Tag: Rod Rosenstein

Commentary: Election Overseer Found Democratic National Committee, Chalupa Broke Rules over Ukraine, Then Reversed Its Finding After January 6

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Though ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was never charged with conspiring with Russia, he did go to jail for, among other things, failing to register as a foreign agent for Ukraine. The Democratic National Committee operative who helped get him booted from the campaign should be investigated for the same violation, Republican Senators say.

Former DNC contractor and opposition researcher Alexandra “Ali” Chalupa not only worked closely with the Ukrainian Embassy and Clinton campaign, trading dirt on Manafort and Trump, but also Congress and the Obama White House, State Department and even the FBI. “At the center of the [Ukraine foreign influence] plan was Alexandra Chalupa,” GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of the Senate Judiciary Committee has asserted.

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Chuck Schumer’s 2017 Warning About the Intel Community Seems to Have Come True

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Weeks before Donald Trump took office, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer issued an ominous warning.

“You take on the intelligence community? They have six ways from Sunday of getting back at you,” the New York Democrat said in an interview with MSNBC on Jan. 3, 2017.

Schumer was responding to Trump’s criticism of an intelligence community assessment that said Russia interfered explicitly to help the Republican win the 2016 election.

“He’s being really dumb to do this,” Schumer said of Trump.

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Tennessee Star National Correspondent Neil McCabe Speculates About Rod Rosenstein’s Hearing and Questions Antifa’s Network

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Star National Correspondent Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line.

During the third hour, McCabe weighed in on the Rod Rosenstein Senate hearings and questioned Antifa’s roll in the George Floyd riots.

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Commentary: Key Questions Former DAG Rod Rosenstein Should Be Asked at Senate Oversight Hearing

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Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has called up former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify in the first of a series of hearings examining the Obama administration’s the Trump-Russia investigations and misuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Graham announced the June 3 hearing in a press release on Wednesday.

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Long-Awaited Resignation of Deputy AG Rosenstein Finalized, May 11 Last Day

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Reuters   U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to investigate links between the Russian government and President Donald Trump’s campaign, said on Monday he was resigning from his post. Rosenstein’s departure, effective May 11, was not a surprise. He had been expected to step down in March. The White House had no immediate comment, but noted that Trump had already nominated Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen to replace him. Rosenstein ended up staying on the job longer to help Attorney General William Barr manage the public release of Mueller’s findings from his 22-month investigation, which was completed on March 22. In a letter to Trump, Rosenstein echoed two of Trump’s signature phrases, writing that he helped staff the department with officials “devoted to the values that make America great “and adding that we always put America first.” Mueller’s investigation did not establish evidence that Trump’s campaign illegally conspired with Moscow. Mueller, in his final report, did not make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice, but instead presented evidence on both sides. After receiving the final report, Rosenstein and Barr made their own determination, finding there was insufficient evidence to charge…

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Rod Rosenstein Defends Attorney General’s Handling of Mueller Report

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by Chuck Ross   Outgoing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday defended Attorney General William Barr against allegations that he is misleading Congress and the public about the special counsel’s Russia report. “He’s being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre,” Rosenstein said in a rare interview with The Wall Street Journal. Democrats have accused Barr of releasing misleading information about special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings from his 22-month investigation, which focused on possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as whether President Trump tried to obstruct the probe. Barr sent a letter to Congress on March 24 saying that Mueller was unable to establish that collusion occurred. On the obstruction matter, Barr said that Mueller declined to make a decision one way or the other on whether to recommend a case against Trump. Barr said that he conferred with Rosenstein and Justice Department lawyers and decided against pursuing a case. Barr said that since there was no allegation of conspiracy, Trump had no underlying crime to conceal by obstruction. Democrats heightened their criticism last week after The New York Times reported…

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Commentary: The Tables Turn in Russian Collusion Hunt

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by Victor Davis Hanson   The irony of the entire Russian collusion hoax is that accusers who cried the loudest about leaking, collusion, lying, and obstruction are themselves soon very likely to be accused of just those crimes. Now that Robert Mueller’s 674-day, $30 million investigation is over and has failed to find the original goal of its mandate—evidence of a criminal conspiracy between the Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government to sway the 2016 election—and now that thousands of once-sealed government documents will likely be released in unredacted form, those who eagerly assumed the role of the hunters may become the hunted, due to their own zealous violation of the nation’s trust and its laws. Take Lying  Former FBI Director James Comey’s testimonies cannot be reconciled with those of his own deputy director Andrew McCabe. He falsely testified that the Steele dossier was not the main basis for obtaining FISA court warrants. On at least 245 occasions, Comey swore under oath that he either did not know, or could not remember, when asked direct questions about his conduct at the FBI. He likely lied when he testified that he did not conclude his assessment of the Clinton illegal…

