The dog keeps eating the FBI’s homework
Reminds me of the famous Rose Mary Woods stretch:
The FBI is either abysmally incompetent (“fools”) or in full-fledged CYA mode in order to hide its own wrongdoing (“knaves”). I vote “aye” on the latter. But either way, we’re in trouble.
You can find the story here:
Investigators in both House and Senate were stunned late Friday when, receiving a batch of newly-released texts between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, they also received notice from the bureau that the FBI “failed to preserve” Strzok-Page messages from December 14, 2016 through May 17, 2017.
Given the amount of texting that went on between Strzok and Page, who were having an extramarital affair, that probably meant thousands of missing documents.
A number of critical events in the Trump-Russia affair occurred between December 2016 and May 2017, including:
Conversations between Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The completion and publication of the intelligence community assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The briefing in which FBI director James Comey told President-elect Donald Trump about the Trump dossier.
The president’s inauguration.
The nomination and confirmation of new Justice Department leadership.
Flynn’s interview with the FBI (conducted by Strzok).
Comey’s assurances to Trump that he, Trump, was not under investigation.
A variety of revelations, mostly in the Washington Post and New York Times, about various Trump figures under investigation.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Russia probe.
The firing of top Obama Justice Department holdover Sally Yates.
Trump’s tweet alleging he was wiretapped.
Trump’s firing of Comey.
And, finally, on May 17, 2017 ”” the final day of the missing texts ”” the appointment of Trump-Russia special prosecutor Robert Mueller.Strzok and Page had a lot to talk about.
Please read the whole thing.
Even without the pages that have mysteriously gone missing, there’s plenty to mull over in the communications the FBI did supply:
In the newly-released texts, Strzok and Page discussed Trump winning the Republican presidential nomination, which they said would create “pressure” on the FBI to quickly finish up the Hillary Clinton email investigation, known inside the bureau as the “midyear exam,” or MYE…
…[There are] instances in the texts in which Strzok and Page told each other that they were switching to iMessage for further conversation, suggesting they might have moved their discussion of sensitive topics from their government-issued Samsung devices to private Apple devices.
And then there’s this:
One exchange between Strzok and Page, dated July 1, 2016, referenced then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s decision to accept the FBI’s conclusion in the Clinton investigation. Lynch’s announcement came days after it was revealed that the attorney general and former President Bill Clinton had an impromptu meeting aboard her plane in Phoenix.
“Timing looks like hell,” Strzok texted Page.
“Yeah, that is awful timing,” Page agreed. In a later message, she added: “It’s a real profile in couragw [sic], since she knows no charges will be brought.”
It may be long past the time to ask what Loretta Lynch knew and when she knew it.
Embrace the power of “and.”
Fools AND knaves.
And lazy bastards who know they don’t even have to bother coming up with a credible excuse because there will be no consequences.
They hope.
For the rest of us, there are rules of evidence that require evidence to be preserved and an inference that if it “disappears”, what was “disappeared” was harmful to the disappearer.
AMartel:
I embrace the power of “and” when it seems to fit. In this case it doesn’t, because I see nothing foolish here. It’s only foolish if they lost the messages by accident. Otherwise, I believe they are correct to bank on the idea that there will be no serious consequences for them. Look at what happened at the IRS; just about nothing. Remember?:
There’s a pattern here, and it’s not carelessness, IMHO.
I would agree with our gracious host…there seems to be no “and” here.
But they are more than “knaves.” They are criminals…and they wear badges or something similar as officers of the state. Hence they are criminals free to do as they please.
What you or I would go to jail for doing, they get paid handsomely.
PS…God bless the edit function! 😉
You’re right, of course. This was purposeful and intentional spoliation of evidence.
But they are fools if they think we don’t notice, and even bigger fools if they think the hammer will never fall.
My prediction all along has been that Comey (Fun Fact: currently teaching ‘ethical leadership’ course at the College of William & Mary) will take the fall.
The FBI’s vision statement (per their website): Ahead of the threat through leadership, agility, and integration.
They should add “spoliation.”
The FBI’s mission statement (per their website): To protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.
They should add “when it suits us.”
Lee Zeldin on Twitter: "Congress needs to (1) subpoena from the cell service Strzok & Page text messages; & (2) request FBI perform full forensic exam of their employees’ phones to see if they can recover the messages. Let the line shine brightly on the truth!"
We don’t know what the FBI’s document retention policy is, but one commentator suggests that a motion to dismiss the Manafort indictment might come out of this if he could argue the texts contained exculpatory material, but a completely dismissal is unlikely.
Loretta Lynch?
You mean the Attorney General who took the fifth?
That Loretta Lynch?
The foolish part is for these two to be discussing this stuff on government issued devices. I would be too paranoid to ever discuss this type of thing over anything but in person, in a large field miles from anyone. Especially with my mistress.
But this just further highlights the hubris of these deep state types who never imagined that anyone not friendly to their cause would be in power.
“But this just further highlights the hubris of these deep state types who never imagined that anyone not friendly to their cause would be in power.”
