the criminal who falsified evidence, which resulted in the surveillance powers of the federal government being turned against a citizen, Carter Page, for participating in a U.S. political campaign.
But federal judge James Boasberg, the very judge lied to, was sympathetic to Clinesmith and sentenced him to 12 months of probation and 400 hours of community service in January. Judge James Boasberg. Judge Boasberg was appointed to the federal Bench by Obama and placed on the FISA court by Chief Justice Roberts.
So the message to future Lisa Pages, Andrew McCabes, and Kevin Clinesmiths is, don't worry about breaking the law if you're going after opponents of the Deep State. We'll make sure you get a slap on the wrist.
Judge Boasberg didn't even get his facts straight. NBC's Pete Williams reported at the time of Clinesmith's sentencing that. Federal District Court Judge James Boasberg said that while Clinesmith's actions were serious, the warrant application probably would have been approved anyway without his misstatement.
There is still a tiny sliver of hope that Cline smith struck a deal, that Durham has gotten evidence on the record to go after bigger fish. I devoutly wish that to be the case. But I have to say that hope has been fading for quite a while, and now is vanishingly small.
Judge Boasberg was appointed to the federal Bench by Obama and placed on the FISA court by Chief Justice Roberts. He is reportedly a member of Skull & Bones, the ultra-elite secret society at Yale University.
The judge was wrong, which suggests that he couldn't even be bothered to read the inspector general's report. There was a reason Clinesmith doctored the infamous email and it was only after his fabrication that another official signed off on the final renewal of the surveillance warrant.
The report does not identify the person by name, but the principal associate deputy attorney general at the time was apparently Matthew Axelrod.
And if the Department of Justice no longer believes in the rule of law, the whole notion of America is turned on its head. This piece originally appeared in the Daily Signal.
Instead, it finds, McCabe violated FBI policy because the disclosure was “designed to advance his personal interest ...
Given that recent history, failure to prosecute McCabe would tell the American people that officers of the Justice Department and the FBI think they are above the law.
It is clear from the inspector general’s report that McCabe lied to federal agents multiple times, including while under oath.
McCabe claims that the official called him and “expressed concerns about the FBI agents taking overt steps in the [Clinton Foundation] Investigation during the presidential campaign.” According to McCabe, he pushed back, asking, “Are you telling me to shut down a validly predicated investigation?”
Remember, the only charge brought against Gen. Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, was lying to the FBI, a felony. And Flynn wasn’t even under oath when he supposedly lied to the FBI.