IG Report Shows The FBI Had Legitimate Reasons to Open Its Investigation of The Trump Campaign - But Toady Barr Tries To Deny It

Trump's pet toad, William Barr, just felt he had to chime in on the IG report released by David Horowitz, absolving the FBI of any nefarious motives in the investigation of Trump and his campaign in 2016

"Barr's intrusion shows the Justice Department is utterly compromised. Functioning as a political tool for Trump, Giuliani and Sean Hannity."  Chris Hayes last night, on All In.

A Justice Department inspector general’s report examining the FBI’s investigation of President Trump’s 2016 campaign rebutted conservatives’ accusations that top FBI officials were driven by political bias to illegally spy on Trump advisers. The IG Report released yesterday also found broad and “serious performance failures” requiring major changes, which Director Chris Wray has vowed to correct.

The 434-page report issued by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded the FBI had an “authorized purpose” when it initiated its investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, into the Trump campaign. In doing so, Horowitz implicitly rejected GOP assertions that the case was launched out of political animus, or that the FBI broke its own rules on using informants.

It asserted, though, that as the probe went on, FBI officials repeatedly decided to emphasize damaging information they heard about Trump associates, and play down exculpatory evidence they found. The bureau promptly indicated it would implement dozens of corrective measures in response to Horowitz’s report and that disciplinary action remains a possibility.   Trump, not surprisingly,  called the report’s findings “far worse than anything I would have imagined.”    In another one of his deranged stupors he barked:

“This was an overthrow of government.  This was an attempted overthrow and a lot of people were in on it and they got caught, they got caught red-handed.”

Thereby again conflating himself with the government.  But lest we be led down the path of insanity like Dotard, let's bear in mind the person actually investigated out in the open back then was Hillary. Indeed, then FBI director James Comey's repeated interjections and  announcements of progress in the FBI email investigation likely cost her the election.  Trump paved the way for his own investigation by firing Comey, after the then FBI Director refused to swear loyalty to the orange maggot.  As I wrote in my May 10, 2017 post:

"A combination of factors alerted Trump's reptilian brain stem it had to act and fast. The easiest response - which killed the most "birds" with one stone-  would be firing Comey. That would amount to an instant act of decapitation, not only of Comey but the FBI's investigation into the Trump-Russkie ties.  Using the ruse of Comey's mishandling of the Hillary email server also would come off - to a dumb media - of casting the Donald as a latter day changeling. Who now would strike down Hillary's tormentor and give Trump "brownie points" in so doing.

The problem, as The Financial Times' Edward Luce has pointed out, is it makes zero sense. In Luce's words:

'Mr. Trump is asking the US public to believe he 'terminated and removed'  the FBI director for having treated Mrs. Clinton unfairly. This was the same opponent whom Mr. Trump said should be locked up for mishandling her emails."

The Trump investigation, meanwhile, remained in the shadows. It only really saw the light of day when Bob Mueller began his own investigation leading to the Mueller report. The appointment of Mueller as special prosecutor  was only triggered when Trump stupidly fired Comey.  This was after he refused to carry out the Don's orders.  As Chris Hayes put it last night, regarding Barr's worthless conspiracy claptrap to do with the FBI:

"The obvious problem with this theory is that it makes no sense. Remember this, during the campaign the only investigation that became public was the one regarding Hillary Clinton, which arguably lost her the election. But the FBI was investigating Trump at the very same time. No one uttered a word about it. If they were so desperate to bring Trump down you'd think someone would have said something.  They didn't. So the whole conspiracy theory doesn't even hold together."

In other words, all Barr has to base his objections on are recycled hot air and assorted brain farts from the psycho conspiracy babblers, i.e. from 8chan, Infowars, QAon and the like.

The report also seemed to open a rift inside the Justice Department.  But this is what happens when one sector or division is committed to paranoid fabrications and the other to justice and adherence to reality. 

Embodying lies, mischief, disinformation and fake news, Attorney General William P. Barr went all out for an encore performance of his whitewashing stunt back in April.  When he sprung his little "summary " of the Mueller report to convey  a specious "exoneration" of  Trump.  (Which then immediately encouraged Trump to seek the Ukraine  extortion- paving the way for the articles of impeachment to be announced today.)

This time, Toad Barr disagreed with one of the inspector general’s key conclusions, saying the FBI launched an investigation of a presidential campaign “on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken. It is also clear that, from its inception, the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory.” 

Also, basically concurring with this fulsome baloney was Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who Barr handpicked to conduct an investigation parallel to that of Horowitz.  In other words, he needed a parallel reality  performing puppet and Durham provided it.   Durham said in a statement:

 “Based on the evidence collected to date, and while our investigation is ongoing, last month we advised the Inspector General that we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened.”

This, of course, is total codswallop. How do we KNOW this? We have foreign intercepts of meetings of Trump cronies, e.g. Carter Page, with Russian  (GRU) agents.  It was these intercepts and related documents - including  FISA warrants- that Devin Nunes threatened to release 2 years ago , to expose a supposed "FBI-DOJ conspiracy".   

In fact the FBI's's involvement was totally called for given the U.S. had to enter the picture with its own FISA warrants, surveillance, etc.  after foreign  intercepts were received from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands. Not to do so would have violated agreements with foreign intel sources, assets. 

Former FBI special agent Frank Figliuzzi was so disturbed by Durham's premature interjections into the IG report he had this to say (last night on 'All In'):

"John Durham, by coming out with this statement in the middle of his own investigation, has violated DOJ policy by commenting on other investigations absent a compelling public interest. And I am hard pressed to find a compelling public interest for a DOJ employee to disagree with their own Inspector General. Unless the timing isn't working for them. 