Griffin…I really appreciate this insight…Anyone who genuinely believes something like the “deep state” doesn’t exist needs to sit up & note the impunity with which these state actors lived. But not just these two. HRC, Huma, Lynch, BJ, Comey, 0, Lerner, Koskinnen…this list fills pages. They can go about their lives with relative certainty that they will never be held accountable.
John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, predicted in 2008 that electing Baraka Obama, a Chicago politician,would bring Chicago style corruption to the Federal government. He was 100% correct.
If a corporation is under investigation by the FBI or IRS and does not produce emails or texts requested because of server crashes or misconfigured devices, do the investigators throw up their hands and say the investigations are over or do convictions, fines and/or prison time result for said corporation and officers?
Asking for a friend.
AMartel:
Your “Fun Fact” is indeed a great deal of fun. Teaching
“Ethical Leadership” indeed!
Here’s a “Fun Question” to go with your Fun Fact: if Comey is indicted for all the illegal activities that went on under his leadership at the FBI, will the students in his Ethical Leadership class fail the class?
neo cites Forbes;
Why pray tell didn’t Sessions bring this to Trump’s attention with Trump then firing IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for incompetence?
By what calculus does Koskinen retain his office?
The credibility of the FBI is at a new low. Where is the new Director? Shouldn’t he hire an outside expert?
The latest is that Point Shaver Strzok referenced a “secret society” meeting after Trump won.
I still think he was bribed.
More and more the FBI is looking and smelling like a verry strange dog that likes to play with black and white striped “cats.” Skunks didn’t stink during the previous administration.
Fox News,
“”The day after the election, the day after what they really, really didn’t want to have happen, there’s a text exchange between [Strzok and Page] … saying, ‘Perhaps this is the first meeting of the secret society,'” Gowdy told Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum” Monday. “So, of course I’m going to want to know: What ‘secret society’ are you talking about?”
“A sharp digital forensic expert may still be able to recover them,” said Andrew Ziem, creator of BleachBit, the software that Hillary Clinton subordinates used to clear information from her private server. “In general whenever any software deletes any information, traces are left on the storage device, though they become disorganized like the proverbial needle in the haystack.”
And, of course, the cellphone carrier has all of the texts. Just subpoena them.
Maybe the most pathetic excuse of all time.
Hard to believe Wray is in charge here.
Legal Insurrection said it best (at Neo’s link)
“If the revelation that Lynch likely knew in advance that Comey would recommend no charges was in the text messages the FBI didn’t lose, what on earth could be in the ones they did?”
Paul in Boston Says:
January 22nd, 2018 at 5:52 pm
John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, predicted in 2008 that electing Baraka Obama, a Chicago politician,would bring Chicago style corruption to the Federal government. He was 100% correct.
* *
Corruption in DC pre-dates Obama, but he certainly took advantage of the culture and probably accelerated the rot.
John Guilfoyle Says:
January 22nd, 2018 at 4:20 pm
…
They can go about their lives with relative certainty that they will never be held accountable.
* * *
Well, they thought they could at the time.
Hence the outrage and consternation at Hillary’s loss.
Anyone really think that she would have pursued any investigations into the deep state that she was a proponent and practitioner of?
Mueller’s investigation may end up sinking the people who championed it.
eeyore Says:
January 22nd, 2018 at 6:22 pm
“If a corporation is under investigation by the FBI or IRS and does not produce emails or texts requested because of server crashes or misconfigured devices, do the investigators throw up their hands and say the investigations are over or do convictions, fines and/or prison time result for said corporation and officers?”
Answer: neither.
Aesop…your keyboard to God’s ears.
Let’s hope anyway, but I’m skeptical…ok…highly doubtful.
To clarify a comment that has disappeared, made in reply to Aeosop Fan.
It appears some in the FBI may learn what the following phrase means:
Hoist with his own petard – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard
They have done the assembly with their own ropes. Is it a slow burning fuse or has it gone out?
We will see.
The level of corruption at the FBI and DOJ that is now being revealed is really disturbing. I’ve always distrusted the government, mainly because it is run by people whose interests are not well aligned with mine or the citizens of the US. This is much worse than even my cynical mind thought existed.
There is the possibility that the IG obtained the material prior to some of the operatives in the FBI knowing their importance. Remember, the public revelation of the Strzok/Page texting is only very recently known by the public, but the IG requested these texts in July- months prior to this public knowledge. It is possible and likely that the Congressional request, which came after the public revelation, went to a different party in the DoJ, and that party didn’t know the IG had already gotten the time period in question months ago, and decided to cover up by “losing” the texts.
@GB Koskinen term is up in March , I believe., so as much as we all would love to see a pink slip, DJT has other stuff on his agenda.
Here’s a “Fun Question” to go with your Fun Fact: if Comey is indicted for all the illegal activities that went on under his leadership at the FBI, will the students in his Ethical Leadership class fail the class?
Finally, an actual “teachable moment!”
Here’s a “Fun Question” to go with your Fun Fact: if Comey is indicted for all the illegal activities that went on under his leadership at the FBI, will the students in his Ethical Leadership class fail the class?
Their grades will be inexplicably “misplace.” Samsung will be blamed.