Below is my column in The Messenger, the new digital news platform created by Jimmy Finkelstein (the former owner of The Hill). Finkelstein’s signature has always been balanced publications where all viewpoints are represented and objectivity remains the touchstone for reporters. That puts him at odds with the “advocacy journalism” model sweeping other publications. The start of the new platform is good news for many of us who believe that the media is facing an existential choice in the coming years. I am happy to be able to contribute to the rollout of the site and look forward to working again with Jimmy and my old Hill editors.
Here is the column:
“Raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated.” Those words from the Durham Report summed up one of the most damning investigations in the Justice Department’s history.
In the 305-page report released Monday, special counsel John Durham concluded that the Trump-Russia investigation was launched without a required minimal level of evidence and shattered a host of departmental standards. Let that sink in: The Justice Department — as well as the media that covered it — effectively shut down a duly elected presidency, based on what turned out to be a politically engineered hoax.
That would make anyone angry. Really angry. Trump-level angry.
The fact is, in this instance, Donald Trump was correct when he said he was the target of a political hitjob funded by the Clinton campaign and maintained by virtually every media outlet. There is a word for that: disinformation.
Democrats such as former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California have pushed for censorship by claiming that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Well, this is that threat — the real one. This actually left an administration mired in a faux scandal for years, with high-ranking officials paraded before grand juries and their guilt then proclaimed nightly on cable news shows.
Even after the Mueller investigation found insufficient evidence of collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, Rep. Schiff assured the public in March 2018, that “I can certainly say with confidence that there is significant evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia” and he repeatedly promised to reveal it in his committee.
He never did, of course. Instead, he regularly criticized Durham’s investigation and called for it to end, to prevent this report from ever being released.
Others on the intelligence committee, like Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), also insisted there was clear evidence of collusion. No less a figure than Obama’s former national intelligence director James Clapper suggested Trump was a Russian “asset.”
For its part, most of the media portrayed the now-infamous Steele dossier — the original basis for the collusion claims — as true, and the New York Times and Washington Post received Pulitzer Prizes for a story that not only has been debunked but shown to be the product of Hillary’s Clinton’s presidential campaign.
The Durham report is everything that the FBI investigation was not. It is dispassionate, detached and detailed. It exposes the origin of the collusion effort in the Clinton campaign, which hid its funding in legal fees. (The campaign was later fined by the Federal Election Commission for that concealment.) A few reporters did ask about a possible connection to the campaign, but Clinton campaign officials lied and denied it.
There was little need for concealment, however, when there was so little interest in investigating the story, either by key FBI figures or by the media.
American intelligence discredited the Steele dossier early on as likely Russian disinformation; the credibility of specific sources for the dossier was shredded. Yet then-FBI Director James Comey opened the most extensive investigation ever into an American president based on that tawdry, tattered record.
The lack of supporting evidence did not matter.
Instead, Comey clearly relished the dossier’s more salacious details. For example, in a 2018 interview, he declared: “Honestly, I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but I don’t know whether the current President of the United States was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow in 2013.”
The “pee tape” story was repeated endlessly by the media and by Comey. Durham, however, eventually showed that the source of the story was a Clinton associate.
For Comey, though, it appeared to be one of those stories that was just too good to fully check. Nor did he appear concerned that, before the Clinton campaign pushed the dossier to the media and the FBI, then-CIA Director John Brennan had briefed President Obama and his national security team on Hillary Clinton’s alleged “plan” to tie candidate Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”
According to Durham, Comey — who later wrote and sold a book on “ethical leadership” — led the FBI to use “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence” to effectively tie up a duly elected president for three years.
Durham reports that FBI personnel admitted they disregarded standards for surveillance despite “acknowledging — both then and in hindsight — that they did not genuinely believe there was probable cause to believe that the target was knowingly [working for a foreign power].”
In the end, it is not a crime to be unethical or incompetent, so no charges will be filed as a result of the report. Durham clearly hopes that the belated transparency provided by his report will produce greater future accountability. That may be the only naive aspect of his findings.
Of course, the FBI promptly issued a statement that it has — once more — reformed itself in light of its failures. But who really believes this is unlikely to occur again?
