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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReince Priebus FBI contacts suddenly look even worse
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/reince-priebus-fbi-contacts-suddenly-look-even-worse?cid=sm_fb_maddow
Reince Priebus FBI contacts suddenly look even worse
03/21/17 10:19 AMUpdated 03/21/17 11:03 AM
By Steve Benen
When theres a major development in an ongoing controversy, its important to consider the news at face value, but its also important to reconsider previous details in light of new evidence.
Take White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus communications with the FBI, for example.
We learned about a month ago that Priebus spoke with FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe about Team Trumps Russia scandal, and by some accounts, the White House chief of staff hoped to persuade FBI officials to reach out to journalists to downplay the significance of the controversy.
As we discussed at the time, there are rules in place that severely limit the communications between the FBI and the White House, though in this case, Reince Priebus either didnt know or didnt care about those restrictions. Politico had a report over the weekend before yesterdays testimony from FBI Director James Comey, obviously about the communications.
Reince Priebuss request that the FBI refute a report of Donald Trump associates contacts with Russian intelligence appears to have violated the White Houses policy restricting political interference in pending investigations, according to a copy of the policy obtained by POLITICO.
The policy says only the president, vice president and White House counsel can discuss specific investigations or cases with the attorney general, deputy attorney general, associate attorney general or solicitor general. Any other conversations require the approval of the White House counsel, according to the document.
The policy says only the president, vice president and White House counsel can discuss specific investigations or cases with the attorney general, deputy attorney general, associate attorney general or solicitor general. Any other conversations require the approval of the White House counsel, according to the document.
In other words, Priebus chats with the deputy director of the FBI communications that the White House has already acknowledged were problematic on their face.
But in light of yesterdays news, they seem quite a bit worse.
Based on what we now know, the White House chief of staff improperly communicated with a leading FBI official while an FBI counter-intelligence investigation into the Trump campaign was already underway. Priebus hoped to get the FBIs help in knocking down reports of a scandal while the FBI was reviewing that scandal.
None of this requires any supposition. We now know the FBI investigation is real and confirmed; we know Priebus had improper communications with the FBI about the investigation while it was ongoing.
Boston Globe columnist Michael Cohen added this morning that Priebus, confronted with last months reports, claimed that the FBI reached out to him, claims that were dubious at the time, but which now appear even worse. Why would the FBI want the White Houses help downplaying its own ongoing counter-intelligence probe?
What the White House intends to do about this remains an open question.
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Reince Priebus FBI contacts suddenly look even worse (Original Post)
babylonsister
Mar 2017
OP
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)1. The PILE is getting deeper and deeper.
Massive corruption of, by and from the WH.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)2. So this is why Rinse Penus
has been MIA the few days. Lawyering up?
NewRedDawn
(790 posts)4. Have noticed the little bug eyed troll
been missing in action as well as Benito Lisping Ghouliani.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)5. Is Rudi the Cut Out
Comey was talking about? He made several trips to Prague and Other Cities in that region using Trump's Plane.
malaise
(268,949 posts)3. As in
criminal
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)6. Haha! You called it!
malaise
(268,949 posts)7. I'm betting he was following orders from
the Con
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)8. Well, that's proving
to be a really bad idea, for everyone. He's 0-everything.
malaise
(268,949 posts)9. He's a fugging disaster
but we knew that ages ago
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)10. Yes, but
this is so amazing. EVERY DAMNED DAY he proves it. Astounding, and the silence from the rethugs is, too. I wonder if they're waiting until we're bombed or sumthin'.
malaise
(268,949 posts)11. They appear to be digging their own hole
He must have the goods on them - I expected at least one ambitious one to have ditched him by now
babylonsister
(171,056 posts)12. Damn. I miss integrity. nt
malaise
(268,949 posts)13. That they and their President can use the word 'leaks'
as if it were a problem is all the proof you need that integrity is not a word to associate with ReTHUGs