Brunswick Beacon, 05.25.23
Special Counsel John Durham’s report said the FBI was sloppy, and should have investigated Trump’s Russian connections with a preliminary investigation first. Durham found no deep-state anti-Trump plot and recommended no charges, or even “wholesale changes,” in FBI policies. Trump claimed exoneration, but Steve Bannon, Trump’s former advisor, called that BS. “Where’s the beef?” Bannon asked, calling Durham’s investigation a “clown show” and “epic failure.”
Instead, Durham’s report reminds us how much Russia interfered to get Trump elected, and how hard Trump worked to conceal Russia’s interference. NC Republican Richard Burr chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation. It concluded that Putin “approved and directed” Russia’s interference, and that Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, worked with Russian intelligence in Ukraine, shared Trump campaign data with Russia, and “represented a grave counterintelligence threat” to America. Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Trump pardoned him.
Trump advisor Roger Stone was convicted of obstructing the Mueller investigation into Russian interference. Trump pardoned him.
Trump’s National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his involvement with the Russian ambassador. Trump pardoned him.
Trump’s claim that Mueller’s investigation cleared him of colluding with Russia is more BS. Justice Department rules prohibited Mueller from charging a sitting president, and Mueller emphatically testified to Congress that Trump was NOT exonerated. He pointedly added, “If we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.” Mueller detailed 11 reasons for charging Trump with obstruction of justice after Trump left office.
Mueller indicted three Russian organizations and 26 Russian individuals. He convicted six Americans who worked directly for Trump. Mueller concluded that Russia interfered to help Trump win, and, even worse, that Trump welcomed and encouraged Russia’s interference. On the same day Trump said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find [Clinton’s] 30,000 emails,” Russia made its first attempt to hack Clinton’s server. And that’s no bull.
Larry Widman
Leland