Indeed, the same pattern and figures reemerged in 2020, when another false narrative was created to dismiss the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. Some of the officials involved in the false Russia collusion conspiracy were signatories on the letter by 51 former intelligence officials claiming that the laptop story was likely “Russian disinformation.” And the media again pushed that version before the 2020 election — only to admit, two years later, that the laptop was authentic all along.
Conspicuously missing in the aftermath of Durham’s report is the one thing that would establish a clear commitment to reform: an apology. Clinton, Comey, members of Congress and others could apologize to the American people — and, yes, even to Trump.
That, of course, will never happen. Attorney General Merrick Garland, in releasing a report that concluded this investigation never should have occurred, made no statement whatsoever.
Thus, Durham was left throwing haymakers in an empty political boxing ring — and those who perpetrated this scandal on the nation are left to carry on making money on books, speeches, TV commentary and lectures about political or electoral ethics. The media, meanwhile, is offering little more than a shoulder-shrug and more spin.
So, in the relative silence of media coverage following the report’s release, Durham can contemplate an ultimate Zen-like question: If a 305-page report proves a concerted political hoax but no one is there to read it, does it make a difference?
Jonathan Turley, an attorney, constitutional law scholar and legal analyst, is the Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law at The George Washington University Law School.
And ya know what? They got away with it. And they will do it again and again because laws unenforced are laws ignored.
We expected justice and all we got was a term paper.
Our country is rotting from the head down.
“. . . shattered a host of departmental standards.”
Standards?!
In the face of “the ends justifies the means,” with the ends being a lust for power — standards are a casualty.
Just a reminder that Bill Clinton, the ex-president and husband of the leading contender for being the next president, tried to meet SECRETLY with the AG, Loretta Lynch, on a tarmac in AZ while the DOJ was “contemplating” involvement with Hilary and her obstruction crimes. Of course the AG and Bill said they only spoke about grandchildren and soccer and the like.
The intelligence agencies have been at this game since at least 1973, Watergate, and heaven forbid maybe back to 1963.
Them again I wish I would have been taught history and not just talking points! My dad’s family can say immigrants “our us too” generations ago….and dad is as old as trump…older….and yet he doesn’t have a first wife from the chech republic formerly parts were ussr….soviets! And dad doesn’t have a third wife from Yugoslavia parts formerly the Soviet union? Parts?. But trump does have those wives. So I am not bothered no I actually expect my USA govt would look into all that! I’m guessing that’s how Hillary got them to bite? Id like to read the 305 pages…..but now I have to focus o my budget. My kid isn’t under 16 anymore So I gotta figure out how I’m going to budget to pay the irs. @200 per month.
And that’s how clever the USA can be distracted…..at any time the pt b want to distract. Hey yet why do we love trump? It’s because he said it clear….he is the one standing in their way…..did he get that Intel from his first or third wife? Does it matter? He is standing in their way….who ever “they” is…..and we all know together the gist! And that’s why dramatic will never win….he’s just worried about maybe carrying florida…..he can never carry the nation…..oh let me govern you by putting these ppl long on you. He’s got no global solution or practice whist Donald does. Sedaris will never won because his solution is to pass the problem to another governor! Merry go round! While trump is country side solutions! I own in florida but I won’t support desantis….because he weakling rules. He let the insurance industry run him over….to run out all roofers which in six months is going to devastate the fl economy….bc he was fork tongued….Donald isnt. But how clevr for desantis….pass all this….the fall out heads after the election. Basically treat floridians like fools. No thanks.
You have a lot to say, but I don’t think you are persuasive in your argument. It comes off as a long winded diatribe and that’s always unconvincing.
Sorry hawaii….rod…how long has hawaii and it’s Jack flag been a state? I’ll be sure to tell abbot to send you a few loads of illegals. My argument is sound….you can’t let your state be over run then at the last hour try to fix it by making it fellow governors prpblems….but dramatic needed roof men. I’ll bet you money a hurricane tips through…he’ll waive his labor laws! Asap. He’s all talk….or what do they say all hat? Or buckle? He’ll buckle. Bc he won’t take fl itself if he doesnt. And he knows this. He won’t sincerely ever run. Because he doesn’t know what weather he’ll get this season. And if it’s bad ppl needing roofs will ride him. Unfortunately even before storms everyone in florida needs a new roof….just to get insurance. We are him as the weakling he is! In florida..a home state he’s need. He has work to do for sure.
