FBI "warned" about influencing election

[Jamisjockey]

Let that headline sink in
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-officials-warned-fbi-that-comeys-decision-to-update-congress-was-not-consistent-with-department-policy/2016/10/29/cb179254-9de7-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html
Yeah.  You read that right. The DOJ is telling the FBI to shush.  And still hasn't given the FBI a warrant to check out the emails they discovered.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/comey-wrote-bombshell-letter-to-congress-before-fbi-had-reviewed-new-emails-220219586.html

[Hawkmoon]

Let that headline sink in
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-officials-warned-fbi-that-comeys-decision-to-update-congress-was-not-consistent-with-department-policy/2016/10/29/cb179254-9de7-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html
Yeah.  You read that right. The DOJ is telling the FBI to shush.  And still hasn't given the FBI a warrant to check out the emails they discovered.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/comey-wrote-bombshell-letter-to-congress-before-fbi-had-reviewed-new-emails-220219586.html

I thought judges issued warrants. What does DOJ have to do with it? Of course, I also thought that prosecutors decided who gets charged and who doesn't, rather than the FBI. And, heck -- Comey's decision to twist and pervert the law that Hillary clearly broke and to "recommend" against charges wasn't influencing the election? So it's okay to influence the election when it helps the Democratic candidate but it's not okay when it doesn't help her?

I still think Comey is reacting to backlash from his early [non-] recommendation. First, he's been subject to tremendous criticism within the agency, from senior, career agents. And then the jury let the Bundy crew walk in the Oregon case despite the fact that they obviously did pretty much everything they were charged with. I think that was a wake-up call to Mr. Comey and the FBI that if you're going to let high-profile people blatantly break the law, then *expletive deleted*ck you we're going to let "the little people" break the law. I see this new investigation as an attempt (however lame) to try to resurrect the FBI's reputation.

[Perd Hapley]

Comey told Congress he could open an investigation on their say-so.

[HankB]

. . . So it's okay to influence the election when it helps the Democratic candidate but it's not okay when it doesn't help her . . .

You nailed it right there.

[Triphammer]

I have to wonder if some of the 30,000 deleted emails have shown up here.

[Ben]

If Comey hadn't been influenced by DOJ in the first place, this wouldn't be happening now and Clinton would have been either charged or had her clearance yanked months ago. There's too much information out there in the hands and heads of career FBI agents, and nondisclosure agreements for the investigation aside, I think it would only have been a matter of time before whistleblowers hired attorneys and stepped up to get the truth out there.

So far it appears Wiener is cooperating and not making it hard for the FBI. They won't have to tug anything out of him. The DOJ may have bit off more than they can chew.

[Chester32141]

  

NYT says ...  A senior law enforcement official said that tens of thousands of emails belonging to Ms. Abedin were on Mr. Weiner’s laptop, which the F.B.I. had obtained as part of its investigation into Mr. Weiner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-hillary-clinton-email.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1

 

[Hawkmoon]

 
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-hillary-clinton-email.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1

Danged NYT and their pay wall!

Abedin apparently says she doesn't know how the e-mails got on Anthony's laptop. My guess is that she doesn't understand how e-mail works. She probably borrowed Anthony's computer once in awhile when they were both at home just to check for e-mail -- or, as she has said, to print an e-mail she forwarded to her personal e-mail because she had trouble printing from the State Department system -- and possibly didn't realize that whatever she was using as an e-mail client on Anthony's computer (Outlook???) defaulted to downloading everything from the e-mail server.

Of course, it could also be that Anthony was curious and hacked his own wife's e-mail account just so he could have insider info about what the .gov was doing.

[TommyGunn]

   If only Efrem Zimbalist Jr.   were still around.....these things would be so simple... .

[Scout26]

There are rumours floating around that the NYPD's sex crimes unit had Weiner's computer and discovered:

The Abedin e-mails from clintonemail.com server and that they may have been:

a)  Forwarded to persons that they should not have been forwarded to.

b)  Discussions between Abedin and Hillary (among others) on how to destroy evidence, subvert the subpoena, coordinate their stories (lie to investigators)

c)  Evidence that Weiner's computer had been hacked and the e-mails hacked also.

d)  Just having the e-mails on this device is the great big no-no.

Anyway lots of rumours swirling around.   

[RoadKingLarry]

Of course absolutely nothing will come of this.

[Perd Hapley]

Of course absolutely nothing will come of this.

On the other hand, Congress may choose to impeach (and even convict) president Clinton. That would be jolly fun. They'll call it a war on women, despite hubby getting impeached, as well.

Then again, this is not your daddy's, late-nineties GOP. 

