By Doug Porter
The Daily Beast’s Wayne Barrett has written a blockbuster of a story detailing the rebellion going on inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
It’s a tale of active and former agents, many of them with ties to former NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani, whose actions amount to a law enforcement thumb on the scale of democracy.
Guliani’s law firm has long been general counsel to the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), which represents 13,000 former and current agents. The group’s leader, agent Rey Tariche, resigned from the FBI New York office on Monday following Director James Comey’s release of a memo saying the agency was once again looking into Hillary Clinton.
From Barrett’s story:
Photo by Girard At Large
Two days before FBI director James Comey rocked the world last week, Rudy Giuliani was on Fox, where he volunteered, un-prodded by any question: “I think he’s [Donald Trump] got a surprise or two that you’re going to hear about in the next few days. I mean, I’m talking about some pretty big surprises.”
Pressed for specifics, he said: “We’ve got a couple of things up our sleeve that should turn this thing around.”
The man who now leads “lock-her-up” chants at Trump rallies spent decades of his life as a federal prosecutor and then mayor working closely with the FBI, and especially its New York office. One of Giuliani’s security firms employed a former head of the New York FBI office, and other alumni of it. It was agents of that office, probing Anthony Weiner’s alleged sexting of a minor, who pressed Comey to authorize the review of possible Hillary Clinton-related emails on a Weiner device that led to the explosive letter the director wrote Congress.
Comey’s note to FBI staff explaining his decision to inform Congress about the renewed Clinton probe was immediately leaked to Fox News. Now it turns out New York office FBI agents initiated an investigation of the Clinton Foundation based on discredited claims made by Clintoncash author Peter Schweitzer.
Screengrab
Jim Kallstrom, former head of the New York FBI office and frequent guest on Fox News, founded a charity called Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. This group was the sole beneficiary to of a $1 million Trump donation triggered by a Washington Post expose of the candidate’s failure to follow through on a pledge to donate funds raised at a nationally televised fundraiser for veterans’ causes in Des Moines on Jan. 28.
The beneficiary of the actions was supposed to be Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. Based on the polling I’ve seen, they’ve failed in their attempts to build a narrative that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was once again guilty of some unspecified conduct to be revealed in emails.
Going beyond the Daily Beast story, Judd Legum at Think Progress reports the FBI is now investigating its own Twitter account. (Yeah, you read that right.)
The account at issue, @FBIRecordsVault, had been dormant for more than a year. Then on October 30 at 4 a.m., the account released a flood of documents, including one describing Donald Trump’s father Fred Trump as a “philanthropist…”
…The strange tweets come days after James Comey released a letter revealing that the department was reviewing some emails that could be relevant to the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server. The Justice Department opposed release of the letter, arguing that it violated department protocols.
Since that time, there has been a series of leaks about FBI activity that appear to be designed to damage Hillary Clinton and benefit Donald Trump. An anonymous source for example, leaked to the Wall Street Journal that there was an investigation — including “secret recordings” — into the Clinton Foundation. The New York Times, also citing anonymous sources, reported that the FBI believed that Russia was just trying to disrupt the U.S. election, not help Donald Trump.
William J. Clinton Foundation: This initial release consists of material from the FBI’s files related to the Will… https://t.co/Y4nz3aRSmG
— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) November 1, 2016
Kevin Drum at Mother Jones marvels at the foolishness of the Clintoncash connection, which came about because the FBI overheard some guy (not connected to the Clintons) talking about a book he’d read…
Holy crap. The field agents got started on this because they read Clinton Cash, the latest in a 25-year stream of books insisting that the Clintons are our era’s Borgia family. Then they got even more interested because some guy—literally just some guy—was recorded blathering about the foundation.
This is what Hillary Clinton has faced ever since 1992. It started in Arkansas, where this kind of character assassination is basically just political sport, and then got exported to Washington DC when Bill Clinton ran for the presidency. There’s nothing in Schweizer’s book except yet another CDS victim insisting that if two things happened at the same time, somehow the Clintons were responsible for it and he’s got the proof right here!
And now it turns out the FBI is full of middle-aged white guys who apparently read the book, listen to lots of Rush Limbaugh, and just know that if they look a little harder they’ll find the one Jenga brick that causes the whole Clinton edifice to finally collapse. Jesus Christ.
Charles P Pierce at Esquire points out just how ludicrous this is in a column titled ‘The FBI Is Self-Destructing at the Worst Possible Moment’:
Of all the astonishing things in an astonishing (and increasingly grim) presidential campaign, the sudden involvement of elements of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the act of ratfcking a candidacy is even more amazing than the fact that there is a vulgar talking yam one step away from running almost the entire federal government. There hasn’t been a hotter hot mess in Washington since John Mitchell was running both the Department of Justice and a criminal conspiracy to obstruct same.
