These enablers in power that target and hunt on command are like a pack of rabid dogs ( no offense intended to dogs). Who is to stop them? Is our democracy so vulnerable that the bullying of a strongman can call to heel this entire group of elected Republican representatives?
Making an example out of Andrew McCabe is not justice, it's a public lynching.
43
Where has America's Department of Justice drifted off to?
1
If McCabe is innocent of IG Horowitz's charges, he should be the first demanding a trial.
3
Roy Cohn is dead, Michael Cohen is in jail, but hey, Trump has Bill Barr now to vilify and threaten anyone who dares to tell the truth about Trump's " empire".
1
McCabe was a "terror" to the majority of employees under his supervision prior to this mess. He has garnered no sympathy from the BU. Let the cards fall where they may. It is strongly doubtful that undue influence is affecting DOJ decisions in this particular case.
26
@Donald
Considering the fact that McCabe plays a part in the fantastic "democratic party coup against a duly elected POTUS" conspiracy theory being pushed by the president and many in the GOP I am quite sure there is pressure to indict.
Hopefully AG Barr's duty to country and constitution will prevail over his loyalty to this corrupt president.
73
@Donald-If you're speaking as an insider, please not that McCabe isn't being prosecuted for his supervision of F.B.I. employees.
102
@Donald > Curious as to your source for this. Every interview, every statements from colleagues I've read send the opposite message.
140
McCabe (as well as Comey and others) attempted to pull off a coup and remove an elected President from office. He as well as the others need to pay a heavy price for such reckless and un-American actions. Of course it's illegal in may respects, the question is whether they will be able to find a way out of serious jail time. If that happens, if they are not put on trial, fairly, then our country is lost.
9
@Len: Let me guess -- you're pro-Trump. If you're not, I apologize.
12
the country is already lost. 3 years and counting.
4
@Len
While that’s an oft repeated Fox News and Breitbart meme, what exactly is your evidence that these Federal employees attempted a coup?
9
Its very simple: The investigators are now being investigated! It's laughable that most readers are calling this a witch hunt! Where were you when Flynn, Papadopolous et al were being railroaded?
This is the tip of an iceberg that will come crashing in right before the 2020 election!
6
I’ll spell it out for you....THEY PLED GUILTY
8
@Max de Winter Flynn entered a guilty plea. Papadopeulous was convicted.
Please try to keep up.
7
@Max de Winter
Return to Manderly
3
You would think an attorney would know he’s not entitled to grand jury information.
7
@Jackson
My bet is that these attorneys are way ahead of you . . .
3
Is there anyone out there who has any more confidence in the DOJ under William Barr than they do in, say, a criminal court in China? Are we really supposed to pretend that Barr has any integrity whatsoever? This is the DOJ that's suing auto companies for not switching back their factories to make lower efficiency vehicles after Trump's rolling back of environmental regs. McCabe very well could be a crook (kind of like Barr, Trump, and his entire inner circle), but, again, we can't trust Barr with anything. I'll repeat: This DOJ is currently trying to cook up a suit against Ford, GM, etc., for NOT POLLUTING ENOUGH, all just to save Trump's ego. Stay tuned for when they prosecute paper straw manufacturers on some cooked up charges.
2
Does anyone believe that if an indictment had been returned Donald Trump would not have been tweeting about it ever since? If the answer had been "yes", the justice department would have immediately responded.
Andrew McCabe is an American hero. Once the dust settles from the demise of the Trump/McConnell/Putin facade, we will erect a statue in his honor.
Thank you Mr. McCabe for having the courage to do the right thing for your country.
7
"If the Andrew McCabe grand jury refused to indict, it’s a big deal"
Nonsense. It's Washington D.C. Even if there was no true bill, that would only make it more imperative that a trial is held, even if acquitted. If AG Barr doesn't go forward, it would mean the basis of IG Horowitz's case was wrong. There has to be a trial.
4
With his civil suit McCabe now gets to do discovery. I hope it is wide ranging with deps of Trump, Barr .........
5
Looks like another IG investigation.
2
McCabe is a crooked cop and I hope he shares a jail cell with Peter Strzok.
McCabe was part of a bureaucratic coup to unseat the duly elected President of the United States of America.
7
Cheating someone out of their pension 48 hours before it was about to occur is another example of the lowliness in this administration.
You can picture the culprits laughing their heads off.
Sick!
8
Combine this obvious reprisal from Trump for the Russia investigation with the United States Air Force being parties to a presidential graft scheme, and that's two departments of the government who are supposed to protect We the People and defend our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, who are bending to the will of a would be tyrant.
"A republic madam, if you can keep it." is looking like a higher and higher bar every day. I fear for our democracy.
3
A grand jury decision to reject charges is nearly unheard-of.
SDNY's fictional Assistant DA on Law and Order used to say if he wanted to he could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich - then again there's a little meat in a ham sandwich.
2
@AACNY
It's uncertain. The mere fact that it met doesn't necessarily mean it met to decide the McCabe matter. As I understand it, a grand jury can have a number of cases before it during the several month session it serves. McCabe's lawyers are being zealous advocates on his behalf both in the trial court and the court of public opinion. In sending the inquiry letter to
DoJ with copies to all the news outlets asking whether the grand jury declined to indict, they get to advocate thru the news outlets' publication of the letter why it shouldn't indict. So they're not dummies.
4
The republicans have corrupted every part of the justice system.
5
Many years ago I was serving on a county grand jury here in the state of New York. Over the course of a month, we heard many cases presented to us by the DA where an indictment was requested. Given that we only hear the prosecution side of the argument, voting to indict is guaranteed. However, we did have a case presented, involving an alleged sexual assault, that on the face of it, sounded more like a lovers spat. Based on the “evidence” presented, we voted a “no bill”. After the vote the ADA who made the presentation thanked us for our conclusion. The DA’s office had felt that the case was not one that could be successfully prosecuted but there was considerable political pressure to bring the case to trial. I wonder if a similar tactic might be in play here?
