Gutnecht: Under the Rug

For anyone who is paying attention, it’s beginning to look more and more like there won’t be any serious consequences for wrongdoing inside the FBI and DOJ.

Gil Gutknecht

For anyone who is paying attention, it’s beginning to look more and more like there won’t be any serious consequences for wrongdoing inside the FBI and DOJ.

Yes, Attorney General Barr understands the critical nature of all this. The Durham investigation grinds on at glacial speed. They face a herd of musk ox. The insiders have formed a circle, horns out. Insiders are clearly signaling that they are far more interested in defending their institutions than in defending the truth. If there were any serious attempt to hold the bad apples accountable, we would have seen evidence of it long ago.

Instead, let’s review what we have seen.

Documents that were subpoenaed over two years ago continue to trickle out. We can thank Tom Fitton at Judicial Watch for his dogged efforts. It’s been like pulling teeth, without pliers. Is it any wonder that Tom has become increasingly doubtful that any of the actual coup plotters will ever face prosecution.

Ask yourself, where are the whistleblowers? Does Director Wray show any symptoms of a guy who is eager to get to the bottom of this? Has the FISA court charged anyone who lied to them?

The hopelessly corrupt media never had much interest in this story. Now they have cover. It’s old news. Insiders can count on them to encourage everyone to just move on.

Like the Sherlock Holmes’ dog that didn’t bark, we need to pay attention to the things that aren’t happening. Like for example, the decision to not prosecute Mr. McCabe. How did that happen? Didn’t IG Horowitz refer him for criminal prosecution?

Yes, these senior attorneys inside the DOJ are experts. They know a lot about evidence and how to conceal it. So, building a case against them was never going to be easy. But, is that an excuse for not even trying? Remember how the DOJ was unable to find the Strzok-Page texts? Only when IG Horowitz dug a little deeper did the texts mysteriously appear.

We should have smelled the cover-up early on.

More recently, we are told exculpatory evidence requested by General Flynn’s defense counsel can’t be found. Gone! We are left to conclude that the pre-eminent law enforcement agency in the world can’t even catalog and manage evidence. Or worse, there actually was evidence of prosecutorial abuse. Senior DOJ officials apparently made the decision that it would be better to look like Keystone Cops than corrupt ones. To his credit, A.G. Barr has appointed an outside prosecutor from St. Louis to take a fresh look.

Now comes the decision to drop all charges against the “Russians” charged by the Mueller squad. Remember the charges that were filed with great relish? These were the perps who proved that the Russians had in fact tried to commandeer our presidential election. Back then talking heads nodded in approval. Clearly, the Trump campaign had colluded with Putin, snatching the election from Hillary. These indictments proved it.

The Mueller team counted on the accused never answering the charges or going to trial. They counted wrong.

The “Russians” surprised their accusers. They hired competent counsel and demanded to see the evidence against them, which was their right. How did the Mueller team respond? Delay was their only option. So now all charges have been dropped. Maybe their gruel was a little thin?

Allowing these prosecutors to quietly bury this case is a huge mistake. As mentioned, the media wants to ignore the abuses of the Mueller team anyway. Why would A.G. Barr make it even easier for them? He should have forced the prosecution to present and defend their so-called evidence. It would have laid bare just how corrupt this entire investigation really was. Beyond embarrassing the overzealous partisans, it would have sent a clear message to future investigators that political persecutions will have consequences.

There should also be a very public price paid by the people who “can’t find” that evidence in the Flynn case. Somebody knows what happened. If the DOJ can’t find it, then they must live with a further diminished reputation.

The Attorney General knows that failure to hold accountable those who abused their power in order to orchestrate Operation Crossfire Hurricane will have long term consequences. Allowing insiders to sweep all this under the rug will leave a stain and a stench for generations.

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Gil Gutknecht is a former Republican Congressman from Minnesota.

Gil Gutknecht

Gil Gutknecht is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota.