{"id":1107,"date":"2018-08-17T09:08:34","date_gmt":"2018-08-17T13:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=1107"},"modified":"2018-08-17T09:08:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-17T13:08:34","slug":"the-plot-to-end-the-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2018\/08\/17\/the-plot-to-end-the-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Plot to End the Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Plot to End the Investigation<\/p>\n

President Trump stripped former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance on Tuesday.\u00a0 While Trump\u2019s original statement claimed it was due to Brennan\u2019s \u201cerratic\u201d statements in the media, in a Wall Street Journal<\/em> interview he added a more insidious rationale:\u00a0 that Brennan was one of those who began the Russia investigation.<\/p>\n

The President also presented a list of those being considered for \u201cstripping.\u201d\u00a0 They all were involved in the Russia investigation in one way or another.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Former CIA Director Mike Haden, former DNI James Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey, along with Brennan, were at the January 2017 meeting informing then President-elect Trump of Russian interference.\u00a0 Comey famously stayed after the meeting to tell Trump about the Steele Dossier\u2019s most salacious sections.<\/p>\n

When Trump then spoke out, stating that there wasn\u2019t proof of Russian involvement, these four stood together behind their findings that the Russians did interfere. While the others left with the end of the Obama Administration, Comey was later fired by the President \u201c\u2026to end the Russia thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some others listed are former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strozk, and former Justice Department lawyer Lisa Page.\u00a0 They were all involved in the beginnings of the Russia investigation.\u00a0 Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice were Obama appointees that Trump has picked out for special attention; Rice because of her role in the Carter Page investigation, and Yates for warning the White House about Mike Flynn\u2019s compromised position.<\/p>\n

All of these individuals are no longer in government service (all but Rice and Page were fired.)\u00a0Taking away their security clearances doesn’t change what they are doing now.\u00a0 What it does do is take away the government\u2019s ability to use their memory and experience with current problems:\u00a0 if they don\u2019t have clearances, they can\u2019t be approached for information.<\/p>\n

It also denies them the ability to look at their own files to refresh their memories.\u00a0 When called to testify to Congress or in Court, they can\u2019t confirm their testimony with \u201cthe record.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 This might create a potential perjury situation, but more likely makes it easier for the White House and their apologists, who can review the record, to contest their statements.<\/p>\n

And, perhaps more ominously, the President is threatening the clearance of Bruce Ohr, currently in the FBI.\u00a0If Ohr loses his clearance, he will no longer be able to do his job. \u00a0Trump would be effectively firing Ohr, without any \u201cdue process,\u201d because he was a friend of Christopher Steele and vouched for his credentials.<\/p>\n

Some commentators see the Brennan attack as the beginning of a slow-motion \u201cSaturday Night Massacre,\u201d effectively ending the investigators ability to investigate the Russian involvement.\u00a0And while Nixon\u2019s \u201cmassacre\u201d drew Congressional rebuke, and resulted in a new Special Counsel with even greater authority, this slow motion attack has not drawn the same kind of criticism.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact, moderate Republicans like Senator Richard Burr \u00a0head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, \u00a0and Lindsey Graham, have recognized that this is within the President\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n

So far, outside of the media and Democrats, the only voices being raised against Trump are former leaders of the intelligence agencies themselves.\u00a0 Former commander of Special Operations, Admiral William McRaven, specifically asked Trump to strip his clearance so he could stand with Brennan, while a dozen former intelligence officials, including Leon Panetta, Robert Gates and David Patraeus, publicly support Brennan.<\/p>\n

So who\u2019s next?\u00a0 If this is Trump\u2019s retribution for the Russia investigation, will the clearances of Robert Mueller or other members of the Special Counsel\u2019s office turn up on the list?\u00a0 Will the President reach down into the CIA to find those who brought the Russia information?\u00a0 Is this a \u201ckill the messenger\u201d situation, or a larger attempt to actually kill the message?<\/p>\n

Clearly this is the ultimate attempt to coerce potential witnesses against him, and obstruct justice.\u00a0The President has been given the legal advice that he has these powers, and therefore has the authority to do this.\u00a0The \u201cunitary executive\u201d principle his advisors espouse states that since the President is the ultimate authority in the executive branch, anything he does is legal and within his authority.<\/p>\n

We will see if this theory holds up.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work for Richard Nixon, who ultimately was rebuked by the Supreme Court, and finally by the Congress for obstructing justice.\u00a0 And perhaps President Trump is enjoying the \u201cthreat,\u201d without actually intending to proceed.\u00a0 It certainly has achieved one goal:\u00a0 it has changed the subject again.<\/p>\n

Mr. Mueller, do what you have to do.\u00a0 But please, if you could hurry, that would be good too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Plot to End the Investigation President Trump stripped former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance on Tuesday.\u00a0 While Trump\u2019s original statement claimed it was due to Brennan\u2019s \u201cerratic\u201d statements in the media, in a Wall Street Journal interview he added a more insidious rationale:\u00a0 that Brennan was one of those who began … Continue reading “The Plot to End the Investigation”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Plot to End the Investigation : Our America - 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