CIA's top lawyer made criminal referral on whistleblower's complaint about Trump conduct

[JEDIYoda]

This stuff can`t be made up!! Talk about digging himself a hole....;....

CIA's top lawyer made 'criminal referral' on whistleblower's complaint about Trump conduct

WASHINGTON — Weeks before the whistleblower's complaint became public, the CIA's top lawyer made what she considered a criminal referral to the Justice Department about the whistleblower's allegations that President Donald Trump abused his office in pressuring the Ukrainian president, U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell NBC News
The move by the CIA's general counsel, Trump appointee Courtney Simmons Elwood, meant she and other senior officials had concluded a potential crime had been committed, raising more questions about why the Justice Department later closed the case without conducting an investigation.

In the days since an anonymous whistleblower complaint was made public accusing him of wrongdoing, President Trump has lashed out at his accuser and other insiders who provided the accuser with information, suggesting they were improperly spying on what was a "perfect" call between him and the Ukrainian president. But a timeline provided by U.S. officials familiar with the matter shows that multiple senior government officials appointed by Trump found the whistleblower's complaints credible, troubling, and worthy of further inquiry starting soon after the president's July phone call.
While that timeline and the CIA general counsel's contact with the DOJ has been previously disclosed, it has not been reported that the CIA's top lawyer intended the call to be to make a criminal referral about the president's conduct, acting under rules set forth in a memo governing how intelligence agencies should report allegations of federal crimes.

The fact that she and other top Trump administration political appointees saw potential misconduct in the whistleblower's early account of alleged presidential abuses puts a new spotlight on the Justice Department's later decision to decline to open a criminal investigation — a decision that the Justice Department said publicly was based purely on an analysis of whether the president committed a campaign finance law violation.

"They didn't do any of the sort of bread and butter type investigatory steps that would flush out what potential crimes may have been committed," said Berit Berger, a former federal prosecutor who heads the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School. "I don't understand the rationale for that and it's just so contrary to how normal prosecutors work. We have started investigations on far less."

Long article...there is more -- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...bout-trump-conduct/ar-AAIiHa3?ocid=spartandhp

 

[Moonbeam]

This article in my opinion highlights the profound depravity of the intentionally rationalizing mind. They didn’t forward the complaint because they couldn’t put a dollar amount on how much the Ukrainians would need to spend to invent and deliver dirt on Biden. Nope, no dollar amount, no quid pro quo. They should have to run the gauntlet.

 

[interchange]

This article in my opinion highlights the profound depravity of the intentionally rationalizing mind. They didn’t forward the complaint because they couldn’t put a dollar amount on how much the Ukrainians would need to spend to invent and deliver dirt on Biden. Nope, no dollar amount, no quid pro quo. They should have to run the gauntlet.

If soliciting election interference isn't a crime, than why in the world were we ever concerned about Trump and Russia?

 

[Jhhnn]

Trump- "Where's my Roy Cohn?"

Barr- "Right here, Boss! At your service!"

 

[zinfamous]

Looks like DOJ will be the first of these colons to receive the justice enema this season.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Looks like DOJ will be the first of these colons to receive the justice enema this season.

Barr needs to do prison time, cuz there's no time like prison time and I don't mean Club Fed.

 

[Moonbeam]

If soliciting election interference isn't a crime, than why in the world were we ever concerned about Trump and Russia?

They said the whistleblower complaint was written as a campaign finance complaint but without an attributable amount to the benefit Trump would get no such violation could exist. The fact of seeking foreign help was not the theme they said the complaint sought to address. This is a hideous abuse of reasoning and shows a criminal lawyerly mindset. “You said I robbed a bank on your 911 call, not shot the teller, and there’s no evidence any money was taken. We can’t investigate.”

 

[ivwshane]

They said the whistleblower complaint was written as a campaign finance complaint but without an attributable amount to the benefit Trump would get no such violation could exist. The fact of seeking foreign help was not the theme they said the complaint sought to address. This is a hideous abuse of reasoning and shows a criminal lawyerly mindset. “You said I robbed a bank on your 911 call, not shot the teller, and there’s no evidence any money was taken. We can’t investigate.”

Does the law have a dollar amount on what’s allowed? No? Then why the fuck would it matter how much the deed is worth.

