DOJ illegally altered Peter Strzok's evidentiary notes

[bigtree]

Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance 44m
DOJ, which just prosecuted an FBI lawyer for adding words to emails, added a date to Strzok’s notes that was clearly wrong but permitted Flynn’s lawyer to gin up a fake argument Biden was involved in a plot to get Flynn. Looks like a false, material statement. DOJ investigating?

Peter Strzok @petestrzok
Disappointed to see the undisclosed addition of handwritten dates in copies of my notes DOJ turned over to Flynn's defense team, including a misleading perception helpful to the defense.

Hoping they told the Court, because it was a surprise to me.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

DOJ Altered an Exhibit in the Mike Flynn Case to Support a False Smear of Joe Biden
September 29, 2020
by emptywheel

As noted, Peter Strzok’s lawyer has confirmed something I laid out earlier: DOJ submitted at least two sets of Strzok’s notes in its effort to blow up the Mike Flynn prosecution that had been altered to add a date that Strzok did not write himself.

This post will lay out why it matters.

I discovered that DOJ had altered Strzok’s notes because DOJ shared — and Sidney Powell submitted in purported support of her claim of prosecutorial abuse — two sets of those notes.

This set, shared on June 23 (the red rectangle is my annotation).


And this set, shared on September 23. Again, my red rectangle shows where DOJ added a date, January 4-5, 2017.

As Strzok’s lawyer, Aitan Goelman, explained that date is wrong...

read more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/09/29/doj-altered-an-exhibit-in-the-mike-flynn-case-to-support-a-false-smear-of-joe-biden/

[The Magistrate]

1. Investigate, Sir? What Is There To Investigate?

Barr told some functionary to doctor evidence, and was obeyed. They know exactly what happened.

[bigtree]

3. that would be Joyce Alene asking, likely rhetorically

...if accountability had begun.

An investigation, of course, normally preceding prosecutions.

We also know the answer to that one. No investigation , prosecution, or any accountability is forthcoming from this Justice Dept., or from those in the Senate who would be tasked with holding Justice accountable.

[Bev54]

35. It is in the court right now and you can get

updates at
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/live-blog/courtroom-showdown-doj-to-defend-decision-to-drop-charges-against-trump-buddy-flynn?entry=1334958

[bigtree]

36. very cool

...thanks for the link!

Listening here:

&feature=emb_logo

[Kid Berwyn]

2. Gee. I wonder what else Barr ginned up?

Strzok was one of the good guys leading the fight against Putin, too.

Trump is a traitor, da.

[not_the_one]

28. As is Barr.

He must go down.

[PRETZEL]

4. Big fan of emptywheel,

she has been on this from the very beginning.

Would the obvious question be that the Powell filing and the Strzok response, were the documents that have been altered previously entered into as part of Flynn's trial? And if so, what recourse would Judge Sullivan have for an attorney presenting evidence that is materially misrepresented?

[bigtree]

6. she's been 'on' quite a bit

...she definitely has the goods on this one.

[tanyev]

5. Impeach A.G. Barr!

[malaise]

7. It is going to happen

The Mitchell cell awaits

[Biophilic]

8. I just keep shaking my head

Who knew there were so many people willing to gut and destroy their honor and integrity. Really, really this kind of crap is the sword they are willing to fall on? I just don't get it. It's so small a thing and yet so huge.

[bigtree]

10. and yet, I never saw the right wing as sincere

...about defending things like democracy, due process, rule of law, or rights under the Constitution.

Not watching as conservatives pepper the Courts with appeals to undo the Constitution's precepts and norms, or watching the GOP turn their backs on even their own political doctrines - claming opposition to fascism and autocracy while employing those same doctrines to advance corporatist agendas and cynical social reforms.

Trump has revealed them with his unabashed anti-Americanism, as they refuse to lift a finger to stop him, or much less publicly rebuke him. Republicanism is nothing more than a BIG political lie.

[Biophilic]

15. A long, long time ago

I grew up with Republican parents and their friends including our family lawyer. Yes, my parents were both very prejudice and I suspect so were most of their cronies. And yet, they did things like my parent's lawyer, a very successful man, who spent his retirement working pro bono for any group that asked including several Native American groups because he felt he needed to give back to his community and country. I can't imagine any current Republican even thinking that, let alone giving 25 or so years to actually doing it.

Yes, I think once upon a time some Republicans understood honor. Now I wouldn't trust anyone whose voted Republican in the last 30 years. It kind of makes me sad. Yes, I'm a romantic, idealist who really wants to believe in the goodness of others. Now a days I just can't and that makes me mad. Who fucked up my world? I honestly don't understand the greed.

[bigtree]

20. I think that idealism of yours is what makes the world go round

...for us humans.

Politics, on the other hand, is a place where idealism goes into a shredder to become part of the mix of interests and imperatives that make up our representational system of Constitutional government. We bring our ideals to the political table and endeavor to reconcile them with other wants and needs, fashioning them into something that garners enough support to advance them into action or law.

The greed has been part of the play for centuries after the first colonialist landowners sought to govern. Their presence and influence is as immutable as it is nebulous and shape-shifting.

We simply can't afford to despair, we must persist. As my old friend, Guy Washington used to say, "Good always leaves, but bad comes to stay."

[Biophilic]

24. Struggling here

Damn, struggling with side effect of new medication which is making me very emotional. I hate that. Don't have time for it this year. Have more important things to do than cry. Come January 21 I'll cry happy tears. This year is hard enough without additional emotions. Things will change and get better for everyone. They simply must (she stamps her foot).

[not_the_one]

29. Hang in there!

I, too, distrust anyone willing to put an R after their name, either in political office or party registration.

They have willingly become tools of hate. It SHALL be their downfall.

[Biophilic]

33. Thanks. Yes, things will get better.

[bigtree]

31. absolutely, things change

...it can be overwhelming trying to wade through the daily doom in the news, and the tension before the election is really hard to take. Sometimes it helps, though, to just vocalize it all, writing it all down is even better.

Lots of folks pushing, right there with you, Biophilic. Glad you're hanging out here with us!

[Biophilic]

32. Thanks, me too

Thanks, bigtree. I'm very thankful for DU. You all help to keep me sane.

[Biophilic]

38. Thinking about this

I've been thinking about the above post for a couple of hours and I realized that before I found DU late last summer I had pretty much lost all hope for idealism or the chance to make things better. I ghosted around DU for several months, started taking in what you all were saying. Paid my "dues" so I didn't feel guilty about using the site to support my mental health. LOL Much cheaper and more worthwhile than a shrink. Now I've started to feel comfortable about posting occasionally. It's good to know that there are still some people out there that can at least think some idealistic thoughts while making realistic plans.

Yeah, I'm really becoming fond of DU. First place I go to in the morning. Well, after checking the news to see if the F-head has died yet. Thanks for being part of that

[niyad]

16. One cannot destroy what one has never had.

[Biophilic]

26. Ouch nt

[Escurumbele]

17. It breaks my head thinking about it...how can people throw their principles away that easy?

I cannot understand it, I keep trying to analyze it giving people the benefit of doubt, but I still cannot come up with answers. How can they not know that selling their soul to trump has never benefitted anyone but trump? Case after case of people's reputation burned by trump, and they still follow, what makes them do it? Anyone have any answers?

What else is coming from the campaign when his former campaign manager has resorted to get himself into a psychiatric ward? He definitely knows that it is going to get much, much worst.

[niyad]

34. Yu make the mistake of assuming they had souls to start with.

[lsewpershad]

9. Why is the AG not in jail?

[triron]

14. Because.

[Wounded Bear]

11. K & R...for visibility...nt

[BlueJac]

12. Criminals all!

[lagomorph777]

13. The court is NOT going to like this one bit.

We need to prosecute Barr in January.

[Arazi]

18. What will the court do? What recourse does the judge have?

[lagomorph777]

19. Any case they are trying to build around this junk is irreparably damaged.

The court will toss out this evidence and it will affect the overall case.

[Arazi]

22. So it's just spoilage for potential future action, not anything now like contempt?

[lagomorph777]

23. Potentially - but courts seem loathe to do much about contempt.

I guess it's a pretty big step for a judge to take.

[Arazi]

25. Thanks. I was hoping contempt might be a possibility. Sigh...

How these fuckers squirm out of justice is pretty infuriating

[Sneederbunk]

21. I can actually see Barr's fingerprints on the notes.

[JohnnyRingo]

27. Barr is nothing but a mob lawyer.

His only loyalty is to The Don and his henchmen while we pay his salary.

Sweet work if you can get it.

[Dave in VA]

30. They don't care

because they know that the orange hemorrhoid will pardon all federal of their crimes after the election.

[liberalla]

37. I'm so glad this chicanery was discovered. The DOJ is so LOW under Barr.