At the beginning of the week AG Barr very publicly stated that he "doesn't expect" criminal charges against Obama and Biden. But that was very quickly followed by the bombshell Rice declassification. The Rice email-to-self, far from exonerating Obama (as Rice must have intended), shows Obama very closely involved with the coup conspirators--plotting against Flynn and thus against Trump himself.
Was Barr sending an equally public message to Obama? If so, that message may have run something like this:
"Look, as a former president we can give you a pass on your involvement and confine our criminal charges to the triumvirate: Brennan, Clapper, Comey. We're prepared to do that, but know this: If you don't back off from public interference with our investigation, life could get a lot more unpleasant for you going forward. Don't count on us not having more than just the Rice email. And know from this--the revelation of the Rice email--that we're ready to use what we have. It's up to you."
Bill Barr is the guy who's ultimately in charge of all this. He's AG, and he guides Durham. He also has authority over all declassifications. When Grenell shows up at Main Justice with a satchel of "stuff", count on it--it's all been carefully calibrated and orchestrated. None of this--not the events and not the timing--is happening by coincidence.
I want a weekly declass party.
ReplyDeleteWhy not? Let's be honest, even with an ironclad criminal case Obama is untouchable.
The target needs to be his legacy, and the audience is the future historian. That was the stated goal for Kavanaugh, and he was innocent. Obama needs to be as fully exposed as possible for the abusive president that he was.
I just added another paragraph.
DeleteAgree with mistcr that Obama will not be indicted, and that his legacy (aside from all the garbage before this #obamagate business), should leave no doubt that he probably should have been indicted. There will likely be many others involved in these schemes that will also not face criminal charges. They also need to be fully exposed, such that they can never again snake into positions of power in future democratic (or republican) administrations.
ReplyDeleteebeast
Probably un-indicted co-conspirator.
DeleteRob S
In my mind, I've vacillated between charging Obama and Biden. I'm well aware of our tradition of not charging our political opponents. But, the POTUS/VPOTUS actions are so patently illegal and oppressive. I can settle for Obama and Biden getting off, legally speaking, if some lefties like Schumer and Pelosi acknowledge their wrongdoing. Not that I'm expecting it.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I still continue to be sometimes and naive and gullible. So, here's a possibly 'dumb' question. Is there any chance of Trump working a backroom deal along the lines of "You (Obama/Biden) admit your wrongdoing and I'll guarantee you a pardon'? This would properly hold POTUS/VPOTUS accountable while respecting our tradition of not punishing our opponents. And, it's way more than they deserve.
Finally, I expect the Dems to exact revenge when they gain power unless The People really spank them hard in November. Like I said recently, reelect DJT, 65 R senators and 280 R congressmen, more good judges, justices, governors, etc.
"admit your wrongdoing and I'll guarantee you a pardon'.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
Truth, *then* reconciliation!
Barr stated:
ReplyDelete“As to President Obama and VP Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don't expect Mr. Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man.
Tomorrow is another day. As is next week, next month.
I think I've previously observed that I think the reason Rice waited until Jan. 20 to memorialize the Jan. 5 meeting is because she thought there was a chance Trump wouldn't be sworn in, and therefore they'd be no reason to write the memo.
ReplyDeleteNormal protocol would be memorializing the briefing on short order so that follow-on meetings wouldn't overwhelm the record and timeline of events.
What else explains the 2-week delay? Surely, the Jan. 5 meeting was not the last that Rice attended, recorded, diarized, memorialized, or made some note about...
It would definitely have been the kind of meeting concerning which the less put in writing the better.
DeleteExactly. The emphasis on "by the book" when little appears as such, is a big clue.
DeleteA write-up a day later in entirely vague terms with lots of boilerplate would have the appearance of a bureaucratic nothing burger. Instead, this...
How many are willing to take the fall for Obama?
ReplyDeleteEveryone who operated on Obama's behalf in the hoax/coup. There isn't a single former member of the Obama administration who has come forward in an attempt to set-the-record-straight, or otherwise clear up the malfeasance, abuse of power, and increasingly probable criminal conduct.
DeleteHere's hoping the ends-justify-the-means crowd gets a lesson.
So why would Comey (who, despite being a dirty cop, was also a very smart dirty cop) take on the risk of persecuting Mike Flynn after Trump's election to the presidency? In the aftermath of the Jan. 5, 2017 meeting with Obama, Comey conducted a blackmail sting attempt on Trump at Trump Tower, authorized Strzok/Pientka to ambush Flynn, leaked his incriminating memos to the WP via his attorney friend, and continued the fraudulent FISA on Page.
ReplyDeleteClearly, in retrospect, he would have been better served if he backed off on Flynn and gone dark while remaining in control of the FBI. Like the other Obama holdover Fifth Columnists remaining in the Executive Branch, he could have done far more damage operating from the shadows.
