By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--March 21, 2018
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The head of the House Judiciary Committee is expected to subpoena the Department of Justice (DOJ) as soon as this week to obtain documents related to how the FBI handled its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server, The Hill has learned. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) have been leading a joint probe into what the two lawmakers say may be evidence of political bias in the highest levels at the Justice Department. While one source with direct knowledge of the matter cautioned that the exact timeline was still murky, multiple sources told The Hill that they expect the summons to go out Wednesday or Thursday.How do they know that it will be Wednesday or Thursday? Well, according to the rules the Judiciary chairman must consult the ranking member of the committee at least two days prior to issuing a subpoena. Has that happened? ...It appears it has:
While one source with direct knowledge of the matter cautioned that the exact timeline was still murky, multiple sources told The Hill that they expect the summons to go out Wednesday or Thursday. The chairman on Monday notified the ranking Democrat, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), that a subpoena is forthcoming, a spokesperson separately confirmed.At this point, I don't see how anyone can bury their head in the sand deep enough to think there weren't shady DOJ/Obama/Clinton shenanigans going on in 2016. From the tarmac meeting, to Comey's infamous presser and refusal to prosecute, to FISA warrants and the dossier, it just seems impossible that there wasn't some kind of fix taking place. The question now is: Will new subpoenas even matter? Will they lead to anything but more posturing? How many times are we going to sit and watch committees blather, question, accuse, and then fail to produce anything actionable? At this point, we've watched people like Chaffetz, Gowdy, and Goodlatte grill obvious liars for dozens - if not hundreds - of hours. All of it has amounted to ...what, exactly? Congressional exits and sweetheart book deals? If this subpoena is going to lead to charges or something actionable, that's great. I'm all for it. However, if it's just going to lead to another 6 months of rah-rah political theater, TV face time for a bunch of self-serving politicians, and finally a quiet retreat, I'm ready to say "thanks but no thanks." Given the outraged reaction - from people on both sides of the aisle - to an absolute no-brainer like firing Deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, do I really have any faith that Congress is honestly interested in punishing the swampier members of "the swamp?" Sorry, but no. I do not. I understand that this is step one in a process but please, finish your business or get off the pot. However much I may like guys like Gowdy on a personal level, it's long past time for the GOP's all-talk-no-action brigade to accomplish something.
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