4
Dear David: That’s exactly what it sounds like
McCabe is being subject to hounding because of Trump's ire at being subject to investigations. I would like to know precisely what McCabe is supposed to have lied about; but that isn't the point of this. There are some things which are normally handled as administrative issues, not crimes. Let's not forget that our putative President still every so often throws out allegations against Biden ( and may have, through his henchmen, sought to induce Ukraine to "investigate" his opponent.
McCabe was and is a warning to anyone who may cross Trump that Barr will pull out all the stops to find some trace of impropriety. And that there is NO independence in the DOJ. It seems to have become a tool of the President for advancing his own interests.
9
Mr McCabe's life has been turned upside down for no reason other than Trump feels the need to punish someone for something and maybe score some points for his ignorant supporters.
It's totally exasperating to see an innocent person being persecuted when Trump should be the one being held to account!!?
13
McCabe's misdeed is but a drop in the ocean of Trump's malevolence.
7
Witch hunt trying to deflect questions about the CIA mole exposed by Trump, start of Trump’s wall in Organ Pipe National Monument, across the San Pedro River, diverting funds from the military to pay for said wall (the real purpose of the increased Pentagon budget?). How about Trump referring to “Melania’s son”. The Guardian has real news!
5
Whatever McCabe did or didn’t do, it hardly justifies this level of prosecution. This is political retribution by a DOJ under the control of an autocrat and his toady.
5
Grand juries are where bad cases come to die. That seems to be the case here.
1
This case is a clear example of political corruption and abuse of power.
There was massive Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump's campaign had at least 140 contacts with Russians and 30 meetings--all documented in the Mueller report. That means about every other day for a year, a Trump person was interacting with a hostile government.
It would have been malfeasance for McCabe and the FBI's counterintelligence agents to not investigate. 37 people were indicted due to Mueller's investigations.
The sheer viciousness of Trump against all the FBI counterintelligence and senior officials is not rational. His rally rants and tweets against McCabe and others are malevolent and toxic.
Barr has disgraced himself. He is the new McCarthy. Trump's enemy list includes some of the most honorable, dedicated, and patriotic Americans in security and law enforcement circles who coincidentally are also Putin's worst enemies.
11
Mr. McCabe served his country and was alarmed by Trump's conduct and opened an inquiry. This is nothing but a witch hunt by Trump and his personal AG Barr.
8
The public does not know much about grand juries and this article does not help.
If anything is widely known, it is the ham sandwich line. That line is reflected in the 99.9% quote here, kwhich is just wrong. There are two kindsl of grand juries: those that consider summary evidence and those that are kept abreast of the entire investigation as it plays out. The former are rubber stamps. The latter are looked to for their input and know too much to be ham sandwiches. When you’re dealing with an important institution that is not well understood spreading misinformation is the opposite of a public service.
3
Given the impossibility of avoiding news of Trump's efforts to damage McCabe, and Trump's efforts to improperly influence the Dept. of Justice, it seems likely that the Grand Jurors see any DoJ effort to get McCabe indicted as politically motivated.
And the harder the DoJ tries to get an indictment, the more obviously political it looks.
4
It is unheard of for the President to weigh in on matters actively before the DOJ. It violates common decency and common sense.
President Trump has done this routinely and should stop immediately. How could Andrew McCabe expect to be treated fairly and receive an unbiased outcome from prosecution? But the good news is that juries would understand this and be unlikely to convict.
7
First Trump, Barr, et al. made untruthful claims that the deep state, i.e., Mueller and his team, was pursuing a partisan witch hunt. Now they are transparently showing us just how it is done. Barr has behaved like Trump's private lawyer. That is a violation of our vital democratic tradition according to which the DOJ and FBI are independent, nonpartisan entities.
22
The very first act of our new President must be removing by Executive Order all the vestiges of the Trump Presidency it is possible to remove, including restoring the pension of Andrew McCabe.
37
@A. Stanton Trump has passed countless provisions while in office. It would take months to reverse all of them. You comment is good lingo but bad policy. Trump has done unspeakable harm in the area of immigration. I want the new president to start by passing comprehensive immigration reform. Before he or she explores every nook and cranny of Trump’s presidency, I would like to live in America again.
Trump wants this indictment as a antidote for the 2020 election against the Mueller conclusion that Russia helped his election. He wants to claim the fix was in.
Given that AG Barr’s integrity is questionable, Congress needs to examine just how heavily Trump’s hand has been on the scales of Justice in this political prosecution of a Trump critic.
17
Just has President Trump is leaving a stain on the Oval Office, his aparatchiks, under AG William Barr at the Department of Justice, are doing the same.
We can only hope their politicization of justice isn't indelible, and that justice and American values can be restored when they leave.
12
Let the show trials begin. We have a corrupted justice department but indict him. Please do. And then everything will be laid out on the table out of Barr's discretion and control.
But please, go ahead.
13
This case has the very distinct stench a political hatchet job, but that is exactly what we now know to expect from the Trump administration.
15
Trump has been targeting McCabe and CNN for years now. This is a political hit job and AG Barr is just doing the dirty work of making sure Trumps self described “enemies” are harassed and persecuted. It’s a travesty of justice carried out by Trumps appointees who have put loyalty to Trump over loyalty to the United States and the constitution.
16
Jeepers. This is beginning to look like a genuine ‘witch hunt’. If that proves to be the case, it might serve as a useful example to others who like to loosely bandy about that term.
5
Only a handful of individual Americans protecting our institution's integrity stand between Trump and his disturbing inclination toward autocracy. For evidence, look no further than what Trump is doing to Andrew McCabe.
