FBI Director Christopher Wray, with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, testifies as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI’s Clinton email probe and the role of former FBI Director James Comey’s actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Are you as tired as I am of there being no consequences for any offenses when it comes to the Obama administration?
One of the most infuriating things about the Obama administration was there was never any justice for the many scandals. The administration would stonewall or not punish their own, the Democrats would defend, the media, if it covered it at all, would then move on. Now, the Democrats and media don’t even acknowledge there were any scandals, claiming as they push Joe Biden’s candidacy, there was never even a “whiff of scandal.”
Indeed, there was so much scandal it’s spilled over into being investigated under the Trump administration.
While Attorney General Bill Barr seems dedicated to getting to the problem of it, it seems like there are some still in and around the DOJ and the FBI who are not so concentrated.
On Friday, FBI Director Chris Wray apologized for the FBI’s FISA abuse outlined in the IG’s report.
The FISA court had asked for a plan from him to rectify the abuse by January 10.
The IG report had identified 17 severe errors and omissions. Perhaps one of the worst actions was an agent who, when sent an email from the CIA saying that Carter Page had been a source for them, changed the email to say Page had NOT been and then passed that along to be used to get another warrant to spy on Page.
While that FBI attorney is reportedly under investigation, what about the consequences for all the other folks who lied/ommitted/or otherwise deceived the FISA court?
Perhaps we’ll still see that coming from the investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham. Both he and Barr have been putting a lot on the line to get to the truth.
But Wray’s response feels more than a little hollow.
He said they would give further training on what to do and what not to do using the Carter Page situation as an example. Are we to believe they really didn’t understand they weren’t supposed to lie or hoodwink the FISA court? That they just need more training to get that?
Of course they knew. They did it anyway. What can you do to stop that from happening again? What safeguards will prevent agents from lying or manipulating to the court?
The FISA court had asked for a game plan when it was headed by Judge Rosemary Collyer. But she resigned last month for health reasons.
The new judge, Judge James Boasberg, has appointed David Kris, who was an Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice under President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, as amicus curiae to review the FBI’s proposals for improvement and advise the court.
FISA court appoints David Kris, former Obama-era national security leader at Main Justice, as amicus counsel: https://t.co/cX8PTEgPs5
— Mike Scarcella (@MikeScarcella) January 10, 2020
Appointing someone who was in the Obama administration seems problematic at best.
But then his own tweets reveal he already has issues on the matter, as Powerline notes.
He drew on his prestige as a former senior official in the Department of Justice to disparage Rep. Devin Nunes in his exposure of the FBI’s misconduct in the Russia haox and assure anyone who would listen to him that all was in order.
Powerline also observes how Kris interpreted the IG report as though the IG said there wasn’t any political bias at all, which as IG Michael Horowitz himself testified, isn’t what he said. Indeed, Horowitz confirmed there had been bias in the course of the probe, although he didn’t find it in the opening of the probe (which didn’t mean it didn’t exist, it simply meant he didn’t find the evidence that showed it).
You can check out some of the Kris’ concerning tweets in this thread from Techno Fog.
This is who the FISA Court appointed to assess FBI proposals to clean up their FISA act.
A vocal @DevinNunes critic and apologist for FBI misconduct.
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) January 11, 2020
Carter Page weighed in.
A picture's worth 1000 words. What a big circle jerk this has become:
"…the @TheJusticeDept’s national security division, @DavidKris, to help the court assess the government’s response”
Why not just get another wacko @lawfareblog-ger, @benjaminwittes?https://t.co/tYvLCAmzxX
— Carter Page, Ph.D. (@carterwpage) January 11, 2020
Hopefully there will be real change, but this doesn’t look promising.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member