To: locogringo who wrote (852563 ) 4/27/2015 11:43:17 AM From: FJB 1 RecommendationRecommended By locogringo
Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1577060 Peter Schweitzer — answering the questions about the lack of direct evidence (or a "smoking gun") — makes an analogy to the way insider trading cases are proved. On Fox News Sunday: I did not have access to internal memos, but... you see this pattern of benefit.... The analogy I would use [is] like insider trading. I wrote a book a couple years ago on members of Congress who were potentially engaged in insider trading. When you talk to prosecutors, they will tell you, most people that engaged in insider trader don't send an e-mail that says, I've got inside information by this stock. The way that give prosecutors, by looking at the pattern behavior, did somebody who has access to the information conduct a series of well-timed stock trades that warrants further investigation? And that's my contention here, that you see a series of actions that enormously beneficial. In some cases, Hillary Clinton is reversing course on policies that she embraced before for the benefit of Clinton donors and I'm saying, this warrants investigation.... if you look at the case of Governor... McDonnell... in Virginia. You look at Senator Menendez in New Jersey, there's no quid pro quo in those cases. They were simply prosecuted, and I think justifiably so, on the grounds that there was this pattern of gift giving... On "This Week" (with George Stephanopoulos) : STEPHANOPOULOS: We've done investigative work here at ABC News, found no proof of any kind of direct action. And an independent government ethics expert, Bill Allison, of the Sunline Foundation (ph), wrote this. He said, "There's no smoking gun, no evidence that she changed the policy based on donations to the foundation." No smoking gun. Is there a smoking gun? SCHWEIZER:Yes. The smoking gun is in the pattern of behavior. And here's the analogy I would give you. It's a little bit like insider trading. I wrote a book on Congressional insider trading a couple of years ago and talked with prosecutors. Most people that engage in criminal insider trading don't send an e-mail that says I've got inside information, buy this stock. The way they look at it, they look at a pattern of stock trades. If the person has access to that information and they do a series of well-timed trades, that warrants investigation. I think the same thing applies here. STEPHANOPOULOS:That -- that is an issue for them, but it's not a criminal -- it's nothing that would warrant a criminal investigation. There was a weird, terrified jitter in Stephanopoulos's voice right then. Posted by Ann Althouse at 6:56 PM April 26, 2015 althouse.blogspot.com