What sometimes scare me more than Trump's blatant autocratic transgressions is our tendency to let them slide out of sheer stupefaction.
Such shameful things are not supposed to happen in this country. Period.
15
The Grand Jury was well aware of Bill Barr and Trump's corruption by trying to punish their so called "enemies".
We no longer have a "Justice Department" but one that can be weaponized against whomever they choose next.
17
McCabe’s political vendetta against Trump’s political vendetta. They deserve each other. Don’t care how it works out. Either way it will not effect my life.
5
and that is how democracy dies. When citizens are indifferent and ill-informed. Whatever McCabe's political views (registered Republican), nothing he did was considered illegal until this administration criminalized doing one's job.
3
@Charlie it will if the justice in the USA becomes systematically corrupt.
@Charlie False equivalence.
Start another go fund me Mr McCabe, and fight this to the end. The people are behind you.
10
It appears the Justice Department has been infected by the general incompetence and venality of Trump.
11
Trump uses the Justice Department to punish anyone who he thinks is his enemy. To be an enemy of Trump, all you have to do is not adore him. This is how dictators act.
13
Have you all noticed that so many of the top FBI folks fired during DJT's tenure were experts on Russian organized crime. DJT used to like being called The Donald. Now we realize he is actually The Don. And Barr is clearly his consigliere. Not quite what our founders had in mind for our country's mission.
12
Consequences. All for the wrong people. We are in trouble...
6
Sounds like the prosecutor tried not to win. Trump would never know what happened in the grand jury room.
1
Any difference from the Michael Flynn case? Similar judicial procedure appropriate for " Andy "?
2
billy bob barr leading a so-called justice department in which there is no justice. As they say, in the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls, certainly not the courts.
4
Nobody runs a political witch hunt like Donald Trump. This is such a shame on our justice system and our country.
12
So Trump and Barr COMPLETELY acted politically and the Grand Jury refused to indict. Talk about a cold, dead fish being slapped across their faces.... Poetic justice, if I've ever seen it.
8
Don't expect U.S. Federal prosecutors to reply anytime soon.
The have to check with Attorney General Barr,
Who has to check with President Trump,
Who has to consult Putin.
17
Americans as so ashamed of the republicans in the senate and congress, who have turned a blind eye on America's FBI.
James Comey is shamefully thrown out of office by a Russian military asset puppet, and for months the FBI's second in command is harassed by the "Anointed One", and eventually Jeffrey Sessions (yet another Russian asset), Matthew Whitaker, and presently William 'onion rings' Barr have turned the Department of Justice, into a despicable, mob enforcement squad.
And during all this turmoil where is Chris Wray of the FBI???
8
Trump will attack the grand jury with his sharpie changing their vote to please him ,a.g. Barr will say the president can do no wrong ever. All critics of Trump will prosecuted to full extent toady Barr can get away with.
6
Mcabe is not the criminal.
Trump is. And so is Barr,
That's why they are going after mcabe.
Impeach trump now along with rest of his gang of criminals which now includes the entire Republican Party.
13
This falls in line with the LONG list of corrupt criminality perpetuated by Trump & his now subservient AG. Why the Dems keep tap dancing around Impeachment is beyond me. Those hearings should have started right after Charlottesville...
5
This is a disgrace. McCabe is a loyal member of The Resistance. Mueller should step in immediately with an order declining prosecution.
1
Trump and cronies are on a witch hunt. Someone needs to rein them in before they completely destroy our system of justice.
5
In a letter to prosecutors, Andrew G. McCabe’s lawyers asked whether a grand jury had considered charges against Mr. McCabe, a former deputy director of the F.B.I...."
From what I've seen, reported...
Mr. Trump should retired to a (Guantanamo_Bay-located), oubliette, and...Mr. McCabe should be considered a national_treasure! Firing Mr. McCabe...'just, in the nick', to prevent his receiving a pension for his decades, 'O, service to the American people is, sadly...the typical pettiness I've come to expect from the decomposing remains of what used to be called the Republican Party!
5
The real witch hunt. Attack the messenger.
4
McCabe is an arrogant and privileged person of power. If he did wrong, he needs to be held to account.
6
McCabe did his job. as an investigator he is required to go where the facts are not where the administration wants him to go.
2
Since United States Attorney General William Barr has decided that America' s Siberian President Donald J. Trump Sr. is his client instead of the American people and their Constitution, Andrew McCabe can't expect any fairness nor justice nor due process nor presumptions of innocence.
No wonder Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin are still smiling and smirking as Trump's ventriloquist masters.
8
Show trials. Possibly the ultimate Trumpian corruption of our democracy.
Does the name "Stalin" ring a bell?
3
A grand jury decision to reject charges is nearly unheard-of.
Obviously, this wasn't your ordinary ham sandwich.
5
Maybe the grand jury could indict barr.
5
Justice Department inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, has thrived under Attorney Generals like Sessions, Whitaker, and Billy Barr.
Since the 'Anointed One' is so fond of investigators investigating the FBI who uncovered the president's unethical Russian money laundering,
who exactly is monitoring the Justice Department inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz?
3
Under the depraved Trump's odious and morally bankrupt A.G., it is clear that this is a politically motivated hatchet job instigated by the malignant narcissist and mob boss himself.
3
Nobody ever gets tired of quoting former New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sol Wachtler's view of the grand jury's function: If the prosecutor wants them to, a grand jury will "indict a ham sandwich." This must be a really lousy case.
5
This reeks of payback. Barr has reduced the Justice Department to an oxymoron.
4
Anyone who really knows how grand juries operate also knows the key element missing here is whether the full weight of evidence has yet been considered by the grand jury in this case. If it has not, there has been no cause to indict.
4
I'm from DC, practice there, and am a former prosecutor. Before this article I thought no DC grand jury would indict this man under these circumstances, and I think I'm right. More to the point, if the DC USAtty was presenting to the GJ on orders from higher up, although she did not believe she had a case, she could be disbarred. So if there has been or is going to be a GJ presentation, the line ausa's will have likely presented the evidence in a way that they were going through the motions and not likely to get an indictment.
19
as a former attorney, I agree with you. The corruption of Justice that is occurring now, makes me ashamed to be a lawyer
1
As a former federal grand juror for two years, I agree, juries rarely refuse to return indictments presented by U.S. Attorneys. My jury would have indicted a ham sandwich if asked - grand juries originally investigated and steered investigations, they were not the passive indictment-machines for the government they are today.
However, there were some indictments presented that were so sloppy and thin that we rejected them, like a blind squirrel finding a nut now and then.
In this case, if I were on a jury presented the indictment, I would refuse to vote for it, and attempt to sway other jurors to kill it as well.
18
@Clearheaded. How do,you know what the grand jury was told?
2
This has all the markings of Trump on it pushing the DOJ to go after McCabe when they really don't have a case.
I wonder how many people at the DOJ have had their job threatened?
30
This is exactly the right question his lawyers should be asking and demanding an answer to.
The Justice Department under Barr has demonstrated that is is simply an instrument for prosecuting Trumps grievances.
I honestly don't understand why Congress allows this JD to continue unchallenged in it's political vendetta based bias.
26
This is a prime example of how Trump has politized the Justice Department. Under William Barr I have lost all confidence in the Federal Judicial process.
24
@Wendi. He lied to the Feds before Barr came along. How is that excusable? It’s ironic that the anti Trump commenters didn’t complain when Lynch and Comey politicized the department.
2
McCabe will prevail on all fronts. Take it to the bank.
20
This case has all the hallmarks of the Justice Department embracing yet another Trump vendetta against an F.B.I. official. McCabe questioned the Trump's campaign ties to Russia.
The DOJ, under William Barr, has become Trump's personal lawyer rather than the lawyer for American citizens. This is shameful and represents a clear and present danger to our democracy.
31
Barr's reality show audition for a SCOTUS seat (should one open) is unprecedented and off the rails. And hard to watch.
As a member of the bar, I am embarrassed for him.
The degree to which this man will lower himself is astounding. (can we ever forget the pre-Mueller report, fact challenged, Trump defense attorney press conference, on tax dime ?)
Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men ......
18
Wrongful termination of both Jim Comey and Andrew McCabe with the sole intent of obstructing an investigation by FBI - impeach, lock him up and throw away the keys. Then only then will we start to undo this travesty.
16
I certainly hope the DOJ, which is currently being driven by Trump as a way to dish out harassment, ceases and desists the hounding of McCabe or anyone else being harassed on behalf on Donald Trump.
McCabe is being treated horribly and, for what? Trump became fixated on McCabe because his wife ran in a Pennsylvania race as a Democrat and was helped by Hillary Clinton.
I detest the way Trump has turned the DOJ as a goon squad pursuing Trump's political enemies.
16
The justice department's attempted indictment of Andrew McCabe is the absolute nadir of politics into the American legal system.
He had a long questioning in a hearing before Congress. Not only did his actions not come close to the elements of any crime, his character and credibility were in full evidence.
If he were dissembling, why would he write a book about what happened?
William Barr is making a big mistake. His justice department will lose if they go forward. Not only that, Barr will go down in the history books as a corpulent, steak-and-roast beef Torquemada.
Barr is protecting the chief officer on the Battleship Potemkin. No amount of legal chicanery will save him. Barr is doubling down on a loser. All that is in question is whether Trump's end will be acute or chronic.
12
The only thing certain in the federal court system these days is that the SC will uphold a conviction.
4
So many of these comments assume that McCabe is an innocent man and that Trump via Barr has succeeded in transmogrifying the American justice system into a tool for Trump's personal vendettas.
After Barr shamelessly lied about the content of the Mueller report and then sat on it long enough to land Trump/Fox the news cycle, which undoubtedly has caused many Americans to misunderstand the Report, that is more than possible, but should we assume that now?
And it that's true--that Trump has succeeded in prosecuting McCabe for Trump's personal gain, then impeachment proceedings need to start NOW.
That would be extraordinarily troubling and exactly the type of thing that the founding fathers would want to protect the country from. Other than Trump and Barr's proven bad characters, is there any evidence of this assumption?
4
@Ann
We already know he prodded Ag Sessions to weaponize the Justice Dept. and pursue partisan witch hunts against Trump's political opponents and then forced him out when he refused. He should have been impeached and removed for that alone, let alone the obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and felony campaign finance violation.
@Ann I have no way of knowing what Mr. McCabe did or didn’t do, but does anything that he’s alleged to have done rise to the level of deserving a criminal indictment?
The Justice Dept. is not to be trusted. That’s how far we have fallen. This thing is a setup for Mr McCabe, plain and simple. VOTE.
25
It had been previously reported that the grand jury recommended no charges., If that is the case and Barr pushed for them to charge anyway it is a serious breach of protocol, an obvious abuse of power, and possibly a crime because it would be for a partisan political vendetta not for criminal justice
Barr should recall that Nixon's AG did almost 19 months in federal prison for far less than Barr has already done in public
30
I've no confidence that the justice department run by Barr isn't doing things politically for trump. trump enjoys hurting people and barr will help him do it.
17
One of the remarkable sidelines to this McCabe episode, judging from comments here and elsewhere, is how little public confidence this Trump/Barr DJ now commands. Needless to say, the recent NOAA incident only adds to and legitimizes all suspicions of broad corrupt intent and malpractice.
We've got a lot to fix.