In other words, Horowitz came out with this good finding for the FBI and it doesn't work for  Barr's own report and its timing. So Barr needs to ride this out toward the election. To keep the public hanging, and thinking something wrong is going to get found."

Yet more reasons that Barr himself needs to be impeached and removed from his office which may well be politicized beyond repair.  So much so that we understand many DOJ employees are pining for the days with ol' Jeff Sessions in charge.

See Also:

The Trump Administration | Donald Trump | Russia | Ukraine

The Justice Department Report on Russia Probe Origins Is Actually a Damning Indictment of Trump in the Ukraine Scandal

And:

Attorney General William Barr publicly challenged the watchdog report, defending President Trump.

And:

• Barr does it again! 

Should Andrew McCabe Take Over FBI Investigation? Probably Not

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe - probably has lots of 'splainin' to do about why he went to the White House on Feb. 15 and blabbed that a fully confirmed NY Times story was "BS".

With the "thuggish firing" of former FBI Director James Comey, ambushed while he was giving a speech in LA, the Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe has taken his place. It is also understood that he will be grilled by Senators before being allowed to take over the investigation into the Trump-Russia links and collusion.

McCabe by all appearances seems to conform to the straight up, "respectable Bureau man" as portrayed in much of the media. On the face of it he'd also appear to be a shoo-in to not only take over Comey's job as Director but also to lead the FBI investigation into Trump's surrogates and their contacts with the Russkies.

But first he has a lot of explaining to do regarding an improper visit to the White House on February 15th and in a five minute session with Reince Priebus definitely not acting like a respected Bureau man. Unless that means undermining your Director's investigation into the collusion of the Trumpies with the Russkies.

Recall that on February 14th the Times broke a block buster story with the header:

"Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence"

With the intro emphasis:

"The National Security Agency, which monitors the communications of foreign intelligence services, initially captured the calls between Mr. Trump's associates and the Russians as part of routine foreign surveillance. ....After that, the FBI asked the NSA to collect as much information as possible about the Russian operatives on the phone calls, and to search through troves of previous intercepted communications that had not been analyzed."

This bombshell news came out one day after the Mike Flynn resignation and ought to have stopped news -reading citizens in their tracks.

Then, on February 15th, an anomalous event occurred that now seems to have been swept under the deluge of recent news stories. That is, the then deputy director of the FBI - Andrew McCabe - went to the White House for a 7:30 a.m. meeting on what was reportedly an "unrelated intelligence matter'. At the end of the meeting, McCabe - according to reports from observers- had a private "pull aside" with the WH chief of staff, Reince Priebus.  The chat lasted five minutes. According to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the meeting, McCabe told Priebus "I want you to know that story in the New York Times is BS."

That doesn't conform to a respectable official or "20 year Bureau man"  who has to know there's an ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian intelligence.  Indeed, in many quarters it'd not only be called improper but obstruction of justice - because he's putting the kibosh on the investigation.  In fact, no one in the FBI,, and especially the deputy director, should be talking to the White House staff about already confirmed reports that now compromise the investigation.

Indeed, the McCabe contact led to compromises of the two other (House and Senate) investigations into Trump and Russia.  To wit, the White House then enlisted the services of the respective Intel chairs - Devin Nunez and Richard Burr - to start calling reporters of all the major news outlets to steer other reporters away from the Times' bombshell story.  That was significant because the pair weren't merely run of the mill members of congress but actual heads of the respective intelligence committees.

In addition, the pair were leading their own investigations into the White House- Russian connections.

So McCabe's blabbery had untold negative consequences that in truth and fact, seen in hindsight, really did reach the level of obstruction of justice because it diverted the resources - especially informational -from the prime focus where it should have been. So yeah, Andy Mc Cabe has a lot to explain in any hearings - before being handed the throttle for Comey's investigation. A 20-year vet he may be, but his actions were those of a rank, greenhorn new be just out of Quantico.

The bottom line is that McCabe's mischief did untold harm, especially as the NY Times' story was emphatically not "BS' but also confirmed by CNN later that night, e.g.

"Trump Aides were in constant touch with senior Russian officials during campaign"

And the Washington Post was next: "U.S. Intelligence sources cite multiple contacts between members of Trump's team and Russians with links to the Kremlin."

By March multiple source confirmation had manifest, much of them forthcoming from U.S. allies, including the British and the Dutch. These had provided compendious information, data describing meetings in European cities between Russian officials and associates of then President-elect Donald Trump. This is the "shoe' - a titanic one - waiting to drop, and the GOP congress critters and others (McCabe?) resisting or undermining the investigations better make sure they're on the right side of things when it does.

As for McCabe, if he can't provide substantial answers to questions in any forthcoming hearings, then he can't be allowed to direct the FBI investigation.  He will especially have to perform at an A-plus level in addressing why he told Priebus the Times story was BS, effectively obstructing 3 ongoing investigations- including the FBI's, the House and the Senate's - for months. And indeed, we will need to consider an independent approach (special prosecutor?)  for the other investigations if  McCabe's answers leave much to be desired. Also, if GOP cooperative solutions aren't possible, most of which will require GOP members' full cooperation as opposed to stonewalling or chasing "leaks" to deflect the focus. As for McCabe, it will now be up to him to demonstrate  he isn't a Trump toady.  I am not at all certain that he can, given the damage his big mouth has already caused.

See also:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/bill-moyers/72733/donald-trump-is-attempting-a-coup-we-must-have-a-special-prosecutor