Russiagate: POTUS Pardons Papadop

 And others. Fox, President Trump grants several high-profile pardons

President Trump issued full pardons to 15 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional five people, the White House announced Tuesday.


Included in the list are Duncan Hunter, a former GOP congressman from California, Chris Collins, a former GOP representative from New York and Trump campaign advisor George Papadapoulous.

The pardons and commutations came at the recommendation of Trump allies in Congress and in the media, and at the recommendation of Alice Johnson, whose sentence was commuted at the request of Kim Kardashian.

Papadapoulous had been convicted of making false statements during the Mueller investigation.

He was sentenced to 14 days in prison and a $9,500 fine for lying to the FBI during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, after he pleaded guilty to misleading federal investigators about his meetings with Russia-connected Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.

The White House said Tuesday Papadapoulous had been charged with a "process-related crime" even though "Mueller stated in his report that he found no evidence of collusion in connection with Russia’s attempts to interfere in the election."

Alex van der Zwaan, who also pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller investigators and was sentenced to 30 days in prison, received a pardon from the president.

I'm fully on board with the Papadop pardon. Papadop had already served his sentence, so the pardon restores his non-felon status. It will be even sweeter if Andy Weissman whines about it. I don't have much opinion on van der Zwaan, but any poke in the eye to the Weissman is worthy. John Sexton at Hot Air, Trump Grants Clemency To 20 Including A Pardon For George Papadopoulos “Today’s pardon helps correct the wrong that Mueller’s team inflicted on so many people.”Mairead McArdle at NR, Trump Pardons Campaign Advisers, Blackwater Contractors. At CTH, sundance makes the case for A Reason To Pardon Julian Assange. I could live with that. I've never understood the difference between Assange publishing US govt secrets and CBS (say as an example) publishing US govt. secrets. I'd like to hear what he has to offer regarding the DNC leaks too. He claims he can proved they didn't come from Russia. 

Fox, Special counsel Durham investigation 'making good progress,' Barr says "Source tells Fox News that Durham is now 'frequently' working out of Washington, DC" I don't want good progress; I want good results. From Da Wire, AG Barr Gives Update On Durham Probe: ‘Group of People’ Attempted To ‘Topple’ Trump Admin. He's been steadfast on this, if nothing else.

Mr. Barr describes an overarching objective of ensuring that there is “one standard of justice.” That, he says, is why he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the FBI’s 2016 Crossfire Hurricane probe. “Of course the Russians did bad things in the election,” he says. “But the idea that this was done with the collusion of the Trump campaign — there was never any evidence. It was entirely made up.” The country deserved to know how the world’s premier law-enforcement agency came to target and spy on a presidential campaign.

Mr. Barr says Mr. Durham’s appointment should not have been necessary. Mr. Mueller’s investigation should have exposed FBI malfeasance. Instead, “the Mueller team seems to have been ready to blindly accept anything fed to it by the system,” Mr. Barr says, adding that this “is exactly what DOJ should not be.”

But, as Chuck Ross notes at Da Caller, AG Barr Sees No Evidence Of CIA Wrongdoing In Trump-Russia Probe. NewsMax, Brennan Calls Durham Investigation 'Trolling,' Mocks Barr. I'm not as big a man as Barr; I'd put him in jail for being an ass, not to mention perjury. 

"If there was no basis for this, why was I interviewed by Mr. Durham for eight hours? Bill Barr used to complain about he didn't see the predication for the FBI investigation into Trump engagements with the Russians. What was the predication of this Durham investigation?

The should have used the rack. Ed Timperlake at Am Think says The Attorney General cannot exonerate the CIA. No evidence is not the same as exoneration. But I want to know if the CIA had anything to do with the Mysterious Mr. Mifsud. 

My point is simple: The CIA is a large security-compartmented organization and by design often does not symbolically want the left hand to know what the right hand is doing.

For the AG to wander into that hall of mirrors and make a grand lasting statement about CIA staying in its lane and not “spying” on candidate and then-President Donald Trump is preposterous on the merits.

Before the historical record sets to concrete, for the AG to say that the CIA stayed in their lane, a penalty flag must be thrown that such a blanket denial by AG Barr is factually illogical, not supportable by even the recent the historic record, and should not be allowed to stand.

Thomas Farnan at TNP on  The Banality Of Bill Barr. Lloyd Billingsly at Front Page, Deep State Strike Force

Speaking of SES and Deep State, Fox, Nunes calls for new criminal referral over Peter Stzrok texts and Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Strzok said Steele dossier was meant to 'influence' and not just 'inform' in September 2016. Sundance has Sunday Talks, Devin Nunes Outlines the Common Sense Explanations Behind Current Issues Video embargoed by Fox.

On the Spygate story Nunes points to the recently released text messages from Lisa Page and Peter Strzok and states a criminal referral for the treatment of George Papadopoulos should be forthcoming.

From AOL (they still exist?) Chris Christie says Michael Flynn 'never belongs anywhere near the White House'. Which may be proof he does. 

Andrea Widberg at Am Think thinks Overstock’s colorful founder has tales to tell about the Russia hoax. I do too. 

And last, Tristan Justice at Da Fed informs us that Tech Billionaire Reid Hoffman Funded Legal Firm For Spygate Linchpin Fusion GPS