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FBI Tag

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.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on May 14, 2016 13 Comments
Hillary Clinton and her surrogates have been describing the FBI investigation into her private email server as a "security review" or "security inquiry."  That narrative, however, has been dismantled by FBI Director James Comey. Hillary appeared on the Today Show last month and laughed at the preposterous idea that she might be indicted and told host Matt Lauer that "there is not even the remotest chance that is going to happen" because the FBI investigation is just a "security review." The Washington Free Beacon reports:
“Do you think the FBI and the Justice Department write you a letter and say it was a misunderstanding? We’re sorry, carry on?” Lauer said. “Well, we’re certainly going to carry on. I think it’s a security review,” Clinton said. “It is a security review and there are lots of those that are conducted in our government all the time and you don’t hear about most of them. You hear about this one because, you know, it does involve me, so that’s why it gets so much attention.”
Comey, however, said this week that he has no idea what that means in terms of the FBI.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 21, 2016 15 Comments
The FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email account and home-brewed server won't be wrapping up anytime soon. Nor is the Democratic convention a consideration in the timeliness of the investigation. NBC reported FBI Director James Comey's remarks Thursday afternoon:
Asked about the case today at a security conference in London, he said, "Somebody asked me if the Democratic National Convention is a hard stop or a key date for you? Are you doing this aimed at that? And I said, no.

Posted by Mike LaChance on April 11, 2016 6 Comments
Hillary Clinton no longer has to feel singled out for being investigated by the FBI. She is now joined by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Mayor Bill de Blasio Defends Fundraising as Probe Widens New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his fundraising activities on Sunday after reports surfaced about a federal investigation into the matter, and said neither he nor his aides have been contacted by investigators. “Everything we’ve done is appropriate and carefully done with many, many lawyers, I assure you,” Mr. de Blasio said during an interview on NBC.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2016 29 Comments
President Obama has a history of publicly defending Hillary Clinton on her email scandal, and he did it again today on Fox News Sunday. Such public statements in and of themselves are improper political interference in agencies that report to the President. In a 60 Minutes interview in October 2015, Obama pretty much signaled Justice to lay off Hillary (emphasis added):
Steve Kroft: Did you know about Hillary Clinton’s use of private email server– President Barack Obama: No. Steve Kroft: –while she was Secretary of State? President Barack Obama: No.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 03, 2016 45 Comments
There have been multiple news reports over the past weeks about the intensity and seriousness of the FBI investigation into Hillary's use of a private server. The possibly unlawful mishandling of classified information is one issue. But it goes beyond that. Hillary set up a shadow electronic government exclusively under her control in what was an apparent conspiracy to evade not only the Freedom of Information Act but also various national security precautions. If Hillary wasn't a Clinton, and if she wasn't the leading Democratic candidate, an indictment would be close to a certainty.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 31, 2016 39 Comments
The Hillary Clinton email scandal has been kicking around since March 2015. There has been a drip, drip, drip of inconsistencies in her story and justifications for creating a shadow electronic government controlled by Hillary and her operatives.  The slow flow of identification of classified information on emails, including those sent by her, now has become a flood. The FBI probe, so frequently dismissed by Hillary as a non-event and nothing to worry about, now has become worrisome. The FBI appears to be rolling up her underlings, including her key technical consultant who was hired by the State Department as a political appointee. And interviews are underway or soon to be underway with key Hillary associates. Now David Shuster, formerly of MSNBC now with al-Jazeera America (please hold off on the "what's the difference" jokes), reports that Hillary will be interviewed.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on March 29, 2016 21 Comments
Despite her nonchalance about the issue, Hillary Clinton's email problems are not going away.  The FBI investigation has entered a new phase as the FBI is set to interview Hillary's longtime and closest aides. The Los Angeles Times reports:
Federal prosecutors investigating the possible mishandling of classified materials on Hillary Clinton’s private email server have begun the process of setting up formal interviews with some of her longtime and closest aides, according to two people familiar with the probe, an indication that the inquiry is moving into its final phases. Those interviews and the final review of the case, however, could still take many weeks, all but guaranteeing that the investigation will continue to dog Clinton’s presidential campaign through most, if not all, of the remaining presidential primaries.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 28, 2016 22 Comments
Would ya look at that... The federal government didn't need to start a privacy flame war with one of the countries largest electronic purveyors after all. Monday, the LA Times reported the FBI was able to unlock one of the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhones without the assistance of Apple:

Posted by Taryn O'Neill on March 23, 2016 7 Comments
One day before Apple and prosecutors were to face off in court, the U.S. Department of Justice was granted a request to cancel the Tuesday hearing on whether Apple should assist the FBI in bypassing security measures in a locked iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist. The hearing was cancelled by U.S. Magistrate Sheri Pym at 5:30P.M. PDT. The earlier order requiring Apple to assist the FBI unlocking the phone was temporarily stayed. "On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for unlocking Farook's iPhone. Testing is required to determine whether it is a viable method that will not compromise data on Farook's iPhone," the government said in court documents filed on Monday. "If the method is viable, it should eliminate the need for the assistance from Apple Inc. ("Apple") set forth in the All Writs Act Order in this case." Department of Justice spokeswoman Melanie Newman said in a statement that the government only learned of the unlocking method this past weekend. "We must first test this method to ensure it doesn't destroy the data on the phone, but we remain cautiously optimistic. That is why we have asked the court to give us some time to explore this option," Newman said to Ars Tecnica.

Posted by Taryn O'Neill on March 17, 2016 5 Comments
As the nation watches the FBI battle Apple in court over access to a terrorist's iPhone data, a conflict with another Silicon Valley company simmers in the background. With over a billion users, the Facebook-owned mobile app WhatsApp is one of the world's largest messaging platforms and allows users to send text messages and make phone calls abroad without incurring the international data costs associated with traditional text and voice communication. Similar to Telegram, an app popular with ISIS members, WhatsApp offers end-to-end encrypted text messaging and, according to the Guardian, will in the coming weeks be offering encrypted voice and group messaging. At present, the Department of Justice is unsure how to proceed in an ongoing criminal investigation in which a federal judge ordered a wiretap, as the department is unable to get access the ordered data thanks to WhatsApp's encryption.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 12, 2016 10 Comments
Don't let it be said the Obama Administration doesn't have it's priorities in perfect progressive order. And near the top of those priorities are dealing with "climate change deniers". Today's forecast related to climate change insanity is grim, indeed. United State Attorney General Loretta Lynch admitted her team has discussed the option of filing a lawsuit against the fossil fuel industry based on its handling of climate data gathered in the course of pursing business.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch has considered taking legal action against climate change deniers. The United States' top lawyer told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the Justice Department has 'discussed' the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the fossil fuel industry. She said any information her office has received has been sent to the FBI in a bid to build a case.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 02, 2016 35 Comments
Several months ago, Kemberlee predicted that getting a State Department employee to flip on Hillary would be the key, Some dare say conspiracy: Who will be first Hillary aide to flip on her?:
Was there a concerted conspiracy to violate the law, particularly given the fact that Clinton opted for a private email on her person server? Who else knew classified information was being transmitted outside of government purview? If any of these suspicions are confirmed throughout the course of the FBI’s investigation, will aides then be offered legal concessions if they cooperate? What were once Clinton’s closest lackeys may end up being her downfall.
And that appears to be the FBI's plan, flip a key witness, then roll up others all around Hillary.
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