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IG Horowitz referred Comey for prosecution but DOJ declining to move forward
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:07 pm
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:07 pm
For leaking and lack of candor.
Via John Solomon on Hannity just now. Will post a video when it becomes available.
NM just found his article on this:
The Justice Department's chief watchdog is preparing a damning report on James Comey's conduct in his final days as FBI director that likely will conclude he leaked classified information and showed a lack of candor after his own agency began looking into his feud with President Trump over the Russia probe.
Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz's team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution - a decision that's likely to upset Comey's conservative critics.
Prosecutors found the IG's findings compelling but decided not to bring charges because they did not believe they had enough evidence of Comey's intent to violate the law, according to multiple sources. (this bullshite again!)
The concerns stem from the fact that one memo that Comey leaked to a friend specifically to be published by the media - as he admitted in congressional testimony - contained information classified at the lowest level of "confidential," and that classification was made by the FBI after Comey had transmitted the information, the sources said.
Although a technical violation, the DOJ did not want to "make its first case against the Russia investigators with such thin margins and look petty and vindictive," a source told me, explaining the DOJ's rationale.
But Comey and others inside the FBI and the DOJ during his tenure still face legal jeopardy in ongoing probes by the IG and Barr-appointed special prosecutor John Durham. Those investigations are focused on the origins of the Russia investigation that included a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting the Trump campaign at the end of the 2016 election, the source said.
"There are significant issues emerging with how the FISA was handled and other conduct in the investigation, and everyone involved remains under scrutiny," a second source said.
Patrick Fitzgerald and Daniel Richman, two of Comey's lawyers, and Keith Urbahn, his spokesman, did not return repeated calls and emails seeking comment.
The lack of prosecution is certain to demoralize some conservatives, who long have called for Comey's head. But the IG report, set to be released within the next few weeks, likely will provide significant condemnations of Comey's conduct, sources tell me.
While they cautioned that the IG's final report won't be complete until it gets feedback from Comey's lawyers in the next few days, it is expected to conclude that the former FBI director improperly took with him memos that were FBI property when he was fired, transmitted classified information via an insecure email account, and shared some of the memos with his private lawyers. Some of the Comey memos were classified up to the "secret" level, but the FBI has not disclosed whether those were shared with his lawyers like the classified confidential memo was.
The memos, which mostly recount Comey's interactions with Trump in the Russia case and include information about foreign leaders, were sensitive enough to require government officials to send a professional "scrub team" to a Comey lawyer's office to ensure all classified information was deleted, sources previously told me.
In addition, the IG is likely to find that Comey engaged in a lack of candor when FBI agents came to retrieve the classified memos in his possession, failing to tell the interviewing agent that he had forwarded some of the sensitive memos by email, according to sources familiar with the probe.
Documents released Thursday by the FBI to the conservative group Judicial Watch support that conclusion, showing the FBI report on its meeting with Comey at his home to recover the memos made no mention that the ex-director had forwarded the memos on to others.
The revelations are likely to dent Comey's carefully manicured image as a law-and-order FBI director who was fired for standing up to Trump.
The IG concluded in prior investigations that Comey's firing was not driven by Trump's fears about the Russia investigation ruining his presidency but, rather, by DOJ concerns about Comey's performance in the Hillary Clinton email probe. Horowitz concluded that Comey wrongly "usurped" the authority of the attorney general when, on July 5, 2016, he announced he would not seek criminal charges against Clinton for transmitting classified information - some of it top secret - on her insecure private email server.
That IG report also chided Comey for criticizing Clinton's email practices as reckless without filing charges and for improperly announcing the reopening of the email probe in late October 2016, just a few weeks before Election Day when Clinton and Trump were locked in a tight race.
Ironically, Comey's decision not to charge Clinton for violating the Espionage Act for mishandling classified information on her email server mirrors the same rationale that Barr's DOJ applied in declining prosecution of him: a lack of evidence of intent.
That won't be lost on conservatives, who almost certainly will dislike the DOJ's Comey decision.