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Commentary: Eighteen Real Attacks on the ‘Rule of Law’

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by Adam Mill   Donald Trump, we are told over and over and over again, threatens the “rule of law.” To pick a piece at random, I note that Joel Mathis of The Week recently wrote, “When we talk about Trump and the rule of law, mostly we talk about how he’s flouting and evading the constraint of laws he doesn’t like: His newly declared state of emergency to circumvent Congress’ refusal to appropriate funds for a Mexican border wall is just the best recent example.” You don’t have to take my word for the absurdity of this claim that the emergency declaration flouts the rule of law; read the New York Times: Trump has, at a minimum, a colorable legal claim for this emergency declaration. In the Mathis example, as in most of these cases, the “violation” generally amounts to a policy difference or the departure from a “norm” like the one used to buck presidential oversight of powerful federal agencies. The suffocating sanctimoniousness of the “Trump-is-threatening-the-rule-of-law” crowd is exceeded only by their hypocrisy. Don’t believe me? Here is a list of 18 actual violations of the law and Constitution done in service of removing Trump from office. I’ll bet you can’t find a single objection from any of these “rule-of-law” hand wringers to these flagrant and unpunished transgressions…

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EXCLUSIVE Joe diGenova Commentary: As McCabe Seeks the Spotlight, We Can Never Forget What He Actually Did

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by Joseph diGenova   Disgraced former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and his co-conspirators have seriously tarnished the credibility of their once-venerable institution. During a 60 Minutes interview Sunday, McCabe once again admitted that he a met with a group of high ranking, unelected, unaccountable Department of Justice personnel in May 2017 to plot President Trump’s removal from office. He wasn’t trying to admit guilt — although that’s exactly what he did — he was bragging about his role in a treasonous plot to overthrow a president duly elected by the American people. Make no mistake — this plot was an attempted political assassination, a decapitation effort, and it was undertaken by the very people responsible for upholding the rule of law in this country. McCabe’s resistance ally, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, was the one who repeatedly pitched the idea of wearing a wire into the Oval Office to secretly record sensitive conversations with the President. Highlighting the agency’s problems, Rosenstein responded to McCabe’s book saying his claims are “factually incorrect,” during a statement that was pure spin, in which he never directly denied McCabe’s wiretap claims. This is the current state of affairs within the United States Justice Department…

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Rod Rosenstein Will Leave the Justice Department in Mid-March

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Rod Rosenstein

by Chuck Ross   Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein plans to leave the Justice Department in mid-March, agency officials told news outlets Monday. A Justice Department official said that Rosenstein’s departure is not related to a controversy surrounding his alleged offer to wear a wire during conversations with President Donald Trump, according to CNN. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe claimed in an interview that aired Sunday that Rosenstein broached the idea of wearing a wire to the White House in May 2017, days after James Comey was fired as FBI director. McCabe also claimed that Rosenstein suggested using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Rosenstein has disputed McCabe’s claims, saying that he was being sarcastic about wearing a wire. Rosenstein was reportedly planning to leave the Justice Department soon after William Barr’s confirmation as attorney general. Barr was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 14. Rosenstein planned to remain in office to ensure a smooth transition from Matthew Whitaker, the former acting attorney general, to Barr. According to CNN, the Justice Department could announce a replacement for Rosenstein as soon as this week. Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller special counsel on May 17, 2017, around a week after Comey’s firing. He oversaw the…

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Commentary: The Real Reason Democrats Have Postponed Barr’s Confirmation Is All About ‘Russia’ and 2020

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by Julie Kelly   After what seemed to be a done deal following a relatively smooth public hearing last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee now has delayed until February 7 the vote to confirm William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general. The reason, according to news reports, is lingering concerns about how Trump’s incoming attorney general would manage the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which is soon expected to conclude. Despite Barr’s repeated assurances that he will follow Justice Department rules in his handling of Mueller’s final report, as well as a pledge to resist any attempted interference by the White House, Democrats on the committee remain unconvinced. “[Barr’s] answer was not particularly reassuring or clear as to the public disclosure of the Mueller report,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell earlier this week. Democrats also have accused Barr of bias against the Mueller investigation based on a detailed memo he authored last year that objected to the special counsel’s reported interest in whether President Trump obstructed justice. Some have suggested Barr should recuse himself from the investigation, which would be a repeat of a terrible mistake made by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017. The committee’s vote is scheduled to take…

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AG Nominee Lambasted Mueller Tactics in Private Memo to Rosenstein

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by Kevin Daley   Attorney General nominee William Barr sent a memo to the Department of Justice criticizing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, particularly those aspects of the probe relating to obstruction of justice in June. The unsolicited document, whose existence was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, argues President Donald Trump’s dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey does not rise to obstruction of justice, since the president was carrying out his constitutional responsibilities. “As I understand it, [Mueller’s] theory is premised on a novel and legally insupportable reading of the law,” Barr wrote. “Moreover, in my view, if credited by the Justice Department, it would have grave consequences far beyond the immediate confines of this case and would do lasting damage to the presidency and to the administration of law within the executive branch.” Barr conceded a sitting president could obstruct justice by destroying evidence or tampering with witnesses, according to the Journal. Still, he insisted that the president cannot commit obstruction of justice when exercising his lawful powers. Elsewhere in the memo, he warned that moving against Trump based on an inventive theory of criminal liability would inflame much of the country and compromise faith in…

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US Justice Department Defends Appointment of Acting AG

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  The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday defended the legality of President Donald Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, which bypassed the usual line of succession at the agency. In a 20-page internal legal opinion, the agency’s Office of Legal Counsel said Trump could “depart from the succession order” and name Whitaker instead of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, then the second in command at Justice when the president last week ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The 49-year-old Whitaker had been serving as Sessions’ chief of staff. Whitaker’s appointment has proved controversial because he, unlike Sessions, is now overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign’s links to Russia and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe. Before becoming the country’s top law enforcement official, Whitaker disparaged the Mueller investigation and suggested that a replacement attorney general, such as he is now, could derail the probe by cutting off funding to it so that it “grinds almost to a halt.” Democratic opponents of Trump, and some Republicans, have expressed fears that Whitaker will try to undermine Mueller’s probe or even fire him before his investigation is completed. Sessions had removed…

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Leftist Groups Have Meltdown Over Whitaker Appointment as Acting Attorney General, Organize Protests Around Nation, Including Tennessee Cities

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Leftist groups organized protests in hundreds of cities across the nation, including Tennessee, Thursday to protest the appointment of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, citing fears he might interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Many protests used similar words and slogans. Demonstrators marched on Nashville, Chattanooga and Murfreesboro, among other cities. They packed the streets of Nashville Thursday night in support of Mueller, NewsChannel 5 reported. Whitaker has assumed the role of overseeing Mueller. In Murfreesboro, the Women’s March descended on downtown with signs bearing such slogans as “TIME TO IMPEACH.” The Women’s March on Nashville Facebook page called the protest “Nobody Trumps the Law” and “Rod Rosenstein Removal Protest.” Crowds also turned out in Chicago; Greensboro, North Carolina; Chattanooga, WRCB said, citing the Associated Press. Breitbart reported that Public Citizen tweeted “In firing Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump has crossed a red line and started a constitutional crisis. We are activating our rapid-response network, launching mass protests nationwide TOMORROW (11/8) at 5pm local time.” (Sessions actually resigned by President Trump’s request.) In firing Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump has crossed a red line and started a constitutional crisis. We are activating our rapid-response network, launching mass protests nationwide TOMORROW…

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Deputy Atty Gen Rod Rosenstein Denies Anonymous Claims He Discussed Wearing A Wire In Meetings With Trump

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by Chuck Ross   Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed wearing a wire to record President Donald Trump and volunteered to recruit cabinet officials to potentially remove the Republican from office, according to a bombshell report from The New York Times. Rosenstein made the remarks in meetings with Department of Justice and FBI officials shortly after the May 9, 2017 firing of James Comey as FBI director, The Times reported Friday. Rosenstein took part in Comey’s ouster, writing a letter recommending that he be fired because of his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. According to The Times: “Mr. Rosenstein made the remarks about secretly recording Mr. Trump and about the 25th Amendment in meetings and conversations with other Justice Department and F.B.I. officials. Several people described the episodes, insisting on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The people were briefed either on the events themselves or on memos written by F.B.I. officials, including Andrew G. McCabe, then the acting bureau director, that documented Mr. Rosenstein’s actions and comments.” Rosenstein, who is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, also reportedly told McCabe that he could potentially persuade Attorney General Jeff Sessions and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to…

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Without Collusion, There Is No Obstruction as Mueller Scrambles to Make the Case Against President Trump

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FBI Mueller and President Trump

by Robert Romano   Whatever case Special Counsel Robert Mueller intends on bringing against President Donald Trump, it does not look like it will be a collusion-with-Russia case. So far, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has not brought a case against anybody from the 2016 Trump campaign for assisting Russia with hacking the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and John Podesta emails and putting them on Wikileaks. That is the crime that Mueller was tasked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteinwith investigating on May 17, 2017: “a full and thorough investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election” and “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.” In short, that Russia hacked the Democrats, put the emails on Wikileaks, and Trump helped, or so the allegation goes. No collusion Since that time, Mueller has brought two cases on election interference by Russia, for purchasing Facebook ads, and to be certain, for hacking the DNC and Podesta emailsand putting them on Wikileaks. But nobody from the Trump campaign is named in those indictments. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in announcing each of these indictments, took great pains to remind everyone that neither…

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Commentary: Is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Still Smirking?

