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Rosenstein’s Testimony, the Inspector General & 1.2 Million Documents

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared before the House Judiciary Committee today.

Rosenstein was fairly circumspect in his comments, leading many to renew speculation that the Deputy AG is aligned against President Trump – and further solidifying views that Mueller’s Investigation is political a witch hunt.

However, when watching these proceedings it’s necessary to overlay all testimony with one important reminder.

There is already a much larger and broader investigation underway. One that started months before the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel.

The Inspector General’s Investigation.

This investigation supersedes any other. As the Inspector General’s investigation remains ongoing, there are strict limits regarding what may be said about it or Mueller’s Investigation. Rosenstein can say essentially nothing regarding either matter.

Before continuing further, a point I’ve made before is worth noting again.

Rod Rosenstein was not appointed as Attorney General by the Department of Justice. He was not appointed by Congress. Or even AG Jeff Sessions.

Rosenstein was appointed as Deputy Attorney General by President Trump.

As you consider Rosenstein’s comments, keep these items forefront.

The Inspector General’s Investigation has been ongoing since January 12, 2017. Rosenstein cannot comment on either the IG Investigation nor the Mueller Investigation. Rosenstein was appointed by President Trump. Rosenstein is Mueller’s boss.

Below is a six minute exchange between Jim Jordan and Rosenstein from today’s testimony.

Jordan pursues the same theme I highlighted in an earlier post – that FBI Agent Peter Strzok took the Trump Dossier to the FISA Court in an effort to gain a warrant, thereby allowing the FBI to spy on the Trump Campaign.

During the exchange, Jordan highlights a leaked text from demoted FBI Agent Peter Strzok sent to FBI lawyer Lisa Page:

I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s [Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe] office that there’s no way he [Trump] gets elected – but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.

What Strzok’s almost certainly referencing is the fabricated Trump Dossier. “It’s like an insurance policy”.

Strzok appears to be discussing a plan to use the Trump Dossier to obtain a FISA Warrant. The matter seems to have been discussed with Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe – in McCabe’s office. This has incredible implications.

The specific exchange occurs at the 1:32 mark:

It was the Inspector General’s Investigation that exposed Peter Strzok – along with his texts. It likely exposed Bruce Ohr as well.

Now listen to Rosenstein’s response. It starts at the 5:52 mark:

I can assure you that I consider it very important to make sure a thorough review is done. Our Inspector General is doing a thorough review. That’s how we found those text messages – as part of that review.

[Jordan interjects]

[Rosenstein continues]

The Inspector General has 500 employees and a $100 million budget. This is what he does. He investigates allegations of misconduct involving department employees.

That review that he is conducting is what turned up these text messages. It will also involve interviews of those persons and of other witnesses.

While the exchange appears heated, don’t read too much into the emotions on display. Jordan is indeed angry – but it’s not at Rosenstein.

I now direct you to the 0:24 mark in the video below:

Chairman Bob Goodlatte notes the following:

I thank you for the documents that were provided to us yesterday. There are, as you know, many, many more. I think 1.2 million documents that the Inspector General has. We have a commitment from the assistant Attorney General, Mr. Boyd [Office of Legislative Affairs] to provide those by January 15, [2018].

500 employees. A $100 million budget. 1.2 million documents in the Inspector General’s possession. For delivery to the House Judiciary Committee by January 15, 2018.

As I have been saying for some time now, something huge is coming.

Some other comments made by Rosenstein:

I know what he’s [Mueller] doing and if I thought he was doing something inappropriate I would do something about it.

I’m responsible for it [Mueller’s Investigation] and I know what he’s investigating.

I know what he’s [Mueller] doing and if I thought he was doing something inappropriate I would do something about it.

I think it’s possible that Rosenstein is a straight shooter.

I’ve been gravitating towards this opinion for some time. It started after carefully watching an interview with him back in August. I wrote about it the day after it occurred. You can find that interview, along with my thoughts at the time, here.

You may disagree, but consider this.

He may not have a choice.

The Inspector General’s Investigation has been ongoing since January 12, 2017.

Rosenstein has known about the over-arching Inspector General’s Investigation since he was nominated by President Trump on January 31, 2017. Rosenstein was confirmed by the Senate on April 25, 2017.

From the January 12, 2017 statement from the Office of Inspector General:

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will initiate a review of allegations regarding certain actions by the Department of Justice (Department) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in advance of the 2016 election.

If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review.

The Inspector General can look at anything he wants to.

Including the Mueller Investigation.

And Rosenstein’s actions.

Allow the ramifications of that to sink in.

Meanwhile, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe appears to be getting renewed focus.

As I noted in a post from yesterday, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe was scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee. He suddenly encountered a scheduling conflict.

We will soon find out if McCabe is willing to appear.

In an earlier post, Emerging Details, Damning Timelines & the Obama Administration’s Complicity, I made the following observation:

There has been significant outrage over Mueller’s appointment as Special Counsel. Myself included.

But ask yourself this question:

If Mueller’s Investigation had not existed, do you think this torrent of new details would be seeing the light of day?

I don’t.

I also don’t think most Americans would be willing to entertain many of these allegations without some lengthy groundwork.

These aren’t the kind of things you simply disclose at once to the public without a proper preamble. They have to be shown – repeatedly, over time, and in a systematic pattern.

Which is exactly what appears to have been happening.

The Inspector General has 1.2 million documents. We’ve been experiencing new revelations daily – each one more outrageous than the last. Most people now realize that corruption and deception are endemic in Washington.

The American people are being prepped for what is coming.

Lastly, take note of a post by @DaveNYviii. He found the newly created twitter account @Oversight.gov and companion website Oversight.gov.

@Oversight.gov provides “All Federal Inspector General Reports In One Place”. Oversight.gov is the data repository for Inspector General Investigations.

As @DaveNYviii points out, note the creation date.

It should prove to be an account worth watching:

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