James Comey resigns as FBI Director, Obama appoints Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau...

Posted: 06 Jul 2016 02:07 AM PDT What the hell just happened? James Comey laid out an indictable and winnable case and then did a 180-degree turn and recommended to the Attorney General that Hillary Clinton not be prosecuted. I have little doubt that the hardworking investigators and forensic inspectors at the FBI are good and honorable people who did a professional job on dissecting Hillary Clinton’s email server and actions. As FBI James Comey laid out the FBI’s findings, point-by-point, I, once again, felt that the Director did a great job in presenting the facts of the case. Right up until the end, where Director Comey, appears to re-write the Espionage Act and introduces a non-existent element, “intent,” to justify his case to recommend prosecutors  not take action against Hillary Clinton. Notice Comey did not say anything about obstruction of justice or the fate of lesser employees who also used the same email system. Nor did Comey mention anything about those who may have removed classified markings from documents or bridged the gap between classified systems and unclassified systems. Nor did James Comey indicate whether or not Clinton’s attorneys purged emails relating to the Clinton Foundation or the various Clinton projects as being “personal in nature.” There is so much that Comey did not say. But, he still put forth a credible case for indictment. I now believe that Comey, who I respected up until this point, is now part of a progressive conspiracy to cover up high crimes and misdemeanors involving high government officials. And, that had he not actually presented a case that appeared to indict Hillary Clinton, there would have been a revolt in the ranks of the FBI. The fact that Comey stepped beyond his authority and suggested no "reasonable prosecutor" would bring a case after laying out the case. Seven Days in Summer … Monday, June 27, 2016:   Clinton meets with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on her government plane. One lucky reporter, KNXV-TV anchor Christopher Sign,  captured the event and “The FBI there, on the tarmac, instructed everybody around, ‘No photos. No pictures. No cellphones.” Wednesday, June 29, 2016:   Both Clinton and Lynch claim the meeting was a mistake. Friday, July 1, 2016:      Loretta Lynch announces she will rely on the FBI’s recommendation. Saturday, July 2, 2016:   White House announcement of Obama and Hillary campaigning together on July 5th. Sunday, July 3, 2016:      FBI interviews Hillary Clinton for 3-1/2 hours.  The New York times prints an article with a quote: ““Democrats close to Mrs. Clinton say she may decide to retain Ms. Lynch, the nation’s first black woman to be attorney general, who took office in April 2015.” Was this a sign of a quid pro quo? Monday, July 4, 2016:     Fourth of July with little news coverage Tuesday, July 5, 2016:     11:00 a.m – Comey declines to forward recommendation to prosecute and by 1:00 p.m. Hillary is on Air Force One with President Obama in route to a campaign stop. Unfortunately, nobody can’t depose the participants under oath, because Bill Clinton has proven he is willing to perjure himself if confronted with scandal. Hillary Clinton appears to be a congenital liar. And, who knows about Lynch and Comey. Cowardice and fear that simple questions would expose the BIG LIE?  Comey cut and ran before any questions could be asked … turning a press conference into a Hillary Clinton press event. Will Congress have the guts to exert their oversight authority and investigate this matter close to an election or are they all talk as usual? House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said FBI Director James Comey’s decision not to recommend prosecution “defies explanation,” and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley said Mr. Comey needs to do more to convince Americans he made the right call.  “If it wants to avoid giving the impression that the FBI was pulling punches, because many people in a similar situation would face some sort of consequence, the agency must now be more transparent than ever in releasing information gathered during its investigation,” Mr. Grassley, Iowa Republican, said. Mr. Comey, in an extraordinary statement earlier Tuesday, detailed a number of Mrs. Clinton’s transgressions, including that her server may have been hacked by enemy agents, that she was reckless in doing top secret business on her private account, and that she and her lawyers failed to turn over all of her government records. But Mr. Comey said the FBI couldn’t find another example where someone in that same situation had been successfully prosecuted, so he said they would recommend no charges. The final decision lies with President Obama’s top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Loretta Lynch. <Source> Just because nobody has ever done something this dreadful and damaging before and no precedent exists, does not give a pass to someone who clearly violated the law.  Granted, nobody operated a home-brew server, but the FBI did recently handle a similar case. Folsom Naval Reservist is Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Materials -- July 29, 2015 Bryan H. Nishimura, 50, of Folsom, pleaded guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman immediately sentenced Nishimura to two years of probation, a $7,500 fine, and forfeiture of personal media containing classified materials. Nishimura was further ordered to surrender any currently held security clearance and to never again seek such a clearance. According to court documents, Nishimura was a Naval reservist deployed in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. In his role as a Regional Engineer for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Nishimura had access to classified briefings and digital records that could only be retained and viewed on authorized government computers. Nishimura, however, caused the materials to be downloaded and stored on his personal, unclassified electronic devices and storage media. He carried such classified materials on his unauthorized media when he traveled off-base in Afghanistan and, ultimately, carried those materials back to the United States at the end of his deployment. In the United States, Nishimura continued to maintain the information on unclassified systems in unauthorized locations, and copied the materials onto at least one additional unauthorized and unclassified system. <Source: FBI> Without a security clearance, Hillary Clinton and her cadre of close supporters – many of whom used the same private email server – could not obtain the necessary security clearances in order to fulfill the obligations of the President of the United States. Her top aids would also be precluded from assisting her in any official endeavor. Surely, FBI Director and Attorney General Lynch are aware of this case. And, perhaps Comey needs to explain why Hillary's lawyers get a pass for wantonly destroying government property -- admittedly without examining all of the emails individually and using keywords to facilitate the destruction? Did these attorneys have the necessary clearances to view, possess, and store classified information? And, why did these attorneys feel the need to use special software to ensure the destruction of this data if the data were benign and personal? Bottom line … My best friend Al was also discouraged by this turn of events, but was not surprised as this is the outcome he predicted all along. He continues to give me grief for “wishful thinking” and believing that the system will somehow pull a rabbit from the hat. The only positive thing I can think of that might justify Comey’s action in not recommending the prosecution of Hillary Clinton is that the government wanted to protect a much larger case involving the selling of information and favors to special interests, with the payments being routed to the various dodgy and impenetrable Clinton Enterprises. Or, in a moment of constitutional clarity, the GOP will bypass Trump and put a constitutional conservative such as Ted Cruz in as the nominee. Unlikely, but I can dream. Will this singular event energize the base of both political parties? The Trump supporters seeking a President that will hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her actions. And, the Clinton supporters mustering to protect Hillary against the evil GOP that wants to send Hillary to jail? But Al and I agree on one thing: we are so screwed by this crew in office.