Trey Gowdy Destroys former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson … “No Evidence Of Trump Collusion With Russia” (VIDEO)

AMAZING, SIMPLY AMAZING … OBAMA ADMINISTRATION KNEW ABOUT RUSSIAN HACKING AND DID NOTHING.

Who was covering up the Russian hacking and maybe the focus should be on the administration that was in charge at the time of the Russian hacking and what little they did about it.

The Obama administration feared that acknowledging Russian meddling in the 2016 election would reveal too much about intelligence gathering and be interpreted as “taking sides” in the race, the former secretary of homeland security said Wednesday.

“One of the candidates, as you recall, was predicting that the election was going to be ‘rigged’ in some way,” said Jeh Johnson, the former secretary, referring to President Trump’s unsubstantiated accusation before Election Day. “We were concerned that by making the statement we might, in and of itself, be challenging the integrity of the election process itself.”

Mr. Johnson’s testimony, before the House Intelligence Committee, provided a fresh insight into how the Obama administration tried to balance politically explosive information with the public’s need to know. That question also vexed federal law enforcement officials investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

RCP:  Rep. Trey Gowdy Grills Jeh Johnson: “No Evidence Of Trump Collusion With Russia”

GOWDY: At the time you separated from service in January 2017, had you seen any evidence that Donald Trump or any member of his campaign colluded, conspired or coordinated with the Russians or anyone else to infiltrate or impact our voter infrastructure?

JOHNSON: Not beyond what has been out there open-source, and not beyond anything that I’m sure this committee has already seen and heard before, directly from the intelligence community. So anything I’d have on that is derivative of what the intelligence community has — and the law enforcement community.

FOX News: Trey Gowdy: ‘Ironic’ Dems Now Complaining About Hacking They Didn’t Want Examined.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said it is “a little ironic” that some Democrats are now complaining about the lack of help they got with the Democratic National Committee’s servers, which were compromised by Russia during the 2016 campaign season.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testified before the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday, saying he was not pleased that the DNC did not turn over its compromised servers to the Department of Homeland Security for examination.

Host Martha McCallum asked Gowdy why he thinks Democrats might not want the DNC server examined.

Washington Free Beacon: Obama Admin’s DHS Chief Can’t Explain Why DNC Didn’t Give Hacked Servers to Law Enforcement.

“Wouldn’t that help you, number one, identify who the attacker was, and if memory serves me, this was early in the summer of 2016 when we learned of the DNC hack, so if they had turned the server over to either you or [former FBI] Director [James] Comey, maybe we would have known more and maybe there would have been more for you to report?” Gowdy asked. “So I guess what I’m asking you is, why would the victim of a crime not turn over a server to the intelligence community or to law enforcement?”

“I’m not going to argue with you, sir,” Johnson answered.

Johnson went on to say with a laugh that Gowdy’s question was “leading,” although earlier in the hearing Gowdy had told Johnson to tell him if any of his questions accidentally sounded as though they were doing just that.

Democrat Ossoff States Georgia Race Showed ‘We Could Fight’ … Actually It Showed You Could Lose After Spending A Boat Load of Money (VIDEO)

WOW, THESE PEOPLE LIVE IN THEIR OWN LITTLE BUBBLE …

It turns out that this was the most expensive participation trophy in House election history. To hear Ossoff talk in his concession speech one would not know that he lost. But lose he did. In essence Handel beat his Ossoff. The Democrat challenger stated to the crowd, that “we showed we could fight in places that no one thought we could.” Really? I actually thought Donald Trump showed that last November when he broke the Democrat Blue wall and won Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Then Ossoff then pandered to the crowd and said this small community in Georgia stood up, “woman in this community stood up.” Yawn. Just a footnote to this special election … the victor Karen Handel is the first GOP women to be sent to Congress from Georgia.  Also, it was not the first opportunity in this country to make a statement regarding the trump presidency. Democrats are now 0-5 in special elections. Hardly the first.

Full Concession speech below

Otto Warmbier, American Student Held Captive in North Korea for 17 months, Has Died (VIDEO)

SOME THING MUST BE DONE TO MAKE NORTH KOREA PAY FOR THIS MURDER …

As reported at ABC News, Otto Warmbier, the 22 year old American student who was imprisoned in North Korea for more than 17 months and was just returned home to Ohio last week, has died. Warmbier, a University of Virginia undergraduate student, returned to the U.S. in a comatose state after North Korea released him for medical reasons last Tuesday. It is obvious that Warmbier died from his treatment that he received at the hands of North Korea, not the so-called botulism claimed by North Korea. Otto Warmbier’s doctors at University of Cincinnati Medical Center said last week that he had extensive brain damage dating back longer than a year. The Warmbiers thanked those who assisted in their son’s care back home in Cincinnati, Ohio, and condemned the North Korean regime.

