NYT: Rosenstein and top F.B.I. officials say GOP pols using oversight privilege to share info w/WH

[bigtree]

Adam Goldman @adamgoldmanNYT
Rosenstein and top F.B.I. officials have come to suspect that some lawmakers were using their oversight authority to gain intelligence about that investigation so that it could be shared with the White House.

Officials at the department believe that the conservatives have now gone too far with document requests related to continuing investigations that the lawmakers clearly do not support, including the inquiry led by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into Russia’s election interference. A former federal law enforcement official familiar with the department’s views said that Mr. Rosenstein and top F.B.I. officials have come to suspect that some lawmakers were using their oversight authority to gain intelligence about that investigation so that it could be shared with the White House.

Mr. Trump’s threat on Wednesday to intervene bolstered those voices and could undermine the Justice Department’s ability to protect some of its most closely held secrets. Lawmakers conducting oversight are usually given summaries of the information, but not the intelligence collected directly from wiretaps and sensitive sources...

“The department recognizes the keen interest that Congress has in the special counsel’s investigation, but, respectfully, we must adhere to the longstanding position of the department that congressional inquiries pertaining to ongoing criminal investigations threaten the integrity of those investigations,” Stephen E. Boyd, an assistant attorney general, wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to The New York Times...

“If we were to just open our doors to allow Congress to come and rummage through the files, that would be a serious infringement on the separation of powers,” Mr. Rosenstein said at an event in Washington. “It might resolve a dispute today, but it would have negative repercussions in the long run, and we have a responsibility to defend the institution.”

read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/us/politics/trump-justice-department-house-republicans.html

[GusBob]

1. Conspiracy!

Great news

[NightWatcher]

7. Prove the crime trump has done then prove any of these congressmen have furthered it...

And they'll be found guilty too.

Several of them have committed acts that furthered the conspiracy.

They're all going down ( in a just World)

[dalton99a]

2. There is no daylight between Trump and the Republicans in Congress

They are his full-fledged partners and accomplices.

[Corgigal]

3. Suspect, eh?

I'm betting they have the proof.

[RandySF]

4. Howard Baker did the same for Nixon.

[Docreed2003]

5. Here's a clue guys...his name is Devin..bring his ass down!!

[True Blue American]

15. Devin was one the Committee

To elect the President!

Why else would he have made the midnight run to the WH? Nunes is guilty as sin!

[Freethinker65]

6. Ya think???

[democrank]

8. I've thought from the beginning that several Republicans

were part of or aware of the collusion/conspiracy/obstruction of justice. There is no other reasonable explanation as to why some Republicans are unwilling to defend their own country against foreign meddling. I believe Russian money ended up in some U.S. campaign coffers.

[tblue37]

18. It is a known fact that some Republican PACs were used to funnel Russian money to

GOP candidates.

[Hortensis]

20. Lol. Devin Nunes' famous "midnight run" to the WH was a clue.

We do know super PACs for various Republican candidates accepted large donations from Russians or former Russians with close ties to the Kremlin. Names and amounts, including around $1M to Mitch McConnell. Money directly to candidates or their campaigns? May be since corruption apparently rots the brain also, and would love to hear about it.

[Scurrilous]

9. K&R

[BobTheSubgenius]

10. In some ways, Congress is worse than even Drumpf!

Drumpf just does Drumpf. He can do nothing else, and no one blames the stingray that killed the Crocodile Hunter - it was just doing stingray stuff.

Congress, however, are consciously getting into bed with this worm and doing unspeakable things to the sheets.

[Stonepounder]

11. It has to be said: Congressional GOP members care more about their graft than they do about the

country. The only word for them is TRAITOR! Russia attacked us via their hacks on our election. The GOP is doing everything they can to cover it up. The Russian attack constitutes an act of war. The GOP is adhering to our enemies rather than upholding their oath of office.

U.S. Constitution:

Article 3, Section 3

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

[ffr]

12. Hey all you in law enforcement who think the GOP is on your side.

They will eat you alive. You can take your U.S. Constitution and cram it up your *ss. The GOP is loyal to two things and two things only: Money & power. DOJ, you ain't got either of those.

Welcome to the nightmare that 2016 created.

[lamp_shade]

13. Kick for visibility.

[byronius]

14. Conservative means Gangster.

[oasis]

16. Well duh!

[duforsure]

17. They're called,

Co-conspirators when indictments are handed out , for obstruction of justice. I think these people will regret what they're involved in doing this, and will pay dearly when both houses flip over to Democrat control.

[kentuck]

19. Could Mueller invite Devin in for a few qeustions?

And put him under oath?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Members of Congress have certain immunity under the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution.

Among other things, a member of Congress is exempted from arrest or interrogation for any "speech or debate" entered into during a legislative session. Congressional immunity is an evidentiary privilege that is applied broadly to evidence or testimony about all acts that occur in the regular course of the legislative process. It therefore applies to activity taken in the course of legislative fact-finding. It depends on what he's questioned about; he wouldn't have to answer questions arising from discussions in the course of legislation or legislative committees. Gravel v. United States, https://casetext.com/case/gravel-v-united-states#p617

[True Blue American]

21. Reminder :)

http://watergate.info/analysis/casualties-and-convictions

[bitterross]

22. Um, Duh.

Seems pretty likely.

[garybeck]

23. OBSTRUCTION. n/t

[triron]

24. Hope Mueller and Rosenstein roast their asses.

[VOX]

25. I smell a particularly foul, unctuous weasel that goes by "Devin Nunes."

That miserable little shit is forever bathed in his own flop sweat. He's the kid who always ran to Dad to tattle, to the point where Dad actually lost respect for the tyke.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Rosenstein should turn over fake documents - disinformation -

and see if they blab them all over Fox News.

[Ligyron]

28. I like the way you think.

I always though that someone should put out a fake income tax return for Trump making him look really bad and quite poor. Maybe then he would have been forced to put out the real thing. But then again, maybe not. Either way, it would have been fun to watch.