Tag: Russian investigation

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Congress Responds To Trump’s Woeful Putin Press Conference

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

After Donald Trump’s embarrassing performance at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Helsinki, some Congressional leaders are speaking out.

Some are more forceful than others.

We have this feckless drivel from Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan via press release:

“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”

There’s this from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R) who basically sidesteps the issue of Trump:

“The Senate Intelligence Committee has reviewed the 2017 IC (intelligence community) assessment and found no reason to doubt its conclusion that President Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at the 2016 U.S. elections with the goal of undermining faith in our democratic process. Russia has conducted a coordinated cyberattack on state election systems, and hacked critical infrastructure. They have used social media to sow chaos and discord in our society.

“They have beaten and harassed U.S. diplomats and violated anti-proliferation treaties. Any statement by Vladimir Putin contrary to these facts is a lie and should be recognized as one by the President.

“Vladimir Putin is not our friend and never has been. Nor does he want to be our friend. His regime’s actions prove it. We must make clear that the United States will not tolerate hostile Russian activities against us or our allies.”

On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York (D) offered this:

“What could possibly cause President Trump to put the interests of Russia over those of the United States? Millions of Americans will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump. For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak. The president is putting himself over our country.”

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12 Russian Intelligence Agents Indicted For Hacking DNC & Clinton Campaign

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced today that 12 Russian intelligence officers have been indicted on new charges stemming from the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced today that 12 Russian intelligence officers have been indicted on new charges stemming from the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

From The Washington Post:

The 12 were members of a Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU and are accused of engaging in a sustained effort to hack the computer networks of Democratic organizations and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein detailed the new charges at a midday news conference. Mueller, as has been his practice, did not attend the announcement. Court records show that a grand jury Mueller has been using returned an indictment Friday morning.

The announcement comes days before President Trump is due to meet with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin in Finland. Rosenstein said he briefed Trump earlier this week on the charges.

The 11-count indictment spells out in granular detail a carefully planned and executed attack on the information security of Democrats, implanting hundreds of malware files on Democrats’ computer systems, stealing information, and then laundering the pilfered material through fake personas and others to try to influence voters’ opinions.

According to the indictments, the hacked emails were released under the names DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0

Responding to the news, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta told ABC News, “Donald Trump likes to describe this as a witch hunt. Well, we just found some witches.”

For months, Donald Trump has called the idea of Russian interference in the 2016 a “made-up story.”

The White House issued a statement following the announced indictments which notably does not condemn Russia for interfering in our election:

“As Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said today:

• “There is no allegation in this indictment that Americans knew that they were corresponding with Russians.

• There is no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime.

• There is no allegation that the conspiracy changed the vote count or affected any election result.”

Today’s charges include no allegations of knowing involvement by anyone on the campaign and no allegation that the alleged hacking affected the election result. This is consistent with what we have been saying all along.”

Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, took to Twitter in an attempt to mislead the American public once again.

He tweeted, “The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent.”

That is not what the Deputy Attorney General said today. Rosenstein stated that no Americans were being indicted today. Please note the very specific use of the phrase “in this indictment” over and over in Rosenstein’s announcement. He didn’t say all Americans are innocent.

You can watch Rosenstein’s announcement below.

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FBI Agent Peter Strzok: My Text Messages Were In Response To Trump’s ‘Disgusting Behavior’

Earlier today, FBI agent Peter Strzok resoundingly denounced the approach and tone House Republicans took during his testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
FBI agent Peter Strzok

Earlier today, FBI agent Peter Strzok resoundingly denounced the approach and tone House Republicans took during his testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

This is amazing.

“Sir, I think it’s important when you look at those texts that you understand the context in which they were made, and the things that were going on across America. In terms of the texts that, ‘We will stop it.’ You need to understand that that was written late at night, off-the-cuff and it was in response to a series of events that included then-candidate Trump insulting the immigrant family of a fallen war hero, and my presumption based on that horrible, disgusting behavior that the American population would not elect somebody demonstrating that behavior to be president of the United States.

“It was in no way, unequivocally, any suggestion that me, the FBI, would take any action whatsoever to improperly impact the electoral process, for any candidate. So I take great offense and I take great disagreement to your assertion of what that was or wasn’t.

“As to the ‘100 million to one’ that was clearly a statement made in jest and using hyperbole, I of course recognize that millions of Americans were likely to vote for candidate Trump. I acknowledge that is absolutely their right, that is what makes our democracy such a vibrant process that it is.

“But to suggest somehow that we can parse down the words of shorthand textual conversations like they’re some contract for a car is simply not consistent with my or most people’s use of text messaging. I can assure you, Mr. Chairman, at no time, in any of these texts, did those personal beliefs ever enter into the realm of any action I took.

“Furthermore, this isn’t just me sitting here telling you you don’t have to take my word for it. At every step, at every investigative decision, there are multiple layers of people above me, the assistant director, executive assistant director, deputy director and director of the FBI, and multiple layers of people below me, section chiefs, supervisors, unit chiefs, case agents and analysts, all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me any more than I would tolerate it in them.

“That is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I in some dark chamber somewhere in the FBI would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards and somehow be able to do this is astounding to me. It simply couldn’t happen. And the proposition that that is going on, that it might occur anywhere in the FBI, deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society, the effectiveness of their mission, and it is deeply destructive.”

And when he finished, there was applause in the chamber.

Strzok is accused of anti-Trump bias during the 2016 while investigating possible Russian interference in the election.

A late night text to a colleague has been the basis of personal attacks against him.

As has been established, there is no law preventing an FBI agent from having a personal opinion as long as it doesn’t come into play with their work.

Watch below.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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GOP Congressman Demands FBI End 14 Month Russian Interference Investigation

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, who headed the four year Benghazi investigation, railed at Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein during a recent appearance before Congress saying the 14 month long investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is taking too long.

“If you have evidence of wrongdoing by any member of the Trump campaign present it to the damn grand jury. If you have evidence that this President acted inappropriately, present it to the American people,” Gowdy said to Rosenstein, who supervises the Mueller probe. “Whatever you got, finish it the hell up, because this country is being torn apart.”

To be clear:

Benghazi was a 2.5 year investigation with zero indictments from a panel led by Gowdy.

The investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails took 2+ years and there were zero indictments.

In the first 14 months of the Mueller investigation, there have been 23 indictments.

“Chairman Gowdy urgently demanded that the Justice Department wrap up the investigation, yet he literally spent years and years investigating Hillary Clinton as part of the GOP’s eight-committee investigation of Benghazi, which resulted in nothing but a deluge of false Republican allegations that helped get Donald Trump elected President,” said Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was the top Democrat on the Benghazi committee.