Grassley, Johnson Demand Answers From DOJ Over Missing Texts
“It sure looks like a bureaucratic game of hide the ball, rather than a genuine concern about national security.”
Text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page came to light last month due to the anti-Trump rhetoric involved. Now the FBI claims that the department “failed to preserve” five months of text messages between them.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) have sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to demand answers over the missing text messages between Strzok and Page.
The letter includes nine questions, including seven parts to one question over the FBI’s explanation that a technical error “prevented the texts from being archived in the FBI’s records preservation system.” They asked:
Grassley reminded the DOJ that a letter from the department “suggested that DOJ OIG received all text messages between Ms. Page and Mr. Strzok from November 30, 2016 to July 28, 2017.”
During a speech on the Senate floor, Grassley lashed out at the FBI and DOJ. From Fox News:
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley on Wednesday accused the FBI and the Justice Department of hiding information from the public about the Russia investigation and dossier author Christopher Steele, signaling a further deterioration of the relationship between the GOP and the DOJ.
“It sure looks like a bureaucratic game of hide the ball, rather than a genuine concern about national security,” Grassley said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The Iowa Republican said the department was using false classification labels to stop the release of information related to his criminal referral to the Justice Department of Steele, the former British spy who authored the infamous dossier of unverified claims about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “requested the criminal referral of [former British spy Christopher] Steele after discovering ‘discrepancies'” with different testimonies and the dossier against then-candidate Donald Trump. Steele authored the dossier.
Due to the latest revelation, Grassley “wants to release the ‘unclassified portions’ of his referral, but the DOJ and the FBI are preventing him from doing so, because the ‘FBI is falsely claiming that three of our unclassified paragraphs each contain the same, single classified fact.'” Fox News continued:
“If FBI really believed this fact was classified, then the FBI and the department should take better care to act consistent with that belief,” Grassley said. “Unfortunately, I suspect something else is really going on here.”
Grassley said he doesn’t believe the fact at issue is classified for several reasons, including how Rosenstein discussed it “with me more than once in unsecure space and on an unsecure phone line.”
He also said that the FBI is not acting as if this information would harm national security if released, and that other entities who received the memo were never contacted by the FBI to tell them it was classified.
“Those particular paragraphs are based on nongovernment sources and do not claim to repeat or confirm any information from any government document. Even if those portions of our referral did reference the allegedly classified fact at issue, it is hard to understand why that fact should be classified.”
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[Grassley] also said that the FBI is not acting as if this information would harm national security if released, and that other entities who received the memo were never contacted by the FBI to tell them it was classified.
I wonder whether we haven’t reached the point where Grassley should just release it — the FBI be damned — and dare that bunch of seditious criminals to prosecute him.
Easier said than done.
Acquittal: Tom DeLay’s Conviction Overturned
There’s a real and progressive risk, even for high ranking politicians, to resist the social order.
Is there a patriot among them?
During the American Revolution:
Nathan Hale: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death.”
These days:
John Boehner: “I absolutely trust barack obama.”
Mitch McConnell: ” Most Americans have the common sense to recognize that FISA and every other tool we have used in this fight are worth making permanent.”
Disgraced former president barack obama: “We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad.” “The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.” “I bowled a 129. It’s like — it was like Special Olympics, or something.” “I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances.” “John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith…” “Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s.” “On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today.” “”I’ve now been in 57 states — I think one left to go.” “…they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion…” “Come on! I just answered, like, eight questions.” –exasperated by reporters after a news conference. And finally: “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
Paul Ryan: “That is something that we think we should do in the light of day, through Congress.”
Disgraced obama adviser Susan Rice: [deserter and coward, Bowe Bergdahl] “served with honor and distinction.” “I didn’t do nothing!”
Disgraced former obama secretary of state hillary klinton: “We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”
Crazy Nancy Pelosi: “Pass the bill to find out what’s in it.”
Turbin Dubin: “We believe — and we stand by this — if you like your current health insurance plan, you will be able to keep it, plain and simple, straightforward.” “Judge Marovitz used to say that his mother believed that President Lincoln was Jewish. After all, his first name was Abraham, and then, to confirm it, she learned that John Wilkes Booth shot him in the temple.”
Interesting to think if all the :::cough cough::: missing texts are directly related to this issue also….
“…Why Clinton Email Scandal Was Protected By President Obama Communication…
“Obviously President Obama could be at risk within the unlawful Secretary Clinton use of unauthorized and non-secure email controls. President Obama previously stated he had no knowledge of Secretary Clinton using non-governmental email.
Transparently, the fact that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were emailing each other, indicates President Obama did in fact know of Clinton’s email account structure. The electronic communication between Clinton and Obama now becomes a risk…..
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/24/andrew-mccarthy-discusses-why-clinton-email-scandal-was-protected-by-president-obama-communication/
Ruh Roh!!!!
Can you say lyin’ dirty Democrat Dictator Lovas!!!???
“Adam Schiff and Dianne Feinstein Demand Twitter Investigate #ReleaseTheMemo…
“The desperation of democrats has crossed into ludicrous world. Rep. Adam Schiff and Senator Dianne Feinstein have written a letter to Facebook and Twitter demanding an immediate investigation into the strong support of the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign.
