A criminal investigation of former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton, and others may be in the making. On Wednesday, a group of 11 Republican members of Congress sent the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI a criminal referral naming all four, as well as others, citing “potential violations of law” to be investigated.
The referral asks for a criminal investigation related to a series of scandals surrounding to the 2016 election. Unlike the myriad probes into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the election, these investigations — if the DOJ and FBI act on the referral — would be centered around actual events that are so well known they are undeniable.
As Fox News reported Wednesday:
Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and 10 other House lawmakers want an investigation into potential violations that cover everything from the handling of the Clinton email probe to the anti-Trump dossier’s funding to the Uranium One controversy. They made their case in a letter sent Wednesday to Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and U.S. Attorney John Huber, whom Sessions named to lead the previously announced evaluation.
Besides Representative DeSantis (shown), the six-page letter is signed by Representative Andrew “Andy” Biggs (R-Ariz.), Representative David “Dave” Bratt (R-Va.), Representative Jeffrey “Jeff” Duncan (R-S.C.), Representative Matthew “Matt” Gaetz (R-Fla.), Representative Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Representative Andrew “Andy” Harris (R-Md.), Representative Jody Hice (R-Ga.), Representative Theodore “Todd” Rokita (R-Ind.), Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), and Representative Theodore “Ted” Yoho (R-Fla.).
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With a mention of “dissimilar degrees of zealousness” between the investigations into Clinton’s scandals and crimes and those alleged against Trump campaign associates, the lawmakers wrote, “Because we believe that those in positions of high authority should be treated the same as every other American, we want to be sure that the potential violations of law outlined below are vetted appropriately.”
The letter also mentions FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, as well as others. Strzok and Page are famous for being the FBI lovers who passed scores of thousands of text messages back and forth. In the midst of the messages about their ongoing extra-marital affair, there were also messages that make it perfectly clear that the FBI and DOJ were working to protect Clinton from the consequences of her illegal use of a private, unsecured e-mail server and address during her tenure as secretary of state.
The messages also mention a “secret society” within the higher ranks of the FBI and DOJ that had an “insurance policy” to handle Trump if he were elected.
That “insurance policy” appears to include (at least) the Trump/Russia collusion narrative and probes. In at least one of the messages between Strzok and Page, there is a reference to a meeting in McCabe’s office to discuss the “insurance policy.”
The letter cites the text messages as evidence that Strzok and Page “eliminated evidence that Mrs. Clinton compromised high-level communications” and refers them both to be investigated for breaking the law by doing that.
As for Comey, DeSantis told Fox and Friends that it is clear that Comey scuttled the Clinton investigation early on. “They made this determination months before,” he said, adding, “The lack of candor with the Congress is something that needs to be investigated.” The “lack of candor” is a reference to Comey’s September 2016 testimony before Congress in which he said — under oath — that the decision not to recommend indictment was made after the FBI interviewed Clinton. The date of his early draft (May 2016 — months before the investigation was complete and before Clinton was questioned) shows that as a lie.
The long list of “potential violations of law outlined” against Comey include perjury and unauthorized removal of classified documents.
Comey says the “accusations” against him “are not true,” but given that the crux of those accusations is that he is a perjurer — which is easily demonstrated by comparing his sworn testimony with the known facts — perhaps he is not the best source of what is true.
McCabe is likely accused of perjury. The letter cites Attorney General Jeff Sessions as saying that “McCabe lacked candor — including under oath — on multiple occasions.” It also cites a “recently released” misconduct report by the DOJ office of the inspector general as “confirming four instances of McCabe’s lack of candor, including three instances under oath,” among other charges.
For Clinton’s part, she may wind up wishing she had been properly investigated by the FBI by the time all of this is over. Because while the letter does not include a recommendation to re-investigate that scandal, it does cite the possible campaign-law violations related to her campaign’s funding of the now discredited Trump “dossier.” Not that she did anything illegal by funding the document’s creation — that was typical politics. The letter states that “for disguising payments to Fusion GPS on mandatory disclosures to the Federal Election Commission, we refer Hillary Clinton to DOJ for potential violation(s) of” the laws that deal with proper campaign disclosures.
Par for the course, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill trotted out the tired old “politically motivated” line, adding that the whole thing is “pathetic,” saying, “House Republicans have seen the numbers and are running scared as we head into midterm season. They should focus on working for the people they are asking to reelect them, not do Trump’s bidding. It’s pathetic.”
Of course, in reality, no one associated with the Clinton campaign should be listed as a source of what the numbers say. She and her campaign did, after all, spout that same pablum even as the votes were being counted that would put Donald Trump in the White House.
Loretta Lynch was referred for criminal investigation for the part she played in attempting to cover up yet another Clinton scandal: UraniumGate. The letter states, “With regard to Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, we raise concerns regarding her decision to threaten with reprisal the former FBI informant who tried to come forward in 2016 with insight into the Uranium One deal.”
The Uranium One deal was a transfer of 20 to 25 percent of U.S. uranium reserves to Russian control. As secretary of state, Clinton approved the deal, while the Clinton Foundation received millions in “donations” from the very Russian interests who profited from the deal.
The letter ends by referring DOJ and FBI “personnel connected to the compilation of documents on alleged links between Russia and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump known as the ‘Steele dossier.’” The letter refers “all DOJ and FBI personnel responsible for signing the Carter Page warrant application that contained unverified and/or false information for possible violation(s)” of the applicable laws. In fact, that heading states that the referral includes but is “not limited to” Comey, McCabe, former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and former Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente.
This list of referrals covers a lot of ground, but there appears to be one common thread: collusion. Not the phantom collusion Democrats have been hollering and squawking about for more than a year now, but collusion between Clinton and Russian interests, between the Clinton campaign and the higher levels of government, and between Clinton allies within departments of government that are supposed to remain separate.
One thing is sure: Attorney General Jeff Sessions has a job to do, and that job is to finally investigate the swamp creatures that infest Washington.
Photo of Representative Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.): AP Images
