The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:28 PM

OUR VIEW: FBI Did More Meddling In 2016 Election Than Russia As Urgency Grows For Jeff Sessions To Do His Job

The beautiful part of what is taking place is we are witnessing the rooting out of many corrupt players among a field of thousands of high-character men and women who serve on the front lines of investigating federal level crime and terrorism.  No other agency has been given such a solemn responsibility as the FBI. Most do their jobs right and without preference to their political tilts. That is not true with everyone.

On the horrific side of the equation, it seems for 18 months now, the FBI has been fixated on determining whether President Trump worked with Russia to influence the 2016 election without any type of check or balance upon its efforts. Many have called this effort the  greatest witch hunt since the Salem Massachusetts folks went a bit haywire in the 1600s burning people at the stake who they thought were practicing sorcery.

Recent email and text message revelations between several top FBI agents suggest that the only meddling in the 2016 Presidential election was by the FBI more than anything hatched in halls of the Kremlin in Moscow.

Our American judicial system is illustrated by a blind-folded woman holding two scales in her hand illustrating that true justice is actually blind, meaning EVERYONE is to be treated equally and fairly under the LAW, no matter how rich and powerful they may be. The law the janitor at Food City must follow is the same law the President of the United States must follow - or the former Secretary of State.

There is strong evidence that an insidious plot unprecedented in American history was hatched within the FBI and the Obama Justice Department to help elect Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump last year.  Yet when this apparent effort to improperly influence the election backfired and President Trump won, the suspected conspirators appear to have employed a fraudulent investigation of him in an attempt to undo the election results and remove him as president.

This was not some “deep state,” conspiracy theory movie. This was being played out by FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, both of whom sought to impose their own political views on government policy in defiance of democratically elected leadership.  Those things come directly from the Communist manifesto of Karl Marx.

Furthermore, this  blatant plot to keep Trump from becoming president and to weaken and potentially pave the way for his impeachment with a prolonged politically motivated investigation is not only corrupt, it's down right dangerous to every law abiding citizen in this nation.  What was done subverted the electoral democracy itself in our country.

Now, the mainstream media and Democrats may dismiss any talk of an anti-Trump conspiracy by the FBI and Justice Department as right-wing nonsense. Before what took place this week came to light they mocked it all as paranoid fantasies of Trump supporters with no basis in facts.

But after Wednesday's revelations of the texts between Strzok and Page, there are plenty of facts that lay out a two-part, and most damning case of corruption of the one agency that is sworn to the protection of the citizens of the United States.

The first arm was rooted in efforts to devise a way to exonerate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who committed crimes under the Espionage Act in her mishandling of classified documents on her private email server.  Yet, absolving Clinton of any wrong doing cleared the way for her to continue her candidacy at a time when all polls and just about every pundit predicted she would be elected president in November 2016. If Clinton had been charged with crimes she would likely have been forced to drop her candidacy, and if she remained in the race her candidacy would have been doomed.

But that part of the anti-Trump plot was not enough.

A back-up plan would be prudent. It seems the Obama Justice Department and FBI conjured up a second plan or as one of the text messages said "an insurance policy," if the first stratagem failed.

This is the part that is the most malevolent – manufacturing an alleged crime supposedly committed by Trump where no crime exists in the law. 

Armed with a fictitious justification, a criminal investigation was launched into so-called Trump-Russia “collusion.” It was always a mythical legal claim, since there is no statute prohibiting foreign nationals from volunteering their services in American political campaigns.  More importantly, there was never and has never been a scintilla of evidence that Trump collaborated with Russia to influence the election. None!

It was working for a while until recent revelations began to cause the Democrats' strategy to crumble down on themselves and boomerang into something they are running to the hills for to hide from!

The text messages exchanged between Strzok and Page, who, despite both being married, were romantically involved, confirm a stunning hostility toward Trump, calling him an “idiot” and “loathsome.” In other exchanges, they called Trump an "enormous do-che," and said "this man cannot be president."

