BREAKING: DOJ forms "strike force" to investigate Obama aides - and beyond
The Justice Department is taking an extraordinary step to advance Trump's revenge campaign.
Bottom Line Up Front:
Days after President Trump accused his predecessor Barack Obama of “treason,” the Department of Justice announced a “strike force” to investigate dubious claims that the Obama administration weaponized intelligence related to Russia in 2016.
WHAT HAPPENED
Earlier this week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard publicly accused former President Obama and his team of “manipulation of intelligence” related to Russian election interference in 2016, even though claims that Russia meddled in the election have been widely accepted by both parties.
Gabbard released information that she says disputes the longstanding conclusion that Moscow wanted Trump to win in 2016. But that information has been called into question — and critics, including an Obama spokesperson, dismissed the claims as “outrageous” and “bizarre.” Then in an Oval Office rant Tuesday, Donald Trump accused his predecessor of “treason.”
Now Attorney General Bondi has taken it all a step further by announcing an Orwellian strike force to investigate the matter. The Department made clear it will “fully investigate” and work with Gabbard, promising “no stone unturned.”
WHAT IT MEANS
This is an extraordinary escalation. A sitting U.S. spy chief is accusing a former president of intelligence tampering. The DOJ is acting on unverified claims that many experts have already labeled misinformation.
As NBC News reported:
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Gabbard’s allegations of treason were “baseless” and an attempt to revive conspiracy claims that had already been debunked.
Gabbard is “rehashing decade-old false claims about the Obama Administration,” Himes said in a statement Friday. “Few episodes in our nation’s history have been investigated as thoroughly as the Intelligence Community’s warning in 2016 that Russia was interfering in the election. “
Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior intelligence official who served both Republican and Democratic presidents over more than three decades, said Gabbard’s “analysis is grossly flawed and inconsistent with the findings of years-long investigations by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Senate.”
But the Administration is not letting facts get in the way of its desire to pursue a sweeping campaign of retribution. With the DOJ announcement, Trump’s lieutenants are using federal power to lay the groundwork of revenge under the guise of “justice.”
Why is this all happening? First, it’s obviously a distraction from the Epstein scandal. Second, and more fundamentally, it has to do with Trump’s psyche.
The President sees any acknowledgment of Russian interference in 2016 as a threat to his ego, legacy, and legal safety. By flipping the narrative — casting himself as the victim and Obama-era officials as the villains — he’s preparing to punish his enemies and erase the parts of history that make him look weak.
WHAT’S NEXT
This will not be a normal investigation. By directing DOJ resources to go after Trump’s rivals, the administration is doing precisely what it claims it’s trying to stop: weaponizing justice. The irony and hypocrisy are gargantuan.
Even if no charges are filed, these probes stigmatize the accused, tie them up in costly legal proceedings, and invite violence from fringe supporters. Put another way: the process is the punishment. See what I had to say about it last night with
(video below).Already, former Obama intelligence chief James Clapper has been forced to lawyer up, despite knowing the White House claims are “ridiculous.” And this is what they want — to drag patriots through the mud, dirty them up, and set an example to make sure others don’t defy the President.
If you think that sounds outlandish, look no further than what the President’s team said after accusing me and Chris Krebs of treason:
“Donald Trump needed to send a message,” a White House official explain[ed] to Rolling Stone, adding that the public, executive-order-branded nature of it was in large part because Trump had said he wanted to deliver warning to others on his enemies list…Another Trump administration official adds that the president’s “showmanship qualities” practically necessitated, at least for this administration, a televised salvo of vengeance.
Accusations of treason aren’t campaign slogans anymore. They’re the blueprint for state-sponsored retribution. And now the Justice Department is getting in on the action.
Here’s what I had to say last night on Joe Walsh’s podcast about the security threats that will stem from the Trump Administration’s accusations of “treason” against Barack Obama and his team.
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I feel ill! I do not want to, but once again considering leaving. In reality I want my daughter, SIL, grandson to seek safety. I am eligible (but I am old) for Canadian and Irish citizenship, they are not. The only thing I can offer is my pension to contribute to the economy of either country. Pay in, take nothing. This has me terrified all over again!
I am grateful to President Obama, and this is another heartbreak! He is human, so imperfect, like all of us, but he did right by our people.
Miles, thank you for your willingness to stand up!
People, pay attention to what the DOJ says while they conduct this sham investigation. Particularly how they twist the narrative to create they're own version. We already had multiple investigations with results that have proven the opposite of what Gabbard and the DOJ are implicating. This is nothing but-DISTRACTION. Stay focuswed on what Trumps doesn't want us tallking about. His involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and being a Pedophile.