James Comey was asked directly about whether there was an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Comey responded: “I’m not going to comment on the existence or non-existince of any other investigations.”
But when they asked if he had investigated whether Hillary Clinton lied under oath in her testimony to Congress -- committed perjury, in other words -- he specifically denied the existence of that investigation, and told Congress they'd have to request one. (They are going to do so.)
The other big news is that the FBI did not record Clinton's testimony, nor place her under oath. "Still a crime to lie to us," Comey noted, but now no one can prove that she did.
Martha Stewart has been mentioned once again. I wonder whether the FBI also investigated her, but if they did, they would have programmed the interrogation procedures to confuse her and make her contradict herself. Thus "lie". An easy trick for the prosecution.
ReplyDeleteBut that same power can be used to save a fellow ally of the bureaucratic oligarchy. They can set up the questions so that it isn't an interrogation, so that it isn't recorded, so that the subject does not contradict herself.
Allahpundit says that, at least, the FBI always doesn't record these conversations. Which is weird, since they're then going to try to prove lies as crimes. Allegedly they think they have a better shot if it's "the agent's word versus yours."
ReplyDeleteSounds pretty low and scummy to me.
A point the article made (somewhere) was that the FBI is trying to hide their interview and interrogation methodology. Sort of like how terrorists would train to take advantage of Gitmo's preference for Muslims and the Koran, to communicate messages to each other. And they train future terrorists in GitMo procedure, to toughen them up for it.
ReplyDeleteBut it would be mighty easy to get the agent's "rewrite" of the conversation to set someone up, like Stewart, if they really really wanted it done.
Given how a sub director of the FBI organized the bloodless coup against Nixon by releasing all the information at key strategic points, the FBI would know first of all the dangers of allowing anyone to "Record you".