When not berating Trump, they were praising Hillary Clinton. In one text, Strzok said: "God Hillary should win 100,000,000-0." In another, he said that "a lot of people are holding their breath hoping" about Clinton.

When Hillary accepted the party's nomination in July, Strzok texted "Congrats on a woman nominated for President in a major party! About damn time!" During one of the presidential debates, he texted: "Oh hot damn. HRC is throwing down saying Trump in bed with Russia." In one of Page's texts, she said Hillary "just has to win now."

Then there was the one text between Strzok and Page dated Aug. 6, 2016 that reeks even more clearly of the depths these Clinton loving adulterers were willing to go to ensure President Trump would not be elected, and if he was elected, not stay in office long. (On a side note, you ever notice in politics more than anywhere else birds of a feather flock together. I guess if the Clintons are your idol you'd follow Bill's example of sexual misconduct with other people's wives)

From Page: “And maybe you’re meant to stay where you are because you’re meant to protect the country from that menace.” (This is clearly a reference to a Trump presidency).

Strzok: “Thanks. And of course I’ll try and approach it that way. I can protect our country at many levels .…”

It is reasonable to conclude that Strzok had already taken steps to “protect” the country from what he considered would be a dangerous and harmful Trump presidency.

Just one month earlier, then-FBI Director James Comey had announced he would recommend that no criminal charges be filed by the Justice Department against Clinton. Given all the incriminating evidence against Clinton, Comey’s view that she should not be prosecuted made no sense by any objective standard.

This is where Strzok played a pivotal role. As the lead investigator in the Clinton email case, he is the person who changed the critical wording in Comey’s description of Clinton’s handling of classified material, substituting “extremely careless” for “gross negligence.”

Legal experts all agree that the alteration of two words had enormous consequences, because it allowed Clinton to evade prosecution. This removed the only legal impediment to her election as president.

Now if these two assholes, pardon the language, were just two adulterous FBI agents passing love notes in study hall it'd be one thing. The problem is they were far more  just a couple of bureaucrats crunching numbers in a windowless office at the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Strzok was a key player in the FBI's entire investigation into whether Clinton had broken the law by using a private, unsecured email server to handle highly classified documents. He interviewed several of the people involved, including Clinton herself.

He was also the person who watered down the language in the statement used by Comey to exonerate Clinton, changing it from "gross negligence" to "extremely careless," which as we noted in this space was critical to Comey's claim that Clinton didn't break any laws.

As Strzok was busy airbrushing Clinton's email he knew had the FBI done the right thing and indicted her for putting national security at risk, it would have crushed her campaign. He couldn't have that happen because it would mean it would help the man Strzok despised get elected president.
 

In South Georgia language Strzok had motive, means and opportunity to sabotage that investigation.

Both Strzok and Page were also deeply involved in the FBI's investigation into the alleged Russia meddling claim, which started almost immediately after Comey let Clinton off the hook, and was sparked by a dodgy Clinton-financed "dossier." In fact, according to CNN, Strzok signed the document making the Russia probe official.

As more texts have been revealed since Wednesday, the evidence has grown more damning and points to the highest levels of the FBI.

According to reports, Strzok texted Page saying that while he wanted to believe "that there's no way he gets elected" he was "afraid we can't take that risk," then added cryptically that "it's like an insurance policy." The text doesn't make clear what the "it" was, but does suggest the topic was discussed with the Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

In August, Page told Strzok he should stay where he is because "you're meant to protect the country from that menace," meaning Trump. She then sent a link to a David Brooks column in The New York Times which argued that, with Trump, "There comes a time when neutrality and laying low become dishonorable. If you're not in revolt, you're in cahoots." To which Strzok said "of course I'll try to approach it that way … I can protect our country at many levels."

Days after the election, Page texted to say she bought "All the President's Men,'' a book about Nixon's demise from the Watergate scandal, because "I needed to brush up on Watergate.''

