At RealClearPolitics Charles Lipson warns that various law enforcement and intelligence officials are about to receive their comeuppance:
Over the next few months, we will learn the extent of that failure. We will see if top officials misused their agencies to investigate and crush their political opponents. Constitutional democracies cannot permit that. They cannot wave it off as yesterday’s news and expect to survive unscathed. If undetected and unpunished, it will happen again to another party, another candidate.
As the evidence comes out, a hard rain’s gonna fall. The damage will be compounded by partisan divisions, corroding trust in our basic institutions, and an impending election. For democracy’s sake, let’s hope the bitter winds are not a Cat-5 storm.
I don’t know. I’d be willing to bet a shiny new dime that not one of the worthies mentioned by Professor Lipson (James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Loretta Lynch, and their senior aides) are ever convicted of anything. There’s already an iron-clad case for perjury against several of them and they haven’t even been indicted.
I’d also be willing to bet that all of their net worths are higher today than on the day they took office. Nice gig.
The overconfidence in such predictions sounds just like the overconfidence in the predictions that Trump was a stooge of Putin and that Mueller would unveil a vast criminal conspiracy. I kind of doubt that the theory of a vast deep state conspiracy against Trump will end up differently.
Yeah, I’ve never understood who buys these inevitable ghostwritten books with no new information from every government official leaving office. Anybody for “James Comey” the movie?
As I’ve said before in other contexts, I don’t think there was a conspiracy in that I don’t believe that the fundamental legal requirements for conspiracy were in place. What I do think is that there has been a common understanding, a set of convictions as it were, of the risks of a Trump Administration and the various operators acted on that understanding individually.
That’s actually worse than a conspiracy would have been but it’s not against the law.
That’s pretty much the way Oliver Stone envisioned his organically grown Kennedy assassination plot
But isn’t that the same as the “deep state” reflexively taking out an “outsider” president-elect?
And risks to whom, the nation, or themselves?
“I’d be willing to bet a shiny new dime that not one of the worthies……â€
You may be correct, but that has profound implications for our country. I’ll see your dime and raise you, noting that they didn’t count on Barr, hence the very vocal attempts to destroy. Further, they didn’t count on Durham. Huber is a limp dick, but not Durham. The next big event is the IG report. I think it will be illuminating.
The Dem strategy is obvious. Throw enough sand in people’s eyes that the IG and Durham investigations get lost in the storm. And wrt NYT, WaPo, MSNBC, NBC, CNN etc……..just don’t report. If a tree falls in the woods but……… But just one indictment means they can’t ignore. I’ve moved around on this one. But I’m thinking Comey. He’s a crooked cop.
“I’d be willing to bet a shiny new dime that not one of the worthies mentioned by Professor Lipson (James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Loretta Lynch, and their senior aides) are ever convicted of anything. ”
Just like no one was ever convicted for torture in Iraq/Afghaistan and almost no one was convicted for their roles in the banking crisis. In general, the rich and powerful dont convicted of anything. That said, I also dont think there was some deep state effort. I think they may find that the FISA process is too easy, but we already knew that. If they can convict Comey of anything, it will probably be for what he did with the Clinton investigation, but that will set up way too much conflict for Trump. Does his desire to get back at Comey outweigh making it look like he got help getting elected?
“But just one indictment means they can’t ignore.”
Funniest thing I read today. Dozens of indictments in the Mueller investigation, but conservatives still call it a witch hunt. My money says that the Dems can ignore an indictment just as well as the GOP can ignore dozens of them.
Steve
Steve
48 people were convicted in the Watergate scandal, including the Attorney General. The first indictments were returned 2 years after the original break-in. Given the 2 year timeout caused by the Mueller investigation, it is still early on in the process. I think the big action will come in prime time – election season 2020.
Pre-Reagan and the major shifts of the parties. That will never happen again. (Ok, they did prosecute a bunch of people in the S&L scandals, but that was 30 years ago.) Tribalism is everything now.
Steve
That’s my take as well. I’m not sure I would say “pre-Reagan” so much as “pre-Gingrich” but whatever.
“Dozens of indictments in the Mueller investigation, but conservatives still call it a witch hunt.â€
Pathetic. No context as to those indictments; the characterization borders on lies. No. Wrong. Lies.
It’s going to get ugly for you steve, but I’m used to your MO – deny, deny, deny.
“Tribalism is everything now.â€
Attempted Banana republic coups are not tribalism. You say that to minimalize. WTFU.
“Attempted Banana republic coups”
Pathetic. You guys run endless investigations on Obama, and find nothing. One investigation on Trump’s campaign, where they find money laundering, obstruction of justice and tons of lying about involvement with multipole foreign countries, and it is a coup. Come back to me once you actually find something in all of your investigations. Until then you’re just the little boy crying wolf.
Steve
As I’ve said before I don’t think that’s what happened. I’ve also said that I don’t understand Trump. There’s a well-known rule I would have followed: fire all the political appointees.
“There’s a well-known rule I would have followed: fire all the political appointees.â€
The single biggest mistake he made. A rookie error.
Steve. Try harder. You know you are spouting pure crap. You know it and I know it. Worst of all, you know I know it. Try harder.
That’s the risk in hiring rookies: they make rookie errors. Had I ever had any inclination to support Trump, this would have given me pause. Obama’s OJT was bad enough.
That’s not to say that there are no risks associated with those who are highly experienced. There are. But they’re different risks.
Drew- Keep crying. It was your party that impeached someone for lying and obstructing justice. God forbid we should even talk about treating your hero the same way.
BTW, you didnt make a prediction. I predicted that the Senate would have at least 3 investigations on the FBI/CIA. If Trump is re-elected I can see that going to 6 or 7. What was your prediction again? LOL
Steve