I swear, some of these people are too smart for their own good.

 

[Moonbeam]

Does the law have a dollar amount on what’s allowed? No? Then why the fuck would it matter how much the deed is worth.

I swear, some of these people are too smart for their own good.

What is the dollar value of dirt that is fabricated on Biden by a foreign government regardless of how much they spent creating it. The value isn't in what was spent on it, it's in the damage it can do. The value of winning an election isn't measured in money but in winning.

 

[ivwshane]

What is the dollar value of dirt that is fabricated on Biden by a foreign government regardless of how much they spent creating it. The value isn't in what was spent on it, it's in the damage it can do. The value of winning an election isn't measured in money but in winning.

Exactly, so again, why do these people think they shouldn’t bother reporting corruption because they can’t put a dollar amount on something when a dollar amount isn’t necessary?

If something doesn’t feel right and you aren’t sure what the law says, why not just report it and let whoever you’ve reported to figure it out? Remember the old, “see something, say something”.

 

[woolfe9998]

If soliciting election interference isn't a crime, than why in the world were we ever concerned about Trump and Russia?

The idea that help in an election isn't a "thing of value" is a joke of legal argument. Campaigns pay for opposition research. Assuming there is even a need to put a dollar value on it, an expert on campaign finance could do so. All they have to prove it that is has some monetary value anyway.

 

[hal2kilo]

If soliciting election interference isn't a crime, than why in the world were we ever concerned about Trump and Russia?

Seems they like to "process" things to obscurity.

 

[HomerJS]

They said the whistleblower complaint was written as a campaign finance complaint but without an attributable amount to the benefit Trump would get no such violation could exist. The fact of seeking foreign help was not the theme they said the complaint sought to address. This is a hideous abuse of reasoning and shows a criminal lawyerly mindset. “You said I robbed a bank on your 911 call, not shot the teller, and there’s no evidence any money was taken. We can’t investigate.”

I don't know how lawyers can continue to argue this information does not have value when there are entire industries in DC making money off this very thing.

 

[Jaskalas]

I don't know how lawyers can continue to argue this information does not have value when there are entire industries in DC making money off this very thing.

It is a transparent partisan defense. An excuse for criminality.

 

[hal2kilo]

This stuff can`t be made up!! Talk about digging himself a hole....;....

CIA's top lawyer made 'criminal referral' on whistleblower's complaint about Trump conduct

WASHINGTON — Weeks before the whistleblower's complaint became public, the CIA's top lawyer made what she considered a criminal referral to the Justice Department about the whistleblower's allegations that President Donald Trump abused his office in pressuring the Ukrainian president, U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell NBC News
The move by the CIA's general counsel, Trump appointee Courtney Simmons Elwood, meant she and other senior officials had concluded a potential crime had been committed, raising more questions about why the Justice Department later closed the case without conducting an investigation.

In the days since an anonymous whistleblower complaint was made public accusing him of wrongdoing, President Trump has lashed out at his accuser and other insiders who provided the accuser with information, suggesting they were improperly spying on what was a "perfect" call between him and the Ukrainian president. But a timeline provided by U.S. officials familiar with the matter shows that multiple senior government officials appointed by Trump found the whistleblower's complaints credible, troubling, and worthy of further inquiry starting soon after the president's July phone call.
While that timeline and the CIA general counsel's contact with the DOJ has been previously disclosed, it has not been reported that the CIA's top lawyer intended the call to be to make a criminal referral about the president's conduct, acting under rules set forth in a memo governing how intelligence agencies should report allegations of federal crimes.

The fact that she and other top Trump administration political appointees saw potential misconduct in the whistleblower's early account of alleged presidential abuses puts a new spotlight on the Justice Department's later decision to decline to open a criminal investigation — a decision that the Justice Department said publicly was based purely on an analysis of whether the president committed a campaign finance law violation.

"They didn't do any of the sort of bread and butter type investigatory steps that would flush out what potential crimes may have been committed," said Berit Berger, a former federal prosecutor who heads the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School. "I don't understand the rationale for that and it's just so contrary to how normal prosecutors work. We have started investigations on far less."

Long article...there is more -- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...bout-trump-conduct/ar-AAIiHa3?ocid=spartandhp

Where it went to die in this admin's DOJ.