WASHINGTON — For more than two years, President Trump has repeatedly attacked the Russia investigation, portraying it as a hoax and illegal even months after the special counsel closed it. Now, Mr. Trump’s own Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into how it all began.
Justice Department officials have shifted an administrative review of the Russia investigation closely overseen by Attorney General William P. Barr to a criminal inquiry, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move gives the prosecutor running it, John H. Durham, the power to subpoena for witness testimony and documents, to convene a grand jury and to file criminal charges.
The opening of a criminal investigation is likely to raise alarms that Mr. Trump is using the Justice Department to go after his perceived enemies. Mr. Trump fired James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director under whose watch agents opened the Russia inquiry, and has long assailed other top former law enforcement and intelligence officials as partisans who sought to block his election.
Mr. Trump has made clear that he sees the typically independent Justice Department as a tool to be wielded against his political enemies. That view factors into the impeachment investigation against him, as does his long obsession with the origins of the Russia inquiry. House Democrats are examining in part whether his pressure on Ukraine to open investigations into theories about the 2016 election constituted an abuse of power.
The move also creates an unusual situation in which the Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into itself.
...Mr. Trump is certain to see the criminal investigation as a vindication of the years he and his allies have spent trying to discredit the Russia investigation. In May, Mr. Trump told the Fox News host Sean Hannity that the F.B.I. officials who opened the case — a counterintelligence investigation into whether his campaign conspired with Moscow’s election sabotage — had committed treason.
“We can never allow these treasonous acts to happen to another president,” Mr. Trump said. He has called the F.B.I. investigation one of the biggest political scandals in United States history.
Sure, but there was actually evidence to suggest wrongdoing. For example, Russians hacked the DNC servers, released the materials through Wikileaks, and there were contacts between Wikileaks and members of the campaign. Further, Russians directly offered dirt on Clinton, which Don Jr was delighted to receive, and Don Sr. (supposedly coincidentally) pre-announced there would be a major announcement about Clinton. And of course, Trump tried to hinder the investigation - the 11 potential obstruction of justice instances Mueller cited, suggesting of his trying to hide something. I could go on, but clearly there was a ample reason to investigate. Bear in mind the Mueller's investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to indict - that is not a proof of innocence, nor even a proof that an investigation was unwarranted. At least as far as we know now, there is far more evidence that Trump and/or members of his campaign committed crimes than there is evidence that the entire investigation was "hoax".A hoax implies the reasons to suspect wrongdoing were fabricated and passed off as truth. A hoax implies people were duped into believing something when it was false. — NOS4A2
Sure, but there was actually evidence to suggest wrongdoing. For example, Russians hacked the DNC servers, released the materials through Wikileaks, and there were contacts between Wikileaks and members of the campaign. Further, Russians directly offered dirt on Clinton, which Don Jr was delighted to receive, and Don Sr. (supposedly coincidentally) pre-announced there would be a major announcement about Clinton. And of course, Trump tried to hinder the investigation - the 11 potential obstruction of justice instances Mueller cited, suggesting of his trying to hide something. I could go on, but clearly there was a ample reason to investigate. Bear in mind the Mueller's investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to indict - that is not a proof of innocence, nor even a proof that an investigation was unwarranted. At least as far as we know now, there is far more evidence that Trump and/or members of his campaign committed crimes than there is evidence that the entire investigation was "hoax".
I know you're a Trump supporter, but that shouldn't mean you must blindly accept everything Trump says. You have frequently said that you don't care what he says - you only care about what he does. But when you parrot his talking points ("hoax"), you are showing that you are uncritically accepting the characterization of a serial liar.