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Rod Rosenstein

by CHQ Staff   Yesterday, Rep. Jim Jordan grilled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about the documents he has been withholding from Congress, as Rosenstein smirked his way through the questioning by Jordan, and Representatives Trey Gowdy and Louie Gohmert. You can watch the full exchange between Jordan and Rosenstein through this link to C-SPAN. “Mr. Rosenstein, why are you keeping information from Congress?” Jordan asked in a particularly heated exchange, reported by our friend Rachel Stolzfoos of the Federalist. “I want to know why you won’t give us what we asked for,” Jordan said. Rosenstein called Jordan’s characterization “inaccurate,” causing Jordan to erupt. “It is accurate!” he exclaimed. “We have caught you hiding!” Jordan dismissed the Deputy AG’s denials the DOJ is hiding anything, asserting that the House vote would dispute that notion. “I think in a few minutes the House of Representatives is going to go on record saying you haven’t complied with requests from a separate and equal branch of government, that you haven’t complied with subpoenas, and you got seven days to get your act together.” Jordan accused Rosenstein of instructing FBI agent Peter Strzok — who testified before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees — not…

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‘We’re Getting Close:’ Nunes Says Impeachment Is On The Table For Rod Rosenstein

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Devin Nunes, Rod Rosenstein

by Chuck Ross   House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said Sunday that “there will be hell to pay” — including impeachment for top Justice Department officials — if the agency fails this week to give Congress documents about an FBI informant used to spy on the Trump campaign. “We can’t force the resignation, but we can hold in contempt, we can pass resolutions, we can impeach. I think we’re getting close to there,” Nunes said of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” Nunes has battled Rosenstein for months over other documents related to the Russia investigation. The Justice Department and FBI stalled for months to provide information about the Steele dossier as well as about a secret surveillance warrant taken out against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The most recent standoff concerns Nunes’ request for documents related to a longtime FBI and CIA source who the bureau tasked to meet with three Trump campaign advisers, including Page. Nunes and other members of the so-called Gang of Eight met with Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday to discuss Intelligence Committee’s requests for documents about the informant,…

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Nunes Accuses DOJ Of ‘Obstruction’ In Battle Over FBI Informant Documents

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Devin Nunes, Rod Rosenstein

by Chuck Ross   House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is giving the Department of Justice until Tuesday to provide documents about an FBI informant used to spy on the Trump campaign. In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Friday, Nunes accused the agency of “obstruction” and using “an array of tactics” to withhold the documents about the spy, who is believed to be former University of Cambridge professor Stefan Halper. In the letter, Nunes said he wants the documents provided to the Intelligence committee and “designated staff” instead of only to the so-called Gang of Eight, as the Justice Department has requested. “DOJ continues to obfuscate and delay its production using an array of tactics, such as incorrectly categorizing the requested documents as Gang-of-Eight-level material in order to limit access,” Nunes wrote, according to Fox News. “Such conduct by DOJ is unacceptable because the Gang-of-Eight is a legal fiction that has no basis outside of the confines of Presidential approval and reporting of covert actions.” The Gang of Eight consists of the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees, as well as Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The battle…

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Commentary: Rod Rosenstein’s Attempted Coup Against President Trump Intensifies

Tennessee Star Staff

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   Anyone who thinks the Deep State gave up its attempt to unseat President Trump when the Obama-era FISA abuses were revealed should think again. Yesterday, NBC News revealed Federal investigators wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation allegedly for a payment he Wiretap Michael Cohenmade to pornographic actress “Stormy Daniels” who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen. Editor’s update: It now appears the FBI did not wiretape Cohen, rather it was a “pen register” which is often a predicate to a wiretap. It is not clear how long the wiretap has been authorized, but NBC News reported it was in place in the weeks leading up to the raids on Cohen’s offices, hotel room, and home in early April, according to one person with direct knowledge. At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person told NBC News. Previously, federal prosecutors in New York have said in court filings that they have conducted covert searches on multiple e-mail…

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Rosenstein Unlikely to Appoint a Special Prosecutor for Russia Investigation, Sources Say

Tennessee Star Staff

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is not likely to turn the probe into Russian efforts to sway the U.S. 2016 presidential election over to a special prosecutor, several sources familiar with Rosenstein’s thinking told CNN Friday. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday evening, Democratic lawmakers renewed…

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