FBI orders bias training for employees after latest embarrassing emails

The FBI will make its employees undergo bias training, Director Christopher Wray promised Thursday, after a devastating report found the bureau made bad decisions, has a culture of leaking sensitive information, and may have skewed campaign-season decisions because of bias.

New text messages released by the Justice Department inspector general showing conversations between Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok and paramour FBI lawyer Lisa Page suggest a deep anti-Trump sentiment.

In one exchange Ms. Page wanted reassurance that then-candidate Donald Trump couldn’t win the election. Mr. Strzok replied: “No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it.”

The inspector general also said the FBI was rife with people leaking to the press — including accepting gifts such as tickets to sporting events, golf outings and meals, and getting special access to private events.

Leaks were so bad that they influenced the way the FBI conducted investigations in run-up to the 2016 election, Michael Horowitz, the inspector general, concluded.

“These leaks highlight the need to change what appears to be a cultural attitude among many in the organization,” the audit concludes.

The FBI has been under fire for its operations during the 2016 campaign, when it was conducting several investigations into matters surrounding Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and also began a probe into Republican candidate Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump fired FBI Director James Comey for his handling of the probe, and others have also been disciplined.

The new report said that while bias didn’t appear to affect the big decisions in the handling of the initial investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices, they couldn’t rule out a role for bias in pushing the FBI to focus on the Russia probe in October 2016, rather than go back to review a new set of emails found on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, who was married to Mrs. Clinton’s top personal aide, Huma Abedin.

Mr. Wray said he’s ordered a review of FBI procedures and how agents mix their political duties with personal opinions.

“It will further include political bias training,” he said

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/14/fbi-orders-bias-training-employees-after-latest-em/

FBI's Peter Strzok: Don't worry Lisa, honey, we'll 'stop' Trump

Hillary Clinton, move over. And take your “what difference, at this point, does it make” soulful query about truth with you.

‘Cause there’s a new shocking phrase in town and it’s one that goes like this: Dear Lisa Page, don’t worry, Trump won’t be president, “we’ll stop it.” Love, Peter Strzok.

The exact messaging? Then-attorney Page wrote in August of 2016: “[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!” And Strzok wrote back: “No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it.”

The really eye-opening part, of course, is the fact that Page and Strzok were employed with the FBI during Trump’s campaign, busying themselves, apparently, with writing anti-Trump messages back and forth. Who’s “we?” That’s a good question.

Then-Deputy Assistant Director Strzok didn’t specify. And while Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report said the bias of these two officials didn’t have any effect in the handling of the agency’s look at Clinton’s email server scandal, fact is — what a cloud over the FBI.

The same FBI that’s been pushing a Russia collusion narrative against President Donald Trump since his starting days in the White House.

It’s nice FBI Director Christopher Wray is going to force agency employees to undergo bias training and learn better ways of keeping their personal politics out of the job.

But that’s all future tense. Past tense shows some serious anti-Trump vendettas going on at the agency. And that’s trickled into the present — but by how much, we still don’t know.

No matter what, it’s clear: This whole deep state madness Trump’s been calling out has just been given new wings. So, too, the witch hunt accusations slung Robert Mueller’s way, for his ongoing failures to tie anything “Russia Collusion” to Team Trump — or “Russia Conflict of Interest,” for that matter.

Back in 2016, facing questions from a member of Congress about Benghazi, an obviously frustrated Clinton shouted out: “What difference, at this point, does it make?” The nation gasped; the appearance was that Clinton didn’t give a hoot for truth.

Well, “we’ll stop it” is worse. And it’s a phrase that’s going to define the FBI for some time.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/14/fbis-peter-strzok-dont-worry-lisa-honey-well-stop-/

Russian firm indicted by Mueller's team blasts 'unlawfully appointed' special counsel

Attorneys for one of the Russian firms charged with meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential race lashed out at special counsel Robert Mueller on Thursday in response to his request for a protective order guarding the government’s evidence.

Mr. Mueller asked a D.C. federal judge on Tuesday this week to authorize a protective order covering huge amounts of data gathered by government prosecutors in their case against the firm, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, with the hopes of keeping the evidence from being shared with its co-defendants, including 13 Russian nationals and two other companies charged in February as part of the special counsel’s probe.

Responding to Mr. Mueller’s request for a protective order, attorneys for the firm accused the “shameful” special counsel of being “unlawfully appointed” and overseeing a “disingenuous mess.”

“Having produced not one iota of discovery in this criminal case, the unlawfully appointed Special Counsel requests a special and unprecedented blanket protective order covering tens of millions of pages of unclassified discovery,” Eric Dubelier, a D.C.-based attorney for the defendants, wrote in a memorandum of opposition filed on the firm’s behalf Thursday.

According to Mr. Dubelier, Mr. Mueller failed to cite applicable case law in his motion requesting the protective order — “fake laws,” in order words, the attorney wrote.

“Having made this special request based on a secret submission to the Court and a hysterical dithyramb about the future of American elections, one would think that the Special Counsel would cite to case holdings that support this remarkable request. But no, instead, the Special Counsel seeks to equate this make-believe electioneering case to others involving international terrorism and major drug trafficking, and relies only on irrelevant dicta from inapposite, primarily out-of-circuit cases,” wrote Mr. Dubelier. “In short, fake law, which is much more dangerous than fake news.”

“The Special Counsel’s requests are fashioned to deal with problems of his own making. He alone decided who and when to indict. There are no statute of limitations issues apparent from the face of the Indictment. He chose to indict a case while his investigation was apparently ongoing. He must deal with the consequences or he can dismiss the case,” he added.

A spokesman for Mr. Mueller did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Mr. Mueller was appointed last May by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to investigate any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with President Trump’s 2016 campaign, as well any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation. His office has since unsealed criminal charges against Americans and Russians alike, including several foreign individuals and entities accused of interfering in the 2016 race, Concord Management among them.

Concord Management was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch with ties to the Kremlin also charged by the Justice Department, according to Mr. Mueller’s office. Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Prigozhin interfered in the 2016 race through his control of the Internet Research Agency, a so-called “troll farm” accused of waging “information warfare against the United States.”

Mr. Dubelier entered a not guilty plea on Concord’s behalf last month, paving the way for prosecutors to share their evidence and spurring Mr. Mueller’s request this week.

“Public or unauthorized disclosure of this case’s discovery would result in the release of information that would assist foreign intelligence services, particularly those of the Russian Federation, and other foreign actors in future operations against the United States,” prosecutors said Tuesday.

https:// www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/14/russian-firm-indicted-muellers-team-blasts-unlawfu/

>>1749366

I agree would make a great meme.

>>1749428

I think the writer meant more from a sarcastic point of view, to highlight the relationship, imo

>>1749434

Guys, that's near Whidbey Island