, the thing is that Moore's self-description betrays what he actually says - he says he's not talking about political expediency, but his whole discussion point is about beating Trump at his own game - he talks about how Biden is 'this year's Hillary' (a totally apt description), and has nothing to offer either Trump's base or young and hispanic, etc voters. He talks about needing to speak to Wisconsin and Michigan - like, this is pure politics! — StreetlightX
The intelligence community absolutely deserves to be trusted by default, otherwise we might as well open up all the prisons and give up all hope of understanding what our adversaries are doing. This does not mean they are above reproach, and I have no problem with an honest investigation of their actions and judgments.So then why do you uncritically and blindly parrot the CIA and FBI? The problem is now they and their Russian investigation, their spying on American citizens, are under criminal investigation. You know this but still continue to parrot them. Are you even nervous at the prospect you’ve been duped? Maybe now, after years of this, it’s time to think critically? — NOS4A2
Bear in mind the Mueller's investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to indict - that is not a proof of innocence, nor even a proof that an investigation was unwarranted. — Relativist
So then why do you uncritically and blindly parrot the CIA and FBI? The problem is now they and their Russian investigation, their spying on American citizens, are under criminal investigation. You know this but still continue to parrot them. Are you even nervous at the prospect you’ve been duped? Maybe now, after years of this, it’s time to think critically? — NOS4A2
Right, but the fact that part of the population is sensitive to moral issues becomes politics. — frank
The intelligence community absolutely deserves to be trusted by default, otherwise we might as well open up all the prisons and give up all hope of understanding what our adversaries are doing. This does not mean they are above reproach, and I have no problem with an honest investigation of their actions and judgments.
Now get back to the evidence I cited. What portions of it are you disputing?
Did you believe Trump colluded with Russia? — NOS4A2
Do I have solid evidence that this charade was a malicious lie? — NOS4A2
Yes I think he did but doubt it would reach the bar of beyond a reasonable doubt that would lead to a conviction. I do believe that he obstructed justice as described in the Mueller report. Both are neither here nor there because the evidentiary rules don't really apply to impeachment.
What part is the charade? That's the 3rd time I'm asking and you're failing to answer. Are you saying no investigation should have been held? You don't believe the DNC was hacked? What part is it? These blanket denials and distrust of institutions are not informative at all. There's no substance to your replies.
There is no crime for collusion. That’s the hilarious part about it. — NOS4A2
I’ve already gone over the Mueller report, my criticisms of the investigation ad nauseum, and you or someone else simply dismissed them. I refuse to do it again. Your finger-wagging about my choice of words is just that: finger-wagging. — NOS4A2
Do I have solid evidence that this charade was a malicious lie? No—we will find out soon enough. But we do have massive amounts of evidence that vast subsections of the population were duped into believing Trump colluded with Russia. Did you believe Trump colluded with Russia? — NOS4A2
I'm supportive of a healthy level of mustrust of their public comments, but it's crazy to be totally dismissive of their work, particularly in a case like this that alsi involved the FBI, and the materials have been examined by representatives and Senators in both sides of the aisle.That’s frightening.
I don’t believe any of what the CIA says. — NOS4A2
You are calling it what TRUMP pleases. You earlier claimed you don't care what he says - that his lies don't matter because you like what he does. Here's an example of why his words matter: the pattern of lying shows that it is absurd to accept any claims he makes at face value.As for the hoax, I will call it whatever I please.
What evidence do you have to support your claim that America was "duped"? You have evaded responding to the evidence I cited. Do you simply dismiss evidence that is contrary to what you want to believe?Do I have solid evidence that this charade was a malicious lie? No—we will find out soon enough. But we do have massive amounts of evidence that vast subsections of the population were duped into believing Trump colluded with Russia. Did you believe Trump colluded with Russia?
What evidence do you have to support your claim that America was "duped"? You have evaded responding to the evidence I cited. Do you simply dismiss evidence that is contrary to what you want to believe?
Did you believe Trump colluded with Russia to help him win the election? — NOS4A2
"Collusion" is a red herring. Very well used. Self-perpetuated nonetheless. There is no such crime. He knew - they knew - there would never be any such charge of collusion. So, no matter what come of the investigation... it could not ever be a case of being guilty of collusion.
Read the Mueller report. Watch the testimony.
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