People are not that stupid. But Florida has devolved itself to less than half the population actually eligible to vote. And then you tell them they need a new roof to get insurance? And then you tell them you are shipping out all the roofers….ppl are not dumb…the remaining have no reason to vote Sedaris and his stock home syndrome state where it takes a state license to literally whipe your butt. It calls itself a free state…..right to work state….and that’s a lie….you need a license to even breathe! And this lisence s are worse than the unions own requirements! I’m union states. Florida isn’t free it’s a mirage! And he holds it up like can be president…..over cpvid? Who then did the cup benifit!?
Not cup but ccp?
Florida is freeer than most states.
Just had to share this post from @TulsiGabbard:
Politicians’ hypocrisy: when one side is afraid they’ll lose an election they cast doubt on the integrity of voting machines, but these same folks will defend the integrity of voting machines if they win or look like they’ll win.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1658791311636598794
Direct Video Link
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1658789634976120832/pu/vid/720×720/8j1S5sjcxAIn6psb.mp4?tag=12
Russell Brand does a great job of bringing together the times when prominent Democrats challenged the integrity of voting machines. Hillary and Kemala feature prominently.
Shifting from politics to culture: why are women being erased? SI Swimsuit model is a man; Adidas is advertising women’s bathing suits with male models; Wyoming sorority sisters must let a dude into their sorority, who is 6’2″, 260 pounds, stares at them creepily all day in the sorority house, and sits around with a visible erectile bulge in his pants as he does so; NJ women’s prisons house biological men who rape the female prisoners; school districts let biological 18 year old senior male in women’s locker room, who then showers nude with 14 year old freshman girls, freaking them out; biological men compete in women’s sports all over the place and deprive them of their well-earned and well-deserved championships.
I mean what the f— is happening here, and why aren’t feminist groups making more noise about it?
Because they aren’t for women. They are Progressives first. When they refused to allow Pro Life Women march in the WOMENS MARCH, it just proved that it is ALL ideological They don’t really care…
Been wondering the very same things, Kansas.
Where’s the Accountability?
On 5/13/19, AG Barr “directed United States Attorney John Durham to conduct a preliminary review into certain matters related to the 2016 presidential election campaigns.” On 10/19/20 AG Barr elevated these investigations by the Special Counsel regulations. The order reads:
“The Special Counsel is authorized
* to investigate whether any federal official, employee, or any other person or entity violated the law […]
* to prosecute federal crimes arising from his investigation of these matters.”
Anyone who compares the content of the 306-page report with the consequences should be surprised that Durham cleared everyone from violating the law. In light of 18 U.S. Code § 241 [1] it seems more relevant to discuss about accountability instead beating a dead horse (lack of MSM coverage) over and over again.
For example:
* Durham reported at great length about “Carter Page FISA Applications” (pp 98-243). Search for “Ohr” (33 entries) or read [2].
* “Clinton campaign senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan peddled the notorious falsehood about supposed connections between Trump Organization servers and the Russian Alfa Bank on the eve of the 2016 election, after exchanging highly-classified information on then-Secretary of State Clinton’s private server. Today he serves as President Biden’s National Security Advisor, with daily access to our nation’s most sensitive secrets” [3]
BTW: Douglass Mackey, aka “Ricky Vaughn,” was convicted because he deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote by fraudulent twitter messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “vote” via text message (18 U.S. Code § 241)
[1] “Whoever […] uses his official authority for the purpose of interfering with, or affecting […] the election of any candidate for the office of President, […] shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both” (18 U.S. Code § 595).
[2] https://www.realclearwire.com/articles/2023/05/16/ex-doj_official_and_wife_had_bigger_roles_in_dossier_than_known_durham_report_899718.html
[3] https://www.theepochtimes.com/durhams-disaster_5272236.html
I.M.O.: The ‘past will be pushed aside by the coming War and the 2024 Election Hype, and yesterdays news will fade into the Sunset.
And so it goes, watching the river flow.
That, of course, will never happen. Attorney General Merrick Garland, in releasing a report that concluded this investigation never should have occurred, made no statement whatsoever.
Apparently “a person with unimpeachable ethics and integrity” does not need to make a statement.