21
It would be interesting to know the precise sequence of events, discussions and directives that led to the misguided attempt to indict McCabe. One suspects it would yield further justification for pursuing impeachment of the Attorney General, at least, and maybe even his boss.
7
Trump is really learning from his mentor Putin.
soon it will be against the law to run as a candidate if you've been arrested and then watch the mass arrests.,
10
Under Trump and Toady Barr the "Justice Deparment" has become its oxymoron. Without a true bill by a Grand Jury, this is so much Hitleresque posturing by an Executive Branch that seems to have patterned itself on Third Reich history.
8
I sure wish I had confidence that the Justice Department was operating independently, that this isn't just some political hatchet job.
But with Barr at the helm, I don't.
443
@M.
Prosecutors can get a Grand Jury to indict a ham sandwich--Sol Wachtler, the former chief judge of New York state
PO Pantaleo not indicted by a NYS Grand Jury and FIVE DOJ AGs, lost his job and pension administratively by an act of a political appointee.
FBI Dep. Dir. McCabe, not yet indicted, lost his job and pension administratively.
In the former, the press and a vocal minority of the citizenry find the Grand Jury a failed system with the DOJ MIA and an administrative loss of job / pension too little. In the latter, a functional judicial system with the administrative comeuppance too much.
Check your bias.
2
@M.
With barr "at the helm," you shouldn't.
With trump at barr's helm, you cannot.
8
@M.
Yep. They've demolished the faith and trust we must all have as citizens in the government. Let's do all we can to limit that loss of faith and trust to the present administration. It certainly is not true of all of government, and certainly isn't true of all administrations. President Obama's White House was exemplary.
16
How cruel. To fire someone days before he is eligible for retirement pay. But this is Trump's legislature. Cruelty abounds. He doesn't care who harms. If Trump is reelected how days of honesty and fair play are over. I detest Trump daily. Never thought I would want Nixon back.
137
@Sharon Conway
We don't of course, but I surely take your point! trump makes me feel our country has lost its bearings.
19
@Sharon Conway
yep, a dead president would be much better!
19
@Sharon Conway
For the last time, McCabe was not deprived of his pension. He has an extremely generous pension from his decades of service.
1
"He had become a favorite target of Mr. Trump" alrighty. In the military, the case would be tainted for unlawful command influence.
The DOJ is already on mighty thin ice as far as independence from the White House goes, so they should steer clear of further scandal by bringing charges against McCabe.
Moreover, cutting him out of his pension was petty and unworthy of the government.
27
Where have all the good republicans gone? No, not Republicans as in the GOP (there are no good republicans there). I'm asking about republicans, as in people who believe in a representative republican government.
The answer is that all the good republicans are in the Democratic Party. That's where principles of representative government, government of the people, by the people, for the people, guides elected officials.
The Trump mafia administration's attack on Andrew McCabe is an attack on our democratic republic. It is nothing short of corrupting and politicizing what was once known as the Department of Justice to harass and intimidate all who stand up to Trump.
When our government is used as a weapon against the people our republic is dead and tyranny reigns.
18
Trump has accused McCabe of being a traitor.
We know from the Mueller report that he is a traitor
who, like Putin and MBS, will do anything
to destroy anyone critical of his actions.
Under AGBarr he has put into place a Justice Dept.
that acts as his personal goon squad.
Our democracy is crumbling before our eyes.
Each day we move closer to a fascist state.
28
Smells like another item to add to the list of impeachable activities.
28
The answer to the inquiry may generate yet another indictment charge against Donald Trump
22
mr. McCabe is an honest man. trump isn't, and barr should be disbarred.
46
William Barr has turned what used to be our Department of Justice into a mere tool of a corrupt and vindictive dictator.
There will be no justice until Barr and the rest of these criminals, now running our country into the trash bin, are themselves behind bars.
30
This whole thing is the REAL witch hunt. Trump is using his justice department to go after anyone he sees as a political enemy and his brown nosing Attorney General is very happy to oblige his boss and, not coincidentally, get back at people in Justice who he feels dissed him. This is a very dangerous road to take, especially for Trump who will face multiple charges once he leaves office.
30
"a sign that the government is struggling to make a case against him."
Could that be because there is no case?
48
A dedicated career government employee is denied his pension and charged with lying by a politicized Justice Department, guided and encouraged by the President. Meanwhile, that same President has lied to the press and American public more than 12,000 times since he took office. Does anybody else find this supremely ironic?
65
In a month Judge Sullivan is going to rule on a motion filed by Flynn's lawyer outlining the 40 or so prosecutorial violations, mostly violations of Brady for failing to provide exculpatory evidence. While the evidence is somewhat unique as the violation has more to do with the prosecution using Flynn to try to go up the food chain as opposed to Flynn himself, Judge Stevens reply of "good point" may mean the charges against Flynn get tossed.
In the mean time, that trial has been a venue for abuses made during the pursuit of the investigation. The fact that the Grand Jury hasn't indicted yet, may simply be because the US Attorney investigating McCabe is waiting on those results. Not for lack of being able to indict now, but simply to pile on more.
4
The DOJ did such a masterful case regarding Greg Craig, which they lost, that they are trying to repeat the experience.
9
Meanwhile, who in this government is in charge of terrorism, foreign and domestic? Trump has purged all of the talent.
24
Given the politicization of the justice department under Trump,
the prosecution of McCabe would be an obvious and atrocious abuse of power. The president must not use the justice department to go after his political enemies. The Banana Republic of the United States?
24
The McCabe situation and Barr's conduct since becoming AGUSA, especially with regard to the Mueller report, brings to mind the Soviet style of justice during the Stalin era, except for the purges and assassinations of course (excepting perhaps Jeffrey Epstein).
30
trumpie’s Witch Hunt
36
This is going to come back and bite these clowns in the backside. Elected officials come and go. Kicking this hornets nest was an error.hang in there McCabe. Justice will come.Thank you for your service!
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They can get him for driving a low pollution automobile.
10
McCabe is going to come out of this a very rich man.
20
Another oxymoron in the time of Trump and Barr: the Department of Justice.
40
talk about a witch hunt!!
31
So, faced with overwhelming evidence of obstruction of justice and possible coordination with a foreign power to affect an election on Trump's behalf, the Justice Department springs into action and proceeds to eat it's own rather than uphold the rule of law. The mind reels that anyone would take a position in this agency and that anyone in this agency would vote Republican again. The Law and Order party no longer respects the law, regular order or constitutional safeguards. The Grand Jury has more understanding and respect for our laws than those who have been given the privilege of enforcing them. The rot is complete and it only took three years.
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@AACNY
Perhaps the Constitution is of more importance to these agencies due to their oath.
10
@AACNY, I take it you didn't read the Mueller Report and you are relying, solely, on the Cliff Notes put out by Bill Barr and FOX news. If you wish to continue ignoring the facts, I hope you don't mind if I continue to ignore your opinion.
4
I've worked in a grand jury and I don't understand what it means for the grand jurors to have left for the day without any sign of an indictment. What sign would there be of an indictment? In my experience, when a prosecutor's office announces that an indictment is imminent, it means it's already been returned. Maybe the "no sign" is that the U.S. attorney's office isn't talking about an indictment.
7
I also was a juror on a federal grand jury and some cases lasted for months. There was even a case that last for years and wasn’t over after the grand jury was dismissed for serving 18 months.
4
@RLS The prosecutor announced that indictment was immenent. Then called back the grand jury and presented to the grand jury. The jury was then dismissed with notice that it could be recalled and no indictment was announced. If the grand jury had voted an indictment before leaving, that would have been announced yesterday. It wasn't. There is also the remote possibility that an indictment was granted under seal but that is only done when they fear the accused will flee and they need to secure an arresst warrant to take him/her into cusrody. That clearly isn't the case here.
5
Just to clarify, I worked as an employee in a grand jury. I wasn’t a juror. My experience was that, especially in high profile cases, the indictment was not announced on the same day it was returned. I felt that the phrasing of the article made it sound like grand jurors walk out of a courthouse waving a magic paper.
The Administration is made up of wholly political animals. I expect they'll try to dream up a way to indict McCabe's wife too.
28
Only in a banana republic, would prosecutors groveling to a vengeful president, indict a former leader of the FBI when a Grand Jury refused the same.
If the DOJ indicts, they will lose all credibility.
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@Marco P
They HAVE lost all credibility.
22
@Marco Philoso
Justice under Barr has already lost most credibility due to his sycophantic posturing to Trump. Barr will go down in history as an enemy of America.
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@Marco Philoso The DOJ would still need a grand jury to issue an indictment. But as the saying goes, a grand jury would 'indict a ham sandwich,' if that's what the prosecutor wanted.
3
The standard for indictment is very low -"probable cause."
The standard for conviction is much, much higher - "beyond a reasonable doubt."
When a GJ does not indict, its called a "no bill."
Because jeopardy does not attach at indictment, a prosecutor can theoretically go back to the GJ after a "no bill", over and over and over (until the statute of limitations expires) to try to get an indictment ( only 13 of 25 Grand Jurors are needed to find probable cause.)
But this doesn't happen in the real world unless new facts, because prosecutors (I was one) won't indict if they can't convict.
This appears to be an exception, because Trumps' personal defense attorney, Barr, has politicized and corrupted the DOJ.
Ironically, if they are looking for easy indictments and convictions, they really need look no further than Donald Trump and the Trump Organization.
76
This is what happens when a weak attorney general acts as a corrupt and vindictive president's personal lawyer.
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I'm in McCabe's camp.
And, as usual, everything sticks to people in Trump's obit without him actually anything stuck to him.
19
So typical of this Administration and the current DOJ. Jessie Liu knows she doesn't have a case based on the grand juries refusal to indict. So what will the DOJ do, impanel another grand jury? Hey let's spend the tax payers money on frivolous law suits. This has been Trump's Achilles heel, or should I say bone spurs? There is enough of video tape to prove that this has been a vendetta from the beginning intending too deflect the publics eye on his obstruction and treasonous behavior. Yes, Trump accused McCabe of treason. Understandably Trump thinks he's the King making up his own laws. It doesn't work like that. The FBI exists to protect the American Public even from self anointed monarchs. Jessie Liu should be ashamed of herself for not standing up for what is right. Final outcome McCabe beats the rap and collects his pension. See you in Court Donnie Boy
26
Smart move by McCabe to “smoke out” the DOJ.
McCabe should also charge IG Horowitz with malicious prosecution. That way, McCabe can argue to depose Horowitz under oath and ask him plenty of salient questions that, I believe, will expose Horowitz as a sympathizer of an organized crime syndicate that includes Putin, Roman Abramovich and the rest of the criminal oligarchs.
25
This prosecution is banana republic stuff. Shame on you, Mr. Barr.
40
There is no shame for Barr or anyone in the administration. This nation is led by a band of psychopathic criminals.
10
This is real banana republic stuff...the dictator want to silence his critics. He get his "justice department" to file trumped up charges, even though he has already caused McCabe considerable harm. The weasel Barr is a complete toady and collaborator like everyone else who has survived Trump so far. To my knowledge McCabe has never lied to me...Trump lies to me every day...ummm who to choose?
31
First they came for fired career FBI employees but I was not a fired FBI employee...
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@Dennis McDonald
... I should have known it wouldn’t end well when they showed me the weather map of the tsunami headed for Montana.
5
@Dennis McDonald
Where does Michael Flynn fall in your order?
1
@AACNY
aiming for an "acting" position in the trump White House?
