Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was fond of saying there are known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
It’s time to review some known knowns about the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath.
The Democrat Party chose to nominate a candidate who was under FBI investigation for committing a federal crime, mishandling of classified information. The major news media chose to accept the candidate’s claim that she was not under criminal investigation but rather undergoing some sort of classified information review.
The FBI director, James Comey, publicly stated the FBI did criminal investigations, not security reviews.
Federal law states explicitly that the act of mishandling classified information is sufficient to complete the offense. The intent of the person mishandling information is of no consequence. In what appears to be an attempt to sway the presidential election for his chosen candidate, President Obama went on national television and told the audience that Hillary Clinton had no intention of harming America, so she could not be guilty of a crime.
The FBI director must have realized at that time what President Obama hoped would be the outcome of his investigation.
It is being charged that the information President Trump revealed to the Russians could expose intelligence operatives in the Mid-East to danger and possibly death. Does no one remember that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta leaked the role of Pakistani physician Shakil Afridi in locating Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan?
On April 28 of this year Afridi marked six years in a Pakistani jail. Did leaked reports that Seal Team 6 killed Osama bin Laden lead to the shooting down of a CH-47 transport helicopter carrying 15 members of Seal Team 6 on Aug. 6, 2011?
When President Trump claims he is being spied on, major media responds that he has no proof. When the New York Times claims there is a James Comey memo that indicates Trump asked Comey to end the investigation into Daniel Flynn, the Times writes, “The New York Times has not viewed a copy of the memo, but one of Mr. Comey’s associates read parts of it to a Times reporter.”
This is what purports to be irrefutable proof to the so-called “Paper of Record.” It should also be noted that Comey testified under oath on May 3 that he had never been told to stop an FBI investigation for political reasons.
As of this date, the only crime committed involving the Trump campaign has been the illegal leaking of Daniel Flynn’s phone conversations. The only documented rigging of elections has been the Democratic National Committee under the direction of Chairman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz undermining Independent Bernie Sanders.
Rube Render is the Curry County Republican chairman. Contact him at: