Nation

Sen. Rand Paul grills FBI Director Wray over botched Russia investigation

Published

1 year ago

September 21, 2021

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”652249″ player=”23886″ title=”Lou%20Dobbs%20The%20Historic%20Trump%20Doctrine” duration=”1615″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2020-10-02″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/18168/thumb/652249_t_1601652278.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/18168/sd/652249.mp4″]

After reports that Hilary Clinton’s former lawyer Michael Sussman was indicted for fabricating a national security threat, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) looked for someone to blame. In a hearing Tuesday, Paul blamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray for using unconstitutional methods in the Durham probe. The Kentucky Senator aimed all his questions during the Senate Homeland Security Committee to Director Wray.

“When we investigate a presidential campaign,” Paul began, “I think it’s important that we realize the potential for bias that exists in the people bringing an investigation forward.”

As a result of the Durham report being brought to the FISA courts, the investigation was able to bypass constitutional procedure. The U.S. Foreign Surveillance Court does not require the Constitution’s fourth amendment application. In other words, the court does not demand for any probable cause of a crime.

“And I think that’s what happened during the investigation that turned out to be untrue of the Russian collusion,” Paul said. “So we had a massive investigation of a presidential campaign. I don’t think enough of us have stepped back to say ‘my goodness should we be using FISA warrants? Should we be using that type of warrant on an American?'” After all, Americans are entitled to their fourth amendment rights.

“What that inspector general report describes by certain FBI personnel I consider to be unacceptable and unrepresentative of the FBI that I see every day,” Wray said. While he worked for the bureau for four years after Sept. 11, he took a break to work in the private sector. then, he joined the bureau again in 2017. Wray went on to say that he believes another botched investigation “could never happen again.” However, he put in over 40 corrective measures to ensure that it won’t.

Yet Paul pushed back, saying the FISA court functions on a “much lower standard, much more open to abuse.” In addition, the court isn’t a public court or judges to protect defendants. His solution is to reserve the court for foreigners as he claims it was meant to be. Otherwise, he predicted any U.S. president could be next.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism.

Related Topics:Christopher Wray durham Rand Paul

Israel

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar kicked off House Foreign Affairs Committee

Published

5 days ago

February 2, 2023

Alexander Carter

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was voted off the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday. The action was expected, as Republican members of Congress had criticized Omar’s antisemetic and anti-American rhetoric.

After intense debating on the House floor, the resolution passed with a 218-211 vote. Democrats attempted to pull the race card, accusing Republican House members of racism for removing Omar from the committee.

Omar also accused House Republicans of racism, saying, “I am Muslim, I am an immigrant, and interestingly, from Africa…Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy, or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced?”

“There is this idea that you are a suspect if you are an immigrant or if you are from certain parts of the world or certain skin tone or a muslim.” Omar said during the heated debate. A fiery Alexandria Ocasia Cortez also chimed in shouting, “This is an attack on women of color!”

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, from New York, said she had personally witnessed Omar spew anti-American rhetoric. Malliotakis said, “I have been in that committee room where, the representative, equates Israel and the United States to Hamas and the Taliban. Absolutely unacceptable for a member of that committee.”

A four-page resolution was written for the justification of removing Omar from the house Foreign Affairs Committee. The resolution states that in 2019, Omar suggested that Jewish people were buying U.S. political support when she posted on Twitter, “it’s all about the Benjamins, baby.”

Omar also commented on the September 11th attacks saying, “some people did something.” This type of comment is unacceptable for any representative who is sitting on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lawmakers said.

In the resolution it states that members of this committee should all be held to an “equal standard of conduct due to the international sensitivities and national security concerns under the jurisdiction of this committee.”