“The testimony of former Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein is now complete and we are able to make an honest assessment into the motives and intents of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and specifically Chairman Lindsey Graham.
Rod Rosenstein is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 3, 2020. (Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/Getty Images)
Without a doubt, it is now clear Senator Lindsey Graham is executing the familiar chaff and countermeasure approach to cover-up the former administration surveillance abuses.
Here are four specific reasons that clarity is assured. Ranked in order of brutality:
♦ Number Four:
While there was some cursory inquiry into the reasoning of Rod Rosenstein to authorize the direct targeting of Trump campaign officials, not a single Senator inquired about the specifics behind how the August 2, 2017 scope memo was created:
Who specifically identified the targets; what justification was provided by the special counsel to target the officials; why were those specific persons were selected; and under what predicate was Rosenstein authorized to expand the Mueller investigation?
The Senators on the Judiciary Committee, with full knowledge and forethought; and with specific access to the document in question; and with malicious intent to deny justice on behalf of those targeted; totally failed to make an appropriate inquiry.
♦ Number Three:
To make matters worse… The Senate Judiciary Committee members specifically stated they were aware of the content of the Mueller Report. As a witness, DAG Rosenstein brought a copy of the Mueller report with him to the hearing; and yet not a single member of the committee highlighted the hidden/secret October 20, 2017, scope memo.
There was ZERO inquiry from the Senate Judiciary Committee into a known issue that was/is relevant to the ongoing prosecution of General Michael Flynn; and the underlying evidence, first uncovered within the report; highlighting how Rod Rosenstein authorized a hidden memorandum to target Michael Flynn Jr. as leverage to force a guilty plea from the original target of Rosenstein authorized. This was completely ignored:
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s lack of inquiry was either because they held no awareness of the hidden scope memo; or, more likely, because they needed to pretend they held no awareness of the hidden October 20th scope memo to avoid exposing it.
♦ Number Two:
Despite the former Deputy AG stating twice that he was troubled by the leaking of the highly classified FISA application to the media, the committee intentionally and purposefully avoided asking the obvious question:
If DAG Rod Rosenstein was so concerned about the leak of the Carter Page FISA, then why did the DOJ under Rosenstein’s tenure purposefully refuse to indict SSCI Security Director James Wolfe for leaking the FISA application?
During his testimony Deputy AG Rosenstein testified this specific leak was alarming to him because it identified the innocent target of the investigation, Carter Page. However, Rosenstein was NOT alarmed enough to prosecute Wolfe for the leak. Why Not?
The Senate Judiciary Committee never went near that highly explosive issue.
However, if the purpose and intent of Senator Graham were not crystal clear by those three prior issues that were left undiscussed, the number one proof of his intention is stunning in its brutality.
♦ Number One:
The Senate Judiciary Committee was recently made aware of a letter from the DOJ to the FISA Court written in July of 2018. The letter was/is a specific example of fraud upon the court during the tenure of Rod Rosenstein. It is inexcusable that Rod Rosenstein was not asked about the July 12, 2018, material lie to the court.
Please notice this DOJ cover letter (making the committee aware) was personally sent to Chairman Lindsey Graham by the DOJ as ORDERED by the FISA Court.
The content of the communication was a 2018 letter from the DOJ to the FISA Court. The letter below was sent by the DOJ National Security Division on July 12, 2018.
The purpose of the hearing today was specifically about the FISA abuses, yet the committee did not ask a single question about this letter. Here it is:
This is an incredibly misleading letter to the FISA court because what the letter doesn’t say is that 18-months earlier the sub-source, also known in the IG report as the “primary sub-source”, informed the FBI that the material attributed to him in the dossier was essentially junk.
By July 2018 the DOJ clearly knew the dossier was full of fabrications, yet they withheld that information from the court and said the predicate was still valid. Why?
How is it even remotely possible for Senator Lindsey Graham to conduct an inquiry into Crossfire Hurricane and FISA abuses, and yet completely avoid asking Rod Rosenstein about the content of a letter that was specifically created during his tenure, and goes directly to the heart of his personal involvement.
The content itself is a complete fabrication of information and it was written by Rosenstein’s DOJ a full fifteen months after the DOJ was fully aware the predicate for the FISA application was fraudulent.
This 2018 justification letter was so alarming the FISA Court itself demanded the DOJ send a copy of it to the Senate Judiciary Committee to use in oversight. However, Chairman Graham didn’t ask Rod Rosenstein a single question about it.
There is no way to look at the absence of inquiry without accepting the motive and intent of the committee is to bury information; thereby protecting DC entities.
The hearing was intentionally scheduled to give the appearance of Senator Graham taking action; he isn’t. It’s the all-too-familiar…
.….Chaff and countermeasures!
