Bridgegate

How do you repair a bridge without closing it down?

The US Supreme Court today decided a matter about a four-day political scandal on the 12-lane George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York. The unanimous opinion penned by justice Elena Kagan is a pretty fun read as these things go, though the decision might surprise you.

The question presented is whether the defendants committed property fraud. The evidence the jury heard no doubt shows wrongdoing—deception, corruption, abuse of power. But the federal fraud statutes at issue do not criminalize all such conduct. Under settled precedent, the officials could violate those laws only if an object of their dishonesty was to obtain the Port Authority’s money or property.

the justices didn’t approve of Bridgegate. They simply felt compelled to follow precedent and stick with the letter of the law.

full article with court decision documents…

https://qz.com/1853224/the-us-supreme-courts-bridgegate-opinion-reads-like-fiction/

From court papers: During transition, top Justice Department official Sally Yates learned about the Flynn-Kislyak phone call from President Obama himself. She was surprised.

https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/uh-oh-sally-yates/

Parscale- fire in the hole

https://twitter.com/parscale/status/1258416273823805443

https://twitter.com/GregRubini

good feed on current events

Obama trying to block national archives material

Former President Barack Obama's office said in a newly released letter that Senate Republicans were supporting "a Russian disinformation campaign" through their probe into Biden family ties to a Ukrainian energy company. The letter also accused Republicans of abusing the process of obtaining presidential records.

"It arises out of efforts by some, actively supported by Russia, to shift the blame for Russian interference in the 2016 election to Ukraine," the letter said, referring to the GOP's focus on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Mr. Obama's office sent the letter, dated March 13, to the National Archives and Records Administration, which maintains presidential records. It was in response to a request in November 2019 from Republican Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who asked the archive for Obama administration records related to Ukraine.

The letter from Mr. Obama's office calls the investigation part of a plan "to shift the blame for Russian interference in the 2016 election to Ukraine."

"The request for early release of presidential records in order to give credence to a Russian disinformation campaign — one that has already been thoroughly investigated by a bipartisan congressional committee — is without precedent," it said.

President Trump last year asked the Ukrainian president to investigate the Bidens over Hunter's work at a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, during the Obama administration. Mr. Trump temporarily held up U.S. military aid to Ukraine to push for the investigation, which Ukraine never initiated. A whistleblower complaint about Mr. Trump's request led to his impeachment in December. The Senate acquitted him in February.

During the impeachment inquiry, Republicans countered by focusing on Joe and Hunter Biden and probing Hunter's work for the gas company Burisma. Republicans accused Hunter of improperly using his father's position to obtain a lucrative seat on Burisma's board, though there has been no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Some Republicans also accused the Ukrainian government of meddling in the 2016 election — a conspiracy theory that has been discredited by U.S. intelligence agencies, which concluded that Russia interfered and later attempted to shift blame to Ukraine.

Despite raising these concerns, Mr. Obama's office said the requested records should still be released "in the interest of countering the misinformation campaign underlying this request."

"In doing so, we emphasize that abuse of the special access process strikes at the heart of presidential confidentiality interests and undermines the statutory framework and norms that govern access to presidential records," the letter said.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is chaired by Senator Johnson and led by Republicans, is vowing to press forward with its investigation into Hunter Biden, despite logistical challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and strong objections from Senate Democrats.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-letter-republicans-supporting-russian-disinformation-campaign-biden-investigation/

After Reviewing The Transcripts, George Papadopoulos Says He’s Now Positive He Knows Who The FBI Informant In His Case Was

–A secret source for the FBI offered to buy George Papadopoulos a burner phone, ‘so you can’t be traced,’ according to the former Trump campaign aide.

–Papadopoulos says he has figured out the identity of a confidential human source that the FBI used to covertly record him during encounters starting in October 2016.

–The Justice Department recently declassified several transcripts of FBI sources who met with Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos says that a former college classmate is one of the sources from the transcripts

Papadopoulos at the time was not suspicious that Wiseman was working with the FBI. The DCNF was not able to track Wiseman down at the time.

Papadopoulos now questions why Wiseman offered him a burner phone, a pre-paid phone that is typically not registered in the name of the user. Papadopoulos wondered: Did the FBI intend to plant the phone with a recording device to monitor Papadopoulos’s phone calls? Or to paint him as engaging in deceptive behavior?

“It’s scary,” said Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI during his initial interview.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/06/george-papadopoulos-fbi-informant-transcript/

>>9077299

added sauce

Newly released documents from the Department of Justice show President Obama informed former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates of a phone call between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016. He did so in the Oval Office.

"Yates first learned of the December 2016 calls between [LTG Michael] Flynn and [Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey] Kislyak on January 5, 2017, while in the Oval Office. Yates, along with then FBI-Director James Comey, then-CIA Director John Brennan, and then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, were at the White House to brief members of the Obama Administration on the classified Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian Activities in Recent U.S Elections. President Obama was joined by his National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, and others from the National Security Council," the document states.

"After the briefing, Obama dismissed the group but asked Yates and Comey to stay behind. Obama started by saying he had 'learned of the information about Flynn' and his conversation with Kislyak about sanctions. Obama specified he did not want any additional information on the matter, but was seeking information on whether the White House should be treating Flynn any differently, given the information. At that point, Yates had no idea what the President was talking about, but figured it out based on the conversation. Yates recalled Comey mentioning the Logan Act, but can't recall if he specified there was an 'investigation,'" it continues.

That phone call became part of the FBI's justification to interview Flynn on January 24, 2017. Ahead of that meeting, notes show agents planned to get Flynn to lie in order to pursue criminal prosecution or get him fired.

According to a memo Rice wrote to herself on January 20, 2017, her last day on the job, she and Vice President Joe Biden were in the room when Obama delivered the news to Yates.

President Obama and his intelligence officials, like Rice, Brennan and Clapper, have denied being involved in a malicious pursuit against General Flynn. Documents show that is far from the case.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2020/05/07/new-doj-documents-show-president-obama-was-in-on-the-flynn-takedown-n2568420

>>9077331

>>9077331

truly like an angel coming for a rescue!

my NOM for Supreme Court!!!