Attorney General Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post



Attorney General William P. Barr has held private meetings overseas with foreign intelligence officials seeking their help in a Justice Department inquiry that President Trump hopes will discredit U.S. intelligence agencies’ examination of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people familiar with the matter.

Barr’s personal involvement is likely to stoke further criticism from Democrats pursuing impeachment that he is helping the Trump administration use executive branch powers to augment investigations aimed primarily at the president’s adversaries.

But the high level Justice Department focus on intelligence operatives’ conduct will likely cheer Trump and other conservatives for whom “investigate the investigators” has become a rallying cry.

The direct involvement of the nation’s top law enforcement official shows the priority Barr places on the investigation being conducted by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, who has been assigned the sensitive task of reviewing U.S. intelligence work surrounding the 2016 election and its aftermath.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/attorney-general-barr-personally-asked-foreign-officials-to-aid-inquiry-into-cia-fbi-activities-in-2016/2019/09/30/d50cd5c4-e3a5-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html

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Full headline: Attorney General Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities in 2016

[ALBliberal]

1. Soliciting foreign help investigating our own

intelligence agencies??? Unbelievable. Treasonous. Humiliating. Embarrassing.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Somebody blew another hole in the dam!

[benld74]

5. Dam

[BumRushDaShow]

6. ...

[ritapria]

3. Huge Story

HHHHUUUGGGGEE Story ...The dam is breaking

[Mike 03]

4. Stephen Miller invoked John Durham's name during the Chris Wallace interview yesterday.

I didn't know who he was.

This story is an admission that the DOJ under Barr has declared war against our own intelligence agencies, and used foreign intelligence agencies against ours.

This seems incendiary. I wonder if any of those intel agencies cooperated? Why didn't THEY blow the whistle on this? This is like some nightmare where everybody is in on the joke except the American people.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "Why didn't THEY blow the whistle on this?"

Remember, Barr has only been in that position for how long? Answer: Since February of this year (so just over 6 months). I expect there were folks in there who were documenting once they started seeing him doing questionable stuff. Now the opportunity has presented itself and I expect some of these breaking stories are coming from them. And if anything, it wouldn't be surprised if some had reported it and the allegations were quashed - like the current whistleblower being discussed, whose initial attempt of following the process, failed - https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212526848

[DeminPennswoods]

7. Wow...

[paleotn]

9. The leaks are coming fast and furious...

Barr needs to look up ole John Mitchell. The same end awaits him.

[catrose]

10. WHAT?

[bluestarone]

11. Afraid America is suffering a PERFECT STORM!

The Senate is protecting ALL of these low-life fuckers!! Gonna take a lot of patience until we defeat these fuckers in 2020

[chowder66]

12. Pitting one agency against another. This seems like it would be illegal. nt

[iluvtennis]

13. trump and his thugs are nothing but pond scum.

[GReedDiamond]

14. Impeach this fuckhead too...nt

[delisen]

15. Barr and Pompeo from different Repub factions

Barr was a fixer-type for the Bush faction. Pompeo was a Tea Party Republican.

I think they may have different agendas.

Pompeo may not have known exactly what he was walking into but Barr seems more complicated.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Barr is more experienced

and as we know, effectively torpedoed Iran-Contra. But Poppy and Drumpf are like light-years apart so... he may be in for some surprises...

[me_not_you]

18. Completely agree with this view.

The two persons represent different factions within the GOP. With Barr carrying more weigh of course.

[DesertRat]

16. Barr Must Go!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

33. Bar Barr from government & Disbar him as well. . . . nt

[appalachiablue]

19. WTH?!!

TY, Soph0571 !!

[kwolf68]

37. Already tweeted this gif...

Simply awesome.

[Maxheader]

20. Draw and quarter...

then tar and feather the worthless bastard...
Then throw it in jail....

[Collimator]

21. It is one thing to have an oversight . . .

. . .system established to ensure that our intelligence-gathering agencies adhere to certain legal standards and do not overstep their mandate by infringing on private citizens' constitutional rights. If such agencies are not monitored then we really do have a "Deep State" running our country rather than elected officials.

But to seek out assistance from foreign governments--even those who may be considered close allies--and request information about our own intelligence-gathering agencies is madness.

If we're going to invite other countries to run our own, can we have the French government in charge of school lunches, please?. . . And we could put our prison system in the hands of the Swedes. The Brits could write our gun control laws. The Japanese can handle mass transit, and I will recommend a country or tribe to deal with all self-serving political and other public servants as soon as I find one that punishes those sorts of individuals severely enough.

(Suggestions appreciated.)

[Evolve Dammit]

29. I think those suggestions are an excellent start, since we seem incapable of addressing.

[DemocracyMouse]

32. I was with you until the tribe thing. Why assume tribes are so foul? How about

the AMERICANS who ran Abu Ghraib? We have far greater assholes in our midst.

