The ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Special Counsel Robert Mueller over Russia’s alleged interference in the US election is sputtering. The role of the FBI and the Justice Department in boosting Hillary Clinton’s election prospects last November can no longer be shoved under the carpet.
The email correspondence between top FBI agent Peter Strzok and a bureau lawyer Lisa Page, who were working on the 2016 election (besides having an extramarital affair), suggests that they were fired up with messianic zeal to ensure that somehow Hillary won – and, importantly, that Trump lost. And they probably had ‘in-house’ meetings with then-No. 2 in the FBI Andrew McCabe, presently acting director, who subsequently handpicked Mueller as special counsel.
The same folks appear to have used the alibi of the infamous anti-Trump “dossier” compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele (which was commissioned by the Clinton campaign) to obtain a warrant in mid-2016 from a secret federal court to conduct surveillance of a Trump-campaign official – although the FBI dismissed Steele’s work as “salacious and unverified” in congressional testimony.
The Clinton campaign research project (Steel’s ‘dossier’) involved a Russia analyst who’s the wife of the Obama Justice Department’s associate deputy attorney general. Serious questions arise regarding the role of the Obama FBI and Obama Justice Department – gross misuse of official machinery to boost Hillary’s campaign. Yet, Mueller seems unperturbed that this unsavory aspect is inextricably linked to the alleged Russian interference.
Then, there is the sideshow about Hillary’s emails investigation. The grand jury was denied access to material evidence; Justice Department collaborated with Hillary’s defense lawyers to rein in the FBI from examining digital evidence (and providing immunity grants to suspects) and violated established legal and ethical rules. And the FBI statement exonerated Hillary much before the investigation was complete and key witnesses were yet to be interviewed.
Above all, there was the famous tarmac meeting between Obama attorney general Loretta Lynch and Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton just days before his wife sat for a perfunctory FBI interview, after which the agency’s director announced the decision not to charge her.
Breathtaking climax approaching
This is truly a Kafkaesque situation. The President’s opponent who lost the 2016 election apparently wields more influence to leverage the Washington establishment. Isn’t Trump paying a heavy price for winning the election? A breathtaking climax is approaching. Trump is unlikely to dismiss Mueller for being a partisan and the latter should have recused himself.
It would not be easy to find an attorney of standing in America whom Bill Clinton wouldn’t have known or pallied with during his extraordinary political career, to conduct a thorough investigation into his wife’s activities. But if the prospect of a full investigation into Hillary sails into view, the formula for a truce will emerge.
The international community has high stakes in the outcome. The time between now and March will be most thrilling. If a ceasefire in the American civil war is declared by March, when President Vladimir Putin is certain to obtain a renewed six-year mandate in the Russian presidential election, a new beginning may still be possible in Russian-American relations and world politics may change course.
Any old observer of Kremlin politics would have sensed it in his bones that the friendly remarks about Trump by the Russian leadership in recent days wouldn’t have been mere indulgence in politeness. In a nationally televised interview two weeks ago, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made flattering remarks about Trump:
“To speak about the outward impression, he (Trump) is a well-wishing political figure who wants to establish full-fledged contacts and perceives absolutely everything adequately.” Yet, Medvedev’s own characterization a few days earlier was that present Russia-US tensions are comparable to the 1980s.
Notably, Putin openly complimented Trump by commending the US’s economic performance – also during a nationally televised news conference on Thursday. This is when anti-US feelings are running high in Russia. Putin, in particular, could have easily tapped into ‘anti-Americanism’ to boost his re-election bid. But he’s doing the exact opposite.
Both Medvedev and Putin may have signaled (with an eye on Washington) to the Russian people that there is new thinking in the Kremlin regarding the future trajectory of relations with the US.
Indeed, Trump promptly took note of Putin’s flattering remarks and called him on the phone immediately to deliver a personal word of thanks. And this is despite the Trump National Security Advisor HR McMaster’s characterization of Putin’s Russia last weekend as an incorrigible revisionist power that is hell-bent on upending the international order.
Most important, the Kremlin has moderated its stance on Jerusalem by distancing itself from the Turkish position – although the Russian Foreign Ministry statement on December 7 was equally critical of Trump’s decision. On Thursday, the Kremlin spokesman spoke cryptically and refused to elaborate.
Back channels seem to be at work between Moscow and Tel Aviv on the one hand and Tel Aviv and Washington on the other. The Kremlin’s calculus on Israel is highly complex. Many elements are at work – Jewish lobby among Russian elites, powerful oligarchs, ethnic Russians’ role in Israeli politics, Moscow’s perception of Israel as a driver of US policies in the Trump administration, etc.
Indeed, Russian self-interest invariably comes first and last in any given situation, and the Kremlin has reason to hope that Israel can swing a course correction in US policies toward Russia. No doubt, Trump’s friendly phone call to Putin last night was an extraordinary gesture on the eve of his unveiling of the new US national security strategy.
Suffice to say, Muller’s investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election can phenomenally change the climate of US-Russia relations.
" But if the prospect of a full investigation into Hillary sails into view, the formula for a truce will emerge."
Again a tragic Vaudeville similar to that of Harvey Weinstein, while millions of people have lost their lives for the whims of blood thirsty WASP pilgrims and their jewish masters…
"Back channels seem to be at work between Moscow and Tel Aviv" — Between Moscow and Jerusalem. Israel’s capital city is Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv.
The author is a left liberal. He’ll never say Jerusalem is the capital.
LOL. Do you really think US need china to do anything to "destroy the US international position"?
Jo Snow Was this supposed to be a witty put down?
Parag Joshi
That is because under international law, Jerusalem cannot be the capital.
This is wrong on so many levels. Garbage article. Disappointing.
It’s quite simple, Americans were never comfortable with the boogeyman called Islam. We were never satisfied with a sub par enemy who is seen as savage and below us. Hating Russia makes Americans feel satisfied that they have an equal enemy. To me the Rusophobia is quite bizarre but to most Americans it just feel right.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union America was adrift searching for new enemies to destroy and it never quite felt right plus it’s much easier for the liberals to hate a white patriarchal society like Russia than it is to hate the Muslims.
It seems every one is turning to Israel,the fixer.Very funny
Joshua Leffel You’ve got this backwards. We didn’t hate Muslims until they started killing people indiscriminately. Then we feel about them the same way we feel about any serial killers. But we have no hatred for peaceful Muslims. They are just like the Amish and other reigious sects that live by themselves under their own rules but within the rules of the country.
Art Laramee you might be having some reasons for thinking that way, maybe… But it happens also that millions of people around the world hate Americans for a number of good reasons… and this number is growing steadily. And funny enough, Americans can take all the blames without understanding why, apparently
Luca Taramelli True, you have a lot of peers who hate Americans. As long as you don’t threaten me or my lifestyle I really don’t give a shit about who you hate, including me. You have to respect a person or their logic before they can impact you…
Art Laramee , fair enough.But what amazes me and my "peers", is that Americans seem to be kind of lobotomized… In other words, do they understand or think about what their regime has been and is still doing around the world ? While millions die around the world and the American people is getting poorer and poorer, materially and mentally…
Luca Taramelli Yeah, we are aware of what we have done around the world. A lot of good and some bad. Please name me the major country who has not. The past is useful for education and training but being current is where knowledge and analysis is best used. Trump is a very different president and could conceivably work with China and Russia to bring about a more peaceful world. There’s too many moving parts to have a perfectly peaceful world but if the major powers see the value of peace as I believe China does and Trump does, there is hope.
Ok Art, deal. I agree with you that Trump has at least the merit of having disclosed to everyone with a minimum of attention, what is the real face of America, and the emperors around him are naked now. And I also agree with you that China and Russia are our only major hopes. To cut the long story short: now we know that civilization is East and not West. Take care Art, and have a nice day
No, very revealing as to who the REAL power broker is. Israel controls the US and with Russian jews have muh influence in Russia… it’s a no-brainer.
MKB is usually pretty good and informative, but he’s completely out to lunch on this one. Stick to what you know, guy.
Roger Daguerre Yes .jews are the fixers and real players
Luca Taramelli While there are still crusty old Cold War dinosaurs like John McCain and his sidekick Lindsay Graham, there is little anti-Russian feeling either in the GOP and and even less in the Trump voters, most of whom are white Christian conservatives with very similar views on morality, the family, and find the leftist agenda of political correctness, identity politics and promotion of non-standard lifestyles as the root of the malaise they see in society. A recent poll had a positive view of Russia by 76% of Republican voters preferred Russia as a friend, whereas only 29% of Democrats agreed.
The Democrats and SJW’s in general hate Russia, and have programmed their supported through the technique of the Big Lie. They already are suspicious of Russia for being opposed to the whole Cultural Marxist agenda, and when their idol Hillary tells them xenophobic lies, they must believe, otherwise they would have to believe Hillary is a lying, xenophobic, evil manipulator, and the truth is too much to bear. What is worse, the Big lie persists, even after the facts are debunked, so now there is 71% of Democrats who despite their “diversity and tolerance” will be extreme Russiaphobes for the rest of their lives, unless Hillary tells them it’s all been a big mistake, and that she will never do. A truly evil act.
Apologies for iPhone’s mind of its own????