2
A political vendetta is being waged by the Department of Justice against a long term public servant.I hope Mr. McCabe prevails, gives congressional testimony, and gets his well deserved government pension.
78
McCabe’s lawyers should not only inquire about the possibility of a “no true bill” (grand jury refusal to indict), but also ask for their client to appear before any subsequent grand jury. DOJ rules favor grating such request. In any event, his legal team is building a heap of evidence for a pre trial evidentiary hearing based on a denial of due process. You can guess the witnesses.
24
No case, no problem - McCabes's antagonists will be "armed to the teeth" with the Mueller precedent, which established that accusations are evidence, and anyone who every traveled on the same subway line you did, is a legitimate target.
8
@Peter Zenger I thought the Mueller precedent simply stated "You can get away with anything, including treason, so long as you're sitting in the Oval Office".
Funny thing about it, you won't find that wording in the Constitution or in a law passed by Congress. It's just stuff they make up at DOJ.
22
@Christopher
I believe the real expert on "You can get away with anything sitting at your desk in the Oval Office" is, very literally, Bill Clinton.
1
Here's hoping both Trump and McCabe live long enough to see their rightful place in history.
16
What we are witnessing is what occurs when the Justice Department lowers its Barr, and transforms itself into the Department of Revenge. Deep state, indeed!
54
We know what everyone in the FBI and the intelligence community knows: Before you dare to investigate Donald J. Trump or anyone in his family for crimes or violations of U.S. national security, you'd better be sure there's nothing in your past... or nothing that could be misinterpreted or lied about to discredit you.
Under such circumstances, you would have to be a truly extraordinary individual to pursue such a case. Doubly so if if you report to an individual such as William Barr.
Hence, Donald J. Trump and his family escape accountability for what they do... just the way they like things.
23
Oh Lordy, I hope that the Grand Jury rejected the charges...
20
I say again, this is excellent lawyering by McCabe's team. Don't wait - make the DOJ tell you what is going on. If there's no true bill, then say so. There wasn't one six months ago, now it appears there was none yesterday - which makes this action nothing more than malicious prosecution. Are they now going to shop for another Grand Jury? Is the one that Robert Mueller used still available?
248
Oh, come on.... even if someone as dumb as a current cabinet official (I'm not calling out Perry or Carson here) can see that this is a politically fueled vendetta and aside from the personal pique of the current occupant of the white house, they have not got a case.
107
When will this nightmare end? AG Barr is a disgrace to the legal profession. Justice is blindfolded for a reason but like all things associated with Trump, he prefers third-rate. The malignant narcissist in chief and his henchman are desperately trying to undermine the rule of law and common decency. The grand jury it seems, refused to let them.
McCabe did his job.
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@Ambimom It was pretty telling that Barr stated in an interview that he was at the end of his career. This was part of his answer to a question that asked about the seemingly unethical moves he has made.
Translation: "I'm at the end of my career, so I don't care if I ruin what is left by acting like a complete political hack."
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@Ambimom Yes, and in comparison to Barr, even Jeff Sessions was a "fairly reasonable" AG, with at least some small little speck of decency left in him. He recused himself from the Russia investigation--and rightly so--which Trump could not forgive him for. Barr would never recuse himself for anything--he is perhaps the most disgusting, boot-licking toady I have ever seen....
2
@Ambimom Yes, and in comparison to Barr, even Jeff Sessions was a "fairly reasonable" AG, with at least some small little speck of decency left in him. He recused himself from the investigation--and rightly so--which Trump could not forgive him for. Barr would never recuse himself for anything--he is perhaps the most disgusting, boot-licking toady I have ever seen....
Trump pays off a hooker. He is co-conspirator and yet he is immune from charges-while President. Lets see if they go after Trump after his butt is kick out of office.
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@Den
Even if Stormy is telling the truth - and that is one very big IF - it is not a crime to pay her to keep her mouth shut.
4
@99percent
But the size of the payoff and its intended purpose to prevent her from damaging the campaign make it an unreported in-kind campaign contribution - and that is a no-no of the criminal kind.
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@99percent
It is if the hush money was for political gain.
23
When a grand jury rejects a prosecutor’s proposed charge it is a harbinger of things to come if a later grand jury indicts on essentially the same evidence. If a prosecutor cannot convince a mere majority of grand jurors, operating on a probable cause standard, that a charge is warranted, the prospects of a conviction before a unanimous petit jury, pursuant to a proof beyond a reasonable doubt standard, is more remote than in most federal criminal cases.
110
And the DOJ knows it. Hence, the purpose here, evidently, is harassment not justice. It’s appalling.
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I realize that we have to have a scandal of the day, but recognize that much information has come to light since the initial grand jury was seated. The Inspector General was forced to delay his report because people were coming out of the walls to tattle. I regret that few of you will be willing or able to comprehend this.
11
@Susan
"I regret that few of you will be willing or able to comprehend this."
Oh, the rest of us comprehend...and read the article. If all these people were coming out of the walls to tattle, then most of it must have been "fake" information since the Grand Jury was recalled on Thursday and so far we see no indictment.
19
@Susan
Except the grand jury was recalled and likely presented any new evidence. If after that they did not return and indictment, the case must be very weak.
24
McCabe should save his money. He may as well throw it in a trash can and set fire to it. Does he and his layers seriously think they will get a fair deal from the Justice Department as long as Trump's lackey is in charge?
30
Ultimately, it’s not up to the justice department and will be for the courts to decide.
6
@Andy unfortunately Trump has been stacking the courts with "his people" so I believe unless McCabe is lucky to be heard by a non biased judge, he will go down.
Welcome to the beginning of the show trials.
94
Hopefully, the grand jury declined to indict McCabe.
He has a right to know that in a timely manner.
McCabe has been treated shamefully.
