Russiagate: FISA Reforms, Will They Be Sufficient?

Well, the plague has distracted from the content, which is a good thing, I think. Anyway, the number of articles is way down. Go wash your hands...

First from sundance at CTH, Tom Fitton: Reform Isn’t Going To Fix FISA Problems Without Accountability for Prior Abuse…



While I approve of nuking FISA entirely, a good set of reforms would be a start. But I'm a fan of abusing them against Democrats until they scream about it. Then abolish it.

Tristan Justice at DaFed, DOJ Responds To District Judge’s Misinterpretation Of Muller Report Redactions

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice rejected Walton’s claims as “contrary to the facts,” and noted that the redactions made in the final report were decided in part by members of the special counsel’s own team.

And the Bidens are back in the news, and not in a good way. Yahoo! Is Ukraine About to Re-Open the Biden Investigation? and not surprisingly, they make it seem like a bad thing. Meanwhile, Capt. Ed reads Politico so you don't have to, FBI Raid, Middle East Mystery Money, And Biden’s Brother All Raise Questions

Joe Biden might enjoy improved electoral math these days, but the math around his family’s fortunes doesn’t add up at all — and it’s not just Hunter, either. Politico’s Ben Schreckinger has spent months tracking how Biden’s relatives got wealthy on their connections to the new Democratic frontrunner, including Joe’s younger brother James, who finds himself in the middle of a meltdown at a hospital firm. James Biden has been accused of running out on a personal loan of $650,000 after promising his older brother would arrange for a big influx of “Middle East money” that never materialized.

The raid of an Americore Health hospital represented a deepening of the legal morass surrounding James Biden’s recent venture into healthcare investing at a time when questions about the business dealings of Joe Biden’s relatives, and their alleged connection to the former vice president’s public service, continue to dog his presidential campaign.
In the weeks since the raid, two small medical firms that did business with James Biden have claimed in civil court proceedings to have obtained evidence that he may have fraudulently transferred funds from Americore “outside of the ordinary course of business,” and a former Americore executive has told POLITICO that James Biden had over half a million dollars transferred to him from the firm as a personal loan that has not yet been repaid.
The purpose of the Jan. 30 raid of an Ellwood City, Pa., hospital remains unclear, and there is no indication it was related to the actions of Biden’s younger brother, who has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Its owner, Americore, has faced legal problems and allegations of mismanagement that are unrelated to James Biden.
But recent filings in ongoing legal proceedings, along with new accounts provided to POLITICO by former Americore executives and others, point to potential pitfalls for the former vice president, painting the fullest picture to date of James Biden’s healthcare dealings and the ways in which they allegedly related to his powerful older brother. In 2017 and 2018, James Biden was embarking on a foray into healthcare investing, telling potential partners, including at Americore, that his last name could open doors and that Joe Biden was excited about the public policy implications of their business models, according to court filings and interviews with former business contacts of James’s.

The FBI’s raid appears aimed more at the company’s operations, which became so fraught at one point that it couldn’t meet its payroll. How it got to that state is a tale told through the lawsuits and through Schreckinger’s attempts to determine just what James Biden was promising and what he actually delivered.

Also at Red State, Politico Uncovers Allegations Of Suspicious Business Dealings Involving Joe Biden’s Brother.  From Da Signal, ‘We’re Not Closing Our Eyes’: Senate Panel Seeks Documents in Biden-Ukraine Investigation. I'll believe it when I see it.

“It is not our fault that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden got wrapped up in the whole Ukrainian story. But we’re not closing our eyes to this,” committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Channel.

“Joe Biden has never adequately answered these questions,” Johnson added.

And the hapless Hunter; what can you say? Fox, Hunter Biden 'willfully and contemptuously' defying court order to turn over sensitive financial docs, contempt motion says, and Da Mail gets to the heart of the issue, Ex-stripper who had Hunter Biden's baby says former vice president's son missed deadline to file financial paperwork in child support case. A few months in Manafort's old cell might be beneficial.