Answer. Brennan's backdoor spying operation turned up some serious dirt on Comey and was holding it over his head. But the real question is . . . is Comey tougher than Durham? I don't think so.
Rather than speculate about blackmail, I'm willing to believe that Comey made the following calculation:
DeleteTrump is facing virtually universal bi-partisan opposition in DC--in Congress, in the Judiciary, and in the Executive Branch--as we lead up to the inauguration. He doesn't stand a chance of lasting, and Flynn looks politically unsophisticated enough that he could be used to inflict a potentially mortal wound on Trump. If I back the Deep State and Establishment resistance and Trump is either forced out or gets his wings severely clipped my stock will soar to almost unthinkable heights.
He made that calculation and lost.
I agree the speculation is just a little too wild. If Comey was am unwilling co-conspirator, he would have come clean eventually and helped to take down Brennan. Nothing about his public conduct suggests that...
DeleteI think it's also important to factor into his calculation that he thought he had the ability to take down the president.
We all know this, but somehow very few congressmen and senators have figured out how perilous this is to our republic. The bureaucracy needs to be reeled in, redesigned, etc. It shouldn't matter that it happened to Trump.
The next president, whoever and whenever that is, will have every incentive to line everyone up and execute them. Remind us of anyone? Not that I think that is happening today or tomorrow, but we should not fool ourselves into thinking it can not happen here.
"will have every incentive to line everyone up and execute them. Remind us of anyone?"
DeleteIf by "them", you mean the D.S. brass, and if by "anyone", you mean Uncle Joe (vs. e.g. Yezhov, Yagoda, etc.), why shouldn't it happen in, say, five years?
Good post - Part of this declassification was aimed to counter efforts to de-legitimize the DOJ by Obama Supporters, by saying Barr is a political hatchet man of Trump.
ReplyDeleteAnother is Judge Sullivan, and the DC Court of Appeals.
I would like to know what happened in the 2nd meeting with the smaller crowd.
ReplyDeleteA couple of thoughts, FWIW:
ReplyDeleteRe Barr – the jury is still out on him. Regarding declassification, he’s had 18 months and produced nothing, in contrast to Grenell, who has set off bombs. Dropping the Flynn case was NOT his doing -as Sundance has documented, it was a forced move, a consequence of the FISC order to sequestrate the fruit of the poisoned Page FISA.
It is entirely possible that Barr and Durham are toothless, and are simply there to keep the masses (i.e. us) at bay, until Nov 3rd. It is possible that Barr’s consistent effusive praise of Wray, his seeming friendliness with Rosenstein, and his past relationship with Mueller, are his true colours.
Yes, he did drop the SCO quickly, but that’s because the job was done anyway – a blue wave in Nov. ’18.
Barr was not communicating with Obama. If anyone, it is Trump communicating with Obama via Grenell.
Which jury is that?
DeleteSo you really think that Grenell is doing these declasses without coordinating with the guy to whom Trump gave overall declass authority? Right.
"Sundance has documented"--gimme a break.
Sorry, looks like you've drunk the Koolaid.
I don't agree with Barr on all policy matters, but Barr is without question one of the top litigators of his generation. The fact that he shows his hand when it suits his purposes, rather than the purposes of the people who run CTH, confirms that.
The DNI is free pretty much to declass what he pleases when he pleases. Trump giving the Attorney General authority to declass and release documents in no way limited any other Department in their legitimate responsibilities or prerogatives.
DeleteSeems to me I've read that Grenell is doing the declass redactions but Barr is doing the releases that may bear on ongoing investigations (I've seen nothing to indicate that they are not working as a team). Isn't that what the drama of Grenell delivering the ominous "satchel of documents" to DoJ was all about, or was he just passing by and stop in to use the men's room?
There's nothing necessarily wrong with thinking highly of Sundance as long as you recognize that you'll never think as highly of Sundance as Sundance does.
Tom S.
I stated that there was coordination going on and I stick to that. The mere fact of Grenell showing up with his satchel is proof of that.
DeleteMy other point is that sundance has been wrong in the past, not infrequently, but never ever admits it.
"...but never ever admits it."
DeleteThe point of my last paragraph.
To make my meaning clearer I should have written, "...Grenell is doing the declass redactions but Barr is doing/approving the actual releasing...."
In other words Grenell is digging out interesting stuff and Barr is checking to see if it is an appropriate time to release vis-Ã -vis the investigations.
Tom S.
But I don't think that's what's going on at all--that "Grenell is digging out interesting stuff." Rather, I think Barr/Durham are telling him what the interesting stuff they want released now is, and Grenell is doing it. There's no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Barr/Durham have had all that stuff in the queue for a long time. Now is the time they've decided on, and Grenell was put in to do that job. Now I hope they give him another job where he can raise some more hell.
Delete