Americans need to know...and must know...if the President of the United States is criminally guilty of obstruction of justice. But when our nation's Intelligence chiefs refuse to answer questions to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee then it makes me wonder what the Intel bosses are hiding. They want us to believe that it is "not appropriate" - to quote the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats - to publicly discuss conversations he had with Donald Trump. But if Trump did not invoke "executive privilege" then there is no justification to use "classified information" to fall back on as a reason to remain mum.
Both Coats and the Director of the National Security Agency - U.S. Navy Admiral Michael Rogers - testified in a national televised session on Wednesday, June 7th, 2017...and each stated they never "felt pressured" by Trump...to intervene with the investigation on Russia. Specifically, Rogers - for one - told the Senators that he had "never been directed to do anything I believed to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate."
I don't give a damn how the head honchos of America's Intelligence Community felt. I don't care about their feelings and their impressions. Americans need to know exactly what Donald Trump said and exactly what Donald Trump did. It is imperative that we know if Coats, Rogers or anybody else who is involved with the investigation of Russia's interference in our 2016 election was told...or was even asked by Trump...to shut down the Russia probe. All that being said...The Washington Post says DNI Coats told his associates that Trump did indeed ask him to intervene with the FBI investigation, which was led by now-fired FBI Director James Comey.
Coats and Rogers did claim they would speak to the Senators' inquiries about conversations with Trump, but only in closed session. But did they do that? And if they did...what, if anything, will be revealed to the American people? Let me remind you...and Coats and Rogers - along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe...who also testified before Congress on June 7th - that they work for me. Each and every member of our federal government - including the super-spies of the U.S. Intelligence Community - works for each and every American citizen.
We already know from former FBI Director Comey...that during a January 27th dinner at The White House...Trump indicated he wanted Comey to drop the investigation on former National Security Adviser and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. Comey's written memo from that night reads the following words were spoken by Trump. "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go." The tone and the inflection in Trump's voice is vital. I'm, therefore, eager to hear Comey repeat that quote when he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, June 8th.
There is a very important point that is necessary to discuss...part of which I mentioned in my March 21st column. In nationally televised testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on March 20th, Comey revealed that he had "been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 Presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts." Note the words "counterintelligence mission" and "any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government." And who was at the very top of the Trump campaign? Donald Trump. But despite Comey's detailed retrospection of his conversations with Trump - which were released on June 7th as testimony - and where he "assures" Trump that he personally was not the target of any "counterintelligence investigation"...that is not to say that Trump was not under criminal investigation by the FBI. And if that's the case...why would the lead investigator in any criminal investigation tell a suspect that he is the focal point of the FBI? He wouldn't. Comey wouldn't. Thus, I want to hear Comey - on June 8th - swear under oath to the Senate Intelligence Committee...that Donald Trump was not under any criminal investigation...or - for that matter - any investigation at all. Trump, on the other hand, "feels completely and totally vindicated" by Comey's written testimony. Donald...I wouldn't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Also in Comey's memos, he states that Trump wanted to "lift the cloud" of allegations against him. And that to Comey, Trump demanded..."I need loyalty, I expect loyalty."
But the non-answers to the Senators on June 7th...from Coats, Rogers, Rosenstein and McCabe are so frustrating. They have misled the Senate, but more importantly they are misleading the American people. It is aggravating...in fact, it is borderline infuriating...to hear refusals by the country's "top cops"...to not directly answer questions posed to them by Members of Congress. After all, they did not deny that Trump never asked them to quash or intervene in the Russia investigation. So what's the truth?
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of
GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B.
Duglin.
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