My December 2, 2019, post entitled Please Check Unreasonable Expectations at the Door stated the FISA abuse report prepared by the US Department of Justice Office of Inspector General would be released on December 9th. It was.
Here is a link to the redacted FISA abuse report released today and formally entitled Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation. It is further cited as Report 20-012 of the Oversight and Review Division.
Reading the report’s Executive Summary may suffice for a general overview of the IG’s methodology, findings, and recommendations. The entire report is 476 pages long. I’d urge readers to at least read the Executive Summary for yourself rather than relying on any of the skews media reports and talk show commentaries. I listened to a few radio skews broadcasts today and read a few of the online articles posted by seemingly credible skews media. My opinion is that you will be better informed after reading some or all the report yourself.
In her comment added to my December 2nd post, OpenCdA reader Stebbijo said, “… This is just taking way too long, and I am tired of waiting and getting nothing. It is like Horowitz did it on purpose taking his time. I really hope Durham and Barr make for speed because this swampy stuff is getting old. We need action with handcuffs.”
I hope she is somewhat encouraged by Monday’s Statement by Attorney General William P. Barr on the Inspector General’s Report of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation.
I’d also urge her and other readers to to read Attorney General William Barr’s Address to the 19th Annual Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture at the Federalist Society’s 2019 National Lawyer’s Convention Washington, DC presented on November 15, 2019. In particular, read at pages 6 and 8 of this address where AG Barr comments:
Immediately after President Trump won election, opponents inaugurated what they called “The Resistance,” and they rallied around an explicit strategy of using every tool and maneuver available to sabotage the functioning of his Administration. Now, “resistance” is the language used to describe insurgency against rule imposed by an occupying military power. It obviously connotes that the government is not legitimate. This is a very dangerous — indeed incendiary — notion to import into the politics of a democratic republic. What it means is that, instead of viewing themselves as the “loyal opposition,” as opposing parties have done in the past, they essentially see themselves in a war to cripple, by any means necessary, a duly elected government. (from p. 6)
and,
The fact of the matter is that, in waging a scorched earth, no-holds-barred war of “Resistance” against this Administration, it is the Left that is engaged in the systematic shredding lf norms and undermining the rule of law. (from p. 8)
AG Barr undoubtedly has a Churchill- and Roosevelt-level understanding of “The Resistance” far better than any of those who would try to subvert the Trump presidency.
Connecticut US Attorney John Durham has very extensive experience successfully prosecuting corrupt public officials including DoJ and FBI officials.
While awful but lawful resistance to government policy is considered protected speech, unlawful resistance is criminal. Both USA Durham and AG Barr are prepared for the challenges of the investigative and prosecutorial tasks facing them. They will work to preserve the rule of law and the will of the voters in overcoming unlawful resistance by Fantasyland-on-the-Potomac’s swamp dwellers, Acela Express carpetbaggers, and the major (in their own minds) national skews media.
Thank you for posting Barr’s statement. You are right, the news is not covering any of this very well in my opinion. However, I am not happy with some of his closing, like “potential disciplinary action.” What does that mean? Another slap on the wrist? Maybe, it was just “bad faith” as Barr has stated, and that will go no where. He should have said, ‘treason.’ It is not strong enough for me, and he might have more credibility if had stated probable ‘pending criminal charges.’
The address is also very educational but, I want action. Biden should be charged immediately. He is gloating in his blatant criminal rhetoric that is right on tape for all of us to watch.
If Wray is very “dismayed” with the handling of the FISA applications, why did he defend the IG? Also, “dismayed” is not nearly strong enough, he should have written ‘furiously angry.’ I know a lot of us are more than “dismayed.” That word is an insult.
The actions of the House and the Democratic Party against Trump represent a ‘cold war’ in many ways between parties or powers. The Democrats are tyrants and we are not doing anything to really stop them, they just keep hammering away. This is disturbing because they are attempting to disenfranchise our elections with runaway criminal actions that are worse than a horror show, because it is real life, and they are in control of our futures. Is President Trump the scapegoat in all of this? Shi**y Schiff seems to have real control of all of his spy tactics even before the FISA warrants.
It is all lip service and a game of semantics in my eyes, at this point. Durham and Barr cannot be passive. Obstruction and Abuse of Power my @ss. This entire charade has been orchestrated down to the release dates and it all floats like a petrified turd.
Comment by Stebbijo — December 10, 2019 @ 4:40 pm
Stebbijo,
Thanks for the always excellent comments.
AG Barr’s and USA Durham’s public remarks must and will be temperate if they are planning to seek grand jury indictments and criminal charges. Similarly, FBI Director Wray was reserved in his comments, because IG Horowitz’s role as IG is purely advisory. Horowitz is not a prosecutor; he is an administrative reviewer who has the authority to compel cooperation only from DoJ employees. There would be no point in Wray attacking Horowitz who had reached the limit of his jurisdiction and authority to act.
