DOJ drops all charges against Michael Flynn!

[Bill the Cat]

Susan Rice has asked Trump to declassify the intercepted phone calls between Flynn and Kislyak. Given that the story from the right is that these calls were totally above board one wonders why Trump might not follow through on that, especially when it would surely help demonstrate the need to reverse Flynn's plea. If the call really is totally innocent why might Trump not take her up on that?

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysi...-on-him/28840/

So, make public illegally obtained surveillance? Yeah, that'll work..

[JimL]

So, make public illegally obtained surveillance? Yeah, that'll work..

Why not?

[DivineOb]

Other than Comey being incompetent?

"The level of communication (between Flynn and Russia) is unusual."

No it isn't. He was doing his job.

All the more reason to release the transcripts!

And those calls were *legally* obtained! We have every right to eavesdrop on non-Americans. Who told you they were illegally collected? Seesh.

[Bill the Cat]

Why not?

Wow... Yet another part of the Constitution Jimmy hates...

[Bill the Cat]

All the more reason to release the transcripts!

And those calls were *legally* obtained! We have every right to eavesdrop on non-Americans. Who told you they were illegally collected? Seesh.

The witch hunt started by Comey and Peter Strzok was started under false pretenses. That is illegal. The probe, beginning in August 2016 when Flynn was a foreign policy adviser to then-candidate Trump, centered on paid speaking engagements Flynn had in Russia, which were public knowledge at the time, just like the speaking engagements given by Bill Clinton.

[seer]

All the more reason to release the transcripts!

And those calls were *legally* obtained! We have every right to eavesdrop on non-Americans. Who told you they were illegally collected? Seesh.

Any rational, honest person knows that eavesdropping on Kislyak was merely a back door way to spy on Flynn. Comrade Obama and his minions hated Flynn long before this dust up because of his opposition to the Iranian nuclear arms deal...

[DivineOb]

The witch hunt started by Comey and Peter Strzok was started under false pretenses. That is illegal. The probe, beginning in August 2016 when Flynn was a foreign policy adviser to then-candidate Trump, centered on paid speaking engagements Flynn had in Russia, which were public knowledge at the time, just like the speaking engagements given by Bill Clinton.

That may be, but it is entirely legal, ethical, and appropriate to eavesdrop on every phone call involving foreign nationals. Therefore the calls were collected legally.

If Flynn has nothing to hide then he should support releasing the transcripts to clear his name.

[DivineOb]

Any rational, honest person knows that eavesdropping on Kislyak was merely a back door way to spy on Flynn. Comrade Obama and his minions hated Flynn long before this dust up because of his opposition to the Iranian nuclear arms deal...

If you think we shouldn't eavesdrop on every call we possibly can for non-Americans I'll be glad to keep you far away from any organ of national security. Holy hell.

[Bill the Cat]

That may be, but it is entirely legal, ethical, and appropriate to eavesdrop on every phone call involving foreign nationals.

False. DOJ guidelines call for the FBI to open counterintelligence probes only when there is a reasonable and articulable basis to believe that criminal activity has occurred or that a threat to national security may exist.

Therefore the calls were collected legally.

No they weren't. The CI investigation the eavesdropping was predicated on was in no way appropriate, and was therefore illegally conducted. Hence, the case was dropped. And as a result, any information gathered from that illegal surveillance is inadmissible.

[Bill the Cat]

If you think we shouldn't eavesdrop on every call we possibly can for non-Americans I'll be glad to keep you far away from any organ of national security. Holy hell.

Wow!! So you think invading the privacy of any American making an international call is legal?? Holy ignorance of the law, Batman!!

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2511

[DivineOb]

False. DOJ guidelines call for the FBI to open counterintelligence probes only when there is a reasonable and articulable basis to believe that criminal activity has occurred or that a threat to national security may exist.

No they weren't. The CI investigation the eavesdropping was predicated on was in no way appropriate, and was therefore illegally conducted. Hence, the case was dropped. And as a result, any information gathered from that illegal surveillance is inadmissible.

Maybe we're talking past each other.

You agree that it was appropriate to listen to Kislyak's half of the phone call, right?

If listening to Flynn's half was inappropriate why didn't Flynn's initial set of very expensive lawyers point that out?

[Bill the Cat]

Maybe we're talking past each other.

You agree that it was appropriate to listen to Kislyak's half of the phone call, right?

No. It's a legalese loophole in FISA that allows them to eavesdrop on American citizens without informing them, which is illegal.

If listening to Flynn's half was inappropriate why didn't Flynn's initial set of very expensive lawyers point that out?

Flynn's first lawyer was a boob. That's why he got fired. The retired Army lieutenant general for months has been trying to withdraw his plea, aided by a new attorney aggressively challenging the prosecution’s case and conduct.

[DivineOb]

No. It's a legalese loophole in FISA that allows them to eavesdrop on American citizens without informing them, which is illegal.

In due humility, I think you are wrong on this. My understanding is that you can freely listen to the non-American half of phone calls. Additional legal firepower is necessary to listen to the American half. Is that not your understanding?

Flynn's first lawyer was a boob. That's why he got fired. The retired Army lieutenant general for months has been trying to withdraw his plea, aided by a new attorney aggressively challenging the prosecution’s case and conduct.

Boob or no (I think he had more than one) this sounds like a very straightforward violation of the law. Is Flynn's current lawyer claiming that the phone calls were illegally collected?

[JimL]

Wow... Yet another part of the Constitution Jimmy hates...

I misread you. I thought it said legally obtained. Who said it was illeglly obtained, Sean Hannity?

[JimL]

Any rational, honest person knows that eavesdropping on Kislyak was merely a back door way to spy on Flynn. Comrade Obama and his minions hated Flynn long before this dust up because of his opposition to the Iranian nuclear arms deal...

That's not honest at all. The FBI would be eavesdropping on Kislyak all the time regardless of who he is communicating with. Why do you think that Flynn was illegally trying to undermine U.S policy, the sanctions imposed by the Obama Administration, and Congress, on Russia for their election interference after Obama had warned Putin to knock it off or there would be consequences. I'll tell you why, because they welcomed Russia's help: "Russia if you're listening, if you can find the missing E-mails it would be greatly appreciated."The only reason Trump sanctioned Russia, after holding off for as long as he could get away with it, is because he was forced to by Congress.