This is how the FBI and other agencies of government are rectifying the problems noted in the Durham Report
Tale of two whistleblowers highlights reprisal risk as Congress probes weaponization issues
The publicly unnamed IRS agent – once a star on the Swiss bank tax evasion cases that stunned the world – was unceremoniously dumped along with his entire team from the Hunter Biden tax probe just a few weeks after alleging there was Justice Department political interference in the high-profile matter, his lawyers reported to Congress.
FBI intelligence analyst Marcus Allen – a combat-tested Marine who just a few years ago was named the Charlotte, N.C. field office employee of the year – has had his security clearance and paychecks revoked after reporting he had found open-source intelligence calling into question the accuracy of Director Chris Wray’s testimony about the Jan. 6 probe, according to his complaint filed with the DOJ inspector general.
lots more at: https://justthenews.com/accountability/whistleblowers/tale-two-whistleblowers-highlights-reprisal-risk-congress-probes?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
LOL – one of the most biased hacks out there pompously talks about the need for objectivity and then goes off the rails in your second sentence. How, pray tell, did you arrive at your conclusions that it was ” … one of the most damning investigations in the Justice Department’s history.” Did you exhaustively review every JD investigation in history, assigning a “damn-o-meter” score to each one of them, as any truly objective journalist would?
I’m still struggling to reconcile Drumpf’s fantasy statements that he accomplished more than any other president with your hyperbole that the investigation ” … effectively shut down a duly elected presidency.” What – he was effectively shut down but also accomplished more than any other Pres? Impressive!!
@CeeJ
Troll -> 👹👹
And not even a convincing one.
Troll with TDS
Hopefully, Real President Donald J. Trump will pull a “Lincoln” next time to “Save the Nation,” arbitrarily declare martial law, seize power, suspend habeas corpus and “fundamentally transform the United States of America” “Back to the Future,” back to the Constitution and Bill of Rights, complete with the voting restrictions that limited turnout to 11.6% in 1788 and the immigration restrictions that limited immigrants to Americans only.
Freedom will spring forth everywhere!
Tyrannical government will crawl back into its hole!
Oh, Happy Day!!!
Jonathan: Here is the full text of Trump’s latest frantic and unhinged post on his Truth Social (all in caps):
“I WAS BEING FRAMED BY THE FBI AND THE DOJ. NOW IT CONTINUES WITH BOXES OF HOAX, THE ‘PERFECT’ PHONE CALL IN ATLANTA, THE MANHATTAN D.A., AND THE NEW YORK STATE AG SCAM. WHAT A GROUP, BUT ALL REPORT TO THE DOJ IN WASHINGTON. IT’S JAMES COMEY AND THE SKEAZEBAGS ALL OVER AGAIN. THEY ARE PLAYING ELECTION INTERFERENCE IN 2024 THROUGH ILLEGAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST REPUBLICANS, AND IN PARTICULAR YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT, ME. THESE ARE CHEATING LOWLIFES, BUT WE WILL WIN. OUR COUNTERY IS GOING TO HELL!”
Now if this came from a former Democratic president–say like Obama, we would say he is ready for the looney bin. And MAGA Republicans think Trump should have his fingers on the nuclear launch codes once again?! And one simple FACT CHECK in Trump’s rant. The three cases Trump refers to are all STATE prosecutions. They don’t “ALL REPORT TO THE DOJ”.
For all those on this blog who think the Trumpster should be the next President of the United States please raise your hands.
I see nothing untrue there.
That’s why Democrats need to get it together and stop getting caught colluding with the media and the FBI to tank Trump and stop nominating 90 year-old-has-beens for President and stop being such corporate sleaze bags. We have Trump because the Democrats are so totally lame!
It is not impossible that state prosecutors would communicate or even cooperate with the DOJ. And why would Obama feel persecuted when he was never even prosecuted?
Edwardmahl: Do you really think state prosecutors first check with DOJ when they contemplate filing charges against someone? State prosecutors prosecute STATE crimes. The DOJ prosecutes FEDERAL crimes! Now do you see the difference? Trump doesn’t because he never went to law school either.
And the reason Obama has never been prosecuted is because he never violated either state or federal laws. I assume you raised your hand when I asked how many on this blog still support Trump. Loonies one and all!
Dennis, what law prohibits communication between DoJ, and State and local prosecutors?