[Collimator]

40. I was neither assuming or stating that tribes are . . .

. . .inherently "foul" or bad in any way, shape or form. Because of my academic background, I happen to know about practices performed by remote groups of people; said practices continuing into modern times.

That was point one.

Point two, from a purely semantic perspective, the sorts of communal punishment that I was thinking about when I wrote my post are considered legitmate and lawful and fully sanctioned by the social structures in which they occur. The behavior of the American military personnel at Abu Ghraib were-- as seen by most of the mainstream population of the world--not considered lawful and legitmate.

Point three, I don't really want to see any physically harmful, torturous practice performed on anyone, no matter how morally repugnant I may find that person. I was just venting; something many people are able to do here on a regular basis without being subjected to what I refer to as the More-Liberal-Than-Thou litmus test.

Point four, either you are displaying that unique, hair-trigger sensitivity to the slightest possible hint of judgment upon an unspecified group of people that is the source of so many people throwing around the word, "snowflake", or you are more caught up in semantics that I am--which is pretty bad, actually, because I can be very obnoxious in that area.

If it's the second, then congratulations, you have beaten me at my own game and are probably less popular than I am.

If it is the first, I will tell you that it is frankly exhausting keeping up with people who are determined to find offense at anyplace or anytime. I don't care which end of the political spectrum you inhabit, that kind of attitude diverts attention from the real issues of the day.

Point five (which I didn't even know that I had in me), just because I didn't string smiley faces throughout my post doesn't mean that I was genuinely serious. I was making a grimly humorous observation [see point three, above]. I suggest that you look up the word, "facetious" and possibly read some anthropology.

[DemocracyMouse]

41. Loved your thoughtful response.

I actually took your post in as beautifully facetious. I was simply suggesting you find an alternative to "tribe." Native/tribal/etc. cultures live in a world of hurt and can't defend themselves in every rivulet of the digital ocean. Yes, there may be tribes (and our own ancestors) who ostracized, skewered, etc., but on the whole contemporary tribal peoples are vastly more civilized than many industrialized nations. They can't shake a stick (or a spear?) at the scheiser coming out of some of the corrupt police departments across the US —and many other countries.

And these are simply concerns. It has nothing to do with being "politically correct." Like "right" and "left" that term is meaningless. I tell my teenage son: it's no longer about liberals and conservatives, right and left, etc. It's about rational vs irrational or kind vs mean. Civility awaits.

[Dem2theMax]

22. They are absolute traitors to our country.

I don't know how anyone could support them at this point. The GOP -- Greed Over People.

[perdita9]

23. I'm not a lawyer...

...but this seems like treason to me.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. The treason argument most likely wouldn't apply here

because I expect most of who they may have been talking to were allies. However Barr is truly abusing his office.

[benfranklin1776]

25. Jesus H Christ in a chariot driven sidecar-Obscene Crazon is what it is

🤬🤬🤬

Yes this is a vile chapter in crazon (crazy treason). LowBarr does his rabid masters bidding like a good little Benedict Arnold lapdog to attempt to prove the nuttiest conspiracy theory imaginable and get nonexistent dirt on US intelligence services from foreign countries!!!! Imagine what you must think right now if you work for the CIA and NSA attempting to keep us safe! The brain reels! I for one am eternally grateful for people of immense courage like the whistleblower who obviously took his or her oath to protect and defend the constitution from all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC very seriously.

[Thomas Hurt]

26. Barr is acting as the Trump campaign's lawyer...

[Pepsidog]

27. I am speechless.

[orangecrush]

28. God help us

That is all.

[Evolve Dammit]

30. Agree.

[BlueWI]

31. Where do a find a toady like this to work for me?

Why would a sentient lawyer agree to do this, on behalf of Trump???

Surely he had other employment options!!

[DemocracyMouse]

34. Isn't this the part in the movie where there's a run on pitchforks at all the DC hardware stores?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

35. Channeling his inner John Mitchell

[Kid Berwyn]

36. The AG enlisted foreign aid to investigate CIA and FBI.

Hope somebody somewhere kept their hand on a copy of the Constitution.

[Yoopy]

38. This is grounds for resignation nt

[Marcuse]

39. Future Inquiries

?1569572100

[Kablooie]

42. What the hell is the Attorney General doing with foreign officials?

His job is managing the justice system here in the U.S.
It has nothing to do with international diplomacy or deal making.

This stinks to high heaven.
They'd better nail Barr to the tree after they pull Trump down.

[malthaussen]

43. In other words, he doesn't trust the Inspector General...

... of his own department.
It's become clear that when a certain segment of the political spectrum claim they want the "truth," they really mean "we want what will serve us."

-- Mal

[hughee99]

44. Unbelievable. Can you imagine what would happen

If Dems asked foreign officials to help US investigators look into an internal US matter?

https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/5-4-18%20Menendez%20joint%20letter%20to%20General%20Prosecutor%20of%20Ukraine%20on%20Mueller%20investigation.pdf