Russiagate et alia

Where to start? How about Roger Stone, as Judge Amy Jackson announces she'll go ahead and sentence him for whatever it is he's accused of (imitating Andy McCabe by lying to the feds, maybe?). Sen. John Kennedy: Roger Stone’s Status As a Chucklehead Is Not a Criminal Act, CNS News.  De Peacock, Judge will sentence Roger Stone on Thursday, but will postpone punishment pending bid for new trial. So sentence first, new trial later, like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Ace, Judge in Stone Case Will Move Forward With Sentencing

What?

The foreman of the jury lied about her political interest in the case.

The foreman.

And this judge doesn't think that issue deserves some exploration?

Nope, full steam ahead. We gotta get them Russkies.

Sundance at CTH, Judicial Shenanigans – Stone Judge Will Deliver Sentence, then Immediately Postpone Execution of Sentence…

Judge Amy Berman-Jackson doesn’t want to deal with; and doesn’t want the optics of; the serious issue surrounding the activist jury foreperson, Tomeka Hart, prior to delivering her sentence.

Within the process to deal with Stone’s motion for a new trial, judge Berman-Jackson knows the petition would involve bringing in Tomeka Hart to her courtroom for questioning. The judge doesn’t want that damaging political optic prior to delivering her sentence. Obviously, such an appearance begs the question of how poorly Judge Berman-Jackson handled jury selection. This CYA is a seriously political and sketchy decision.

Even Anti-Trump Judge Nappy, Andrew Napolitano: Almost Any Judge In The Country Would Order A New Trial For Roger Stone (AllahPundit, Hot Air VIP). Meanwhile, from NYPo, Trump tweets about ‘suing everyone’ over Roger Stone, Mueller probe, from Da Hill, Trump suggests he may sue over Mueller investigation, and stolen from WaPoo, Trump declares himself 'chief law enforcement officer'. Fact check, technically true. ABC News, Trump maintains online criticism of Roger Stone case, despite AG Barr's plea to stop, and

Which, of course, brings us to the next outrage de jour, AP reports an anonymous source claims Barr tells people he might quit over Trump tweets. Bonchie at Red State, BREAKING: Bill Barr Threatening to Quit Over Trump’s Tweets (but Is He Really?), Fox, DOJ pushes back at reports Barr considered quitting over Trump tweets ""Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign," DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec tweeted."

James Comey whines through WaPoo, James Comey: Justice is supposed to be blind. Bill Barr can’t see that. He already broke my irony meter a long time ago.

Julie Kelly offers a serious suggestion, Political Trials Should Be Tried Outside of the Beltway

“When the District of Columbia is the venue for any prosecution with political overtones, Justice Department charging decisions must factor in the jury pool, which is solidly anti-Trump,” observed former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy.

Accurate. Hillary Clinton won 90 percent of the D.C. vote in 2016 compared to Donald Trump’s four percent. In the metropolitan area as a whole, which includes adjacent counties in Virginia and Maryland, Clinton won 68 percent. The federal government is the area’s largest employer; nearly everyone else is somehow tied to government work as a lawyer, lobbyist, consultant, or journalist. By a 20-to-1 margin, Justice Department employees contributed heavily to Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Any trial automatically is rigged either in favor or against a political defendant based on the team for which the accused plays—and if it’s Team Trump, the outcome is predetermined even before the opening statements. After all, how could a swamp-dweller objectively judge a case tied to a president promising to drain the swamp?

Time to consider my beloved Father's idea; move the nation's capitol to Fargo, North Dakota. Sorry Fargo, you have to take one for the team. It would only work for a while; the bureaucracy would build back up. Move it every 20 years so all parts of the country can benefit.

Joy Pullman at Da Fed thinks the DOJ Furor Is Just The Latest Attempt To Help Democrats Hide Spygate, Undermine Elections. I give Democrats the benefit of mixed motives.

Speaking of Democrats and motives, I can't help pointing out this rant from JJ Sefton's Morning Report - 2/18/20 from Ace's:

First up, liberal legal eagle Alan Dershowitz revealed during an interview with Breitbart's Joel Pollak that he has absolute proof that Nazi collaborator and convicted felon George Soros either asked, or perhaps ordered, Barack Obama to have the FBI investigate someone. Dershowitz did not reveal the identity of the individual in question nor how he came about this information but he stated that it will all be made public during the course of an impending lawsuit. Nowadays when you hear the word "investigate" coupled with "FBI" the immediate conclusion is Gestapo-like persecution of political enemies. During the Obama Reign of Error, the names Sharyl Atkisson, James Rosen and Nakoula Basily Nakoula come to mind without even having to probe the memory banks too deeply. He weaponized the federal bureaucracy as a tool of political repression like no other president in history, especially the law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies. Not that they had any misgivings at all about following orders or even doing dirty work on their own initiative to further the cause of fundamental transformation. But circling back, if Obama is doing Soros bidding then who really was running the country from 2009-2016? That is what we call in the trade a rhetorical question. Also, if you take a look at the second link, I'm sure you'll be shocked - shocked! - to find that not only was that letter signed by over 1,000 ex-prosecutors and DoJ officials demanding AG Barr's resignation not a grassroots effort at all, but that it was organized and funded by none other than... George Soros. Considering Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, George Papdopoulos and now Roger Stone have all been put through hell as if Obama was still in office now lends credence to the theory that he was just a cut-out doing Soros' bidding.