Bull crap Dennis. He spied on Trump before Trump was elected. He was neck deep in the fake Russian Collusion crap. He is as guilty as Hillary, even though they are safe…because as we all know, if you are a Progressive, you can do and say whatever you want with absolutely NO CONSEQUENCES.
They don’t “ALL REPORT TO THE DOJ”.
You have to prove that assertion. They ARE all reporting to the DoJ
Iowan2: I don’t have to prove anything! The DOJ and state prosecutors might share relevant evidence that might apply to both federal and state investigations but that doesn’t mean the DOJ dictates how and when a state prosecutor brings charges. The DOJ and the states operate under different rules and laws. The DOJ prosecutes crimes under federal statutes. The states apply state law. If you don’t know the difference you need to take Civics 101 over again! The burden is on you to provide any evidence that the DOJ dictates how Alvin Bragg, Letitia James or Fani Willis investigates or decides when to bring indictments. Facts matter so bring on your evidence. Your brain is so wrapped up in MAGA conspiracy theories you are unwilling or unable to distinguish between fact and fiction. If you really believe Trump’s false claims about the DOJ you have definitely been drinking too much of his cool aid!
Trump is right
“Buried in the middle of the report is a section explaining why Durham went down the rabbit hole for so long — laying out what he tried and failed to prove.
Basically, Durham became enamored of an intelligence analysis by the Russian government from 2016 which had made it into American hands. The Russians assessed, per then-CIA Director John Brennan’s summarized notes, that Hillary Clinton had approved a plan to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.” However, the US intelligence community did not know whether this Russian assessment was accurate.”
Durham is well known for being disingenuous with information
DurhamSvelaz is well known for being disingenuous with informationFTFY
The old ‘liar, liar, pants on fire’ argument. Works every time!
Svezlaz- You say: “The Russians assessed, per then-CIA Director John Brennan’s summarized notes, that Hillary Clinton had approved a plan to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.” However, the US intelligence community did not know whether this Russian assessment was accurate.”
Well, I gues it turned out it was accurate. The Clintons are capable of anything, no matter who it harms.
Edward, I didn’t say that. Durham did in his report.
Correct, and when the Clintons showed up at the FBI with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax – That intelligence turned from speculation to FACT.
That occurred in Sept 2016.
AGAIN – there has NEVER been a legitimate foundation for the Crossfire Huricane investigation.
It has ALWAYS been unconstitutional an illegal.
The Brennan Intelligence proved TRUE – in a few months.
The FBI was aware of it. The DOJ was aware of it. Obama was aware of it. Biden was aware of it.
When the Steele Dossier showed up on the FBI doorstep, It was EXACTLY what the CIA had predicted.
The appearance of the Steele Dosier WAS a strong foundation for an investigation – OF CLINTON for possible collaboration with Russia.
Regardless, every single thing the FBI/FOJ/DC did from that moment on was unconstitutional.
Did the FBI appraise the FISA court that the Steele Dossier was likely “Russian Disinformation” ?
This was all a massively BIG LIE.
This is not – what you call “unsupported” claims of election fraud.
I would note that the CIA intelligence is ONE SMALL PART of why the steele Dossier should have started an investigation of CLINTON.
Others are that it was a HOAX and the FBI/DOJ KNOW it was a hoax.
I know this is difficult for you to comprehend but the Sussman and Danchenko Juries return Not Guilty BECAUSE the evidence PROVED the FBI/DOJ KNEW the Steele Dossier was a Hoax from Day one.
The is the conclusion of a left wing nut jury – not Durham, republicans.
However, the US intelligence community did not know whether this Russian assessment was accurate.”
Intelligence is never a sure thing. It was accurate enough to brief the President. But not to investigate the simplest of facts.
Brennan is an FSB asset.
Teper’, kogda eto podoshlo k kontsu, chto dal’she? Yekaterina
They will remove the other half of Svelaz’s brain.
Ne volnuysya, Svelaz, oni nikogda ne uznayut, kto ty. Ty vsegda budesh’ moyey Natashey.
You have very wierd ideas of reality.
If some astronomer claims his ananlysis shows the Betelguise will go supernova is a week.
You can claim that assement is not known to be accurate – until Betelguise goes supernova
After that the assessment is 100% accurate.
The claim that Clinton was going to pull a Russia Russia Russia hoax on Trump was unsubstantiated – until the Clinton campaign showed up on the FBI’s doorstep with a Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX.
