by George Rasley, CHQ Editor
Anyone who thinks the Deep State gave up its attempt to unseat President Trump when the Obama-era FISA abuses were revealed should think again.
Yesterday, NBC News revealed Federal investigators wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation allegedly for a payment he Wiretap Michael Cohenmade to pornographic actress “Stormy Daniels” who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen.
Editor’s update: It now appears the FBI did not wiretape Cohen, rather it was a “pen register” which is often a predicate to a wiretap.
It is not clear how long the wiretap has been authorized, but NBC News reported it was in place in the weeks leading up to the raids on Cohen’s offices, hotel room, and home in early April, according to one person with direct knowledge.
At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person told NBC News.
Previously, federal prosecutors in New York have said in court filings that they have conducted covert searches on multiple e-mail accounts maintained by Cohen.
The president reportedly called Cohen to check in after the raid. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s newest personal lawyer, learned of the call days later and warned Trump not to call Cohen again because he feared he could be under surveillance, according to two sources who spoke to NBC.
Giuliani reacted angrily to the new report during an interview with The Washington Post.
“It’s not appropriate,” he said. “I mean, he’s a lawyer. You mean, I call up my lawyer and the government is wiretapping him? That’s pretty damn — I mean, they’ve already eviscerated the attorney-client privilege. This would make a mockery of it.”
Naturally, official spokespeople for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in New York declined comment, nor is it clear what crime Cohen is alleged to have committed, but the leaking intended to damage Trump will no doubt continue.
Keep in mind this wire tap was sought, and approved AFTER, the FISA abuses were documented by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and after the Committee found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
Also keep in mind all of this comes as, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the person who is supposed to be overseeing the Special Counsel, and everything else related to the phony Russia collusion investigation, is arrogantly defying Congress and stymieing its oversight committees sparking talk of impeachment.
Rosenstein dismissed the impeachment talk and went a step further by suggesting the Justice Department’s independence is being threatened reported The Hill’s Olivia Beavers and Morgan Chalfant.
“There have been people who have been making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time, and I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted,” Rosenstein said during an appearance at the Newseum.
Mark Penn, who served as President Bill Clinton’s pollster, including during his impeachment, posted an op-ed in The Hill which nailed Rosenstein’s central role in this coup and the Deep State’s attempts to shield its machinations from congressional investigators.
Wrote Mr. Penn:
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s reaction to reports of possible impeachment for failing to respond to congressional subpoenas was to proclaim that the Justice Department “will not be extorted.”
I suppose he meant to say, “Only we here at the Justice Department do the extorting, with special counsels, daylight raids of people’s attorneys, bankrupting people with legal fees, threats to prosecute family members, and questionable wiretapping of Americans.” As the proposed questions for President Trump from special counsel Robert Mueller imply, just the act of the president raising issues or even having negative thoughts about the appropriateness of actions by Rosenstein, fired FBI director James Comey or Mueller can be investigated as possible obstruction of justice…
This government within the government has now crossed a line that is unacceptable. By gaining the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Rosenstein stepped into the shoes of the attorney general, even though he was not appointed to that role by the president.
Now he believes he is above the law despite the myriad of conflicts he has ignored to authorize these unlimited investigations of the administration he supposedly serves. Remember, Rod Rosenstein provided the memo supporting the firing of Comey and then turned around and installed Mueller, a friend of Comey’s, as special counsel, right after trying to get Mueller the position of head of the FBI…
It was also Rosenstein that allowed the raid on Cohen’s office, a measure that was sure to draw huge publicity and, thus, be a tactic that itself goes against the idea of at least trying to keep investigations of people secret so as not to ruin the lives of innocent people before they have had their day in court. In the process, it took an investigation that was supposed to be about national security and state secrets and turned it into the same kind of circus we had in 1998 with the investigation and impeachment of President Clinton.
Mr. Penn went on say:
…the potential case related to the Democrats in which millions of dollars paid to a law firm were funneled to an opposition research firm, Fusion GPS, is far more clear cut. It used donor, not personal funds, it was falsely reported during the campaign and the ultimate recipient was not disclosed. Yet, no sirens are blaring. And by the way, exactly who is paying for Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, and the continued work of Fusion GPS? Might that be donor money not being reported?
It’s the double standard led by the team at the top that is undermining the rule of law. Either these are both administrative matters to be handled by the Federal Election Commission or they are both criminal investigations with raids on law firms, but we can’t have the lawyers of one party raided and the lawyers of the other party laughing out loud.
It’s not just a double standard – it is a well thought out, well planned coup against the executive and legislative branches of government, being perpetrated by unelected operatives of the Deep State.
Rosenstein’s claim that the Department of Justice is “independent” shows his utter contempt for constitutional principles. It is time for Congress to act to impeach Rod Rosenstein and expose, through the impeachment process, the extent of and participants in this coup.
Mark Penn is right, this government within the government has now crossed a line that is unacceptable. Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus has drafted eight articles of impeachment against Deputy Rosenstein. The articles make a series of charges against Rosenstein and question his credibility, reputation and fitness to serve, and we agree with all of them. We urge CHQ readers and friends to call Rep. Meadows the toll-free Capitol Switchboard is (1-866-220-0044) to tell him it is time to proceed with filing the articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.
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George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie’s ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for Rep. Mac Thornberry now-Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee
