Turley On A Roll Today

So far today is a bit slow—after some excitement over the weekend. Jonathan Turley hasn’t missed a beat however. He’s pushed out two very good Russia Hoax related articles today. There’s no “actionable intelligence” in the articles, but for Russia Hoax aficionados there’s a lot of nice background information as well as some takedowns of people who richly deserve it. I’ll simply provide the links to the articles and the tweets that summarize them as an incentive to read them.

The first article is a takedown of disgraced former FBI official Peter Strzok’s latest pathetic and absurd attempt to nip at John Durham’s ankles. Turley demolishes Strzok—easily done—but also goes after the biased media:

Strzok in Denial: Fired FBI Agent Denounces Durham Indictments For “Dog Whistles”

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

Strzok was fired at the recommendation of career investigators and has been cited as an example of the raw bias of key players in the Russian investigation. Yet, he was the choice of MSNBC to review the recent indictments ...

jonathanturley.orgStrzok in Denial: Fired FBI Agent Denounces Durham Indictments For “Dog Whistles”The indictments of John Durham has shaken up Washington recently as he laid out the critical role played by Clinton campaign associates in the creation of the Russian collusion scandal, including t…

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

...Here is my favorite line: "The indictment makes a point to note that the FBI was unable to corroborate Steele's reporting, but at the same time, it neglects to mention that we weren't able to disprove it either."  No line better sums up Strzok's approach to his work.

The second article takes a look at the role of the Brookings Institution in the Russia Hoax, and especially with regard to the Clinton Dossier. Very useful as a reminder as to some of the players who have usually remained at the periphery of inquiry into the hoax:

Six Degrees From Brookings: How a Liberal Think Tank Keeps Coming Up in the Russian Collusion Investigation

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

Brookings appears so often in accounts related to the Russian collusion scandal that it could be Washington’s alternative to the Kevin Bacon parlor game. It appears that many of these figures are within six degrees of Brookings.

jonathanturley.orgSix Degrees From Brookings: How a Liberal Think Tank Keeps Coming Up in the Russian Collusion InvestigationThe latest indictment by Special Counsel John Durham has created a stir in Washington as the investigation into the Russian collusion scandal exposed new connections to the Clinton campaign. The i…

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley

...Notably, on Sept. 9, 2015, Hillary Clinton appeared at Brookings and stressed there are “a lot of long-time friends and colleagues who perch here at Brookings.” The question is whether that perch will become increasing precarious as Durham continues his investigation.

Perhaps most substantively, Turley notes:

Steele also testified in London that his friend and then Brookings President Strobe Talbott was involved in briefings and inquiries on the development of the dossier. Talbott is also a former Clinton administration diplomat and Clinton friend who served in a high-ranking position under Hillary Clinton. (Another figure, Cody Shearer, who has been mentioned in accounts developing and spreading his own collusion claims, was the brother of Talbott’s late wife).

When Steele was called to the State Department for a briefing on his dossier, Talbot sat next to Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who is currently at Brookings. The role of figures at Brookings in the dossier is still developing but all roads seem to lead back to the think tank.

However, there’s lots more name-dropping. Excellent refresher.