I’ve heard some commenters suggesting that Durham’s reserve is an indication that he’s just another swamp dweller. I don’t agree with that at all. Durham has Barr’s backing and as of right now, both of them have President Trump’s backing. People like Barr and Durham get swampy only when their boss is not backing them up. I believe that Barr and Durham both want a lot of swamp dweller body parts and fluids whirlpooling down and out as the swamp is being flushed. Thank goodness Barr is not Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.
Comment by Bill — December 10, 2019 @ 5:07 pm
I certainly hope you are right, again! I just hope Santa drops some coal down some chimneys on Christmas Eve. I am wading thru the FISA report. It is a nightmare but I found the judge’s name on the final application. She did not hold a hearing, but believed there was enough reason to move forward, not sure what that was exactly. Her name is Judge Anne C Conway. The report is full of redactions, big ones. Now we wait, again.
Comment by Stebbijo — December 10, 2019 @ 7:26 pm
The final FISA application was signed by FISC Chief Judge Rosemary Collyer, certified by Comey. I am watching the hearing and my understanding is the Court was defrauded. These judges just rubberstamped (our highest secret Court) everything, even though the information was not valid and did not warrant a real cause to go after Carter Page. Horowitz maintains that there was no bias, but there are numerous emails that prove otherwise. Horowitz said that the information down the road weakened probable cause, but they continued and the Judges just kept signing. However, no “intentional misconduct” was found. Sound familiar?
Horowitz is denying that anyone is at fault. Comey admitted that the entire case was handled thoughtfully and had full confidence in the FISA process, however, Graham asked Horowitz about that, and also if Steele was biased. Horowitz admits the bias needed to be disclosed to the Court which was instrumental in getting the warrant against Page. Any evidence of bias is supposed to be disclosed, Horowitz states there was a duty to report the bias, that they did not, he does not know why. He states there is not a clear record that Comey was biased.
The 2nd and 3rd renewal, they told the Court that they interviewed the Steele sources and they were credible but did not provide the Court any information, but states the info was “misleading” to the Court. Graham, states they “lied” to the Court. McCabe handpicked the folks who handled this farce. Then, the altering of the email by the CIA, a lawyer that worked with the agents on the FISA on the last application and following Carter going to news outlets. The lawyer discussed it with the “agent” but altered it to include “not a source” .. so the CIA denies he is a source. Clinesmith altered the email .. who also states, “Viva la Resistance”. The second and third warrants, Horowitz states he would not have personally submitted the rest of the applications. He states they “certainly” “misleading” of the Court. The Dept. of Justice did not fairly treat the applications, he also admits. I will stop now, but I am impressed at this point with Horowitz’s testimony .. until someone else gets a hold of him from the Democrat side, that is ..like Feinstein.
Graham, asking if there was a point that the spying on Carter was illegal? Why did they doctor the email?
This entire charade is treason.
Comment by Stebbijo — December 11, 2019 @ 4:23 am
I watched almost all of it .. had to go to the store tho. Amazing hearing. I am fully informed. Horowitz, I need to give complete credit to for remaining as neutral as possible. The news media painted him as a bad guy, and I did not see that in this hearing. His report may have been worth the wait.
Comment by Stebbijo — December 11, 2019 @ 1:24 pm
Stebbijo,
As the DoJ IG, Horowitz had to be as objective and unbiased and thorough and accurate as he could possibly be in order to produce the kind of investigative report that would truly help the AG identify and correct all the wrong things in the US Department of Justice. If you’re an agency head responsible for fixing a broken agency like the US DoJ is, you really want your investigator to deliver evidence and information that is timely, accurate, complete, and objective. I think that both AG Barr and USA Durham fully expect grand jury indictments to be produced. When you consider that those to be indicted could include a former President and several of his White House staff and at least one member of his Cabinet, that former President’s Vice President who is now also a presidential candidate, a former First Lady and Secretary of State, at least one and possibly two former Attorneys General, a few Deputy Attorneys General, a former Direction of National Intelligence, a former CIA Director, the former Director of the FBI and several of his cohorts on his Mahogany Row, and an assortment of DoJ Main Justice attorneys, you begin to get a feel for the gravity of the criminal activity engaged in and covered up by the Obama administration. They don’t like President Trump’s, AG Barr’s, or USA Durham’s unwillingness to turn their heads away from institutional corruption in US government agencies. That includes Congress and the Courts.
Aside from these several direct actors, the “failure of duty” accomplice stick should also point at the various members and committees of Congress who had a duty to oversee government agencies including the US DoJ and its component agencies. Any Fool on the Hill who rubber-stamped a DoJ budget or Presidential appointment nominee without diligently examining and questioning them should hang his or her head in shame. They contributed to the cancerous deterioration of the US DoJ. (As I’ve noted before, Idaho’s two US Senators happily rubber-stamped Hillary Clinton’s nomination to be Obama’s Secretary of State, thereby giving Hillary Clinton a platform of influence and empowering her influence peddling.)
Comment by Bill — December 11, 2019 @ 4:07 pm