Saturday, January 30, 2021

Russiagate: Mueller Probe Lawyer Clinesmith Gets Wrist Slap for Falsifying FISA Warrant

Time to clean up again, and this is the precipitating story. Fox:  Ex-FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith given probation after guilty plea in John Durham probe

Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith was sentenced to 12 months probation and 400 hours of community service Friday after pleading guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

Clinesmith in August pleaded guilty to "one count of making a false statement within both the jurisdiction of the executive branch and judicial branch of the U.S. government, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000."

U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg on Friday during Clinesmith's sentencing hearing said Clinesmith had suffered by losing his job and standing in the eye of a media hurricane.

Boasberg gave him 12 months probation, 400 hours of community service, and no fine.

Government prosecutors had been asking for Clinesmith to spend several months in jail, but Clinesmith's defense had been advocating for probation only.

Curiously, Boasberg is also head of the FISA court, the august body that Clinesmith defrauded. One would think he would be more concerned with government lawyers making up the opposite of the truth (can you call that a mere lie?) in order to maintain surveillance on an innocent US citizen. WaPoo, of course is pro-Clinesmith, Ex-FBI lawyer avoids prison after admitting he doctored email in investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign

But Boasberg also said he agreed with a prior finding by the Justice Department Inspector General that Clinesmith and other FBI officials’ actions were not motivated by political bias, and he believed Clinesmith’s contention that he thought, genuinely but wrongly, the information he was inserting into the email was accurate. On top of his probation sentence, Boasberg ordered Clinesmith to perform 400 hours of community service.

That's just bullshit.  

The case against Clinesmith is the first and only criminal allegation to arise from U.S. Attorney John Durham’s review of the FBI’s Russia case, and it has become a political lightning rod.

Clinesmith’s lawyers have argued altering the email was a mistake meant to save Clinesmith time and personal embarrassment. But former president Donald Trump and his political allies have highlighted the case as part of their allegations that the bureau was biased and seeking to undermine Trump with the investigation that explored possible ties between Russia and his campaign. The case was ultimately taken over by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
. . .
Prosecutor Anthony Scarpelli said in court that Clinesmith’s conduct was “more egregious” than that of George Papadopoulos, whose offhand remark in a London bar in May 2016 helped trigger the Russia investigation and who later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison.

Sundance at CTH, FBI Lawyer Who Doctored False Information to FISA Court Gets 12 Months Probation, 400 Hrs Community Service and No Fine

We suspected that Kevin Clinesmith was going to get the James Wolfe leniency treatment, not only because the DOJ (Main Justice) wanted to avoid highlighting the severity of his criminal conduct, but rather -more specifically- because that criminal conduct took place under the direction of the Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissman special counsel (June 29, 2017)…. And that is what has happened. It is all corrupt as hell…. all of it.

Bryan Preston, PJ Media, Government Agent Whose Altered Email Enabled the Russia Hoax Won't Spend a Day in Jail or Pay Any Fine. Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Ex-FBI Lawyer Receives Probation For Altering Email About Carter Page, from John Sexton at Hot Air VIP, FBI Attorney Who Altered Email About Carter Page’s Work With The CIA Will Get Probation, although why you would go through a paywall to get it instead of getting it from Ace for free is beyond me, in red bold italic type (with a flaming skull, Kevin Clinesmith, the Corrupt FBI Lawyer Who Forged Documents to Frame an Innocent Man, Gets... NO JAIL TIME, HAS TO PAY A HUNDRED DOLLAR FINE

And Paul Sperry at RCP, DC Fails To Disbar Anti-Trump FBI Lawyer Despite Guilty Plea. He's only a felon after all, good enough for DC. Also, New Evidence Implicates FBI Higher-Ups in Dishonesty of Anti-Trump Lawyer, I would be shocked, shocked, if Andy McCabe, Lisa Page or Peter Strzok had anything to do with this. I would point out this would totally destroy his "I didn't know what I was doing" defense the the judge apparently bought. Ace, Paul Sperry: New Evidence Suggests That Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page Might Have Been Complicit In Kevin Clinesmith's Criminal Forgery of Documents to Frame Carter Page Of course, none of this means anything any longer now that Biden is President. 

Generally, I'm in favor of leniency in first offenses, but I take issue with this one, because it was a government actor, acting against a helpless citizen who had no recourse at the time. I hope Carter Page sues the crap out of him in a friendly jurisdiction (Washington DC won't work).

Sundance attempts to convey his Understanding the Institutional Protection Racket Via Congress, Main Justice DOJ, FBI and FISA Court

And a ton of miscellaneous links of varying significance:

FBI Used ‘Ghosts’ To Track Trump Advisor Carter Page In 2016 | The Daily Caller

Declassified memos detail effort to get McCabe to step aside in Russia probe over conflict | Just The News

Obstruction boomerang: FBI knew DOJ was preparing to fire Comey long before Trump ordered it | Just The News

Christopher Steele Defended ‘Good Friend’ Ivanka Trump, FBI Notes Show | The Daily Caller

Star Impeachment Witness Lied About Her Contacts With Christopher Steele

Grassley wants answers on DOJ closing Flynn call leak investigation

Trump Declassified Memos Prove FBI Gave Clinton Campaign Pass on Foreign Donors | Gregg Jarrett

Michael Flynn Shot Down ‘Ridiculous’ Allegations Of Improper Contact With Russian Academic That Were Floated By Intelligence Operatives | The Daily Caller

"Retired" Enquirer chief still protecting Trump – HotAir

Gap in Trump's pardon could allow DOJ to prosecute Bannon anyway – HotAir

Eric Swalwell Again Dodges Questions About Contacts With Chinese Spy | The Daily Caller

Declassified! The Russia informant transcript the FBI didn't want Americans to see | Just The News

Giuliani in Ukraine: Kyiv's leaders, long silent, find some tales to share - The Washington Post

House Republicans seek Penn records for foreign financial ties to Biden Center | The College Fix

1 comment:

  1. You need only look at the difference in the way the DOJ/FBI/judges treated Clinesmith and how they treated Flynn. It was all politically motivated from start to finish.

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