One of the texts also suggests that both knew they should be careful when discussing Clinton. In April 2016, Page texted "you say we text on that phone when we talk about Hillary because it can't be traced."

Strzok: “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s (McCabe) office – that there’s no way he gets elected – but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.…”

The reference to “Andy” McCabe, who was also supervising the investigation of Clinton’s emails at the same time his wife was receiving roughly $675,000 in campaign money in her race for elective office in Virginia from groups aligned with Clinton.

What was the “insurance policy” discussed in Andy’s office? Was it the FBI’s investigation of Trump and his associates? Or was it the anti-Trump “dossier” that may have been used by the FBI and the Justice Department as the basis for a warrant to wiretap and spy on Trump associates? Perhaps it was both.

It was also Strzok who interviewed the now indicted Michael Flynn in January. Many experts believe Strzok intentionally did not inform Flynn his conversation with the FBI was on the record seeking to entrap him for what eventually took place in November when he was indicted for lying to the FBI under Mueller's probe.

If I'm Michael Flynn's lawyer, I'm calling for a complete dismissal of these charges NOW on the basis that Mr. Flynn's rights were violated in not giving him due process to an attorney before speaking to a federal officer about a criminal matter. There are indications Flynn was not aware the FBI was recording his answers as those under oath. Had Flynn been told the truth he is likely a free man today! What makes this more than grotesque is that Hillary Clinton was NEVER put under oath during her testimony last summer when she quietly walked into FBI headquarters to speak about the emails. I do wish I had been a fly on that wall that day.

Strzok's punishment for all of this has been a joke. New FBI Christopher Wray simply demoted him to a pencil pushing job in personnel for his actions.

McCabe is likely going to join him there soon.

BOTH THESE MEN NEEDED TO BE FIRED AND CHARGED WITH CRIMES THEMSELVES!!!!!!

The disgust over this moves then to Jeff Sessions our illustrious Attorney General who has been the biggest disappointment since the fourth quarter Atlanta Falcons of Super Bowl 50.

Sessions oversees the FBI as Attorney General yet has allowed this corrupt circus to go on without stepping in and doing something to stop it to his eternal shame by outsourcing the integrity of the Justice Department to one Rod Rosenstein, who himself is neck deep in corruption and Clinton ties.

Mueller's "team" has been shown to be nothing more than a group neck deep in Clinton corruption period.

Rosenstein was given oversight of  Mueller’s investigation when the Attorney General recused himself in one of the biggest blunders by any AG ever!. Even a left-leaning panel of judges said last week Sessions was well within his rights to meet with the Russian diplomat after the election as part of President Trump's transition team. Instead Sessions got punked and intimidated by Trump hating Democrats into thinking if he oversaw the Russia investigation he'd be impartial. How about a better word of what he truly is now - "failure."

Rosenstein previously supervised an investigation into the approval by the Obama administration of a controversial sale of an American company now known as Uranium One to Russia. At the time Hillary Clinton was secretary of State.

Russia used bribery, kickbacks, and extortion to influence the uranium deal. During negotiations, Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 to speak in Russia, and the chairman of Uranium One made a $2.35 million donation to the Clinton Foundation. Despite these glaring concerns, the FBI quietly ended the case in 2015 under Rosenstein's leadership and direction.
 

Another player in this is Andrew Weissmann,  former chief of the Justice Department Criminal Fraud Section and a former partner at Wilmer Hale. He attended Hillary Clinton’s election night party, and praised then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who defied President Trump by not enforcing his travel ban. An email from Weissmann's own DOJ account indicated that he was "so proud" of her for defying Trump. Weissmann is one of Mueller’s top deputies and has a proven track record of reckless prosecution with some of his antics leading the Supreme Court to throw out entire cases.

The problem is the damage was done to corporations which in turn damaged and ruined the lives of thousands of people.

Another Mueller team member, Aaron Zebley, chief of staff for then-FBI Director Mueller, former partner at WilmerHale represented Justin Cooper, who set up Hillary Clinton’s private server.

