August 5, 2020 – Former Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Sen. Lindsay Graham. Patching in remotely from an undisclosed location, most likely her home, Ms. Yates decided to use her time in front of the Committee not to be truthful but instead to lie and obfuscate. Unfortunately, there were intermittent sound issues, so hearing her clearly throughout the hearing was impeded by serious echoing and feedback. At times, it appeared to be a bad connection. It was difficult to listen to some of the inconsistencies and the lack of scrutiny or follow up from the Senate Republicans.
.@LindseyGrahamSC nails @SallyQYates again by asking her what the Obama administration did about Russian interference *before the election*. She mumbles a bunch of nonsense about briefings. She's being exposed, increasingly, as a partisan actor or just incompetent #Yates #hearing
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
One of the things that did happen was a contradiction in her testimony today versus her previous testimony.
Now @SenatorDurbin is complaining that @GenFlynn, as National Security Advisor, was sitting in on phone calls between @realDonaldTrump and Putin (i.e. doing his job) after @SallyQYates told the WH that Flynn could not be trusted. Revealing that she agrees with him #Yates #hearing
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
The question here should have been, was the Trump Administration allowed to implement its own foreign policy? General Flynn was doing his job. He is a three-star general who served his country with distinction for over three decades. He had hired Covington & Burling, LLP to file his FARA applications and he briefed the DIA on all his trips and meetings with foreigners before and after his visits. Strictly by the book.
Sally Yates just lied to the Committee. They were well aware of the phone calls before this and Flynn wasn’t talking about sanctions.
— Tracy Beanz (@tracybeanz) August 5, 2020
This is another interesting point to make. The leaks claim that they discussed sanctions, but it was clear from the transcripts that was not the substance of the call. When put into context, it appears General Flynn was simply trying to prevent an disproportionate response.
Yates working hard to save [JB][HUSSEIN]https://t.co/rTN2gadOsm
— Patriot Transition Voice🇺🇲 #Transition2Greatness (@bvoice_p) August 5, 2020
Here are some clips of interest from today.
— Patriot Transition Voice🇺🇲 #Transition2Greatness (@bvoice_p) August 5, 2020
Yates made contradictory statements, for what purpose? She said she reviewed everything in the FISA applications, but claimed there could be some parts she didn’t see. The appearance suggests they designed this way for legal purposes. Was she coached? As an attorney, we know she is well aware of the law and understands liability and negligence.
.@SallyQYates since in the January 5 meeting they was having discussions about national security implications of sharing information with @GenFlynn.
I’m not buying it. pic.twitter.com/bFSlQZiIAX
— The Dirty Truth (@RealDirty on Parler) (@AKA_RealDirty) August 5, 2020
Again, her responses here are carefully crafted, to avoid any potential liability on her part.
The FBI also used Stefan Halper to secretly record Page on Aug. 20, 2016, while he was on the campaign.
The FBI/DOJ/Democrat talking point that Page wasn't on the campaign is unmitigated bullshit.
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) August 5, 2020
There was very little push back from Chairman Graham on this point.
.@SallyQYates keeps saying the investigation of @GenFlynn was "legitimate" even after agents recommended it be dropped Jan. 4, and @Comey told @BarackObama there was nothing in the transcripts Jan.5. What new evidence, prior to Jan. 24, made the investigation "legitimate"? #Yates
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
She appears to be referring to politically expedient and self-serving leaks that were made to the press, which subsequently proved to be lies.
#NEW Senate Judiciary chair Graham: "Wait a minute, this is very important. Your beef with Flynn was he was undercutting Obama policy. Is that what you were worried about?"
Yates: "What we were worried about was he was undercutting Obama policy and then covering it up." (1/2)
— Jennifer Franco (@jennfranconews) August 5, 2020
I have to say I disagree with the way Graham frames this. Of course the Russians attempt to interfere. They do that every election season, as do China and others. However, what is not discussed is the fact that this influence goes both ways. The Russians heavily promoted Black Lives Matter in 2016. Why isn’t anyone calling that interference? The accepted procedures are applied arbitrarily which is part of the issue here. Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta and his brother Tony had multiple foreign contacts, not to mention blackmail potential, but there was no FBI “counter intelligence” investigation into that.
#NEW: Graham asks Yates if Biden was at the Jan. 2017 Oval Office meeting to discuss Russian interference in the 2016 election:
Yates: "Yes he was."
Graham: "Did he mention the Logan Act?"
Yates: "I don't remember the Vice President saying much of anything at this meeting."
— Jennifer Franco (@jennfranconews) August 5, 2020
It seems Sally Yates is now attempting to distance herself from discussions on the Logan Act.
How many times will we hear this when Sally takes the stand. pic.twitter.com/30fnRDAsM4
— JadedKushner – Supernatural Wisdom-PARODY (@JarradKushner) August 5, 2020
At the very least, Republicans need to force the answer to this question: “Are you, or are you not, invoking your Fifth Amendment protection?” She needs to be held to answer that.
Here's a question for the Senators to ask @SallyQYates: why did she think @GenFlynn had lied to the FBI, when the FBI agents themselves did not think so? Did her conclusion affect the 302 reports prepared by the FBI? https://t.co/GogL1RJyqE
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
This is extremely important, and we still have yet to see the original 302, but notes from agents Peter Strzok and Joe Pientka appear to show they did not believe General Flynn was lying.
.@SallyQYates just stepped in it, again, claiming that @GeorgePapa19 was a Russian intelligence asset. #Yates #hearing @LindseyGrahamSC mocks her new "revelation," which is contradicted by every past investigation and all of the existing evidence.
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
Right after this, Senator Richard “Stolen Valor” Blumenthal assisted Ms. Yates by asking her a leading question regarding her “misstatement” on Papadopolous, as if he knew this would be something that could come back to bite her. She claimed he was a Russian agent, though he was not.
.@LindseyGrahamSC nails @SallyQYates again by asking her what the Obama administration did about Russian interference *before the election*. She mumbles a bunch of nonsense about briefings. She's being exposed, increasingly, as a partisan actor or just incompetent #Yates #hearing
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
Unfortunately, I have grave concerns anything will be done about this clearly political spying and persecution.
Now @SenatorDurbin is complaining that @GenFlynn, as National Security Advisor, was sitting in on phone calls between @realDonaldTrump and Putin (i.e. doing his job) after @SallyQYates told the WH that Flynn could not be trusted. Revealing that she agrees with him #Yates #hearing
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
Some senators chose to use their time to grandstand and make sweeping political statements clearly riddled with inaccuracies and lies.
We must prosecute the FBI agents that lied to a federal judge in order to spy on the Trump campaign. pic.twitter.com/AFvsdZohQc
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) August 5, 2020
Will anything be done about the brazen lies?
Sally Yates said she would not have signed the first two Carter Page FISA warrants if she knew then what she knows now.
— Ivan Pentchoukov (@IvanPentchoukov) August 5, 2020
The issue is, we are now three years after the fact. It doesn’t help when this corruption has not been dealt with or fixed.
Cruz asking a question we already know the answer to… pic.twitter.com/LGmQQinVDP
— M3thods (@M2Madness) August 5, 2020
Senator Ted Cruz asked if other campaigns of Obama’s political enemies were spied on in 2016, specifically his own campaign. We have seen circumstantial evidence of spying not only on the Cruz campaign, but the Marco Rubio and Ben Carson campaigns as well. Ms. Yates went on to claim she was not aware of any of that activity taking place.
18 U.S. Code § 1001: "within the jurisdiction of the… legislative, or judicial branch… makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement"@SenTedCruz, She's STILL telling falsehoods. Similar to what she twice submitted to FISA Court. https://t.co/SZNyMJy1Nz
— Carter Page, Ph.D. (@carterwpage) August 5, 2020
Even President Trump weighed in on today’s testimony by Yates, tweeting “Sally Yates has zero credibility. She was a part of the greatest political crime of the Century, and ObamaBiden knew EVERYTHING! Sally Yates leaked the General Flynn conversation? Ask her under oath. Republicans should start playing the Democrats game!”
Sally Yates has zero credibility. She was a part of the greatest political crime of the Century, and ObamaBiden knew EVERYTHING! Sally Yates leaked the General Flynn conversation? Ask her under oath. Republicans should start playing the Democrats game!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2020
POTUS is absolutely correct here to go after the Republicans and their cowardice. Their inability and/or unwillingness to defend their core principles, the authority of the Executive and the policies the public voted on, is arguably the reason the country is in the horrific state it is in today. Edmund Burke advised, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Republicans have done just that for decades as this nation has been undermined from within. Nothing.
BIG NEWS! The Political Crime of the Century is unfolding. ObamaBiden illegally spied on the Trump Campaign, both before and after the election. Treason! https://t.co/6XF1pIWMNO
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2020
This statement is one hundred percent factual and true. The Political Crime of the Century was enacted upon not just the Trump campaign, but businessmen and others.