If you thought CNN was absurd last year when they spent eight months investigating the 2016 election results and determined a conspiracy behind the mobile ap ‘Pokemon-Go’ was a factor in causing Hillary Clinton to lose, well, Shiff-for-brains and DiFi apparently have one-upped that conspiracy.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/23/adam-schiff-and-dianne-feinstein-demand-twitter-investigate-releasethememo/
“Keep in mind these Democrats are the ranking members of the House Intelligence Committee (Schiff), and Senate Judiciary Committee (Feinstein). Think about that.”
Ibib.
SEDITION.
And there is no privilege that will fully protect either of them.
I think things are getting to the point that Trump is going to hae to fire both Rosenstein and Wray, and probably the entire top echelon of both the DOJ and the FBI.
At this point, it’s appropriate. Same as firing Herr Mueller.
They ought to let Sessions announce it and deal with the democrat media.
Btw, Senator Grassley: this isn’t a game.
“Hide the ball” is cute. Sedition is not.
This is a conspiracy of sedition and punishable by DECADES in prison for each perpetrator, including disgraced former presidents barack obama and bill clinton.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2384
I agree with you, FineReport, and would add that much of the narrative coming from Republicans and supposed conservatives surrounding these scandals is badly off-target. To give just one example, Fox News tends to complain of “double standards” in the enforcement of the applicable laws, as if a satisfactory outcome would be for all violators of those laws to get off scott-free like Hillary. What we want — I should hope — is the enforcement of those laws, period, not the impartial nonenforcement of them.
They’re not on our side.
They never will be any more than crazy pelosi will.
We just have to use our power as the base (the GOPe has no voting base itself) and vote them out of office.
You wouldn’t hire the likes of Susan Collins to teach your kids, or Lindsay Graham to be your remodel contractor, or McConnell to un-stuff your toilet – so why are we hiring them to run our country?
As a related aside, AG Sessions has announced that he is investigating the FBI “failure to preserve” these sensitive text messages. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-says-we-will-leave-no-stone-unturned-to-find-missing-fbi-text-messages/2018/01/22/2b319ffc-ffcd-11e7-9d31-d72cf78dbeee_story.html
I really think that you are underestimating Sessions, Fine, and/or that you have unrealistic expectations about how fast these things work. Remember, Nixon got reelected during the Watergate scandal; it took years to get to the point that he actually resigned. The wheels of justice grind slowly in this country, and that is to our good. And just a bit of food for thought: Nixon was president, but the Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate. They were going to impeach and convict him. He was forced out because, and only because, he did not have Congressional numbers to stop impeachment and conviction. That is the power of the majority.
Your anti-GOP principles are fine, but not very realistic if you really want Trump to affect positive change. Failing to support any Republican in November is a travesty that, should the Dems win the House (and the Senate is increasingly in their reach), they will impeach Trump. He’ll be gone, but you’ll have the pleasure of knowing that you kept the swamp at maximum operating capacity because you didn’t approve of the GOP establishment and think they are the problem (though if they keep the House and Senate, they will never impeach Trump as long as we, the people, are behind him. Frankly, I don’t see how they impeach / convict a president of their own party, no matter what we think).
So, your way, we lose Congress, Trump is impeached by the Democrat House, and loses any political capital he still had after a midterm drubbing. Compounded, Trump is not only impeached by a Democrat House but is convicted and removed from office by a Democrat Senate. But hey, principles (remember those things you are so quick to belittle and mock in conservatives?). Trump is booted out if your plan is manifested. Winning? Woo and Hoo!?
Fuzzy, Nixon was culpable!
What did Trump do illegally – nothing!
This is sedition. And it is a wide conspiracy.
This is what sedition looks like. It is surreal to face, but we face it nonetheless.
If Sessions has a plan, he’s failing in the PR was: the ongoing fraud of Herr Mueller’s swamp sham appears ‘normal.’ It ain’t – its the stuff off fascist countries.
By the time.Sessions executes his ‘plan,’ American ignoramuses will have it in their minds that Trump ‘colluded’ with the Russians, no mattet how exposed that lie is.
If the GOPe loses the house, they will have lost it because they sold us out.
If the left tries to remove Trump from office, you will see a civil war or a military coup – keeping Trump in power.
Being a bunch of corrupt girlie-men has consequences.
Blame them, not us. Hold their smelly feet to the fire, not ours.
May their bartenders poison all of them.
Boehners bartender tries to poison him:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/13/john-boehner-plot-ohio-bartender-michael-hoyt-inte/
Fuzzy, I am not anti GOP.I am anti GOPe.
There is a world of difference.
The GOP is our party. The GOPe is a group of frauds selling out our counrty for a few bucks and some vanity. They are
often a sub-party of the democrats, and generally, a group of hogs being led around the nose by the.democrat media.
Ted Cruz is GOP. McCain is GOPe. So is mcconnell. So is ryan.
I would like to see them fired simultaneously, each handed one of those cardboard tote boxes made just for such occasions, given 10 minutes to gather personal belongings, and have those belongings subject to search. That would include any personal electronics like mobiles and smart-watches.