Just how disturbing is Zebely’s employment for Mueller’s witch hunt? Cooper admitted to two instances where he destroyed Hillary Clinton’s old mobile devices by breaking them in half or hitting them with a hammer.

Jeannie Rhee, former partner at WilmerHale, represented ex-Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, the Clinton Foundation in a 2015 racketeering case, and Hillary Clinton herself in a lawsuit seeking access to her private emails. Rhee was hired by Mueller to serve on his witch hunt.

Then there is Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce G. Ohr. Before we get to Bruce G. Ohr we would be wise to discuss first the Trump dossier upon which 100% of Mueller's existence seems to have sprung from to begin with.

The “dossier” was a compendium of largely specious allegations about Trump, compiled by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS. The dossier was funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Comey called it “salacious and unverified.”

Evidently not salacious and unverified enough since it wound up in the hands of two FBI agents who used it to do corrupt and legal things with. Rumors have been out there that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was the go between that received the report from Fusion and turned it over initially to the FBI, and likely Strzok himself.

Various congressional committees suspect the dossier was illegally used to place a Trump campaign associate, Carter Page, under foreign surveillance. When asked about that on Wednesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein refused to answer, which sounds like an implicit “yes.”

Using a dubious, if not phony, document in support of an affidavit to obtain a warrant from a federal judge constitutes a fraud upon the court, which is a crime.

Ohr’s wife worked for Fusion GPS. This created a disqualifying conflict of interest for Mr. Ohr. He was legally obligated under Justice Department regulations to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation of Russia’s role in the election, but he did not. Ohr's punishment was demotion again and not firing. Pathetic.

Congress needs to find out whether the dossier was exploited as a pretext for initiating the Russia probe against President Trump. It would also be unconscionable, if not illegal, for the FBI and Justice Department to use opposition research funded by Clinton’s campaign to spy on her opponent or his campaign.

Both agencies have been resisting congressional subpoenas and other demands for answers, which smacks of a cover-up. Since the Justice Department cannot be trusted to investigate itself, a second special counsel should be appointed.

Furthermore, Sessions needs to again get off his ass and put himself back in charge of the Department President Trump hired him to oversee!! It's infuriating to see Sessions outsourcing his responsibility to Trump hating officials who have no check and balance on their actions!!!

The Clinton email case needs to be reopened and the conduct of Strzok, Page, Comey, and others who may have obstructed justice by exonerating Clinton in the face of substantial evidence that she had committed crimes should be investigated and investigated NOW.

If Strzok or anyone else allowed their political views to shape the investigations of either Clinton or Trump and dictate the outcomes, that is a felony for which they should be prosecuted.

Let me ask the most important question of the day concerning all of this. What would have happened had this been done in 2008 with then incoming President Barrack Obama and say former President George W. Bush or John McCain were behind efforts to spy on Obama? We don't have the vocabulary to tell you what would have happened.

The Mueller investigation is now so tainted with the appearance of corruption that it has lost credibility and the public’s trust.

The left, the Democrats, the Lame Stream Media, and liberal commentators can spin this travesty of justice all they want. They are the ones who opened this can of worms in the first place are responsible for the way it boomeranged into a can of something we term in the south "whip-ass" on themselves.

It's actually been popcorn worthy to watch. It will more popcorn worthy if those in power will do their jobs and see that those involved are FIRED and REMOVED from public office, not sent to the basement to scheme more corruption down the road!

I'm just waiting for the orange jumpsuits to make an appearance and I'm not talking "Project Runway." I'm talking the Clinton Foundation, Hillary Clinton herself, Eric Holder, Barrack Obama, Loretta Lynch, Bill Clinton, James Comey, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, the Ohrs, and others.

This would be a great start. Let the draining of the swamp continue!

Christopher McDonald, Publisher, Editor in Charge

Great Smoky Mountain Journal