Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

“They not like us!” (that’s for sure!)

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

The revolution will be supervised.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

“woke” is the new caravan.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

You are here: Home / Information As Power / Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: Bill Barr, Spying on His Capo’s ‘Enemies’

Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: Bill Barr, Spying on His Capo’s ‘Enemies’

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As the Justice Department investigated who was behind leaks of classified information early in the Trump administration, it took a highly unusual step: Prosecutors subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, aides and family members. One was a minor.

All told, the records of at least a dozen people tied to the committee were seized in 2017 and early 2018, including those of Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, then the panel’s top Democrat and now its chairman, according to committee officials and two other people briefed on the inquiry. Representative Eric Swalwell of California said in an interview Thursday night that he had also been notified that his data had been subpoenaed.

Prosecutors, under the beleaguered attorney general, Jeff Sessions, were hunting for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump associates and Russia. Ultimately, the data and other evidence did not tie the committee to the leaks, and investigators debated whether they had hit a dead end and some even discussed closing the inquiry.

But William P. Barr revived languishing leak investigations after he became attorney general a year later. He moved a trusted prosecutor from New Jersey with little relevant experience to the main Justice Department to work on the Schiff-related case and about a half-dozen others, according to three people with knowledge of his work who did not want to be identified discussing federal investigations…

Bloody Bill Barr, most underrated sneak thief of his class…


… While the Justice Department routinely conducts investigations of leaked information, including classified intelligence, opening such an investigation into members of Congress is extraordinarily rare.

The Trump administration’s attempt to secretly gain access to data of individual members of Congress and others connected to the panel came as the president was fuming publicly and privately over investigations — in Congress and by then-special counsel Robert Mueller — into his campaign’s ties to Russia. Trump called the probes a “witch hunt,” regularly criticized Schiff and other Democrats on Twitter and repeatedly dismissed as “fake news” leaks he found personally harmful to his agenda. As the investigations swirled around him, he demanded loyalty from a Justice Department he often regarded as his personal law firm.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement that “these actions appear to be yet another egregious assault on our democracy” waged by the former president….

Schiff, now the panel’s chair, confirmed in a statement Thursday evening that the Justice Department had informed the committee in May that the investigation was closed. Still, he said, “I believe more answers are needed, which is why I believe the Inspector General should investigate this and other cases that suggest the weaponization of law enforcement by a corrupt president.”

The Justice Department told the intelligence panel then that the matter had not transferred to any other entity or investigative body, the committee official said, and the department confirmed that to the committee again on Thursday.

The panel has continued to seek additional information, but the Justice Department has not been forthcoming in a timely manner, including on questions such as whether the investigation was properly predicated and whether it only targeted Democrats, the committee official said…

Reader Interactions

56Comments

  1. 1.

    WaterGirl

    I am not as happy with the Garland DOJ as I hoped i would be.

    Protecting “the institutions” seems to trump protecting our democracy.

  2. 2.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    investigation was properly predicated and whether it only targeted Democrats,

    So did this investigation dig up dirt on various Republicans and Trump is holding it over them?

  3. 3.

    BretH

    Another take is that the Garland DOJ is being careful to do things strictly by the book to avoid repeating the previous oversteps.

  4. 4.

    smith

    Looks like the Republicans took the lesson of Watergate to heart. If you want to spy on your political opponents, just use the Justice Department.

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Is there such a thing as a “Special Inspector General”? Can there be? I’m usually an opponent of stunt politics, but I’d like to see somebody appointed who would make a splash, get people talking about the investigation itself. Preet Bharara, Sally Yates….

  10. 10.

    Hilbertsubspace

    In my neck of the woods, Oregon State Representative Nearman was expelled from the legislature for letting armed protesters into the building through a side door. Believe it or not, I was actually expecting him to get the boot once the video of him planning with the protesters appeared. It was just too much for the self interest of the other Republicans.

    Another example of low standards being better than nothing was the Oregon Republican party HQ making a statement of support for the 1/6 insurrection on twitter. The elected R’s quickly responded by saying they condemned the attack.

  11. 11.

    Gin & Tonic

    The panel has continued to seek additional information, but the Justice Department has not been forthcoming in a timely manner,

    If only there were some legal mechanism by which a House committee could compel testimony or demand information.

  12. 12.

    mrmoshpotato

    Prosecutors subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, aides and family members. One was a minor.

    What. The. Actual. Fuck?

    Good job letting a mobster get elected, you purity assholes.

  13. 13.