But the IG report, at least, reaffirms what has become painfully clear to Americans the past two years: Comey entered the FBI chief's job with a reputation for excellence but ran a bureau that suffered from ineptitude, political shenanigans, leaking and significant human failings, all of which sharply contrast with the morality lectures he's become famous for frequently offering since he was fired.
Via John Solomon on Hannity just now. Will post a video when it becomes available.
NM just found his article on this:
The Justice Department's chief watchdog is preparing a damning report on James Comey's conduct in his final days as FBI director that likely will conclude he leaked classified information and showed a lack of candor after his own agency began looking into his feud with President Trump over the Russia probe.
Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz's team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution - a decision that's likely to upset Comey's conservative critics.
Prosecutors found the IG's findings compelling but decided not to bring charges because they did not believe they had enough evidence of Comey's intent to violate the law, according to multiple sources. (this bullshite again!)
The concerns stem from the fact that one memo that Comey leaked to a friend specifically to be published by the media - as he admitted in congressional testimony - contained information classified at the lowest level of "confidential," and that classification was made by the FBI after Comey had transmitted the information, the sources said.
Although a technical violation, the DOJ did not want to "make its first case against the Russia investigators with such thin margins and look petty and vindictive," a source told me, explaining the DOJ's rationale.
But Comey and others inside the FBI and the DOJ during his tenure still face legal jeopardy in ongoing probes by the IG and Barr-appointed special prosecutor John Durham. Those investigations are focused on the origins of the Russia investigation that included a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting the Trump campaign at the end of the 2016 election, the source said.
"There are significant issues emerging with how the FISA was handled and other conduct in the investigation, and everyone involved remains under scrutiny," a second source said.
Patrick Fitzgerald and Daniel Richman, two of Comey's lawyers, and Keith Urbahn, his spokesman, did not return repeated calls and emails seeking comment.
The lack of prosecution is certain to demoralize some conservatives, who long have called for Comey's head. But the IG report, set to be released within the next few weeks, likely will provide significant condemnations of Comey's conduct, sources tell me.
While they cautioned that the IG's final report won't be complete until it gets feedback from Comey's lawyers in the next few days, it is expected to conclude that the former FBI director improperly took with him memos that were FBI property when he was fired, transmitted classified information via an insecure email account, and shared some of the memos with his private lawyers. Some of the Comey memos were classified up to the "secret" level, but the FBI has not disclosed whether those were shared with his lawyers like the classified confidential memo was.
The memos, which mostly recount Comey's interactions with Trump in the Russia case and include information about foreign leaders, were sensitive enough to require government officials to send a professional "scrub team" to a Comey lawyer's office to ensure all classified information was deleted, sources previously told me.
In addition, the IG is likely to find that Comey engaged in a lack of candor when FBI agents came to retrieve the classified memos in his possession, failing to tell the interviewing agent that he had forwarded some of the sensitive memos by email, according to sources familiar with the probe.
Documents released Thursday by the FBI to the conservative group Judicial Watch support that conclusion, showing the FBI report on its meeting with Comey at his home to recover the memos made no mention that the ex-director had forwarded the memos on to others.
The revelations are likely to dent Comey's carefully manicured image as a law-and-order FBI director who was fired for standing up to Trump.
The IG concluded in prior investigations that Comey's firing was not driven by Trump's fears about the Russia investigation ruining his presidency but, rather, by DOJ concerns about Comey's performance in the Hillary Clinton email probe. Horowitz concluded that Comey wrongly "usurped" the authority of the attorney general when, on July 5, 2016, he announced he would not seek criminal charges against Clinton for transmitting classified information - some of it top secret - on her insecure private email server.
That IG report also chided Comey for criticizing Clinton's email practices as reckless without filing charges and for improperly announcing the reopening of the email probe in late October 2016, just a few weeks before Election Day when Clinton and Trump were locked in a tight race.
Ironically, Comey's decision not to charge Clinton for violating the Espionage Act for mishandling classified information on her email server mirrors the same rationale that Barr's DOJ applied in declining prosecution of him: a lack of evidence of intent.