VIDEO – NBC News

“It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home,” his family said in part in a statement. “Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20 p.m.”

Doctors from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said last week that Warmbier, 22, was suffering from injuries related to cardiopulmonary arrest and was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness. Scans showed extensive loss in all regions of Warmbier’s brain, doctors said.

Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was medically evacuated from North Korea and flown to Cincinnati late last Tuesday. He was then transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

On Monday, the family paid tribute to Warmbier in their emotional statement.

“It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won’t be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds,” the family’s statement continues. “But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched — Wyoming, Ohio, and the University of Virginia to name just two — that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”

The statement also thanked “the wonderful professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who did everything they could for Otto.”

“When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable — almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed — he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that.”

Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Passing of Otto Warmbier:

Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing.  There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto’s family and friends, and all who loved him.

Otto’s fate deepens my Administration’s determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency.  The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim.

UPDATE I: Tour group says no more Americans to North Korea after Warmbier’s death.

Really, this tour group is finally figuring this out now? The unlawful and ridiculous imprisonment of an American college student was not enough? The basic holding of a student as a hostage was not enough? It actually took the systematic torture and beating of an American college student resulting in his death to do it? UNREAL.

The travel company that took University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier to North Korea said Monday that it is wrangling with the 22-year-old’s death and will no longer take Americans to North Korea.

For years, Young Pioneer Tours has happily boasted: “We provide budget travel to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from.” On Monday, after Warmbier’s family announced he’d died that afternoon at a Cincinnati hospital, the message that the China-based tour company sent via e-mail to USA TODAY wore a darker and more anguished tone.

How is Robert Mueller Allowed to Be Independent Special Counsel When Special Counsel Statute Specifically Prohibits It Because of Conflict of Interest (VIDEO)

ISN’T THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL, SUPPOSED TO BE INDEPENDENT?

What would the LEFT be saying today if the individual picked to be the Independent counsel investigating the Russian hacking and any so-called involvement of Donald Trump and obstruction of justice was a friend and mentor of Trump? This is a legitimate question. According to the special counsel statute, it specifically prohibits individuals from serving if he/she has “a personal relationship with any person substantially involved in the investigation or prosecution.”  The language is mandatory as it states “shall” disqualify himself. It does not say, might, kinda or sort of. Shall means shall. Gregg Jarrett of Fox News is 100% correct in that  Robert Mueller has no business being the independent counsel. Mueller has a complete conflict of interest. The two men and former colleagues have long been friends, allies and partners. One has to wonder how Mueller was selected in the first place. Unless the fix is in.

28 CFR Section 45.2 provides in part:

Disqualification arising from personal or political relationship.
(a) Unless authorized under paragraph (b) of this section, no employee shall participate in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political  relationship with:
(1) Any person or organization substantially involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or prosecution; or
(2) Any person or organization which he knows has a specific and substantial interest that would be directly affected by the outcome of the investigation or prosecution …
(c) For the purposes of this section:
(2) Personal relationship means a close and substantial connection of the type normally viewed as likely to induce partiality. … Whether relationships (including friendships) of an employee to other persons (outside his or her family) or organizations are “personal” must be judged on an individual basis with due regard given to the subjective opinion of the employee.

It does not matter whether Robert Mueller is an honorable man or a Boy Scout. Provisions like this are put in to maintain that there is no appearance of impropriety. It takes the subjectivity out of such an investigation. Honestly, who thinks some one can be objective to the man that fired his friend? If Robert Mueller was truly a man of honor as so many claim, he would understand and admit he is woefully conflicted and recuse himself. The canons of ethics and the law are greater than any one person and the blood lust to destroy them. Or are they?

The Washington Post is reporting that Robert Mueller is now investigating President Trump for obstruction of justice, examining not only the president’s alleged statement to James Comey in their February meeting, but also the firing of the FBI Director.

If true, this development makes the argument even more compelling that Mueller cannot serve as special counsel.  He has an egregious conflict of interest.

The special counsel statute specifically prohibits Mueller from serving if he has “a personal relationship with any person substantially involved in the investigation or prosecution.”  The language is mandatory.  He “shall” disqualify himself.  Comey is substantially involved in the case.  Indeed, he is the central witness.

The two men and former colleagues have long been friends, allies and partners.  Agents have quipped that they were joined at the hip while at the Department of Justice and the FBI.  They have a mentor-protégé relationship.  The likelihood of prejudice and favoritism is glaring and severe.

So, it is incomprehensible that the man who is a close friend of the star witness against the president… will now determine whether the president committed a prosecutable crime in his dealings with Mueller’s good friend.  Mueller cannot possibly be fair in judging the credibility of his friend versus the man who fired him.

Is the special counsel now motivated to retaliate against the president for ending Comey’s career at the FBI?  Will he be tempted to conjure criminality where none actually exist?

