Not a Lot of Russiagate

Not a huge lot, but a varied lot. Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Barr says Durham investigation won't disrupt 2020 election

“I will handle these cases as appropriate,” Barr said. “And I do not think anything that we do in the Durham investigation — I assume that’s what you’re talking about — is going to be affecting the election.”

Barr’s assertion followed Blitzer asking the attorney general if he would “honor” Justice Department “tradition” and not “go forward with charges against individuals that could be seen as politically inappropriate or politically against opponents” within 60 days of the election.

“I put out the guidance that has always been put out by the Department of Justice — and I’ll abide by it," Barr said, adding that the “guidance is people shouldn’t do things for political reasons.”

The CNN host then asked Barr if he doesn't think there will be charges in Durham's investigation 60 days before the election, a time frame which begins on Friday.

“The 60 days is not part of the rule, but I said that I don’t think anything we’re going to do would violate our policy — be inconsistent with our policy," Barr said.

Politico, Court rules NSA phone snooping illegal — after 7-year delay

Judge Marsha Berzon's opinion, which contains a half-dozen references to the role of former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden in disclosing the NSA metadata program, concludes that the "bulk collection" of such data violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The call-tracking effort began without court authorization under President George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A similar program was approved by the secretive FISA Court beginning in 2006 and renewed numerous times, but the 9th Circuit panel said those rulings were legally flawed.

The appeals court stopped just short of saying that the snooping was definitely unconstitutional, but rejected the Justice Department's arguments that collecting the metadata did not amount to a search under a 40-year-old legal precedent because customers voluntarily share such info with telephone providers.

Alex Nitzberg at JTN,  Not enough! Cruz 'frustrated' by lack of accountability for Russia probe misconduct  - "People who broke the law need to be prosecuted, and they need to go to jail," the Texas Republican says.


Sara Carter, Judicial Watch: State Dept. Records Confirm Ukraine Embassy Was Spying On Journalists, Trump Supporters

State Department records obtained by Judicial Watch confirm what sources told SaraACarter.com last October, that the Ukrainian Embassy, under former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch ‘monitored, in potential violation of the law’ journalists, a member of President Donald Trump’s family and others they deemed allies of the president.

Sundance at CTH, Doug Truax Interviews Richard Grenell About His RNC Speech Outlining Trump Surveillance…



Richard Kirk at AmThink discusses The Worst Impeachment in History in a book review.