This week's firing of Peter Strzok by the FBI serves to remind the public that the Robert Mueller investigation has very little legitimacy left. Consider:
Strzok was closely involved in both the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the Trump collusion investigation. Not only that, it was Strzok who rewrote Jim Comey's memo exonerating Clinton by changing the words, "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless", a vital legal change because the statute involved, 18 USC 973 (f), precisely uses the wording "grossly negligent" in referring to the handling of classified materials. At the same time Clinton was being exonerated, Strzok and his cronies were launching an investigation into the allegation of Trump collusion with the Russians to interfere with the election. Strzok and others relied on the infamous Steele Dossier to get a FISA-authorized phone tap against Carter Page, a man never charged with anything. All the while, Strzok was exchanging emails with his paramour, Lisa Page, an FBI staff attorney, expressing their low opinion of Trump on FBI communication servers. Much worse, they spoke about how they knew Clinton was not going to be indicted, and how they would themselves keep Trump out of the White House. In effect, they were using their positions to impact the election. That is criminal.
What is shocking is that the DOJ internal investigators only recommended a reduction in grade and suspension for Strzok. The FBI overruled that and fired him. That may be the least of Strzok's worries. He may yet be indicted.
And this is a man whom Robert Mueller chose to add to his prosecution team. Once Strzok's activities came to light, Mueller fired him. What else could he do? (Lisa Page was also temporally and briefly assigned to Mueller's team.) But in any evaluation of the Mueller investigation, why did he choose someone who was so intimately involved- because he was familiar with the facts of the investigation? Perhaps, but as the old saying goes, garbage in-garbage out. Strzok has permanently tainted the Mueller investigation in more ways than one. He is Mueller's Mark Fuhrman.
Of course, the left-wing media is suggesting that Strzok was punished for calling President Trump an idiot. Not so. He is being punished because he not only misused FBI communications servers, but more importantly, he tried to use his position as an FBI investigator to keep Trump from winning the election. If Mueller ever succeeds in charging anyone for actual collusion with the Russians in the election, future defense attorneys must be salivating at the prospect of putting Strzok on the stand.
Mueller's investigation has "little legitimacy left".
ReplyDeleteCohen's copping a plea. Manafort found guilty on eight counts.
"Good news, Mein Fuhrer! Gary Fouse thinks that there's no legitimacy to the Mueller investigation!"
Dear President is a crook,
ReplyDeleteI would remind you that Mueller's mission was to determine if Trump and/or his team colluded with the Russians to influence the election. If Cohen or Manafort have information that was the case then yesterday was a bad day for Trump.
The first time I saw Cohen on TV, I was very put off by his in your face style. If he in fact tape recorded Trump, his own client, he is indeed a scumbag. The legitimate question is then why did Trump associate himself with such a scumbag? That's not evidence, however.
If Trump had Cohen pay off women not to reveal his affairs and the reason was not to damage his election chances, there's probably an election law there somewhere that was broken. However, I will still judge Mueller on whether he proves that Trump colluded with the Russians. The conviction against Manafort only pertains to Trump if Manafort flips and testifies about Trump-Russian collusion. Trump had nothing to do with whatever they convicted Manafort of yesterday.