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POLITICS
Danchenko Ducks Durham
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Last week a jury acquitted Igor Danchenko on federal charges of lying to the FBI. Special counsel John Durham personally tried the case against Danchenko, and he laid out ways the FBI allegedly mishandled the Russian collusion investigation.
Reporting from the Left: Durham loses again in court, but trial airs FBI flaws (POLITICO)
Reporting from the Right: Primary source of Steele dossier acquitted on charges of lying to the FBI in major defeat for Durham (Washington Times)
From The Flag: Claims submitted by Danchenko, a Russian analyst, to ex-British spy Christopher Steele formed the basis of the so-called dossier that led to Special Counsel Robert Muellerās investigation of Russian interference. Meuller eventually determined there was no collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia. In the past, we covered the origins of the Trump and Russia narrative, as well as controversies involving the FBI. Hereās more from both sides.
RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Despite Acquittal, the Sleazy, Corrupt Origins of āRussiagateā Are Now Clear
While itās true that Danchenko was acquitted, the trial showed the FBI and former director James Comey are directly to blame for the āRussiagateā hoax.
The trial laid bare that the FBI decided to proceed with its investigation of Trump despite it being based on hearsay rather than any hard evidence.
Despite media coverage celebrating this as a ādefeatā for Durham, he accomplished his goal of exposing the FBI and special counsel Robert Muellerās investigation.
āDanchenko is acquitted, but Comey and the FBI are guilty of perpetrating the Russia hoaxā Gregg Jarrett, Fox News Opinion: āIgor Danchenko was acquittedā¦ another setback for special counsel John Durham, but the verdict comes as no surprise. The case was tried in Alexandria, Virginia where 80% of residents voted Democrat in the last presidential election. In a politically charged case involving names like Trump and Clinton, it was always an uphill battle for Durhamā¦ In reality, the crooked FBI was in the dock throughout the weeklong trial, exposed for its years of shameful lies, shocking corruption, and devious cover-ups. It was former Director James Comey and his sleazy confederates who colluded with the Hillary Clinton campaign to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia. They framed him for alleged crimes he never committed. The genesis of the lies came from Hillary herself, according to declassified documents. In the run-up to 2016 presidential election, she personally approved a plan to defame her political opponent as a clandestine Russian mole.ā
āJohn Durham Puts the FBI on Trialā Kimberley Strassel, Wall Street Journal Opinion: āMr. Durham has used this trial to put the FBI in the hot seatā¦ and really tell a story of incompetence or political bias. You can take your pick. Maybe a bit of both. But what we have now foundā¦ the FBI by October of 2016 had sat down with Christopher Steele, the official author of this dossier, had offered him a million dollars to be able to try to confirm or legitimize anything in his dossier. He was unable to do that. By January, they'd sat down with Danchenko, who was the primary source for Mr. Steele for most of this dossier. He told them that Mr. Steele had misstated or exaggerated a lot of what he provided, that a lot of it was gossip and hearsay, and that he could not confirm anything that was in it. Yet the FBI, as I mentioned, moved forward on the basis of this.ā
One more opinion piece from the Right: Durhamās In-Your-Face Danchenko Gambit Jack Cashill, American Thinker
LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Durhamās Failure Now Complete, the āDeep Stateā Narrative Goes Bust
For years right-leaning pundits have asserted Durham would uncover a ādeep stateā conspiracy against Trump, but heās failed to do so.
Durhamās performance throughout the trial was subpar, and heās cemented himself as the worst special counsel since Ken Starr.
Both Durham and former AG William Barr have tarnished their reputation throughout the special counsel investigation.
āAcquittal of Russia Analyst Deals Final Blow to Trump-Era Prosecutorā Charlie Savage and Linda Qiu, New York Times: āThe verdict was a final blow to the politically charged criminal investigation by John H. Durham, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr three years ago to scour the FBIās inquiry into the Trump campaignās ties to Russia for any wrongdoing. Mr. Trump and his supporters had long insisted the Durham inquiry would prove a ādeep stateā conspiracy against him, but despite pursuing various such claims, Mr. Durham never charged any high-level government officials. Instead he developed two cases centered on the narrow charge of making false statements in outside efforts to scrutinize purported links between Mr. Trump and Russia. He crammed the indictments with extraneous material and insinuations that he thought Democrats had sought to frame Mr. Trump for collusion with Russia, though he did not charge any such conspiracy.ā
āThe Durham Debacle Another embarrassing defeat for the worst independent prosecutor since Ken Starr.ā Ankush Khardori, New York Magazine: āWhen we last saw Durhamās team in court, they had lost a trial in the spring against a former lawyer for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, but commentators in conservative media came up with a variety of excuses to explain thisā¦ the presiding judge was an Obama appointeeā¦ the District of Columbia, where the case was tried, is almost entirely comprised of Democratic voters. Neither of these things applied in the Danchenko case: ā¦the judge was a George W. Bush appointee, and the Northern Virginia area is much more politically diverse. ā¦ Durham tried the case himself, and his performance sounded bizarre, if not downright bad. He attacked his own witnessesā¦ (and) seemed consumed with the relationship between the dossier and the opening of the Trump-Russia investigation and at one point said during his rebuttal closing argument that there was āno collusionā between the Trump campaign and Russia.ā
One more opinion piece from the Left: John Durham probe failure belongs to Barr ā and Trump Dennis Aftergut, NBC News Opinion
FLAG THIS
Canāt Quit the Russia Narrative, and Losing Trust in Media
Polling data indicates allegations concerning former President Trumpās campaign colluding with Russia have stuck. In 2019, after special Counsel Robert Mueller released his reportās findings, 48% of respondents said they believed there had been collusion between the campaign and Russia (Reuters/Ipsos).
Late last year when Danchenko was charged, a piece featured by the Heritage Foundation linked Americansā distrust of news reports to the Russian collusion story. The article noted just 36% of Americans have trust in the media (Gallup).
Did Danchenkoās acquittal change how you feel about the Russian collusion story? |
FLAG FINDS
Investor Info, Country Cutting Board, Frosty & Frozen Pints
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Live at the Apollo, Guardian Emus, Sunlight on Pluto
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On October 24, 1962, rock and roll musician James Brown took a major step toward his eventual crossover and conquest of the mainstream with an electrifying performance on Black Americaās most famous stageāa performance recorded and later released as Live at the Apollo (1963), the first breakthrough album of his career.
ABC News Australia: Guardian emus eat locusts, kill foxes on Portland raspberry farm ā and make cuddly pets
Slate: What Would Happen if All Matter on the Earth Was Replaced by Blueberries?
Harvard Business Review: Stop Doing Low-Value Work
Today I Learned sunlight in Pluto is still bright enough that you could read a book on the surface.
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