Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

FBI Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 09, 2016 128 Comments
Suspension of disbelief is the term that came to mind when I watched FBI Director James Comey's decision to recommend no charges against Hillary. As Comey went through the litany of Hillary's misdeeds, lies, defalcations of duty, extreme carelessness, cunning and risks to national security, Comey made the case for any of a series of charges against Hillary. Then, with the reputation of the FBI about to be vindicated, Comey dropped the dreaded "however." In House testimony, Comey again confirmed every factual point demanding prosecution, yet defended his decision not to recommend charges because he was treating Hillary just like he would any other citizen. Can anyone seriously claim, as Comey has, that Hillary was treated as any other citizen would? It's laughable and requires the suspension of disbelief. Either Comey is the dumbest person on earth, or he thinks we are.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 06, 2016 20 Comments
You might want to have a looped soundtrack of fingernails on a blackboard cued up . . . Because you could be clamoring for something relatively soothing like that after listening to Hillary's attempt at stand-up comedy. With All Due Respect opened today's show with a clip of Hillary trying to use humor to attack Donald Trump, as she stood in front of one his shuttered Atlantic City casinos. But the humor fell so flat, and was delivered in such a grating tone, that WADR put its own seal of . . . disapproval on the performance by following each "joke" with a classic "wha wha" or other sarcastic sound. Co-host John Heilemann delivered the  coup de grâce, acerbically saying: "oh boy, spontaneous humor abounding in Atlantic City."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 06, 2016 7 Comments
Hillary gets a pass from the FBI despite overwhelming evidence that she and her minions mishandled classified information and most of America is all ¯_(ツ)_/¯. Throughout the investigation, we've noted the abundance of inconsistencies in Hillary's ever-changing story, and there have been many. Yesterday, the RNC released a video highlighting Hillary's five biggest email lies and it's pretty perfect.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 06, 2016 8 Comments
Bernie Sanders supporters have been clinging to a hope that if the FBI recommended indictment for Hillary Clinton, there was a chance the Democratic Party would dump her and nominate Bernie instead. That hope ended this week. Now that the FBI has let her off the hook, nothing will stop her nomination. Many Bernie supporters are disgusted and who could blame them? CNN reports:
Sanders supporters melt down over FBI's Clinton decision It's not only Donald Trump and Republicans expressing their indignation at the FBI's decision not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton over her handling of classified materials on a private email server.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 06, 2016 21 Comments
Last night, I emailed our Legal Insurrection leader Bill Jacobson to say I was counting on Joe Scarborough to have his finest moment this morning in light of the fiasco of the failure of the FBI to recommend the indictment of Hillary Clinton. This morning, Scarborough rose to the occasion. With significant support from Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe's opening segment was one long blast at Hillary -- for doing what she did with her email and lying about it -- at James Comey -- for failing to indict -- and at President Obama -- for putting his thumb on the scale on Hillary's behalf. There were many noteworthy moments that you will find in the video montage we've assembled. One highlight: Scarborough says that while he doesn't question Comey's integrity, "I question his courage."

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 06, 2016 16 Comments
Trump surrogates have been accused of debasing themselves by supporting The Donald. But have any sunk so low as poor Harold Ford, Jr., the Hillary surrogate who humiliated himself today on national TV? Appearing on With All Due Respect, former Dem congressman Ford, disagreed with Rudy Giuliani's statement made earlier in the day that Hillary Clinton could not get a security clearance given FBI Director Comey's conclusion that she acted "extremely carelessly" in the handling of classified material. When Ford claimed that if he were Attorney General, he would hire Hillary for a sensitive position involving national security, it seemed that host Mark Halperin could be heard, off camera, literally laughing in his face. Remind us never to hire Ford as Attorney General.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 05, 2016 61 Comments
FBI Director James Comey delivered the verdict on Hillary Clinton today - not guilty by reason of ... of ... of .... There are a lot of details on why this was a miscarriage of justice. The best starting place is Andy McCarthy's column at National Review, FBI Rewrites Federal Law to Let Hillary Off the Hook. But those are mere details. Important details, critical details, details worth writing about -- but not the big picture. Noah Rothman at Commentary wrote:
No amount of cynicism could have prepared Americans for what they witnessed on Tuesday morning, and 2016 has not been short on cynicism.
Getting closer. The best truly big picture view I saw was from Karol Markowicz, a columnist for the NY Post and an ex-Soviet who moved the the United States as a child. In response to the Comey verdict, Markowicz tweeted out a statement as to how others who came from the USSR expected no other result:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 05, 2016 81 Comments
Despite describing Hillary's email debacle as "completely careless," the FBI announced earlier today it would not recommend prosecution. Professor Jacobson covered the decision in more detail here. Surprising? Not really. Maddening? Hell yes it is. Responses across the political spectrum are trickling in and Speaker Ryan minced no words, rejecting Clinton's "pattern of dishonesty and poor judgement":