That won't be lost on conservatives, who almost certainly will dislike the DOJ's Comey decision.
But the IG report, at least, reaffirms what has become painfully clear to Americans the past two years: Comey entered the FBI chief's job with a reputation for excellence but ran a bureau that suffered from ineptitude, political shenanigans, leaking and significant human failings, all of which sharply contrast with the morality lectures he's become famous for frequently offering since he was fired.
This post was edited on 7/31/19 at 8:18 pm
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:08 pm to FlexDawg
Solomon basically said that today on Hannity’s radio show.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:08 pm to PanhandleTigah
Barr is an arse. Gutless.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:09 pm to hogcard1964
If this is true, frick Barr.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:09 pm to FlexDawg
I’d like to hear Barr’s rationale on this one.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:10 pm to Godfather1
He deserves what he dished out.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:11 pm to FlexDawg
Why prosecute for leaking when they have him on much bigger issues?
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:11 pm to FlexDawg
I’ll wait for the report to come out. If so, I’ll be pissed.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:13 pm to Godfather1
quote:
I’d like to hear Barr’s rationale on this one.
Some believe that Comey is going to get his due from the FISA abuse....we’ll see.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:14 pm to umop_apisdn
quote:
Why prosecute for leaking when they have him on much bigger issues?
I believe this was the rationale . . .per Solomon’s article, they don’t want to appear that they are going after him for something petty, but instead are more interested in pursuing him for bigger issues and don’t want to muddy the waters on this issue. I’ll edit with link
ETA:
Solomon Link
quote:
Although a technical violation, the DOJ did not want to "make its first case against the Russia investigators with such thin margins and look petty and vindictive," a source told me, explaining the DOJ's rationale.
But Comey and others inside the FBI and the DOJ during his tenure still face legal jeopardy in ongoing probes by the IG and Barr-appointed special prosecutor John Durham. Those investigations are focused on the origins of the Russia investigation that included a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting the Trump campaign at the end of the 2016 election
This post was edited on 7/31/19 at 8:17 pm
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:15 pm to Wednesday
Former Bush AG.. who woulda knew!? Impossible to guess this would happen.
Barr’s mission is for both sides to acknowledge wrong doings so “it never happens again” and everyone gets off Scott free on both sides
Barr’s mission is for both sides to acknowledge wrong doings so “it never happens again” and everyone gets off Scott free on both sides
This post was edited on 7/31/19 at 8:17 pm
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:16 pm to umop_apisdn
quote:
Why prosecute for leaking when they have him on much bigger issues?
Why not prosecute him for all of it?
It’s not an either/or proposition, you know. If he broke the law, prosecute him for every instance.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:17 pm to FlexDawg
Why are you people so surprised?
Ain't nobody going to jail.
Ain't nobody going to jail.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:18 pm to Wednesday
quote:
I believe this was the rationale . . .per Solomon’s article, they don’t want to appear that they are going after him for something petty, but instead are more interested in pursuing him for bigger issues and don’t want to muddy the waters on this issue.
I heard this from Solomon as well. Is this a legit strategy? Will it work?
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:19 pm to FlexDawg
quote:
Prosecutors found the IG's findings compelling but decided not to bring charges because they did not believe they had enough evidence of Comey's intent to violate the law, according to multiple sources.
Next time you get busted going 80 in a 55, try telling the cop you didn’t intend to break the law, you just weren’t paying attention. See how far that gets you.
Posted on 7/31/19 at 8:19 pm to Wednesday
Agreed, the waters are muddied enough right now and it's partially timing.
Let the rats continue to roll over on each other while being monitored.
I was reading this morning that higher ups are spilling the beans that Obama sent out the orders.
Screw going after Comey at this moment if they can capture bigger anti-american scum, then go after Comey. 2 years
Let the rats continue to roll over on each other while being monitored.
I was reading this morning that higher ups are spilling the beans that Obama sent out the orders.
Screw going after Comey at this moment if they can capture bigger anti-american scum, then go after Comey. 2 years
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