Spencer @attackerman reports FBI agents are actively trying to influence the campaign https://t.co/WAzOmAOvmY pic.twitter.com/w5M4V7QINT
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) November 3, 2016
Washington Post columnist Jenifer Rubin, certainly no fan of the Clintons (Or Democrats for that matter) says it’s time for heads to roll:
We have gone from well-established practices that keep the FBI insulated from politics to a political free for all where agents and the director feel free effectively to engage in opposition research…
…Clinton will likely win, but that’s beside the point. If Obama doesn’t do it first, she should add to her to-do list for the first day in office: Replace FBI director.
***
Preaching to the Choir
I don’t need to suggest to most readers of this column how they should feel about Donald J Trump. But I do feel obligated to call attention to Charles M. Blow’s powerful op-ed in the New York Times:
There is no way to make a vote for him feel like an act of principle or responsibility. You can’t make it right. You can’t say yes to Trump and yes to common decency. Those two things do not together abide.
If you are voting for Trump, you are voting for coarseness, corruption and moral corrosion. Period. And if you are not actively voting against him, you are abetting his attempt to hijack American greatness and sink it with his egotism.
On Election Day, America faces a choice, and it’s not a tough one, but a stark one. It is the difference between tolerance and intolerance. It is the difference between respect and disrespect. It is the difference between a politician with some flaws and a flaw threatening our politics.
Donald Trump is America’s existential threat. On Tuesday, America has an opportunity to defend itself.
Finally, while most of the country was watching an absolutely incredible seventh game of the World Series last night (Go Cubs!), the audience at the Country Music Awards (something I’d never watch) was getting blown away by Beyonce, backed by the Dixie Chicks. Needless, to say, the Make America Great Again crowd took to twitter to express their outrage, probably because they’d been informed the new green Starbucks cups were not part of this year’s corporate attack on Christmas.
I ask you to enjoy the video, but the Country Music association has gone and made a copyright claim on it.
On This Day: 1507 – Leonardo DaVinci was commissioned by the husband of Lisa Gherardini to paint her. The work is known as the Mona Lisa. 1921 – Striking milk drivers dumped thousands of gallons of milk on New York City streets. 1957 – Sputnik II was launched by the Soviet Union. It was the second manmade satellite to be put into orbit and was the first to put an animal into space, a dog named Laika.
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Doug Porter
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This story just gets more and more bizarre.
May have missed it, but when read from right leaning media outlets, I didn’t see anything mentioned about Gulianni’s close ties to the NY FBI agents.
From the left, I don’t see anything mentioned about the DOJ investigator having close ties with Pedesta or that McCabe, Assistant Director of the FBI’s wife received an large donation when running for office as a Dem.
Here’s the right side (I think?)
Daily Caller
http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/25/clinton-campaign-chairman-had-multiple-dinners-with-top-doj-official-during-clinton-email-investigation/
Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3897560/FBI-deputy-director-wife-took-Clinton-friend-s-cash-asked-involved-email-probe-Congress-turn-heat-Clinton.html
Like someone said, makes ya long for the good old days when Sarah Palin was the craziest thing in politics.
Neither one of those links (daily caller and daily mail) suggests any of the officials mentioned had any contact with any investigation of the Clintons.
This kind of false equivalency (they do bad things, too) masks the reality that each candidate–warts and all–represents a different path for this country to take. And that is why the FBI agents (a very white male organization, BTW) are so worked up: their privilege and their supremacy is at stake. That’s the whole basis for Make America Great Again.
I’m fully aware of the limitations of a Clinton presidency. But at least good people of conscience have a better chance at making things better. If you’re worried about lynch mobs or ICE raids, it’s hard to make time to fight for better healthcare, etc. And the line of thinking saying it’s better to face the really ugly side of reaction is just plain wrong.
The power of the modern state’s enforcement and intelligence services is too great for any sort of rag tag on the streets fighting force, right or left.
What? Did I give the wrong links? Here are the accusations being made:
“A conservative nonprofit government watchdog called Monday for the FBI’s deputy director to recuse himself from the Hillary Clinton email investigation over a potential conflict of interest. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has played a leadership role in the agency’s investigation of Clinton’s use of private email addresses and a homebrew server located in her New York mansion while leading the Department of State.
Meanwhile, PACs close to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe – a long-time Clinton fund-raiser and political intimate – donated nearly $675,000 to the failed state senate campaign of McCabe’s wife. (RELATED: McAuliffe’s Donations To FBI Official’s Wife Launches Investigation)”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/31/675000-donation-prompts-call-for-fbis-deputy-director-to-recuse-himself-from-clinton-investigation/#ixzz4OzDwrueh
“On Monday we were the first to note that Podesta’s friend Peter Kadzik was the DOJ representative chosen to head up a “thorough” review of the new Huma Abedin emails as revealed by a letter he wrote to Congress. Given Kadzik’s personal relationship with Podesta, it seemed like a “convenient” choice for the Clinton campaign.
