Tag: FBI

Fox News’ latest ‘bombshell’ on Obama and the FBI is a total fraud

The following article by Judd Legum was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 7, 2018:

Trump is already tweeting about it.

Credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Early Wednesday, Fox News published an explosive new story alleging President Obama sought detailed briefings about the Clinton email investigation. The report is based on texts between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page released by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security on Tuesday.

In a text sent on September 2, 2016, Page tells Strozok that “potus wants to know everything we’re doing.” Fox News claims this text “raises questions about Obama’s personal involvement in the Clinton email investigation.” Continue reading “Fox News’ latest ‘bombshell’ on Obama and the FBI is a total fraud”

Why The FBI Investigated Carter Page, ‘Idiot’ Espionage Suspect

The following article by Gene Lyons was posted on the National Memo website February 6, 2018:

Let’s put it this way: if poor, abused Carter Page wasn’t a Russian agent back when Donald Trump plucked him from obscurity to advise his 2016 campaign, he’d definitely done all he could to look like one. Among the many bizarre aspects of Rep. Devin Nunes’ incompetent and dishonest “Top Secret” memo purporting to discredit the Mueller investigation, pushing this odd bird back into the spotlight ranks near the top.

Why did Trump pick Page in the first place? Publicly praising Vladimir Putin as a stronger, more decisive leader than President Obama surely had something to do with it. Trump loves him some Putin. Imprisoning political rivals gives him a thrill. That Putin opponents keep turning up dead in ambiguous circumstances only proves him a manly, decisive leader. Continue reading “Why The FBI Investigated Carter Page, ‘Idiot’ Espionage Suspect”

Biden: If I were Trump’s lawyer, I would advise against Mueller interview

The following article by Rebecca Morin was posted on the Politico website February 6, 2018:

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday said President Donald Trump has “some difficulty with precision” and that he would tell him to not consent to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

“You are in a situation where the President has some difficulty with precision,” Biden told Chris Cuomo on CNN. “One of the things I would worry about if I were his lawyer is him saying something that was simply not true without him even planning to be disingenuous.” Continue reading “Biden: If I were Trump’s lawyer, I would advise against Mueller interview”

Once the party of law and order, Republicans are now challenging it

The following article by Philip Rucker and Robert Costa was posted on the Washington Post website February 3, 2018:

President Trump listens during a meeting with North Korean defectors in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday. Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

Republican leaders’ open defiance last week of the FBI over the release of a hotly disputed memo revealed how the GOP, which has long positioned itself as the party of law and order, has become an adversary of federal law enforcement as the party continues its quest to protect President Trump from the Russia investigation.

The FBI, the Justice Department and other agencies are now under concerted assault by Republicans, facing allegations of corruption and conspiracy that have quickly moved from the fringes of the right into the mainstream of the GOP. Continue reading “Once the party of law and order, Republicans are now challenging it”

Trump and Nunes torch tradition of trust between Congress and FB

The following article by Douglas M. Charles, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University, was posted on the Conversation website February 3, 2018:

President Donald Trump’s attacks on the FBI may have reached a climax.

In an apparent attempt to discredit Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, staff of the House Intelligence Committee on behalf of its chair Republican Devin Nunes of California, wrote and on Feb. 2 released a four-page memo based on confidential information made available to them by the FBI. It outlines alleged improprieties in the FBI’s investigation, specifically the monitoring of Trump’s former campaign adviser Carter Page.

Nunes in 2017 was forced to step aside from the committee’s Russia investigation because he was seen as taking direction from the Trump White House. Continue reading “Trump and Nunes torch tradition of trust between Congress and FB”

Why I am Leaving the FBI

The following commentary by Josh Campbell was posted on the New York Times website February 2, 2018:

An F.B.I. agent going door to door in Missouri. Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times

One of the greatest honors of my life was walking across the stage at the F.B.I. Academy and receiving my special agent badge from the director at the time, Robert Mueller. After 21 weeks of intensive training, my class swore an oath and became federal agents entrusted with the solemn duty of protecting Americans and upholding the Constitution.