Great idea: but follow it with a perp walk.
Well… yeah! :-{)}}}
Amazing coincidence that the texts covering the period of time where the most investigation is needed just happen to be the ones that vanished without a trace.
and they just happened to all start working on the day that Mueller’s investigation officially began. That’s one serious coincidence there.
The messages themselves must be more damaging than the damage caused by “losing” them.
But Texts and Emails and IMs are ForEvah!!!!!!!
Can we get Shirley Bassey to re-record “Diamonds are Forever” using the words “Texts are forever?”
I’m not following the logic here.
“Please explain to us why you’re not cooperating with the investigation”
“Nah, I don’t think I will”.
Is this just more Failure Theater?
“Is it true that you’re a lying liar?”
“No”
Here’s a theory. We wanted a regime change in Syria (part of the “Arab Spring” a la Libya, Egypt). Russia was bribed with Uranium One. We start a civil war in Syria. Russia threatens to intervene in Syria. We start a civil war in Ukraine. Iran is bribed with the release of frozen assets. Russia intervenes in Syria. Trump becomes a viable candidate for President. The establishment is desperate to elect a president friendly to their cause, decides to stage a propaganda campaign to smear Trump, but Americans questioned the credibility of the traditional methods (e.g. allegations of immoral orientation and behavior, anti-American sentiment) and messengers. Failing to prevent the election of Trump, they have staged a progressive coup to either remove or neutralize the President.
Yup.
Schumer to McMconnell: “Can’t you do anything about this guy?? He’s going to expose everthing!”
McConnell: “We’re hiring boehner’s bartender at the White House.”
The problem we’re having is one of accountability. People do bad things, and they’re never punished. If you want to change that, start punishing people.
If you find that there’s some impediment to punishing wrong-doers, find out what it is and remove it.
“If you find that there’s some impediment to punishing wrong-doers, find out what it is and remove it….”
Start here:
THE TOP 25 RINOS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED:
1. Paul Ryan
Representative from WI
18 years in DC
2. John McCain
Senator from AZ
30 years in DC
3. Lisa Murkowski
Senator from AK
14 years in DC
4. Lindsey Graham
Senator from SC
14 years in DC
5. Thad Cochran
Senator from MS
38 years in DC
6. Mitch McConnell
Senator from KY
32 years in DC
7. Orrin Hatch
Senator from UT
40 years in DC
8. Kevin McCarthy
Representative from CA
10 years in DC
9. Lamar Alexander
Senator from TN
14 years in DC
10. Bob Corker
Senator from TN
10 years in DC
11, Susan Collins
Senator from ME
20 years in DC
12. Tom Cole
Representative from OK
14 years in DC
13. Jeff Flake
Senator from AZ
4 years in DC
14. John Cornyn
Senator from TX
14 years in DC
15. Peter King
Representative from NY
24 years in DC
16. Mike Simpson
Representative from ID
18 years in DC
17. Harold Rogers
Representative from KY
36 years in DC
18. Don Young
Representative from AK
43 years in DC
19. Rob Portman
Senator from OH
6 years in DC
20. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Representative from WA
12 years in DC
21. Johnny Isakson
Senator from GA
12 years in DC
22. Richard Burr
Senator from NC
12 years in DC
23. Charlie Dent
Representative from PA
12 years in DC
24. Susan Brooks
Representative from IN
4 years in DC
25 Shelley Capito
Senator from WV
16 years in DC
Why only 25?
Add to it-please!
RINO = just another Lyin’ Democrat!
Wake me up when somebody gets held accountable.
You’d be wise to stay in tne fray. You might just lose your country if you dont.
My thumb hit down, sorry.
I wanted to say to your list, that they are diversity protected among other means, such as name recognition, money etc. diversity protection simply means I am unable to effect removal of any of them. Each and every State or Commonwealth must individually remove those on the list. That means taking on the political organizations in each State. Here in Massachusetts, we weren’t even allowed to send our elected representatives from our caucuses to Florida because of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. So unless there is an incredible increase in political awareness and agreement that primarying sitting republican officials is the path out of this dilemma, we have to work with those that call themselves our leaders.
I agree with you again, Fine. I value the rule of law: I reside in a foreign country where representative government has become a bad joke because the rule of law is a corrupt farce. Therefore, although I’m not particularly conservative, and although I despise Trump, I know that this is no time to sit on the sidelines.
The FBI’s and DOJ’s conduct is seditious, and perhaps even treasonous. All of the hand-wringing and boo-hooing over the possible national-security consequences of releasing the memo overlooks the fact “national security” includes security against domestic enemies of the Constitution, as well as foreign enemies of the nation. The information now available gives strong evidence that the FBI and DOJ are hiding behind “national security” to shield their own, real subversion of the Republic.
So, release the memo, and the FBI and DOJ be damned.
So let me understand – 50k missing texts from Strzok/Page (forget the other that are missing) That’s over a period of 5 months – that’s 326.797xxx per day 50k divided by 153 days – if it takes 1/2 a minute for each that a lot of time isn’t it – they get paid for this!!! Wow, if I were still working I’d love a job like that.