That was in Sept 2016.
From that moment on the assessment was accurate.
And No Durham is NOT well know for disingenuosness.
He has a LONG stellar record of adhering to the law, and of going after political corruption – regardless of the party.
Regardless, Unlike J6 – we have a REAL insurection here. We have REAL sedition.
We have the Clinton campaign, with the complicity of the Obama administration – including Bother Obama and Biden,
As well as several cabnet level members of the Obama administration. Conspiring with FBI/DOJ/CIA/ other alphabet agencies to overthrow the government of the united states because they did not like the person the people elected president.
And after that you expect the rest of us to give you a pass on the 2020 shenanigans.
We have never in US history seen a president try to overthrow his successor.
Obama and Biden did not merely challenge and election. They sought to take down the government, and replace it.
And you wonder why so many people have no doubt the 2020 election was stolen ?
The same people tried to overthrow the government in 2017.
Much of the nonsense of 2016 continued into the 2020 election.
Once again we had alphabet agencies conspiring to rig the election.
So When Brennan tells Obama, Biden, and Comey that Clinton is going to collude with Russia to Frame Trump,
No one in the government decides to investigate ?
Yet, when there is a hearsay that Trump worked with Russia to setup the DNC email leak – the FBI immediately jumps into high gear ?
Both claims have about the same degree of confidence. Both are uncorroborated rumors.
But only one resulted in an investigation – IMMEDIATELY.
The next Day Strzok is jetting to the UK to interview Adrew Downer and Papadolis – who BOTH confirm that the story is bogus.
That Papadoulis never discussed the DNC emails with Downer.
But when a few days later it is CONFIRMED that the hearsay regarding Clinton colluding with Russia to sabotage Trump what does the FBI do ?
It investigates Trump.
And that is one of MANY& proofs that the FBI was politically corrupt.
Even if the FBI wanted to investigate Trump.
Even if the CIA intelligence claiming Clinton was collutding with Russia to frame Trump did not exist,
The FIRST thing the CIA was obligated to do – given this was coming from the Clinton campaign – was to investigate the SOURCES of the information.
If I call the cops and claim YOU are a pedophile. You can absolutely guarantee that I WILL be investigated.
Which is as it should be.
And if the basis for my claims does not hold up – then I will be the one prosecuted.
But not only did the opposite occur – the DOJ/FBI KNEW the steel Dossier was a HOAX – and the investigated anyway.
These are the same corrupt people that are conducting the MAL investigation, the J6 investigations, the DC GJ investigations.
These are many fo the same people claiming the HB laptop was Russian Disinformation.
These are the same people who foist the Claim that Shokin was Corrupt on the world.
These are the same people twisting the arm of Social Media to Censor harmful TRUE stories about Biden in 2024.
And you wonder why most people do not beleive them or YOU ?
So now we have the DOJ engages in Obstruction of Congress. Is Garland going to jail for 4 years ?
https://youtu.be/14qFLo5CAHc
More criminal elections conduct by Democrats in the DOJ.
https://youtu.be/1A4my8iag_s
Have ANY of the following individuals ‘apologized’ to the Trump Family?
Adam Schiff : Emmet Sullivan : John Brennan : Peter Fritsch
Alexander Downer : Eric Ciaramella : John Kerry : Peter Strzok
Andrew McCabe : Evelyn Farkas : John McCabe : [?] Power
Andrew Weissmann : Fiona Hill : John McCain : Ray Epps
Andrew Whitney et.al. : Gen. Mark Milley : John Podesta : Richard Blumenthal
Azra Turk : George Soros : Joseph Mifsud : Richard Dearlove
Barack Obama : George Tenet : [?] Kadzic : Richard Schiff
Bill Priestap : Gina Haspel : Kathy Ruemmler : Robby Mook
Bill Taylor : Glenn Simpson : Kevin Clinesmith : Rod Rosenstein
Bob Woodward : GreggJarrett : Kurt Campbell : Rodney Joffe
Donna Brazile : Hillary Clinton : L. Jean Camp : Ron Klain
Bruce Ohr : Huma Abedin : Lisa Page : Sally Yates
Charles H. Dolan : Hunter Biden : Lois Lerner : Richard Dearlove
Christopher Steele : Igor Danchenko : Loretta Lynch : Stefan Halper
Christopher Wray : Jake Sullivan : Marc Elias : Stephen Laycock
Cody Shear : James Baker : Merrick Garland : Strobe Talbot
Dana Remus : James Clapper : Michael Cohen : Susan E. Rice
Daniel Walsh : James Comey : Michael Kortan : The Mueller-Team
Dianne Feinstein : James E. Boasberg : Michael Sussmann : Valerie Jarrett
Don Berlin : James Pavitt : Nancy Pelosi : Victoria Nuland
Donna Brazile : Jeff Sessions : Nellie Ohr : The RAND Corporation
E.W. Priestap : Jerry Nadler : Paul Vixie : The Brookings Institution
Eirc Holder : Joe Biden : Perkins Coie et.al. : The Democrats of Congress
Actors that disseminated Disinformation of the Soft Coup against
WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
That is an impressive list. (You might mean Samantha Power.) The answer is “no” except for Woodward who has said he told the WP that the factual basis for the collusion hoax [my word] was thin. So, perhaps he was not part of the Resistance.
