It’s 5:00pm…


I am very well aware of events today.

Discretion is the better part of valor.

WASHINGTON – A Former FBI attorney will plead guilty to making false statements in documents used to obtain a surveillance warrant against former Trump aide Carter Page, his lawyer told the Associated Press Friday.

The guilty plea from Kevin Clinesmith is the first legal action taken in an investigation led by John Durham, a U.S. attorney looking into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe and other intelligence-gathering activities related to the Trump campaign.

Clinesmith’s lawyer, Justin Shur, told the Associated Press that his client will plead guilty to a single false statements charge as part of a cooperation agreement with the government.  (more)

Tuesday.

Kevin Clinesmith – Criminal Information….


It’s not an indictment, it’s a Criminal Information with no grand jury, which suggests counsel for defendant approached DOJ to structure an agreement.  The plea agreement likely also included an agreement for method of public release. [LINK HERE]  Last year John Spiropoulos explained the Clinesmith information for OAN TV.  WATCH:

 

.

Bill Barr Interview With Sean Hannity….


Bill Barr calls into Sean Hannity for an interview.

 

Devin Nunes Interview With Maria Bartiromo…


Devin Nunes appears on Fox Business News for a discussion on current investigations.

 

Coffee Talk ….


~ FBI HQ (left) – Main Justice buildings (right) ~

When you are this close to the institutions, conversations come much easier.   According to those with direct knowledge, when Jeff Sessions recused (fire-walled) from anything to do with the special counsel in ’17, ’18, ’19, Rod Rosenstein “should have” held oversight.  However, in his Senate Judiciary testimony of June 3, 2020, Rosenstein admitted that he conducted no oversight over the Mueller probe.

Rosenstein’s justification was he did not feel it was his position to question their “investigative processes“, later saying “everything was an investigative process“, ergo anything the special counsel was doing was considered valid; nothing was questioned, and Rosenstein felt it was his position to “facilitate” the Mueller team.

This is a key point:  The special counsel took over Main Justice.

Which begs the question….. If Rosenstein was providing everything; who was managing the daily events inside Main Justice while the SC events were ongoing?  Who was the internal coordinator for the legal and investigative crew?  Who was the bridge?  Answer:

Tashina “Tash” Gauhar, literally from the school and law firm of former Obama “wingman” Attorney General Eric Holder.

2009- Tashina Gauhar is the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Intelligence. Ms. Gauhar has extensive experience working with the U.S. Intelligence Community and has held a variety of national security positions within the Department since 2001, including serving as an Assistant Counsel in the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review and later as the Deputy Chief of Operations in the Office of Intelligence, and recently the Chief of Operations. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Ms. Gauhar was an associate at the law firm of DLA Piper (then Piper Marbury Rudnick and Wolfe, LLP).  (link)

Tashina Gauhar was the Mid-Year-Exam (MYE) team member who was on a September 29, 2016, conference call with the FBI New York field office about the Weiner/Abedin laptop.  Tash Gauhar was directly at the center, no, the epicenter, of the most controversial time frame for the Mid-Year-Event team.

Tashina was one of only three MYE people who actually had the responsibility to review the Clinton emails from the Weiner/Abedin laptop. [The other two were Peter Strzok and the unknown “lead analyst”]

Tashina is probably only eclipsed by Lisa Page and Peter Strzok in the level of influence within the entire Mid-Year-Team apparatus.  “Tash”, as she was known to the team, is a hub amid a very tight circle.  Tashina Gauhar held a great deal of influence.  Suffice to say, the spawn of Eric Holder is a big deal in the story.

You know what other decision Tashina Gauhar was influential in?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal:

(link to pdf)

Note this meeting was on March 2nd, 2017.  Which prompted this announcement:

WASHINGTON POST, March 2 2017 – Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday that he will recuse himself from investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign, which would include any Russian interference in the electoral process.

Speaking at a hastily called news conference at the Justice Department, Sessions said he was following the recommendation of department ethics officials after an evaluation of the rules and cases in which he might have a conflict.

