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Oh, my, my, oh, hell yes Honey, put on that party dress
#DevinNunesCow'sPlop
'Obamagate' backfires: Documents show Biden, Obama acted properly By Marik von Rennenkampff, Opinion Contributor — 05/19/20 01:30 PM EDT
Republicans and right-wing media are in a conspiracy theory-spewing meltdown. In the wake of selective, politically motivated “ leaks” of sensitive documents, conservative pundits are launching an avalanche of baseless attacks against President Trump’s political opponents.
While right-wing media continue to whip their audiences into hysteria over a nefarious Obama-led plot to undermine Trump, the documents — strategically released by Trump’s political lackeys atop the intelligence and law enforcement communities — do absolutely nothing to further such asinine conspiracy theories. In fact, they prove the opposite.
The recently disclosed files show the Obama administration’s diligence and focus in the wake of Russia’s sweepingassault on American democracy. Moreover, contrary to unhinged right-wing conspiracy-mongering, the materials demonstrate Obama’s dedication to upholding the FBI’s independence from improper political influence.
In short, Trump’s election-year ploy to distract the American public with selective leaks of sensitive information backfired. Spectacularly so.
Well-documented exceptions aside, the files also show that the Comey-led FBI deftly steered a sensitive counterintelligence investigation amid nightmarish political circumstances.
The president’s baseless conspiracy theory du jour holds that members of the Obama administration improperly interfered with the FBI’s investigation into Michael Flynn, the first person President Trump fired (for lying to Vice President Pence and the FBI). Conservative pundits also peddle thoroughly unsupported claims that Obama appointees, as part of a vast anti-Trump plot, leaked sensitive information about Flynn’s case to the media.
But the evidence is abundantly clear: Obama — unlike Trump — was adamant about staying out of the FBI’s investigation into Flynn.
Trump’s future acting attorney general remembered then-President Obama saying that he “did not want any additional information” on Flynn’s case. Even more to the point, Obama’s national security adviser noted that Obama was “not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective” regarding the Flynn probe. Instead, Obama told the FBI to proceed “by the book.”
Obama, in essence, kept a wall of separation between the FBI and the presidency — as there should be. And just like that, unhinged conspiracy theories of a nefarious Obama-led, anti-Trump plot melt away.
Obama’s dedication to preserving the bureau’s independence from political influence also begs comparisons to Trump’s shamefully improper demand for “loyalty” from an FBI director. Ditto for the president’s indefensible attempts to obstruct the Flynn investigation.
