Does Comey have a ‘rogue agent’ problem at the FBI?
The Wall Street Journal reports there is infighting at the FBI over investigations involving Hillary Clinton and e-mail:
The new investigative effort, disclosed by FBI Director James Comey on Friday, shows a bureau at times in sharp internal disagreement over matters related to the Clintons, and how to handle those matters fairly and carefully in the middle of a national election campaign. Even as the probe of Mrs. Clinton’s email use wound down in July, internal disagreements within the bureau and the Justice Department surrounding the Clintons’ family philanthropy heated up, according to people familiar with the matter.
The latest development began in early October when New York-based FBI officials notified Andrew McCabe, the bureau’s second-in-command, that while investigating Mr. Weiner for possibly sending sexually charged messages to a teenage minor, they had recovered a laptop.
The Washington Post reports that some FBI agents wanted to investigate the Clinton Foundation:
FBI agents argued — based at least in part on news accounts — earlier this year that the Clinton Foundation should be investigated for potentially giving donors special political access and favors. The Justice Department’s public integrity unit said they did not have enough evidence to move forward.
The Clinton Foundation said it was never contacted by the FBI, suggesting the bureau’s efforts were in a preliminary stage as prosecutors weighed in. But agents in New York have sought to keep their inquiries alive, feuding with the Justice Department about the lengths to which they can go, according to people familiar with the matter.
That infighting became public Sunday, when the Wall Street Journal published a detailed account of interactions between prosecutors and FBI officials over the politically sensitive subject.
The FBI already is under fire for taking actions that could influence the presidential election just days away, after FBI Director James B. Comey revealed agents wanted to look at newly discovered a new batch of emails that were possibly relevant to the probe of Clinton’s private email server.
Josh Marshall weighs in with this:
Click here for reuse options!It describes what the article [characterizes] as a feud within the FBI and between the FBI and the Department of Justice over the Clinton probe. It now seems clear that what are essentially rogue FBI agents have been looking for all sorts of different angles to pursue investigations of Hillary Clinton and her family. Indeed, they’ve presented their evidence to career public corruption prosecutors at DOJ and been told they don’t have anything. But it hasn’t stopped. They clearly were not happy with the decision in the emails probe even though Comey said not even a close call.
This seems to be the backstory of what happened on Friday. Agents pushing for more aggressive investigations on various fronts, Comey fearing he’d be blamed after the fact for not notifying Congress in the letter he sent and specifically being afraid that some of these agents would leak news of the possibly new Huma Abedin emails to Congress. These are not fun situations to be in, I am sure. But they are ones an FBI Director should, indeed must, be willing to stand up to.
Copyright 2016 Liberaland
By: dave-dr-gonzo
David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.
* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.
14 responses to Does Comey have a ‘rogue agent’ problem at the FBI?
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Buford2k11 October 31st, 2016 at 08:44
It seems the Russians have infiltrated the FBI…
Gina Bousquet October 31st, 2016 at 17:03
:). :)
granpa.usthai October 31st, 2016 at 09:03
the fbi has NO INTEGRITY.
they’re just another arm of the republiCON criminal organization.
and a huge drain of the AMERICAN TAXPAYERS depleted Treasury.
enough already. dissolve the bureau and make sure none of the current ’employees’ ever have any more employment at TAXPAYERS EXPENSE.
DogsRgoodpeople October 31st, 2016 at 09:25
the corruption that surrounds hillary is produced by the rabid right .
oldfart October 31st, 2016 at 09:29
Ala bugs bunny…e-it’s a possibility…
A good spring cleaning might be in order.
Budda October 31st, 2016 at 10:04
If these agents are politically motivated they need to be fired.
eyelashviper October 31st, 2016 at 10:43
Comey has undermined his position, a Presidential election, and should be held accountable. This from RS, comments from Elijah Cummings, which make it very clear that Comey acted to please the Gopers. Dems have asked for a report on the email attacks by Russia, and for information regarding Trump’s possible involvement with Russian actions..their requests have been unanswered.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/cummings-shocker-americans-dont-have-a-clue-how-hard-the-gop-pushed-the-fbi-to-attack-clinton/comments/#disqus
maggiemoo October 31st, 2016 at 12:10
If there was evidence of rogue agents being overruled and still interfering with Clinton investigation, then they should have been terminated or transferred…. North to Alaska and investigate a real witch!
jybarz October 31st, 2016 at 12:31
Sounds like Comey panicked.
He knows fully well GOP are vengeful, persistent (50+ Obamacare stupid repeals), dirty bastards and Democrats are nice & more forgiving…so it was pretty easy choice, wasn’t it?
Bunya October 31st, 2016 at 13:32
I agree. The democrats, in the past, have been way too willing to roll over to republican demands.
Ned Nutley October 31st, 2016 at 14:27
This is not a bombshell, Comey broke the law to
help his party plain and simple, rather than say
that something may be amiss with Huma and
Anthony’s email exchanges that may involve
Hillary, why not just go get the warrant and
THEN show us what he’s got, he tried to be
vague and sneaky, what he did was criminal
and that’s not surprising considering the party
he’s from!
Buford2k11 October 31st, 2016 at 15:43
It’s the Rooskies, I tells ya…The Reds…Ruskievites, republicans in Fur hats…Bolsheviks in Suits…Molotov in Drag…those guys…I wonder why no one listens to me…then again…never mind….
Willys41 October 31st, 2016 at 15:55
The right-wing extremists in the FBI have been perverting justice for a long time.
bpollen November 1st, 2016 at 02:27
Rogue agents? Sarah, is that you?