Timeline: The Sabotage Of The Clinton Foundation Investigation
Authored by Techno Fog via The Reactionary,
This week, Senator Chuck Grassley released Department of Justice and FBI records that provide a new look on how FBI and DOJ leadership sabotaged the investigation into the Clinton Foundation.
These records, which include internal emails, summaries of high-level meetings and calls, and intelligence from confidential human sources, reveal the Clinton Foundation investigation was sabotaged from the start.
During the Obama Administration, both DOJ and FBI leadership were openly hostile to the investigation. US Attorneys declined to cooperate, denying requests for subpoenas or other investigative support. And during the first Trump Administration, actors within the FBI and DOJ obstructed and delayed the development of the investigation by not approving the release of FBI materials and slowing the release of witness interviews to investigators. A frustrating tale of corruption and incompetence.
Relying on these new documents, as well as other public source materials and Special Counsel John Durham’s report, here is the comprehensive timeline of the Clinton Foundation investigation, as well as other parts of the overall Clinton corruption investigation that are relevant. It is an infuriating tale of corruption and incompetence from the highest levels of government which ultimately protected the Clinton’s schemes to trade on their political influence for millions of dollars.
Let’s get into it.
2010: Predication to investigate the Clinton Foundation is established. A call between Sant Singh Chatwal and foreign donors about giving to Hillary Clinton is monitored by the FBI. Chatwal is a wealthy NYC magnate and longtime friend of the Clintons. He served on the Clinton Foundation board and was a Clinton Foundation donor, as well as a Democratic fundraiser.
2014: “Beginning in late 2014, before Clinton formally declared her presidential candidacy, the FBI learned from a well-placed CHS that a foreign government was planning to send an individual to contribute to Clinton’s anticipated presidential campaign, as a way to gain influence with Clinton should she win the presidency.”
An FBI field office sought FISA coverage of the foreign person who would contribute to Hillary’s campaign. They sought expedited approval of the FISA application from FBI headquarters, who let the application linger “for approximately four months” because FBI headquarters was “scared with the big name Clinton involved”, as she may be the next President.
The FISA was approved on the condition that Clinton and her campaign be given a defensive briefing. The logic behind the defensive briefing was that “the investigation might interfere with a presumed future presidential campaign.” In other words, they didn’t want to spoil Hillary’s chances.
2015: Through a CHS, the FBI learns of another foreign government seeking to influence the Hillary Clinton campaign. The foreign government’s plan is to set up a meeting with Clinton to propose campaign contributions in exchange for the protection of the foreign government’s interests should Clinton become president.
The FBI learns that this CHS – a foreign national – made a $2,700 campaign contribution through another party, in violation of federal law. The FBI further learned through the CHS that the Clinton campaign was “aware” of the contribution and “okay” with it. Yet the FBI does not document the illegal contribution in its records and the handling agent instructed the CHS to “stay away from all events relating to Clinton’s campaign.”
2015: The FBI’s Washington Field Office takes notice of corruption by the Clinton Foundation, which was thoroughly documented by Peter Schweizer’s “Clinton Cash.” They hold a meeting with the DOJ to discuss the potential for an investigation.
January 2016: The New York FBI field office and the Washington FBI Field Office open preliminary investigations into the Clinton Foundation. The Little Rock Field Office opens a full field investigation.
The Little Rock and New York FBI field office investigations “included predication based on source reporting that identified foreign governments that had made, or offered to make, contributions to the Foundation in exchange for favorable or preferential treatment from Clinton.”
January 2016: FBI leadership told the field offices to “not take any investigative steps until the matter was discussed with DOJ.”
January 22, 2016: The FBI New York field office submits case opening regarding Clinton Foundation and Clinton/Giustra Enterprise Partnership.
January 27, 2016: FBI little Rock requests full investigation regarding the Clinton Foundation and Giustra Enterprise Partnership; Uranium One; Frank Giustra; and Ian Telfer.
January 29, 2016: The FBI Washington Field Office makes a request to Main Justice to open a preliminary investigation on the Clinton Foundation. The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Public Integrity Section (PIN) and the DOJ “support the initiation of a preliminary investigation.”
February 1, 2016: Andrew McCabe is appointed FBI Deputy Director.
February 2016:
The Washington Field Office briefs the DOJ, who “indicated they would not be supportive of an FBI investigation.” Records indicate that the DOJ implied the investigation was only “based on open source reporting and fishing through a book,” though the truth was that the FBI had Suspicious Activity Reporting and their own investigative work at the time.
The DOJ’s reaction to the briefing was “hostile.”
The three FBI field offices – New York, Washington DC, and Little Rock – are informed that investigative steps would require approval of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. They are further instructed “not to open or recruit any new confidential human sources, and no additional overt investigative steps were authorized.”
Discussing the Clinton Foundation investigation, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates tells the Eastern District of Arkansas to “shut it down.”
February 17, 2016: McCabe was informed of a New York confidential human source who had possible information on the Clinton Foundation. McCabe directed that “no overt investigative steps” be taken on the Clinton Foundation investigation without his approval.
February 22, 2016: Deputy Director McCabe chairs an FBI headquarters meeting to discuss the Clinton Foundation investigations. McCabe initially directed the field offices to close their cases, but agreed to reconsider after the offices voiced their objections. McCabe was visibly “annoyed” and “negative” and “angry” at the meeting, asking “why are we even doing this?” McCabe then instructed that his approval was required for any overt steps.
February 24, 2016: Lisa Page and Peter Strzok exchange these emails regarding the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server while she was Secretary of State:
Page: One more thing: [Clinton] may be our next president. The last thing you need [is] going in there loaded for bear. You think she’s going to remember or care that it was more doj than fbi?
Strzok: Agreed . . .
March 2016: The Eastern District of New York is given permission by the DOJ to meet with a cooperating witness “to review transcripts of the recording between the cooperating witness and an individual associated with the Clinton Foundation.”
May 2016: The New York field office receives a call from FBI headquarters on behalf of Director Comey, instructing them to “cease and desist” from the Clinton Foundation investigation.
June 7, 2016: Hillary Clinton clinches the Democratic presidential nomination.
July 2016: Deputy Director McCabe tells the Eastern District of Arkansas to “shut it down.” A collateral investigation into the Clinton Foundation is “walled off” at the instructions of McCabe.
July 20, 2016: FBI emails document FBI leadership’s instructions to hold off on the Clinton Foundation investigation:
“Don’t subpoena additional records related to the Foundation, the Clintons…”
“Don’t conduct any interviews related to the Foundation or the Clintons.”
“We don’t want to create any impression we are investigating the Clinton Foundation or the Clintons”
August 1, 2016: The FBI makes the decision to consolidate the Clinton Foundation investigation into the New York Field Office due to its existing confidential human source and because “the majority of Clinton Foundation operations were based out of New York City.” At this time, the “FBI NYO was advised no overt investigation action was to take place unless authorized by Deputy Director McCabe.”
August 2016: The Eastern District of New York informs the FBI New York Field Office that it “would not support the investigation.” The New York Field Office reaches out to the Southern District of New York, which states “more than likely the decision will be not to proceed.” At this time, New York FBI agents had requested subpoenas for financial documents from several financial institutions.
August 25, 2016: FBI New York conducts interviews (number unknown) for a corruption probe related to Haiti. The subjects included Anthony Rodham (Hillary’s brother), Cheryl Mills (high level Hillary advisor), and the Clinton Foundation.
September 1, 2016: McCabe informs the Eastern District of New York (to whom the financial subpoenas had been requested) that there be “no overt action” on the Clinton Foundation investigation.
October 23, 2016: The Wall Street Journal breaks a story concerning donations from Terry McCauliffe-affiliated political action committees to the Virginia state senate campaign of Andrew McCabe’s wife.
October 25, 2016: There is a top-level FBI discussion which included McCabe where it is agreed that no subpoenas will be issued concerning the Clinton Foundation until after the election.
October 28, 2016: Director Comey informs Congress that the FBI discovered additional Clinton-related emails in the Weiner investigation. Also in the fall of 2016, FBI headquarters will refuse to allow Clinton Foundation investigators to review these emails or coordinate with the Midyear Investigation (the Hillary Clinton email investigation).
November 1, 2016: McCabe sends an email recusing himself from the Clinton Foundation investigation.
November 8, 2016: Donald Trump is elected President.
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