Thank You, that leaves ‘Kadzic’, I believe George may know the first name.
Cato Institute was also on my list but, I just didn’t want to start down that long ‘Think Tank’ road.
George: I need first names for: Kadzic, and Brazile.
To the one who wraps himself in the flag: That’s a long list of people who have never “apologized” to the the Trump family. And for good reason. They don’t owe an apology to a crime family!
And yet – No crime.
There is no truth to what the DOJ, FBI, CIA, MSM, AG, nor Biden’s handlers state. Much like the CDC / FDA / NIH handling of COVID, Americans now rightly conclude that the Feds have unvarnished contempt for them, their families and their children. USSR, CCP, Cuba, Venezuela, United States, all fake, all pretend, all political theater. Hunter Biden is more protected than Catholic SCOTUS Justices. Americans need to relearn to be self-sufficient, shrink the government and create families and communities to help secure their freedoms.
Throughout the duration of Crossfire Hurricane, facts and circumstances that were inconsistent with the premise that Trump and/or persons associated with the Trump campaign were involved in a collusive or conspiratorial relationship with the Russian government were ignored or simply assessed away. Indeed, as set forth in Sections IV A.2 and 3, from even beforethe opening of Crossfire Hurricane, some of those most directly involved in the subsequent investigation had (i) expressed their open disdain for Trump, (ii) asked about when they would open an investigation on Trump, and (iii) asserted that they would prevent Trump from becoming President.
https://www.justice.gov/storage/durhamreport.pdf
Sadly, those who support Leftists are willfully giving away their Rights – digging their own proverbial grave – and simply don’t realize it. Their rage is blinding them from seeing their own destruction.
“The media, meanwhile, is offering little more than a shoulder-shrug and more spin.”
Turley sure is pining for the media to give credibility to the report the media knows is just a rehash of the IG report. He wants the media to fuel the rage, the same rage he whines about constantly.
In a very close election decided by just a couple of dozen counties across five or six battleground states, a lot of seemingly insignificant things, even the Durham report, can make a difference.
Hillary Clinton is America’s greatest villain, America’s greatest nithing, and America’s greatest khunt!
No doubt about it!
Why didn’t Hillary give Bill the “Lewinsky?”
Her Girlfriend Huma would get jealous.
Eventually people are going to realize that the time for an electoral solution to this is long past.
At this point the only way to fix this involves tar, feathers, a drum head, and a very public gallows.
Note to currentsitguy from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Ben Franklin, John Jay, George Mason, John Adams et al.:
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“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
– Declaration of Independence, 1776
We are well overdue.
It is here that Durham made his damning indictment of the DOJ and the FBI when he stressed that “the answer is not the creation of new rules but a renewed fidelity to the old.” Ultimately, he continued, justice “comes down to the integrity of the people who take an oath to follow the guidelines.” And “the promulgation of additional rules and regulations to be learned in yet more training sessions would likely prove to be a fruitless exercise if the FBI’s guiding principles of ‘Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity’ are not engrained in the hearts and minds of those sworn to meet the FBI’ s mission of ‘Protect[ing] the American People and Uphold[ing] the Constitution of the United States.’”
https://thefederalist.com/2023/05/17/dont-miss-the-most-damning-durham-finding/
Margot Cleveland at The Federalist rightly captured that most important point from the Durham report. All the structural elements exist for a government to function to equally secure the rights of their citizens. The problem is it has to be animated by people with a sinful nature. And those people are elected by people with the same sinful nature. James Garfiled warned us when he said:
Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation . . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.
