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Merkels latest leading lame duck12/31/2023 Earlier this year, disclosures contradicted Biden’s denials that he knew of or was involved in the investigation of figures like Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn the disclosures indicated Biden may have sought to “unmask” Flynn in surveillance reports. There is ample reason why a Biden administration would want to see Durham’s investigation closed. He also is known to have been working with a grand jury as part of his investigation. There have been rumors for months that Durham found material not disclosed by special counsel Mueller or the Justice Department’s inspector general in their prior investigations. Attorney John Durham’s investigation made headlines with the criminal plea of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who lied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court in order to continue surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser. If prosecutors are concerned about such an intervention, they may have to act in the next two months.īefore going dark in October, U.S. In a Senate hearing this week on the Russia investigation, Democratic senators - including Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., considered a short-lister to be the next attorney general - denounced the continued investigations before the arrival of the incoming Biden Justice Department. Attorney John Durham as “tainted” and “political.” On the campaign trail, Biden dismissed the “investigation of the investigators.” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) denounced the ongoing Russia investigation by U.S. In October, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in asking the FBI to resist pressure to investigate Hunter Biden. Indeed, Democrats have denounced the investigation into the discredited Russia collusion case as a political “hit job” and could justify terminating it as a promised “reform.” The obvious concern is that a Biden administration might scuttle or shut down pending investigations. Prosecutors in the Russia and Hunter Biden investigations may now face the opposite pressure - to move more quickly in the Trump administration’s final two months. Months before the election, many Democrats and analysts demanded that the Justice Department refrain from bringing additional indictments or releasing new information connected to either the Russia investigation or the Hunter Biden scandal. Andrew Weissmann, one of special counsel Robert Mueller’s top prosecutors, called on prosecutors not to assist the Justice Department before the election, to prevent damaging disclosures for then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Despite pressure from President Trump, the Justice Department under Attorney General Bill Barr did appear to hold the line before the election under a long-standing policy. This year, however, it may be prosecutors who feel the greatest fight-or-flight pressure. From John Adams’ “midnight judge appointments” to Barack Obama’s last-minute executive orders, presidents often move to cement policies or personnel before the chiming of the constitutional clock. With the election’s conclusion, Washington has entered that precarious period known as the “lame duck.” Unlike real wounded waterfowl, lame-duck presidents tend to be more active in the waning days of their terms. In doing so, they will likely have the support of many members of the media who would be embarrassed by any findings of wrongdoing after insisting that there was nothing to cover and refusing to ask Biden specific questions on the campaign trail on these allegations. The statement was only the latest indication that Democrats are likely to push to end any investigations touching on the Bidens, including statements from individuals known to be under consideration for Attorney General. This is precisely what I raised in my column on the expected effort by some to scuttle the Biden related investigations. Schiff told MSNBC that investigations of a president-elect constitute “tearing down our democracy” and a way to “delegitimize” a president. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff again strongly suggested that such investigations should end with the entry of a Biden Justice Department. Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on the growing pressure on prosecutors during the lame duck period to move forward in their investigations into the Russian investigation or Hunter Biden.
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