In the letter to Congress, the DOJ writes that it “will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resources and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible,” assistant attorney General Peter J. Kadzik writes in letters to House and Senate lawmakers.”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-02/more-collusion-between-clinton-campaign-and-doj-kadzik-provides-heads-podesta
When Trump’s candidacy first began, I honestly thought it was joke along the lines of what Pat Paulson used to do. It’s not funny anymore. Wish Sanders had gotten the nomination. I don’t think it would even be a contest right now.
I stand corrected…which will teach me to scan while typing. I’m so used to reading bs articles in those publications that my confirmation bias ruled the day.
However, my point about false equivalency remains. Hillary, warts and all, isn’t even in the same league with Trump. He’s bad for America, bad for the planet and even worse if you happen to not to be white.
Sharon Kramer, Hillary’s politics are old and funky with money and influence, no doubt, which is what fueled my passion for Bernie. The sources you’re citing may be right about the conflict of interest but we’re not going to get an investigation of Donald Trump’s connections to Russia and Ukraine so long as Giuliani keeps counseling the rightists among the FBI. I’ve assumed Clinton may clean up her financials and her nose because her party has a refueled and ready to fight left side that Bernie inspired. No such moderate correction exists in the GOP and Trump Inc. Vote for her.
The timing of the Mcauliffe donation suggests that the deputy director would have known way in advance of the election that he would have been a part of it. So, no.
Yep. Don’t want a grabby president with a bad comb-over. I also don’t want a president whose “nonprofit” is funded by some of the worst civil rights and environmental violators on the planet, in the hopes of influencing U.S. backed policies. I’m with the other her.
This “fifth column” inside the FBI is a very important story that Doug caught early on Thursday; more developments were presented on Rachel Maddow last night. Meanwhile – NOT ONE WORD today in either the LA Times or the SD Union-Tribune.
Yep. No talk of Giuliani’s meddling out there in the weeds where right thinking FBI agents are acting like Breitbart, Bannon, Limbaugh and tens of GOP Senators. It’s hard for the upright press to be smart and tough. They don’t get paid (off) enough.
Makes me want to look up the definition of “coup”.
Bob, I think you are right about Trump not making matters better. I would never vote for him.
I try to read all sides when I’m trying to figure out what the heck is going on over important issues. This is what I THINK is happening (as my little mind perceives it right now).
I think it’s a given that Clinton is going to win — she has support of a lot of key Republicans and Wall Street. I think Giuliani is just jockeying for better Republican position after she wins.
She’s going to have to stay moderate while defusing the left influence, for them to call off the dogs. (think we’re watching a pre-game warm up right now)
Trump seems to want to personally dominate based on a really odd ego – and he can’t do that w/o the people electing him president.
But the REAL game that is being played is: who is going to dominate the world oil markets and their/other natural resource trade routes — Russia, their allies (both gov and NGO) or the US and their allies (both gov and NGO).
I think Russia, etal think they can control better if Trump were president, and Saudi Arabia, etal, think they can control better if Clinton is president.
The bottom line is, I don’t think anyone in this matter places human life, human rights, the environment or accountability in government among their highest of priorities. They’re all just playing a high stakes game of My Rich Uncle — that “we” started playing when Israel was set up in the Middle East; and it escalated to a game of Battleship when “we” invaded Iraq based on the false premise of WMD.
So I’m voting for Jill Stein in the hopes that she gets at least 5% of the vote b/c under the 5% rule, her party will receive federal funds in the next election. This election year, I’m voting against the U.S. two party system. To me, it doesn’t seem to be working to the highest and best use of a supposedly democratic government.
One can read the WikiLeaks that are a large part of why I think this way, here:
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3599#efmARKATm
Also, Assange has put out a preview (on RT) of a character-assassinating-bomb he intends to drop on the Clinton campaign on Sat. God only knows what bomb the Clinton side will drop on Trump before Tues.
https://www.rt.com/news/365299-assange-pilger-saudi-clinton/
As of this posting, it looks like the Guliani/FBI putsch may have failed to deliver a knock-out punch to the Clinton bid. Unless they have something bigger to reveal, the purge at the FBI will be epic and, for the first time, I actually feel sorry for Guliani once the Clinton machine entrenches in power. The Clintons are like the Bourbons- they never learn and they never forget.
Funny cj!
More WikiLeaks #PodestaEmail31 (I don’t get the whole hashtag thing, but all the cool bloggers seem to use them)
Looks like we can forget the murder conspiracy theories that right wing extremists have been circulating for years.
People near the Clintons really do commit suicide. #ClintonFoundationCOO #QatarBirthdayPresent #QuickReorg
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/48296
I’m with the other her!