[Hawkmoon]

I'll just leave this here. A reminder of something I had completely forgotten:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/flashback-clinton-cheered-11th-hour-indictment-that-doomed-bush-reelection/article/2606000

[230RN]

I found it amusing and enlightening that our local MSM TV news station had explicit detailed instructions on changing one's mail-in ballot if one decided to change one's vote:

If you had already sent it in, you were SOL.

If you hadn't, bring it in to an election office or polling place, turn it in for destruction, fill out a new ballot, and submit that one right there.

Surprising in the extreme that an MSM station provided that information.

[Scout26]

Oh, and just as an FYI.  In all the Podesta e-mails that have come out, not one of them is either to or from Hillary....

So there is that coming out soon....

[AJ Dual]

Still sticking with my idea that a faction of the MSM and Leftist/DNC establishment now knows Clinton is cooked by something maybe in the Wikileaks or other disclosures, and is cutting their losses.

Or that there's accurate internal polling that shows Trump is ahead, and they want to make this about "Hillary the bad candidate" they can blame, rather than "The entire DNC. The bad party and ideology America doesn't want."

I suppose it's possible that internal FBI politics, or a sudden attack of conscience alone has forced Comey's hand, but considering how blatant the whitewashing of Clinton was for first email/SCI violations, I kind of doubt it.

[Scout26]

I wouldn't doubt the internal FBI politics.  The agency has been known for being the white-hats and the days of Ephraim Zimbalist Jr are look back upon fondly.  I could easily see an internal revolt over letting Hillary off the hook forcing Comey's hand. 

And Huma staying home (either by choice or by force) is very telling.  The campaign wants her no where near any reporters.  Which means whatever they found is bad.  Real bad.

No matter what the reason(s) I'm over here like 

 

[230RN]

AJ Dual  remarked,

Or that there's accurate internal polling that shows Trump is ahead, and they want to make this about "Hillary the bad candidate" they can blame, rather than "The entire DNC. The bad party and ideology America doesn't want."

An astute observation/speculation.

[griz]

Three scenarios:

1. Comey is truly biased and saw a way to put another thorn in the side of Clinton campaign.
2. He thought that since the FBI had seen fit to publically "clear" Clinton in time for the campaign to conclude, he thought it was equally fair to inform that same public that they may have been premature.
3. He knows that the contents of the emails is damning enough that the FBI would look totally corrupt if it looks as if they hid it until after the election.

Given that option #1 is career ending, I think we can discount that.  I think Hillary is so tainted that option #3 is the most likely.

[TommyGunn]

I wouldn't doubt the internal FBI politics.  The agency has been known for being the white-hats and the days of Ephraim Zimbalist Jr are look back upon fondly.  I could easily see an internal revolt over letting Hillary off the hook forcing Comey's hand. 

And Huma staying home (either by choice or by force) is very telling.  The campaign wants her no where near any reporters.  Which means whatever they found is bad.  Real bad.

No matter what the reason(s) I'm over here like 

 

It's "Efrem,"  not "Ephraim."   

[Ron]

It just looks like not only is the country divided but that our divided government is at political war with itself and the media.




 

[HankB]

On the other hand, Congress may choose to impeach (and even convict) president Clinton.

Barring an overwhelming GOP majority in the Senate - where the impeachment trial would take place - it would take a significant number of democrat senators voting to convict.

And there is NO conceivable crime for which democrats would convict a sitting democrat President.

NO conceivable crime.

Think about that for a bit.

 

[agricola]

Three scenarios:

1. Comey is truly biased and saw a way to put another thorn in the side of Clinton campaign.
2. He thought that since the FBI had seen fit to publically "clear" Clinton in time for the campaign to conclude, he thought it was equally fair to inform that same public that they may have been premature.
3. He knows that the contents of the emails is damning enough that the FBI would look totally corrupt if it looks as if they hid it until after the election.

Given that option #1 is career ending, I think we can discount that.  I think Hillary is so tainted that option #3 is the most likely.

There is always another option:

4.  They found something bad that they know has already been leaked. 

No point going down with the good ship HRC, if you can help it.

[Perd Hapley]

There is always another option:

4.  They found something bad that they know has already been leaked. 

No point going down with the good ship HRC, if you can help it.

If that made sense to the DNC, why didn't they find a way to sink HRC in the primaries? It's not as if her negatives are something new. And the party bosses have a lot more power to choose a candidate than the GOPe does.

[zxcvbob]

If that made sense to the DNC, why didn't they find a way to sink HRC in the primaries? It's not as if her negatives are something new. And the party bosses have a lot more power to choose a candidate than the GOPe does.

Maybe they didn't want to wake up (or not) next to Vince Foster?