Even worse, are Mueller and Comey now “colluding” by acting as co-special prosecutors to bring down the president?  By meeting in advance of the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, did they plan Comey’s testimony to depict Trump in the most incriminating light?  These are legitimate questions that invite serious concerns.

UPDATE I: USA Today – Robert Mueller should recuse himself from Russia investigation: William G. Otis is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, a former federal prosecutor, and former special counsel for President George H.W. Bush.

Former FBI director is too close to his successor, James Comey, to be impartial.

Robert Mueller is a man of integrity with a long record of public service. In the abstract, he would be the right selection as special counsel in the Russia investigation. Under the specific circumstances of this case, however, with his longtime friend James Comey at the center of the inquiry, Mueller’s the wrong choice. The public cannot be as sure as it needs to be of his objectivity.

This is true for reasons similar to those that prompted Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the same investigation. Sessions testified Tuesday that he felt he had no proper choice because he had a potential political conflict of interest, having been a campaign adviser to President Trump. Mueller should likewise step away because he has a potential personal conflict of interest, having been a longtime friend of a crucial witness, Comey, and Comey’s key ally at the most important moment of his career.

UPDATE II: Fmr. FBI Agent: Mueller Should Step Down Over Comey Conflict.

Mueller and fired FBI Director James Comey are best buds. Family vacations, picnics, hours spent at the office, and a few cocktails after work. As an impartial arbiter Mueller will be tasked to determine whom he believes, but Muelller is predisposed to believe his friend Comey. Wouldn’t you? The elements of obstruction of justice can be highly interpretive, so expect some legal exposure for our president.

Comey stated that he “leaked” the Trump meeting memo to The New York Times to stimulate the appointment of a special counsel. That admission is enlightening. As the Director of the FBI, Mr. Comey had the authority, stature and responsibility to deal with a violation of law. What he appeared to lack is courage or conviction.

The fact that Comey leaked the memo places him in some legal jeopardy. He could be charged with two federal violations. Should we expect to place Mueller into the position to investigate his dear friend? Even if Mueller believes himself capable of being impartial, our hearts will usually override our minds.

Why Mueller should step down as special counsel or recuse himself from any aspect of the investigation involving Comey:

President Donald Trump Addresses Shooting at Republican Congressional Baseball Practice (VIDEO)

YES, THAT WAS PRESIDENTIAL AND AT SOME POINT THE LEFT IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THE FACT, HE IS THE PRESIDENT …

President Trump addresses America and announced that the gunman had died after opening fire earlier this morning on members of Congress practicing for a charity baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia, injuring Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, the House majority whip, and four others. President Trump praised the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman. He also praised the first reponders and asked for our prayers for the family and lived ones of those injured. President Trump also called for a nation to come together for the common good.

The rhetoric has got to stop, the escalation of hate and this never-ending anti-Trump and Republican vitriol from the LEFT and the MSM has got to stop. It is ruining this country. And as we can see, there are some people who take it to an absurd extreme.

Transcript:

“As you all know, shortly after 7 a.m. this morning, a gunman opened fire on members of Congress and their staffs.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the crime, and the assailant has now died from his injuries. The FBI is leading the investigation and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.

Congressman Steve Scalise, a member of House leadership, was shot and badly wounded and is now in stable condition at the hospital, along with two very courageous Capitol Police officers. At least two others were also wounded.

Many lives would have been lost, if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds during a very, very brutal assault. Melania and I are grateful for their heroism and praying for the swift recovery of all victims.

Congressman Scalise is a friend – and a very good friend. He is a patriot and he’s a fighter. He will recover from this assault, and Steve, I want you to know that you have the prayers, not only of an entire city behind you, but of an entire nation, and frankly, the entire world. America is praying for you and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting.

I spoke with Steve’s wife, Jennifer, and I pledged to her our full and absolute support – anything she needs. We’re with her and with the entire Scalise family.

I’ve also spoken with Chief Matthew Verderosa — he’s doing a fantastic job — of the Capitol Police, to express our sympathies for his wounded officers and to express my admiration for their courage. Our brave Capitol Police performed a challenging job with incredible skill and their sacrifice makes democracy possible.

We also commend the brave first responders from Alexandria Police Fire and Rescue, who rushed to the scene.

Everyone on that field is a public servant. Our courageous police, our Congressional aides who work so tirelessly behind the scenes with enormous devotion, and our dedicated members of Congress who represent our people.

We may have our differences, but we do well to remember in times like these that everyone who serves in our nation’s capitol is here because, above all, they love our country. We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans, that our children deserve to grow up in a nation of safety and peace, and that we are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good.

Please take a moment today to cherish those you love and always remember those who serve and keep us safe. God bless them all. God bless you. And God bless America.”