“They said that since I had involvement with the campaign, I should not be involved in any campaign investigation,” Sessions said. He added that he concurred with their assessment and would thus recuse himself from any existing or future investigation involving President Trump’s 2016 campaign. (link)

Yes, the DOJ lawyer at the heart of the Clinton-email investigation; the DOJ lawyer hired by Eric Holder at his firm and later at the DOJ; the DOJ lawyer who was transferred to the Clinton probe;  the DOJ lawyer at the epicenter of the Weiner laptop issues, the only one from MYE who spoke to New York; the DOJ lawyer who constructs the FISA applications on behalf of Main Justice;…. just happens to be the same DOJ lawyer recommending to AG Jeff Sessions that he recuse himself.

Once Jeff Sessions recused, then what responsibilities did Tashina cover?

Tashina Gauhar was also the internal coordinator inside Main Justice who was the link between the special counsel and the resources of the entire department.  Essentially, Rod Rosenstein’s willful blindness put Tashina in a position of power.  This is how the special counsel group was able to take over Main Justice and coordinate their efforts.  Everything flowed through Tash while she protected the Weissmann, Zelby, Van Grack, et al team as they went about targeting the Trump administration. These were the usurpers embedded inside Main Justice while carrying out the “insurance policy” mission.

Ms. Tashina Gauhar had quite a portfolio:

Tashina Gauhar left the DOJ in Nov 2019.  She went to work for Boeing.

Tashina Gauhar was the Deputy Attorney General’s national security adviser and deputy assistant attorney general for intelligence since 2009. Tash was at the DOJ since 2001, and she formerly served as assistant counsel and chief of operations in what was then called the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review.  She worked for DAG Rosenstein as she did for DAG Sally Yates.  Tash Gauhar was the DAG’s executor and enforcer for national security.

Tashina required all of the AG packages for foreign policy appointments to go through her.

As the DOJ point on national security, only Gauhar received email notification about NSC meetings.  During her tenure she did not always pass those notifications along, so the AG (Sessions) both missed NSC meetings and went unprepared when she let the notifications wait until the last minute.

She was very close to the Counter Intelligence division and came to David Laufman’s defense.  [David Laufman was a DOJ-NSD lawyer who later became the attorney for Monica McLean, the FBI public information officer who wrote the complaint letter against Justice Kavanaugh with Christine Blasey-Ford.]

Tashina is reported to have attempted to get access to highly compartmentalized NSA information, and lied about being an appropriately cleared recipient.

In 2014 Attorney General Eric Holder changed the entire DOJ organizational chart making the Deputy AG the DOJ’s main point contact for the entire national security process.

Tashina Gauhar was also the person who retrieved the transcripts (tech cuts) of Gen. Flynn’s conversations with Sergey Kislyak, and she was assisting Mary McCord and Sally Yates at the meeting with White House Counsel Don McGahn.

Tashina Gauhar was frequently seen at public social gatherings with Mueller investigators.

Tashina Gauhar was deeply involved in the Iran JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) deal and the side agreements within the Iran deal.

Tashina Gauhar was one of a select few people to convince the AG that he should recuse himself.

Tashina Gauhar was/is best friends with Lisa Page.

Tashina Gauhar told the FBI to stop enforcing and prosecuting export control and sanctions laws to protect the Iran deal.

Tashina Gauhar told the FBI not to have any public information campaign targeting private companies and educating them about dual use technologies.

Tashina Gauhar told the DEA to stop drug investigations re: Hezbollah related to Operation Casandra.

Tashina Gauhar attended NSC meetings during the Obama Administration representing DOJ.  Tashina also knows all about the Uranium One deal.

Tashina Gauhar blocked the AG’s office from getting Senior Executive Service (SES) people. The AG had three SES people and the DAG had nine.

Tashina Gauhar was put in charge of reviewing the classified material President Trump ordered be passed to Congress, and she was the liaison between the Deputy AG (Rosenstein) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for national security.

Jeff Sessions Failed His Biggest Test


Sessions was a cowardly leader of the Department of Justice. He permitted Deep State operatives to remain in key positions. He recused himself from the Russia investigation

Jeff Crouere image

Re-Posted from the Canada Free Press By  —— Bio and ArchivesMay 24, 2020

Jeff Sessions Failed His Biggest Test

During his 20 years in the U.S. Senate, Jeff Sessions was a solid conservative who was right on issues such as stopping illegal immigration. He was the first U.S. Senator to endorse Donald Trump for President and was rewarded with one of the most coveted appointments in the new administration. Trump appointed Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General.

Unfortunately, Sessions was a cowardly leader of the Department of Justice. He permitted Deep State operatives to remain in key positions. He recused himself from the Russia investigation, allowing his Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, to appoint Robert Mueller as a Special Counsel.

Sessions is facing former Auburn University Football Coach Tommy Tuberville

The resulting investigation cost almost $40 million and lasted 22 months. It was a travesty of justice as the Mueller team, dominated by Democratic Party attorneys and activists, found no Russian collusion, and could not prove the President or his associates obstructed justice in any way. This did not stop them from harassing the President and forcing several of his campaign operatives into guilty pleas on charges that had nothing to do with Russia.

Sessions unleashed this holy hell upon President Trump by recusing himself and allowing the appointment of Mueller. The investigation was a partisan attempt to overturn the 2016 election results, in effect, it was an attempted political coup d’état. In the last administration, then U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder famously proclaimed that he would be Barack Obama’s “wingman.” He protected Barack Obama throughout his tenure. Such loyalty may not be appropriate for a U.S. Attorney General, but it is quite a contrast to the betrayal that President Trump received from Jeff Sessions.

The biased witch hunt, known as the Mueller investigation, infuriated President Trump. He has rightly never forgiven Sessions, who is now running for his old position as U.S. Senator from Alabama.

In an upcoming July GOP runoff, Sessions is facing former Auburn University Football Coach Tommy Tuberville. The latest poll shows Tuberville with a very comfortable lead over Sessions. The winner will face incumbent U.S. Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat, in the general election.

Sessions not only cost President two years of distraction and harassment, but he also cost the Republican Party a U.S. Senate seat

Jones was elected after Sessions resigned to take the position of U.S. Attorney General. He benefited from the GOP infighting over his general election opponent, former Judge Roy Moore, who was accused of inappropriate behavior with a variety of young girls earlier in his career. The firestorm allowed Jones to win in a state that is normally very Republican.

Thus, Sessions not only cost President two years of distraction and harassment, but he also cost the Republican Party a U.S. Senate seat.

In this election, President Trump enthusiastically endorsed Tuberville and has demanded that Sessions stop using his name in the campaign. The President labeled Sessions “delusional” for trying to fool Alabama voters into thinking he has always been a staunch Trump supporter.

If he is re-elected for another term, President Trump will need loyal supporters in Congress, not weaklings like Jeff Sessions. Therefore, he is committed to playing an active role in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama.

On Friday night, The President tweeted:

“3 years ago, after Jeff Sessions recused himself, the Fraudulent Mueller Scam began. Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions. He let our Country down. That’s why I endorsed Coach Tommy Tuberville.”

Sessions showed more boldness in fighting back against President Trump than he ever did as U.S. Attorney General

This attack from the President was too much for Sessions who fired back on Twitter, “Look, I know your anger, but recusal was required by law. I did my duty & you’re damn fortunate I did. It protected the rule of law & resulted in your exoneration. Your personal feelings don’t dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do.”

Ironically, Sessions showed more boldness in fighting back against President Trump than he ever did as U.S. Attorney General. He allowed career bureaucrats force him into a recusal that almost destroyed the Trump presidency.

Responding to Sessions, Tuberville tweeted that Jeff Sessions “is so desperate, he told @realDonaldTrump to thank him for the immoral & unconscionable Russia investigation! The only people who seem to agree are Democrats.”

Tuberville is correct as many legal experts disagree with Jeff Sessions that his “recusal was required by law.” He had only incidental meetings with Russian leaders and was not “compromised” or “conflicted” in any way. He could have surely overseen the Russian investigation to determine it was a fabrication based on the phony political document known as the “Steele dossier.”

Jeff Sessions had a chance for greatness, but he was too scared to do the right thing

Instead of standing up to the Deep State, Sessions folded and cowered. He was a joke of an Attorney General, which is why President said he would have never appointed him if he knew Sessions was going to recuse himself. He also called the appointment of Sessions his worst mistake as President.

On July 14, Republican voters will go to the polls in Alabama to pick their U.S. Senate nominee. They are choosing between a political newcomer with solid conservative credentials and a winning record as a college football coach. Clearly, Tommy Tuberville knows how to win and has done it throughout his career.

Opposing him is a true loser, Jeff Sessions, who was given a historic opportunity to assist the Trump administration and his country as U.S. Attorney General. Instead of standing up to political enemies, he was bullied by them into a recusal that led to the most egregious political witch hunt in American history.

Jeff Sessions had a chance for greatness, but he was too scared to do the right thing. At this point, he does not deserve another term as U.S. Senator as he is not the best candidate for the position. Hopefully, the voters of Alabama will deliver to Jeff Sessions, the political retirement he richly deserves.

Lindsey Graham Schedules Committee Business Hearing to Consider Scheduling Subpoena Authorization Hearing…


We are nearing the end of the beginning of the end, as Senator Lindsey Graham announcesa request for a senate hearing to consider scheduling another senate hearing to consider the possible subpoenas for witnesses to appear at a later senate hearing over potential testimony at a possible senate hearing or deposition thereafter.

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced that the Committee would debateand vote on a subpoena authorization related to the FISA abuse investigation and oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Graham’s subpoena authorization covers a number of documents, communications and testimony from witnesses, including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, James Clapper, John Brennan, Sally Yates, and others.

The subpoena authorization will be first listed on the agenda for the Committee’s executive business meeting on May 21, 2020. The Committee is expected to vote on the subpoena authorization at its June 4, 2020 executive business meeting. (read more)

The hearing to consider a hearing surrounds subpoenas for a hearing involving 53 witness hearings and potential depositions:

Trisha Anderson, Brian Auten, James Baker, William Barr, Dana Boente, Jennifer Boone, John Brennan, James Clapper, Kevin Clinesmith, James Comey, Patrick Conlon, Michael Dempsey, Stuart Evans, Tashina Gauhar, Carl Ghattas, Curtis Heide, Kathleen Kavalec, David Laufman, Stephen Laycock, Jacob Lew, Loretta Lynch, Andrew McCabe, Mary McCord, Denis McDonough, Arthur McGlynn, Jonathan Moffa, Sally Moyer, Mike Neufield, Sean Newell, Victoria Nuland, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Stephanie L. O’Sullivan, Lisa Page, Joseph Pientka, John Podesta, Samantha Power, E.W. “Bill” Priestap, Sarah Raskin, Steve Ricchetti, Susan Rice, Rod Rosenstein, Gabriel Sanz-Rexach, Nathan Sheets, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Glenn Simpson, Steve Somma, Peter Strzok, Michael Sussman, Adam Szubin, Jonathan Winer, Christopher Wray, and Sally Yates.

The hearing to consider the scheduling for a hearing to authorize those 53 depositions will take place on May 24th.

Depending on the outcome of that hearing; a hearing scheduled for June 4th may be authorized.

If the hearing to schedule the hearing is successful, the June 4th hearing will authorize the additional hearings later this summer where testimony may be conducted if the witnesses do not fight the subpoenas.

53 witness testimonials,  likely closed-door depositions, over the senate calendar should cover three or four months of Judiciary Committee work; likely July through October.

If all goes according to plan… Once the witness depositions are concluded; and overlaying the holiday recess; the committee will then reassemble in early 2021 to debate the findings from the testimony over an approximately six month period.  At the conclusion of the staff debate on language to describe the committee findings (spring 2021); the committee may generate a report a few months later (summer/fall 2021).