Reagan warned us as well in his farewell address. It should be abundantly clear that oaths of office are not a sufficient check on abuse of power. Equally apparent is the insane idea that we the people can trust the government to enact laws and issue regulations that would adequately bind them to their oaths. We effectively had to elect the fox to guard the henhouse and then ignorantly turned our back as they said “trust us.” The moment the people formed our government and gave them a constitutionally-limited amount of power, is the moment they should have trusted them as one would an enemy to the rights they retained.
So how is this fixable? We have to somehow get the message out to the people that our government is not ever to be trusted to secure their lives, liberty and property if only they elect someone that tells them what they want to hear. Ever! They need to realize they are choosing someone that will be leaving their ranks and joining a force for the other side of the power ledger. These people are not your friends. Their friends exist in their ranks, not yours. They exist in political parties. Joining their party still does not make you one of their friends. These parties will create platforms and they will say anything to get you to join them. And yet you are still not their friend.
There will not be true reform in our government institutions unless we can elect people with the character to take on that challenge. And that means we need people with the same character to elect them.
Infinite “Likes”
Thank you JAFO.
“…courts…must…declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void.”
“…men…do…what their powers do not authorize, [and] what they forbid.”
“[A] limited Constitution … can be preserved in practice no other way than through the medium of courts of justice, whose duty it must be to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void. Without this, all the reservations of particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing … To deny this would be to affirm … that men acting by virtue of powers may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.”
– Alexander Hamilton
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
– Declaration of Independence, 1776
Yup
Excellent commentary!
Thank you Diane.
Anyone who says that the Durham Report contains nothing new is merely announcing that they were aware that the Russian Collusion story was completely false, and that they were lying about it the whole time. One would expect an honest person who had innocently believed what the FBI and the media had been telling them to be outraged to find that they had been duped. The absence of any such outrage is telling. It is no leap to conclude that they are also aware that all of the many, many other lies that have been told about Trump are just that: lies. Trump was right about everything. I also note that, in its response to the report, the FBI disputed not a single point of Durham’s findings. Not one. This is an acknowledgement that his findings are true and undisputed. And as far as Durham’s gentlemanly tone, for one, he’s a professional, and two, he had to write a report that would make it past Garland, who has proven himself as cold-blooded a partisan as exists on the Left.
LOL! Nope. Durham is just rehashing and whitewashing a lot of what the IG already said. This is why the report will not be remembered in a week’s time when other newsworthy stories begin to dominate the news cycle.
Turley sure seems desperate for this to get attention thought. It won’t last and it will soon be forgotten after a week of “arguing” over it.
Yes, I’m sure Trump will let it drop after a week.
“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”
– Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
There is overlap – because you did not get it the first time.
But That are differences – Durham has substantially more power than an IG, he was able to investigate outside of current members of the US Government.
Horowitz was not. Durham was able to put together more of the picture than Horrowitz.
I am sure you will try to forget this report. But many here will not. Derschowitz has already commented – noting that many of those Durham has damned are personal friend of Derschowitz – yet Derschowitz agrees with Durham – the FBI/DOJ violated their own rules, the constitution, and acted to influence an election – favoring Clinton and harming Trump.
That beyond the election – the entire Crossfire Huricane investigation and its progeny were without foundation.
There was never a basis for the investigation. There was never a basis to appoint Mueller.
The talking heads of the left have already forgotten it.
But much of the rest of the country has not.
The aparatus of the Federal Government was illegally and unconstitutionally weaponized against first a candidate for president and then the sitting president. This is an actual insurrection, and actual attempted soft coup, actual sedition.
I would further note that Durham ties Biden and Obama into this criminal conspiracy.
You say this is a whitewash ? What is being whitewashed – certainly not the criminal conduct of those in government.
Durham did not whitewash anything.
And the same people engaged in misconduct that Horowitz Identified, and Durham identified continued to engage in that misconduct right through the present. These are the same people who helped rig the 2020 election.
There are the same people interfering with an IRS whistleblower.
These are the same people ducking House subpeonas – I thought that was a crime – why no prosecutions ?