CORRECTION: The letter was funded by Pierre Omidyar, not Soros. That said, Soros has his fingers in so many corrupt operations, it's easy to get them confused.

Meanwhile, speaking of Michael Flynn, the FBI has admitted that it arranged a "briefing" with candidate Donald Trump and his then erstwhile NSA director under the pretext of investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, but in actuality for the sole purpose of secretly gathering anything they might say to be used as evidence with which to rhetorically, if not literally, hang them. This puts things in a new light with the announcement that AG Barr has reportedly decided to have an outside prosecutor look into the Flynn case.

Sundance has a  Flynn Case Update – Reply Motion Supporting Dismissal and/or Withdrawal of Plea…

Lawyers representing Michael Flynn presented a strong argument today (pdf below) in reply to the governments’ continued efforts to refute prosecutorial wrongdoing.

Within the reply motion Sidney Powell highlights the conduct of prosecutor Brandon Van Grack and hypocrisy within the government arguments: “Mr. Van Grack’s contention that he satisfied the government’s obligations by providing this information before Mr. Flynn’s sentencing now proves the point that he suppressed it when it was most important to Mr. Flynn: before his guilty plea on December 1, 2017, and before what was scheduled to be his sentencing on December 18, 2018.”

From the Wombat's, In The Mailbox: 02.18.20, Da Tech Guy has  The Case For Getting Rid Of The CIA & FBI and Power Lines The Washington Post Pulls The Old Switcheroo On Trump,  Breitbart reveals the obvious,  Revealed: FBI Used ‘Briefing’ with Trump, Flynn to Gather Evidence for Crossfire Hurricane Operation, still outrageous.

BREAKING: FBI claims it "lost" informant documents signed by dossier fabulist Christopher Steele in January 2016

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) February 18, 2020

Sundance also goes on (and on) about Barr’s “Outside Prosecutors” and the FISC Sequestration Agreement…

The media are framing the use of outside attorneys as Bill Barr working on behalf of President Trump to undermine current and former prosecutions. However, understanding the FISC order requiring the sequestration effort, the use of outsiders is absolutely necessary.

The same U.S. Attorneys, prosecutors and FBI agents who used evidence gathered from the FISA warrants cannot be the same attorneys, agents and prosecutors making decisions about what parts of the warrants were used to gather evidence and how each part of any case was assembled by the use therein. It is a simple matter of a conflict of interest.

Additionally, the Robert Mueller team of FBI investigators and special counsel prosecutors certainly used the fraudulently obtained FISA warrants as part of their investigative evidence collection. Common sense would tell us this had to be the case or the FBI and Mueller team would not have requested renewals of the FISA warrant.

If the FBI & Special Counsel were not using the FISA warrant(s) to capture information, they would not have needed them renewed. Despite media spin to the contrary, the simple truth of renewals holding investigative value is evident in the renewal itself (ie. common sense).

also,  Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham Appears on Sean Hannity to Discuss His FISA Hearing Witness List…



From up on Da Hill, Trump on anonymous official behind op-ed, book: 'I know who it is'. But won't tell us.

The AP whines that President Trump goes on clemency spree, and the list is long, while CNN cries that Trump commutes Blagojevich's sentence and grants clemency to 10 others. Sundance has White House Statements on Executive Grants of Clemency…. None of these offend me.

John Bolton is still hyping his book; WaEx, Bolton says he's fighting White House 'censorship' on tell-all book. Not gonna pay top dollar but I might pick it up off the remainders table some day. David Graham at Da Atlantic, John Bolton Hints at How Much More He Still Has to Tell.  But a New book reveals explosive details about Loretta Lynch-Bill Clinton tarmac meeting. Totally planned. "“As journalists, you have to ask yourself, why are people not delving into this? Why are we not looking into what exactly happened?"" A totally rhetorical question.

Rusty Weiss at Da Lid, DOJ Is Investigating If Obama Officials Hid Evidence Of Russia Election Interference

A New York Times report indicates officials at the Department of Justice are investigating whether Obama-era officials hid or manipulated intelligence related to Russian election meddling. Obama officials hid evidence

The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Attorney John Durham, who has previously scrutinized intelligence community issues under both Republican and Democrat administrations.

The focus allegedly involves the intelligence community’s conclusion Russia had not just tried to create chaos in the 2016 election, but that they were all in for President Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton.

Paul Goldberg at News Thud claims Nancy Pelosi Caves, Tells Dems To Stop Investigating Trump In Effort To Save Job As Speaker Of House but Nancy Pelosi Snaps And Claims Trump Was Not Acquitted In Doomed Effort To Rewrite History. PJ Media's Jim Treacher, She's Completely Lost It: Now Pelosi Is Claiming 'There Was No Acquittal'. Under her weird definition of acquital. At Am Think, Democrats Aiming for More Impeachments because the last one worked so well.

At Da Spectator, Stephen A Miller wonders Why the media want you to forget about Michael Avenatti. Because he's an embarrassment.

Chuck Ross at da Caller is on Hunter's case, Hunter Biden Was On Board Of Trade Coalition Lobbying Obama Admin On Ukraine Aid and Emails: Burisma Consultant Linked To Hunter Biden Approached Top State Department Official To Arrange Ukraine Meeting. Sister Toldja at Red State shows even Cuck Tod gets into it, Video: Chuck Todd Points out the Obvious to Biden About How His Impeachment Push ‘Might Have’ Backfired