After more than a decade of service, which included investigating terrorism, working to rescue kidnapping victims overseas and being special assistant to the director, I am reluctantly turning in my badge and leaving an organization I love. Why? So I can join the growing chorus of people who believe that the relentless attacks on the bureau undermine not just America’s premier law enforcement agency but also the nation’s security. My resignation is painful, but the alternative of remaining quiet while the bureau is tarnished for political gain is impossible. Continue reading “Why I am Leaving the FBI”

Exclusive: Controversial FBI agent co-wrote initial draft of explosive Comey letter reopening Clinton email probe

The following article by Manu Raju, Laura Jarrett and Jeremy Herb was posted on the CNN website February 1, 2018:

(CNN) — Emails obtained by CNN show the FBI agent at the center of a Capitol Hill storm played a key role in a controversial FBI decision that upended Hillary Clinton’s campaign just days before the 2016 election: the letter to Congress by then-FBI Director James Comey announcing the bureau was investigating newly discovered Clinton emails.

The new revelation about FBI agent Peter Strzok comes as Republicans accuse him of being sympathetic to Clinton while seeking to undermine Donald Trump during the heat of the 2016 campaign season. Continue reading “Exclusive: Controversial FBI agent co-wrote initial draft of explosive Comey letter reopening Clinton email probe”

Trump-FBI feud over classified memo erupts into open conflict

The following article by Josh Dawsey, Devlin Barrett and Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

The Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett analyzes the disagreements between the FBI and the White House over a memo alleging surveillance abuse by the FBI. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The long-simmering feud between President Trump and the Justice Department erupted into open conflict Wednesday when the FBI publicly challenged the president’s expected release of a contentious and classified memo related to the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In a rare unsigned statement, the FBI cited “grave concerns” with inaccuracies and omissions in the four-page memo, which was written by House Republicans and alleges abuses at the Justice Department connected to secret surveillance orders. Trump has told advisers that the memo could benefit him by undercutting the special counsel’s investigation and allow him to oust senior Justice Department officials — and that he wants it released soon, something that could happen as early as Thursday. Continue reading “Trump-FBI feud over classified memo erupts into open conflict”

The FBI reportedly possesses a second dossier that alleges Trump is compromised by Russia

The following article by Kelly O’Meara Morales was posted on the Week website January 30, 2018:

Credit: Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images

The FBI is apparently aware of a second dossier that alleges President Trump is compromised by Russia. The Guardian reported Tuesday that this other dossier, authored by former journalist Cody Shearer, “independently set out many of the same allegations made” in a separate report by former British spy Christopher Steele.

Steele’s dossier has alleged that Russia holds financial leverage over Trump, and includes some salacious but unconfirmed details. Shearer’s document came into the FBI’s possession when Steele met with the agency in October 2016 to express his concerns about Trump’s connections to Russia, The Guardian reports. Steele reportedly told intelligence officials that he did not know how Shearer compiled his information, but he presented the memo to the FBI anyway because Shearer’s findings “corresponded with” some of Steele’s own conclusions. Continue reading “The FBI reportedly possesses a second dossier that alleges Trump is compromised by Russia”

Comey praises McCabe: He ‘stood tall’ while ‘small people’ tried to tear down the FBI

The following article by Jacqueline Thomsen was posted on the Hill website January 29, 2018:

© Victoria Sarno Jordan

Former FBI Director James Comey gave his support to departing Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Monday, saying McCabe “stood tall over the last 8 months, when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on.”

“He served with distinction for two decades. I wish Andy well,” Comey tweeted.

Comey’s message comes after it was reported that McCabe would be stepping down from his position amid pressure from Republicans and President Trump. Continue reading “Comey praises McCabe: He ‘stood tall’ while ‘small people’ tried to tear down the FBI”