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 05, 2016 127 Comments
FBI Director James Comey gave an on-camera press statement today from FBI headquarters, and is taking questions from reporters off camera. Despite finding serious problems and carelessness in handling classified information, rejecting claims that such information must be "marked" classified, and likelihood of foreign hacking, Comey says no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case because no bad intent. Somewhere, David Petreaus and dozens of others prosecuted in the past are crying. Legal Insurrection readers called it: https://legalinsurrection.com/2016/07/will-fbi-recommend-prosecuting-hillary-reader-poll/ (Full Text of Comey Statement at bottom of post)

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2016 84 Comments
So much speculation lately. From Loretta Lynch's impromptu, it-just-happened, guess-who-I-bumped-into private sit down with Bill Clinton, her saying she's staying out of it but maybe not, to Hillary's interview with the FBI, to supposed leaks by "sources" in both directions. The QUESTION IS NOT whether you want the FBI to recommend Hillary be prosecuted. The QUESTION IS whether you think the FBI will recommend Hillary be prosecuted.

Get it? The Reader Poll question is not what you want to happen, but what you think will happen.

It's Yes or No. A time for choosing. No "undecided" allowed. Make a choice, the FBI has to.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on July 02, 2016 58 Comments
Hillary's long-awaited date night with the FBI apparently took place this morning in Washington D.C. and lasted for 3 1/2 hours. ABC News reports:
Hillary Clinton gave a "voluntary interview" to the FBI today regarding her email arrangements while she was secretary of state, her campaign says. "Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was Secretary," spokesman Nick Merrill said. "She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion. Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview." The interview occurred at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and lasted approximately three and a half hours, according to a Clinton aide.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 01, 2016 65 Comments
Who's even more powerful than the king? The person who gets to pick the king. And as of this morning that person is, quite possibly, FBI Director James Comey. Today's Morning Joe reported breaking news from the New York Times: Attorney General Loretta Lynch has decided that she will accept the recommendation of the FBI regarding its investigation of Hillary Clinton's e-mails. If Comey recommends against an indictment of Hillary, that would lift a huge cloud that has been dragging her candidacy down. It would put Hillary in a very strong position to become the next president. But should Comey recommend the indictment of Hillary, her candidacy would effectively be destroyed. Dems might scramble to replace her as their candidate, but in any case Donald Trump would be well-positioned to win the election.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 25, 2016 23 Comments
Governor David Ige of Hawaii has signed into law a bill that requires gun owners in that state to be registered in an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an Hawaii resident is arrested in another state. Fox News reports:
Hawaii signed a bill Thursday to become the first state to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country. Gov. David Ige said in a statement that the legislation is about community safety and responsible gun ownership. He said it will help law enforcement agencies protect Hawaii residents and visitors.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 23, 2016 14 Comments
Virginia's Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe is in a bit of hot water. Monday, CNN was the first to report McAuliffe was under the FBI and Justice Department microscope. At the center of the investigation -- whether certain donations to his election campaign were extra-legal. McAuliffe served as a board member for former President Clinton's Clinton Global Initiative. His time there is also part of the federal investigation.
Accessibility by WAH