Gutknecht: Regardless of the outcome, Trump must appoint a special counsel

This president promised to drain the swamp. Few things smell swampier than selling access to one’s office and bending policy to profit personally.

A ray of light briefly pierced the blackout when NBC News acknowledged that a second Hunter Biden laptop had been seized by the DEA as part of an investigation of a Massachusetts psychiatrist. The laptop was quickly returned to Hunter’s attorney and so far as we know, no one examined its contents. Just as rapidly, NBC returned to its “see no evil” approach to all scandals involving Biden.

Ironically, thanks to Adam Schiff and his default Russian Collusion nonsense concerning the incriminating emails contained on the laptop Hunter refused to recover from a repair shop, we know a lot more today than we knew a week ago. Schiff preposterously claimed that the laptop, its emails and even the repair shop owner were all part of another Russian disinformation campaign.

That was the last straw for former Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski.

The former Naval officer stepped forward to say that everything on Hunter’s laptop was true and he could corroborate it. He offered his own devices that contained thousands of emails, texts and conversations. Evidence that apparently confirms that the Biden family has long been involved in influence-peddling schemes. He was an eye witness. He confirmed that the former vice president was the fulcrum around which the wheel turned. Joe was the “Big Guy” and the “Chairman”.

He did a long interview with Tucker Carlson offering specifics and evidence. Mr. Bobulinski was poised and extremely credible. The Biden team wisely decided not to deny the evidence, choosing rather to dismiss it all as part of a smear campaign. No follow-up questions, please. The media, desperate to drag Joe’s aging carcass across the finish line, dutifully complied.

Up to that point, the hopelessly corrupt media could hide behind the argument that the emails were hacked or could not be corroborated. The New York Post stories were ginned up by Trump attorney, former New York Mayor and U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani. Rudy had traveled to Ukraine and obviously couldn’t be taken seriously. Social media oligarchs quickly moved to 86 the story. This gave additional cover to the Pro-Biden media.

The “all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation” arguments were laid bare. There was nowhere left to hide. The enemy submarines panicked. Their torpedoes were neutralized. This Navy guy was firing live depth charges. They had to dive deep and go silent. Total silence was the watchword. And so it remains.

The FBI subpoenaed the laptop and has had it since last December. Whether they have actually reviewed its contents remains a mystery. We learned late this week that there is an active investigation that may involve money laundering, tax evasion and failing to register as a foreign agent. It’s been underway for over a year.

Doesn’t that sound just like the charges leveled against former Trump campaign advisor Paul Manafort? In that case, the FBI and the DOJ were able to move at breakneck speed. How do they explain the glacial progress in the Biden case?

Can you spell double standard?

Could it have anything to do with exposing uncomfortable and damning facts surrounding the Biden family’s long pattern of influence peddling and pay for play? How exactly did brother Jim wind up with lucrative contracts? Where exactly did Joe acquire the means for four luxury homes? Isn’t it extortion for a vice president to threaten to withhold a $1 billion loan guarantee unless a foreign government fires a prosecutor who is pursuing corruption charges against a company that is paying his son so handsomely?

None of this passes the smell test. There is a mountain of evidence and a credible fact witness. We have Vice President Biden himself bragging about the extortion … on tape. Yet, we have little faith in the FBI or the DOJ to investigate and prosecute these matters.

I believe the president will prevail in the election. Regardless, the American people deserve to know that there are not two standards of justice. This president promised to drain the swamp. Few things smell swampier than selling access to one’s office and bending policy to profit personally. President Trump keeps his promises.

Next week, President Trump should convene a meeting of legal experts and those who have reviewed the evidence. Assuming the DOJ is incapable of conducting an impartial investigation of such a politically charged case and the president determines the evidence warrants an impartial investigation, Trump should appoint a special counsel.

Respect for the rule of law demands it.

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Gil Gutknecht served six terms in both the Minnesota and the U.S. House of Representatives. This article was first published at Townhall and was reprinted here with permission. 

 

Gil Gutknecht

Gil Gutknecht is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota.