Amid feverish speculation surrounding the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, many Republican leaders have called on Biden's Justice Department to release details about the "unprecedented" --- as yet unjustified --- and possibly unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful raid on former President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago
To date, the Justice Department and FBI are stonewalling the media, governmental critics, and the American people with a now too-familiar refrain in controversial cases >>> "NO COMMENT... ONGOING INVESTIGATION....." --- The White House Press Secretary has also chimed in with her version of the same tune on behalf of President Biden
Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray have remained silent, even as some of Trump's critics have demanded some form of justification, explanation or clarification
On the part the Justice Department, this Trump Raid is being portrayed as a jst another matter of longstanding policy and staying true to norms while navigating the currents of a politically sensitive investigation --- as if breaching the security and sanctity of the home of a former president were not a violation of longstanding policy, and staying true to bedrock norms of government protocol and even sound constitutional behavior
Thus far, President Trump, and his allies and surrogates have instead seized on the Justice Department's silence --- and run with it to their great advantage
"....'One of the cardinal rules at the Justice Department is that it does not discuss ongoing investigations, and certainly not with Congress, because criminal investigations should be free from political interference. And that's what Congress is all about,' said Ronald Weich, dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law, who served as the Justice Department's chief liaison to Congress during the Obama administration.... 'In high profile matters... there are sometimes exceptions, and the department will sometimes arrange briefings for members of Congress to explain, in general terms, the nature of an investigation. But it's a very delicate dance to decide how much can be provided, and the [Justice D]epartment will be institutionally reluctant to provide information about the ongoing investigation.'..." (See "Donald Trump's endless attacks on the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid is pressuring Merrick Garland to break the DOJ's 'no comment' norm until there's an indictment — if that ever happens" by C. Ryan Barber, 8/11/2022, Insider/ Home/ Politics [https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-attacks-mar-lago-raid-search-garland-justice-no-comment-2022-8]).
7 comments:
Tea Pot Dome, Whitewater, Iran-Contra, Watergate, Heinekengate. None of these scandals ever caused a search of a Presidents residence.
UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE "DOJ ANNOUNCED THAT USAG GARLAND WILL SAY SOMETHING ABOUT SOMETHING" EDITION
Earlier today, the US Justice Department said that Attorney General Merrick Garland will make a statement Thursday afternoon. This is all in the wake of the outrage caused by the FBI’s Monday raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
It needs to be noted that the DOJ's announcement did not mention Trump and/ or the FBI's Raid on Mar-a-Lago. The DOJ statement did not say what the topic of the remarks would be, noting only that “Attorney General Merrick B. Garland will make a statement today.”
FURTHER UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE "COACH MERRICK GARLAND ELECTS TO PUNT ON FIRST DOWN" EDITION
USAG MERRICK GARLAND SPOKE A LITTLE AND ALMOST SAID LESS ABOUT THE TRUMP RAID THAN HAD BEEN REPORTED THUS FAR
ADMITS THAT HE AUTHORIZED "...OBTAINING THE SEARCH WARRANT..." --- HOWEVER, GARLAND DIDN'T INDICATE THAT HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE TIMING AND METHODOLOGY OF EXECUTING THE SEARCH WARRANT BY THE FBI AT MAR-A-LAGO --- WITH TRUMP KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN ABSENT FROM THAT LOCATION
ONLY MATTER OF SUBSTANCE WAS THAT GARLAND INDICATED THAT HE INSTRUCTED THE LOCAL US ATTORNEY IN FLORIDA TO MOVE TO UNSEAL THE WARRANT AND INVENTORY OF SEIZED MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED TO FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP
NO JUSTIFICATION OF THE RAID ON TRUMP"S HOME WAS EVEN SUGEESTED BY THE USAG
So little said by Garlsnd after a three hour buildup by the DOJ.
Gale has the AG dancing to his fiddle.
RESPONSE: THE "THANKS FOR NOTICING" EDITION
TO: ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 3:46 PM
WE THOUGHT ABOUT TAKING A VICTORY LAP IN OUR COMMENT ABOVE --- BUT WE AT THIS INDEPENDENT GOP BLOG FOR BROOKLYN & STATEN ISLAND ARE VERY HUMBLE ABOUT THE POWER THAT WE WIELD, BOTH LOCALLY WITH THE BROOKLYN AND STATEN ISLAND GOP ORGANIZATIONS, BUT EVEN IN THE OTHER POLITICAL POWER CENTERS OF THIS COUNTRY, LIKE FLORIDA AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
We are certain that our comment posted on August 11, 2022 at 3:57 AM started a series of calls at the highest levels (at the FBI, DOJ & White House) that resulted in USAG Merrick Garland's mendacious few minutes on TV this afternoon.
BACKFILL: THE 'IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS IN ALL THE HUB-BUB" EDITION
YESTERDAY MORNING, WE NOTICED A WAPO STORY & HEADLINE --- AND THOUGHT "UH-OH, THEY"RE GONNA GET INTO TROUBLE FOR THAT....." AND THEN --- SURE ENOUGH >>> BY MID-AFTERNOON, THE NY POST WAS REPORTING THAT THE WAPO HAD CHANGED BOTH ITS HEADLINE AND A TWEET TOUTING THAT HEADLINE
In case you missed it, the NY Post article tells the story very well --- "The Washington Post deleted a tweet promoting one of its stories on Wednesday that suggested Attorney General Merrick Garland “politicized” the Department of Justice by authorizing an FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. 'Garland vowed to depoliticize Justice. Then the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago,' read the headline of a story written by [WAPO] Justice Department reporter Perry Stein.... The headline in the tweet sparked [so much] outrage on Twitter, [it] apparently prompted the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet [The Washington Post] to remove the tweet and re-post it using a different headline...." (See "Washington Post deletes tweet accusing Merrick Garland of ‘politicizing DOJ’ " by Ariel Zilber. 6/10/2022, NY Post/ Media [https://nypost.com/2022/08/10/washington-post-deletes-tweet-accusing-merrick-garland-of-politicizing-doj/]).
BACKFILL: THE 'IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS IN ALL THE HUB-BUB --- THE LEFT CENSORS ONE OF ITS OWN" EDITION
YESTERDAY MORNING, WE NOTICED A WAPO STORY & HEADLINE --- AND THOUGHT "UH-OH, THEY"RE GONNA GET INTO TROUBLE FOR THAT....." --- AND THEN --- SURE ENOUGH >>> BY MID-AFTERNOON, THE NY POST WAS REPORTING THAT THE WAPO HAD CHANGED BOTH ITS HEADLINE AND A TWEET TOUTING THAT HEADLINE
In case you missed it, the NY Post article tells the story very well in a tight little package --- "The Washington Post deleted a tweet promoting one of its stories on Wednesday that suggested Attorney General Merrick Garland “politicized” the Department of Justice by authorizing an FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. 'Garland vowed to depoliticize Justice. Then the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago,' read the headline of a story written by [WAPO] Justice Department reporter Perry Stein.... The headline in the tweet sparked [so much] outrage on Twitter, [it] apparently prompted the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet [The Washington Post] to remove the tweet and re-post it using a different headline...." (See "Washington Post deletes tweet accusing Merrick Garland of ‘politicizing DOJ’ " by Ariel Zilber. 6/10/2022, NY Post/ Media [https://nypost.com/2022/08/10/washington-post-deletes-tweet-accusing-merrick-garland-of-politicizing-doj/]).
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