Newly uncovered texts suggest Obama wanted ‘to know everything’ about FBI’s Hillary probe
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly released text messages between senior officials at the Justice Department show former president Barack Obama showed intense interest in the FBI’s ongoing investigation of Hillary Clinton.
Text messages (https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/library) sent between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were engaged in a romantic affair at the time, reveal the 44th president wanted to “know everything” about the probe surrounding Hillary Clinton’s email server.
In one text, dated Sept. 2, 2016, Page wrote to Strzok about prepping former FBI director James Comey because “POTUS wants to know everything we’re doing.”
This isn’t the first message to shed new light on the Obama Whitehouse’s influence on the criminal probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Previous messages have detailed widespread abuse of power and disdain toward then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump by the Department of Justice and the FBI.
In one text, Strzok and Page vent about their hatred for Trump, calling the future president a “f–king idiot”. In another, Strzok also calls Conservatives who voted against then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s wife for a state Senate seat “ignorant hillbillys.”
“Disappointing, but look at the district map. Loudon is being gentrified, but it’s still largely ignorant hillbillys. Good for her for running, but curious if she’s energized or never again,” Strzok writes of Virginia Republicans.
The revelations about Obama’s involvement into the investigation surrounding Clinton contradict his own words. In the Spring of 2016, Barack Obama said it wasn’t his place to interfere in the investigation.
“I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations. We have a strict line,” Obama told Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2016/04/10/exclusive-president-barack-obama-on-fox-news-sunday.html).
“I guarantee it. I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the FBI, not just in this case but in any case. Full stop. Period, ” he added.
Robert Mueller, appointed to oversee a special investigation into possible collusion with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential campaign, removed Strzok from his position within the agency after similar texts surfaced in the Summer of 2017.
President Trump, when advised of what the newly released texts revealed, took to social media to share his astonishment.
“NEW FBI TEXTS ARE BOMBSHELLS!” Trump tweeted (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/961270833569202176).
Last week, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes released a controversial memo which showed the FBI used the Clinton-financed ‘Trump Dossier’ to secure FISA warrants in an effort to surveil then-candidate Trump and his campaign officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Democrats continue to deny any wrongdoing or efforts to thwart Trump’s campaign.
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