IG poised to reignite war over FBI’s Clinton case

Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general, is an increasingly critical player in the controversy surrounding the FBI, President Trump and the Russia investigation. 

Horowitz has been conducting a sprawling probe of the FBI’s handling of the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. 

Horowitz’s full report, which could set off shockwaves, is expected by the early spring, most likely March or early April. 

Horowitz’s reputation will be put to the test when he releases the findings of the Clinton investigation. No matter what he concludes, it’s likely to create a political firestorm, coming at a time when both Republicans and the White House are charging that political bias is rampant at the Justice Department and at the FBI. 

Horowitz formally announced last January that he would investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Justice Department and FBI officials leading up the 2016 election, in response to demands from both Democrats and Republicans. 

Horowitz is a political appointee in both the Bush and Obama administrations. His yearlong investigation already reportedly contributed to the early resignation of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. 

Horowitz has held the post of Inspector General of the United States Department of Justice since April, 2012. He was confirmed by the Senate in 2003 to serve a six-year term as a Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Horowitz was also a board member of the Ethics Resource Center and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics and worked in DOJ from 1991 to 2002.  

In 1995, he was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work on a complex police corruption investigation.  

Carter Page resigned before the FISA Warrant was Issued?

In September 2016, U.S. intelligence officials investigated alleged contacts between Carter Page and Russian officials subject to U.S. sanctions, including Igor Sechin.

After news reports began to appear describing Page's links to Russia and Putin's government, Page stepped down from his unofficial role in the Trump campaign. 

Shortly after Carter Page resigned from the Trump campaign, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a warrant from the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to surveil Page's communications.  

To issue the warrant, a federal judge concluded there was probable cause to believe that Page was a foreign agent knowingly engaging in clandestine intelligence for the Russian government. Page was the only American who was directly targeted with a FISA warrant in 2016 as part of the Russia probe. The 90-day warrant was repeatedly renewed.

In January 2017, Page's name appeared repeatedly in a leaked contract intelligence dossier containing unsubstantiated allegations of close interactions between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.  

By the end of January 2017, Page was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

He has denied wrongdoing. The Trump Administration attempted to distance itself from Page, saying that he had never met Mr. Trump, nor advised him about anything. 

The Washington Post is taking issue with the Trump administration claiming that the Nunes memo proves that the Trump campaign was being tapped 

WaPo reported that Trump officials denied knowing Carter Page on multiple occasions and denied that he worked for the campaign 

According to the Washington Post, “If Page was not part of Trump's team, then the FBI did not get a warrant to spy on Trump's team, improperly or otherwise. If the FBI did get a warrant to spy on Trump's team, then Page must have been part of Trump's team, contrary to earlier denials.” 

In an interview in March 2016 with The Washington Post editorial board, Trump had named Page as one of his foreign policy advisers. Carter Page never had an official role with the Trump Campaign but was sometimes considered an unpaid advisor. Page confirmed yesterday that he has never spoken with or met with President Trump.

Drunk Driver Who Killed Colts Star is Illegal Immigrant

Indiana Colts linebacker, Edwin Jackson, and his Uber driver, Jeffrey Monroe, were killed in a traffic accident last Sunday. Jackson, 26, and driver Jeffrey Monroe, 54, were standing outside Monroe's car along I-70 after Jackson became ill while Monroe was transporting him, police said. Indiana State police said the driver who hit them, Manuel Orrego-Savala, was drunk. 

A breath test administered at the crash scene found that Orrego-Savala's blood-alcohol content was almost 0.24 percent, or nearly three times Indiana's legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to an affidavit.

According to a statement by Indiana State Police, Jackson and his driver were killed when Manuel Orrego-Savala, who was going by the fake name, Alex Cabrera Gonsales plowed his F-150 into their stopped car. 

Orrego-Savala has been arrested and is being held in the Marion County (Indiana) Jail. Investigators are working with the Marion County Prosecutor's Office to file criminal charges in this case. 

The suspect appeared Tuesday before a judge who advised him of his rights. Indianapolis television station WRTV reported that Orrego-Savala told the judge through an interpreter: "I wasn't driving the car. I don't know why I am here." Another court hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. 

Manuel Orrego-Savala didn’t have a driver’s license and was drunk at the time of the accident. After the accident, the 37-year-old Guatemalan man was tackled as he fled the scene on foot. Sunday was just the third time he was caught by police. Authorities had deported him first in 2007 and then again in 2009.

John McCain offers DACA fix that has no money for Trump border wall

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Christopher Coons (D-DE) are getting ready to unveil a bipartisan immigration bill Monday aimed to protect “Dreamers” and improve border security.   

The bill pairs a path to citizenship for dreamers with border security measures. It does not include funding for a U.S. Mexico border wall. The proposed bill would provide permanent legal status and a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants brought into the country as minors before the end of 2013. The bill does not address family-based or chain migration or the diversity lottery. Both of which have been White House priorities.   

The McCain-Coons bill will allow Congress to focus on other pressing matters, including a budget deal to fully fund the military. McCain stated, “the bill would address the most urgent priorities of protecting Dreamers, strengthening border security, alleviating backlog in immigration courts and addressing the root causes of illegal immigration.  

Congress is facing a Thursday deadline to pass a new government funding bill or risk another shut down. Last month the government shut down for 3 days because Dems. Blocked a short term spending bill offered by Republicans because there was still no agreement on immigration.  

House conservatives are opposed to the bill presented by McCain and Coons, they want to see more immigration reforms in exchange for DACA protections.  

Congress has until Thursday to attach a DACA deal to the spending bill, but Senator Dick Durbin says such an agreement seems unlikely.  

Stock Market Madness

A stock market selloff that was sparked last week, quickly accelerated on Monday and hit the US has now sent ripples across global markets.  

Monday’s losses came after the worst week for U.S. stocks in two years. The Dow Jones industrials saw its biggest one-day drop in history. The Dow tumbled more than 1,500 points at one juncture. The biggest fall for DOW happened at 2:40pm ET that started to resemble the 2010 flash crash at one point.  

Today the Dow was up more than 240 points in the first three hours of the trading day. 

Prior to this drop The Dow had soared more than 40 percent since President Donald Trump’s election—resulting in a period that included an impressive nearly 20 percent rise in S&P 500 for 2017 and the fastest start ever to a year in 2018.  

The Dow Jones stood at 19,827 on Trump’s inauguration. Yesterday the Dow recovered to close at 24,345. The stock market index fell by more than 1,179 points on Monday. The stock market plunge in the US was a domino style, first Wall Street, then Asia, and finally Europe.  

Mail Time!

• Hi Bill! This was by far the best podcast you've ever done tonight! After listening to your comments on "Election gate", as you call it, it became perfectly clear to me exactly how corrupt the FBI and DOJ are and how our supposedly "impartial" news media are complicit in trying to take down our duly elected President. You've exposed the "Deep State" regarding the election of President Trump. The information you imparted tonight is worth the price of your premium membership 10-fold! Thank you for your keen insight! 

• Your analysis of "election gate" is why I am a premium member! I purposely watched and listened to both liberal and conservative media today and neither were as concise or as fact based as you are. Keep up the great work! 

• Bill, your analysis tonight was spot on, which is why I became a premium member. However, there is no possibility Zero Mr. Comey, McCabe, or anyone else will ever be prosecuted.