Ex-F.B.I. Lawyer Expected to Plead Guilty in Durham Investigation

[Ninga]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by applegrove (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — A former F.B.I. lawyer intends to plead guilty to falsifying a document as part of a deal with prosecutors conducting their own criminal inquiry of the Russia investigation, according to three people familiar with the case.

The lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, 38, who was assigned to the Russia investigation, plans to admit that he altered an email from the C.I.A. that investigators relied on to seek renewed court permission in 2017 for a secret wiretap on the former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who had at times provided information to the spy agency. Mr. Clinesmith’s lawyers said he made a mistake while trying to clarify facts for a colleague, the people said.
-snip-



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/us/politics/kevin-clinesmith-durham-investigation.html?action=click&module=Alert&pgtype=Homepage

[SheltieLover]

1. Still trying to exonerate Flynn?

[Mike 03]

2. This seems important:

Prosecutors are not expected to reveal any evidence of a broad anti-Trump conspiracy among law enforcement officials.

But prosecutors were not expected to reveal any evidence in charging documents that show Mr. Clinesmith’s actions were part of any broader conspiracy to undermine Mr. Trump, the people said. And the Justice Department’s independent inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, has found that law enforcement officials had sufficient reason to open the Russia investigation, known inside the F.B.I. as Crossfire Hurricane, and found no evidence that they acted with political bias.

Of course, Barr will turn this into Mount f-cking Everest.

I feel sorry for this individual Clinesmith. Within 24 hours he'll be a household name, thanks to Trump and his media enablers.

He'll be the new Comey/Peter Strzok/Lisa Page, etc...

[Zoonart]

3. This is BAD.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. They'll try to manufacture it into something major but

it's overzealousness to some degree.

There was that MSNBC ad with Chris Hayes and Carter Paige that ran for a long time, seems someone suspected Paige was a straight arrow caught up in it for some reason. See how the truth comes out.

Move along, like Republicans would, it's a minor burger in my estimation.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Carter Page is up to his eyeballs in Russian involvement.

Konstantin Rykov--a major online propagandist working for the Kremlin who has bragged about his efforts to get Trump elected in 2016--actually openly bragged on Facebook in July 2016 that Carter Page was in Moscow for "other reasons" than simply to give an address at a Moscow university, and then added that he was there to "visit the intelligence service."

He actually tagged in former US Ambassador Michael McFaul--who had a long running feud with and who had criticized Page's speech--as a means to taunt McFaul, and McFaul called him out on it.

This was long before the FISA warrant and Carter Page was a well-known name.

[Roy Rolling]

5. Easy speed bump

Was it “I got some details wrong” falsifying a document, or “I’m gonna use fake numbers to the bank and taxing authorities” falsifying a document.

You see, that allegation cuts both ways. Republicans shouldn't want to open the door to the standard of “falsifying documents” they are willing to accept from the president. That standard is way low, Trump has a paper trail of suspected false documents, and, more importantly, afraid to show tax documents that would prove his truthfulness.

Republicans shouldn’t wanna go down that road—but they will. Skillfully handled, Democratic media geniuses should be ready to counter the only narrative that Republicans can use.

“Please educate Americans what “falsifying documents” is, Republicans,” said the spider to the fly.

[Happy Hoosier]

6. This was the "development" expected today?

That is some weak sauce right there.

[underpants]

7. I would guess that this was the big deal

Yes

[Ninga]

8. In all the verbiage the "mole hill" seems benign- except the GOP will blow it up with their

Jordanesq indignant righteous Screaming.

[applegrove]

10. After discussion with hosts ... LOCKING

Alert: has not happened yet so not important news

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