DRAIN THE SWAMP! pic.twitter.com/68M4sN7LLD
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2020
Sally Yates Testifies to Senate Judiciary – Main Justice Deflects, Pointing Fingers At FBI… https://t.co/AqWZIzJBRR via @TheLastRefuge2
— David ShoelessJoe🇺🇸 (@yohiobaseball) August 5, 2020
It’s not just main Justice that is deflecting here. The entire “Republican” investigation into Spygate stinks. Three of these committees have won subpoena power and constantly self-promoted the process in the press. Loudly citing all the names of people they would call, in fact they have called only two people thus far: Rosenstein and Yates.
WAIT A MINUTE. Sally Yates previously testified she had no recollection of any briefings w FBI re Crossfire Hurricane, but she just now told Sen Booker she discussed investigating Manafort w the FBI. Manafort was part of Crossfire Hurricane. Graham didn't folo-up on inconsistency
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) August 5, 2020
There’s another inconsistency Graham ignores. The Republicans and GOP continue to disrespect their own voters and the Nation.
Chairman Graham ended hearing w Sally Yates by saying purpose of his probe is to ask FBI analyst [Brian Auten] & others who interviewed dossier sub-source if they told higher-ups the source disavowed dossier. Then why were his first 2 witnesses Rosenstein & Yates, and not Auten?!
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) August 5, 2020
Again, if this were a serious investigation, how could this be ignored?
CLAIM: @GenFlynn tried to “neuter” the Obama administration’s sanctions on Russia over election interference.
VERDICT: FALSE. Flynn merely asked Russia not to respond harshly. He said nothing at all against the sanctions. https://t.co/3ZxPGuIlUz
— Patriot Transition Voice🇺🇲 #Transition2Greatness (@bvoice_p) August 5, 2020
Sally Yates lied about General Flynn and his intentions regarding foreign policy of the incoming Trump Administration.
I think I know what the answer is.
On Jan. 12 the @washingtonpost's @IgnatiusPost published a column suggesting Flynn had discussed sanctions with Kislyak.
That was based on a leak first acknowledged by @adamentous.
So the leak & article made the investigation "legitimate." https://t.co/wP8ssn4L41
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 5, 2020
An important point needs to be considered here. Self-serving leaks to the media, followed by subsequent articles based on these leaks were used to provide a layer of “legitimacy” in order to get a warrant. Those facts are highly disturbing. It would mean that the media is able to work with the U.S. intel community in a symbiotic relationship to start investigations into mutual political enemies. This is precisely why we have restraints like due process.
Contrast Lindsey Graham coddling Sally Yates with the Democrats grilling Bill Barr. He treats her like a respected public servant, while the Dems treated Barr like a criminal. The lesson is not that we are somehow better than they are; it is that they fight much harder than we do
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 5, 2020
Indeed, Dinesh D’Souza has experienced this arbitrary and two-tiered system of “justice” first hand when he was targeted over political donations. The Obama IRS had been weaponized, but only to go after conservatives. The same Obama operatives routinely ignored the foundation and charity fraud of many Democrats.
Exclusive from Gen. Flynn: This Is My Letter to America https://t.co/UfEISvdxgd
— Julia S. Rush (@casting_light) August 5, 2020
While Yates was lying before a Senate Committee, General Flynn was publishing this incredible letter to America underscoring the same problems I have outlined here as well.
When Republicans uncover a coup against President Trump, they can't just arrest the coup plotters. They have to wait for IG reports & send criminal referral letters to the AG that go nowhere & hold multiple hearings that go nowhere before not arresting or prosecuting anyone.
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) August 5, 2020
Sadly, I believe Emerald Robinson from Newsmax has the correct take on today’s show trial. The Democrats used hearing to obfuscate, lie and grandstand, while the Republicans use it for campaigning and “hot takes” that they can share on social media to pretend they are really doing something to fight for the people.
While Lindsay Graham did briefly mention the Durham investigation, which has now morphed into a criminal investigation, I am starting to have my doubts even on that. You see, the longer someone gets away with a crime, the longer they have to coordinate their stories, get their scripted talking points down, and find fall guys. I have seen this kind of thing happen before. The FBI, CIA and DOJ have had all the time they need to destroy and bury evidence.
In my opinion, justice delayed is justice denied, and I can’t help but wonder … from what exactly are we being distracted?