Deep State

August 26, 2018 — John Hinderaker

Who Controls the Executive Branch?

Featured image Under the Constitution, the President exercises all executive authority. But we do not live under the government that is described in the Constitution. We live in a society that is dominated by the Fourth Branch of government, the unelected bureaucracy that is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution. And the Fourth Branch is increasingly declaring its independence from the elected officials to whom it ostensibly reports–that is to say, from the »
June 19, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

Strzok escorted from FBI building

Featured image The FBI reportedly escorted Peter Strzok out of its building today. Strzok remains an FBI employee, pending the outcome of a disciplinary review. That’s as it should be. Strzok shouldn’t be fired without due process. However, I’m not sure why it took so long to kick him out of the building. His email messages, on their face, should have been sufficient to have him placed him on administrative leave (or »
June 17, 2018 — Steven Hayward

Five Ways to Look at the IG Report

Featured image Concerning the Inspector General’s report about the FBI’s conduct of the Hillary email investigation, let’s take a step back from the details and offer a few observations on the wider scene. 1. We may have abolished monarchy in America way back in 1776, but it seems we haven’t quite rid ourselves of royal prerogative. Then-FBI director James Comey took it upon himself to decide not to apply consistent procedure in conducting »
May 30, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

Trey Gowdy’s defense of the FBI in “spygate”

Featured image In an interview on CBS, Rep. Trey Gowdy poured cold water on claims that the FBI behaved improperly towards the Trump campaign in 2016. Gowdy, who attended a classified briefing last week about the use of an FBI informant to gather information from individuals in the Trump campaign, said: I think the FBI, if they were at the table this morning, they would tell you that Russia was the target »
May 27, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

Michael Hayden calls BS on James Clapper

Featured image Former CIA Director Michael Hayden can’t stand President Trump. Lots of good people can’t. But Hayden is intellectually honest enough to reject James Clapper’s claim that there’s “no doubt” Russian meddling swung the election in favor of Trump. Hayden says it’s “unknowable” whether the Russians influenced the election to that extent. He also criticized Clapper for making his claim. “We should stop talking about it,” Hayden admonished. “Donald Trump is »
May 24, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

James Clapper deceives again

Featured image In his new book, James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, says “of course” Russian activity swung the election to Donald Trump. The left is treating this speculation, almost certainly driven by animus towards President Trump, as immensely important. For example, Rachel Maddow said, ahead of her interview with Clapper: “The immediate past director of national intelligence, who was director of national intelligence during the Russian attack on the »
May 22, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

More evidence of deep state collaboration with CNN on the Steele dossier

Featured image I believe most Power Line readers know the story of how the infamous anti-Trump dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, and in particular its most salacious contents, found its way into the mainstream media. To recap, CNN had the dossier in late 2016 and was looking for an excuse (a hook) to report on its most salacious contents, even though they had not been verified. On January 6, James Comey briefed »
May 20, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

Perspectives on an “outing”

Featured image Glenn Greenwald, a leftist, offers his perspective on the man the FBI selected to spy on the Trump campaign and on the brouhaha surrounding his “outing.” First, Greenwald says that this man, now a professor, was responsible for spying on the Carter administration on behalf of Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1980. He did this, by running a scheme whereby CIA operatives passed classified information about Carter’s foreign policy to »
May 20, 2018 — John Hinderaker

President Trump Takes Charge [Updated]

Featured image An hour or two ago, President Trump announced that he is ordering the Department of Justice to investigate the FBI/CIA cabal against him: I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration! — »
April 27, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff

James Clapper: Leaker, Liar & Sleazeball

Featured image Neither of the two Obama-era intelligence chiefs turned Trump resisters — John Brennan nor James Clapper — is anyone’s idea of a luminary. Of the two, though, Clapper seems the more intelligent, the more clever, and thus the more dangerous. Sean Davis’ report, cited by Scott earlier today, that Clapper leaked the anti-Trump dossier to CNN and then lied about it demonstrates the point. Clapper testified before the House Intelligence »