    Cameron

    @WaterGirl: I would agree with that approach if I felt the institutions were strong enough to protect our system of government.  They’ve been so badly damaged over the last half century – particularly the last four years – that they may not be sufficient in and of themselves.  I’m not saying the situation is hopeless, just that it’s going to probably require an aroused citizenry (or at least a substantial chunk of it) to get things back on track.

  14. 14.

    trollhattan

    @smith:

    Used to joke about an “enemies list” because Trump hates anybody who doesn’t lick his loafers and it would be a very long list, but it now seems there probably is a formal one, somewhere.

    Unlike the 1970s, it would make no difference whatsoever if it were revealed. Republicans would all respond, “They are all enemies of freedom®, so the list looks good to us.”

  15. 15.

    elm

    @WaterGirl:  I seem to recall Masha Gessen writing that institutions will not save us.

    The DOJ is in sorry shape and apparently has plenty of people who will sign off on pretty bad things. Since it didn’t resist the either Trump or GWB, restoring the status quo is not sufficient.

  16. 16.

    Just Chuck

    So what exactly will happen? I mean, we have to get the Republican Party’s permission to do anything about it, same as everything else, right?

  17. 17.

    gene108

    Fox News/ OANN/ NewsMax at the top of the hour:

    Liberal hypocrisy knows no bounds.

    They were perfectly fine with the AG Lynch spearheading wire taps on then candidate Trump, his advisors, children, and whoever else they could find based on a work of fiction, the Steele “dossier”, commissioned and fully paid for by President Trump’s Democrat opponent, and Lynch’s personal friend (tarmac meeting with Bill in Cheyenne, plus video of event on screen), Hillary Clinton.

    Liberals love it when Obama spies on his political enemies, in service of the most corrupt callous woman to ever run for President. You know there are reports of Hillary cackling with glee, as Ambassador Stevens is being murdered by radical Islamic terrorists. But Trump protecting classified is a bridge too far for you guys…

    Hypocrites!!!

    We’re living in a world where every liberal accusation is a confession of their own crimes.

    And let’s get to sleazy Schiff. He had or maybe still has – I can’t say for sure – a romantic affair with a Chinese spy, but somehow trying to make sure he’s not leaking information to the Chinese is a bridge too far for the socialist collective that’s masquerading as the Democrat party?

    Is it any surprise the Biden administration is standing up for sleazy Schiff, who’s been in bed with a Chinese communist? What do the Chinese communists have in sleepy Joe? How much of it has to do with Hunter Biden?

    *******

    And so forth, and so on.

  18. 18.

    gene108

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Also, it still very early days. How long has Garland been AG?

    Long enough that Trump, and his children with Ivana, should be in jail for the rest of their natural lives, plus indictments against Sen. Cruz, Sen. Hawley, and Rep. Brooks for incitement on 1/6/2021.

  20. 20.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @gene108: Okay.  I guess I’ll just let you all complain.  No one could meet expectations like that and still follow the law.  You guys have fun.

  21. 21.

    MomSense

    @elm:

    The problem is that the integrity of any institution depends on the integrity of the people.  There are probably some policies that can be done at the margins, but if the organizations are staffed with corrupt people it won’t matter.

  24. 24.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @elm:

    Everything Gessen said would happen did happen.

    Just one of these times, I wish that somebody who got one of those bullshit surveillance requests and gag orders would say “fuck you, this is wrong and I’m blasting it into the public domain. Go ahead and prosecute me, and if some gutless chucklefuck of a lapdog federal judge tries to command me to be quiet at trial, I’ll insult them, too.”

  26. 26.

    karen marie

    @zhena gogolia:   I have unfollowed and blocked a lot of people over this bullshit.  “I WANT MY CANDY NOW AND IMMA HOLD MY BREATH TILL I GET IT.”  To be fair, many, if not most, of these WATBs are Bernie Bros, so …

  27. 27.

    JPL

    Imagine if you will being a teenager who was targeted by the DOJ.   You are powerless to do anything about it.   I’d be crushed if someone read my diary at that age, and can’t imagine what it’s like to have all my communication listened to.   That’s a wound that takes time to heal.

  28. 28.

    elm

    @MomSense:  That’s the part of Garland’s behavior that galls me. Those subpoenas were signed by people. Those people should be named and disciplined, probably fired and hopefully disbarred.

    If there is no reason not to comply with that sort of directive inside the DOJ, then you won’t see people take it public or resist next time.

  30. 30.

    MisterForkbeard

    @gene108: The really dumb thing is that none of the “AG LYNCH DID A THING” stuff is true.

    Like, one member of Trump’s campaign got himself wiretapped. And that was because they had credible accusations of him doing some really sketchy stuff, and IIRC it started before he was an official part of the Trump campaign.

    That’s it. Like, literally it. The rest of it was “Lynch met with Bill Clinton for 10 minutes”. Well, Barr met with Trump every damn day, and Barr hadn’t recused himself from any of the Trump investigations.

    These people can go jump off a cliff.

  33. 33.

    James E Powell

    @Ken: 

    Personally, I can’t wait. I will volunteer to drive a tumbrel.

    More seriously, I think some maybe most of the investigations I’d like to see should be done by the house committees who have oversight over the relevant department. The DOJ is about crimes and we are looking to expose and repair things that may not be crimes, but are still horrible and corrosive to democratic governance.

  34. 34.

    elm

    @James E Powell: The DOJ is responsible for internal DOJ policies and discipline as well and for civil rights matters that may or may not be criminal.

    The Trump child separation and Muslim Ban policies involved probable criminal acts and definite civil rights violations. It would be better if the DOJ prioritized that over a number of initiatives they have acted on or made statements on in the past few weeks.

  35. 35.

    Another Scott

    Apparently DoJ / Garland is having/had an important news conference today.

    AG Merrick Garland says DOJ will scrutinize voting laws and practices "in order to determine whether they discriminate against Black voters and other voters of color"—including studies showing voters of color wait in "substantially longer" lines to vote. https://t.co/xY8G8YiI04 pic.twitter.com/bprnfybysU

    — ABC News (@ABC) June 11, 2021

    (via Popehat)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  40. 40.

    elm

    @Baud: The original ban of February 2017 was, from contemporary reporting, implemented in part by coercing people into signing away their green cards and permanent residence rights. That is a civil rights violation against a US person (green card holders are US people).

     

    The conditions of the child separation program can also be interpreted as violations of criminal law.

  41. 41.

    Arm The Homeless

    Ostensibly a judge needed probable cause to sign-off on gathering the meta-data, so I want to see the “evidence” that was provided and when that eventually shows that this was predicated on lies and bullshite, I want everyone who signed those documents fired and the judge named, shamed and hopefully hounded out of their chambers.

     

    If there are no consequences–like following the W. regime–this will get worse under the next GQP fascist administration.

  42. 42.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @gene108:

    Long enough that Trump, and his children with Ivana, should be in jail for the rest of their natural lives, plus indictments against Sen. Cruz, Sen. Hawley, and Rep. Brooks for incitement on 1/6/2021.

    this is ridiculous, and the problem with all the talk about prosecutors and jail. If they had all been indicted on Inauguration Day, they wouldn’t have gone to trial yet, much less been convicted. And then there’s the whole “indicted for what?”, “convicted for what?”

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    @Ken:  I am not as happy with the Garland DOJ as I hoped i would be.  I think heads should roll at the DOJ for all of this crap that is coming out.  And by heads should roll, I mean that people should lose their jobs if they approved of or participated in those activities.

    I think there is a lot of daylight between that and being hysterical and asking for show trials.  But maybe that’s just me?

  44. 44.

    elm

    @WaterGirl: I think what you want is very reasonable and should be considered the bare minimum if we want a DOJ that respects the rule of law. Protecting the people who signed off on this is not acceptable.

  45. 45.

    Fair Economist

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Just one of these times, I wish that somebody who got one of those bullshit surveillance requests and gag orders would say “fuck you, this is wrong and I’m blasting it into the public domain. Go ahead and prosecute me, and if some gutless chucklefuck of a lapdog federal judge tries to command me to be quiet at trial, I’ll insult them, too.”

    That’s what Reality Winner did, more or less, and she went to jail for it. If we want such things to happen, she needs to be pardoned.

  46. 46.

    Raoul Paste

    • @WaterGirl:  Although this thread seems dead, I’ve got to agree with the cooler heads here
    • I think the hysteria is the result of frustration over past attempts to get accountability.  And I really hope that there is a smoking gun that puts Bill Barr  away
  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl:  You aren’t the only person posting on this thread. I do think that it is too soon to be disappointed by Garland. Doing things right takes time.

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: I assumed that was in response to my comment, since it was a reply to me, and I had just said I thought there was plenty of daylight between my position and hysteria.

    Perhaps it wasn’t directed at me, that’s why I asked the question.

    I had actually phrased my original comment deliberately.  I said I wasn’t as happy with the new DOJ as I expected to be.  But it was foolish of me to post that as the first comment.

  54. 54.

    James E Powell

    @Raoul Paste:

    I think the hysteria is the result of frustration over past attempts to get accountability.

    Totally agree, especially when it’s me getting hysterical.

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