I want whoever defeats Trump in 2020 to reverse everything that has happened to McCabe at the hands of Trump, including restoring his pension.
568
@S Butler
I want someone with the power to hold Trump accountable...to do it! Pelosi has that power, yet she treads water as the nation burns.
31
@Ex-Conservative. I'm with you on that one.
Impeach Trump NOW!
He's committed HUNDREDS of impeachable offenses.
The House of Representatives should put forward a separate article of impeachment for every one of them.
Hundreds of articles of impeachment.
The kitchen sink.
Everything that will stick if you throw it up against the wall.
No mercy.
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@Ex-Conservative
What about Mitch?
21
The first law of any bureaucrat is: Protect the Bureaucracy.
12
Trump is a crook, and this is clearly selective prosecution by that crook. It's a disgrace to this great nation that a buffoon in the White House can cause such damage.
126
@Atlanta
No surprise though. Trump has used the justice system and courts for decades as a weapon against anyone and everyone who has ever sleighted him in any way.
He tries to litigate his way out of every single sin of his.. and giving him such tight control over the Justice Department is a crime of epic proportions that nobody appears to want to do anything about.
7
@Atlanta
The Republican Party are crooks, and this is clearly selective prosecution by those crooks. It's a disgrace to this great nation that the buffoons in the Republican Party can cause such damage.
I paraphrase.
1
This whole situation is a sham, pure and simple. It is a vendetta that is being carried out by the Department of Justice and Attorney general Barr in particular on behalf of President Trump. Mr. McCabe is the individual who began the investigation of Trump. There are more than 54 tweets by Trump calling him the most vile names including accusing him of treason which is ridiculous. This whole thing needs to go away and this president needs to be go from office before he does additional damage to our democracy.
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@daytona4
It is yet more obstruction of justice.
The entire U.S. Intelligence Community said that Russia had hacked or actual election systems, not just the DNC or "a couple of Facebook ads"
So Trump said I believe Putin and spent the next two years calling the entire U.S. Intelligence Community "treasonous"'with no credible evidence, and is now demanding prosecutions based I no credible evidence.
No one has been able to explain to me how defending our attackers and attacking our defenders is not treason.
The best Trump's lackys can come up with is that he was miffed that Russian interference calls his legitimacy into question.
It is not the job of the President to attack Our Intelligence Community because he is miffed. Even their story is an abuse of power.
If Russian troops were speeding across Canada, I have no confidence Trump would do anything other than yell "No collusion, no collusion." He would probably order the US military to stand down
1
While prosecutors with integrity have simply walked away from this disgusting effort to indict Mr. McCabe, Bill Barr has already proven he is nothing more than Trump's lapdog.
My guess, he will have no qualms over indicting someone whose misconduct clearly does not belong in the criminal arena.
91
The Inspector General laid it out clearly, with substantive evidence.
McCabe will see a trial, and likely, a conviction.
11
@Objectivist substantive evidence? Reality and a grand jury say otherwise.
69
Please show us where the IG’s report recommended criminal charges.
28
@Objectivist
Did I miss something? I have not heard or seen any evidence of wrongdoing, only charges?
24
In the highly conflicted and partisan US DOJ, where the Attorney General appears to be the handmaiden of The President, who essentially fired McCabe, and deprived him and his family of his pension, how can we trust the DOJ? To unbiased observers it smacks of bias and retaliation.
266
Everyone should be held accountable. Let the sunlight disinfect all. No exceptions.
22
I agree. Barr should be indicted, tried, and found guilty of malicious prosecution.
34
This is positively a political persecution. It stinks from the head down and from the inside out. It will mark the end of us, should any judge, no matter their partisanship, let this case move forward.
135
His behavior was highly unusual.
8
@Ken Goodman
Who - Trumpy? Barr?
3
@Ken Goodman Last I heard, "highly unusual" behavior is not a criminal offense.
7
Trump's blantant political persecution is a disgrace. Everyone sees it for what it is - political vendetta. Trump poisons everything he touches such as truth, the rule of law, honor and ethics. 2020 Dump Trump and all his toadies.
147
"Trumped" up charges.
104
McCabe has more integrity in his little finger than 100 Trumps and Barrs put together.
A true patriot vs. grifters in it for the power and money.
234
I find it disgraceful that trump is trying to use the justice department as a political assault rifle equivalent to attack people he doesn’t like.
As if it wasn’t bad enough to act in a manner that deprived McCabe of his pension.
When will the attorney general stop acting like trump’s personal defense attorney and start doing his job?
He has violated his oath of office, likely lied to congress, and should be (pardon the pun) disbarred.
The trump administration is a combination of a three ring circus, a zoo, and an insane asylum.
Just a moment ago, trump was on camera saying he has great choices for a national security advisor, and that it is an easy job to work with him. Why? Because he makes all the decisions.
A recipe for disaster.
285
@Steve Ell
If Trump wins in 2020 who is left to be in the administration?
12
@Steve Ell
You ask, "When will the attorney general stop acting like trump’s personal defense attorney and start doing his job?"
Answer: He won't. Barr is as shameless, amoral, and corrupt as the man he serves, as is Moscow Mitch and every other Republican.
10
@Steve Ell
When will the attorney general stop acting like trump’s personal defense attorney and start doing his job?
When he is no longer Attorney General.
1
Unfortunately, in the Federal system a prosecutor can simply go back to a second (or more) grand jury until they indict.
In New York State they require judicial permission for only one additional try.
54
@John Graybeard It would appear that in this case, it is the prosecutors themselves that think the case in so weak as to be untenable. So why are they foot dragging? Bill Barr and the politicalization (corruption) of the Justice Department.
181
@Fultonmr
Several prosecutors have already quit the case because it is too obviously politically motivated
78
@John Graybeard If it's that hard to get an indictment what are the chances of a conviction?
35