Harry Reid Accuses Comey Of Hiding Trump's Ties To Russia

Harry Reid accuses Comey of sitting on proof of Trump-Russia ties, possible Hatch Act violation
CBS ^ | October 30, 2016 | Reena Flores

Posted on 10/31/2016

In his last few months in the Senate, Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, isn’t pulling any punches -- especially after the recent revelations by FBI Director James Comey that more emails were found that could be related to the Clinton email probe.

The pugilistic Reid, who plans retire after finishing out this term in Congress, penned a blistering letter to Comey Sunday, accusing the FBI chief of holding back “explosive” information about Donald Trump’s close Russian ties while possibly violating the Hatch Act by reviving the Clinton email investigation.

“Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another,” Reid wrote, adding that through Comey’s “partisan actions, you may have broken the law.”

The Nevada Democrat went on to insinuate Comey’s violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits “activity directed towards the success or failure” of a candidate by executive branch employees.

“[Y]our highly selective approach to publicizing information, along with your timing, was intended for the success or failure of a partisan candidate or political group,” Reid wrote.

One example Reid posited of the “selective approach”: Comey’s methods in investigating Donald Trump and his campaign’s possible ties to the Russian government.

“In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government - a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which
Trump praises at every opportunity,” he said. “I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public...and yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information.”

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...

So obviously Harry Reid is furious that they reopened Hillary's investigation 11 days before the election. We know that for months Trump has been accused of being tied to the Russians. I think this all started when Trump accepted Putin's compliment and later said he's a stronger leader than Obama. Trump was accused of espionage when he made a comment about the Russians finding Hillary's emails (which was one of the most ridiculous "scandals" of the campaign). Now the Russians are brought up constantly as they are blamed for Wikileaks and even the latest reopening of Hillary's email investigation by a Dem Congressman named Ryan and Howard Dean.


This despite Clinton/Podesta's ties to the Russians which were covered in media articles but never brought out prominently in this campaign:


http://dtforpres.blogspot.com/2016/09/hillary-clinton-and-democrats-have.html


An example cited at my blog link is Skolkova:


A program overseen by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of the "reset" with Russia wound up enhancing Russia's military technology and funneling millions of dollar to the Clinton Foundation, according to a new report by investigative journalist Peter Schweizer and the Government Accountability Institute he heads.


The report says both the U.S. Army and the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that the program, intended to support Russia's version of Silicon Valley, was exploited to improve Russia's military capability.


The "innovation city" of Skolkovo on the outskirts of Moscow was center of the program. Its stated purpose was "identifying areas of cooperation and pursuing joint projects and actions that strengthen strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the American and Russian people." 


Instead, the FBI warned several American technology companies in 2014 that Skolkovo "may be a means for the Russian government to access our nation's sensitive or classified research development facilities and dual-use technologies with military and commercial application." Indeed, it was. 


Regarding Hillary and Bill Clinton, the report says: "Many of the key figures in the Skolkovo process – on both the Russian and U.S. sides – had major financial ties to the Clintons. During the Russian reset, these figures and entities provided the Clintons with tens of millions of dollars, including contributions to the Clinton Foundation, paid for speeches by Bill Clinton, or investments in small start-up companies with deep Clinton ties." 


(Snip)


The new report said a Russian government fund sent $35 million to "a small company with Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta on its executive board, which included senior Russian officials. John Podesta failed to reveal, as required by law on his federal financial disclosures, his membership on the board of this offshore company." 


http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-clinton-kremlin-connection/article/2003597


Yet, “Of the 28 US, European and Russian companies that participated in Skolkovo, 17 of them were Clinton Foundation donors” or sponsored speeches by former President Bill Clinton, Schweizer told The Post. 


“It raises the question — do you need to pay money to sit at the table?” 


In one example cited by Schweizer, Skolkovo Foundation member and then-Cisco CEO John Chambers donated between $1 million and $5 million in personal and corporate cash to the Clinton Foundation, the report says. 


But Skolkovo wound up making America less safe, Schweizer argues, because it shared advanced US technology that Russia can develop for both civilian and military applications, a concern raised already by Army and FBI officials. 


Many of Skolkovo’s research projects involved “dual-use” technologies, meaning they would have both civilian and military uses, the report said, citing one in particular — a hybrid airship called an “Atlant” developed at the Skolkovo Aeronautical Center.


“Particularly noteworthy is Atlant’s ability to deliver military cargoes,” including “radar surveillance, air and missile defense and delivery of airborne troops,” the Skolkovo Foundation bragged in a document Schweizer cites. 


http://nypost.com/2016/07/31/report-raises-questions-about-clinton-cash-from-russians-during-reset/


I have multiple articles on Skolkova on the link in my blog. I don't understand why Trump's people never brought it up. It threatened our secrets potentially and involved pay for play with Clinton Foundation members. Other ties to Russia at my blog too.


If Harry Reid heard of this, I can't believe that he has known for months and hasn't brought it out. I also can't believe, in a campaign where one of the biggest talking points from Hillary and the Democrats is Trump's supposed ties to Russia, that Hillary Clinton and Democrats didn't catch wind of this and leak it out. Reid makes it sounds like Trump is colluding with the Russians to win the election. I find it hard to believe that would not be brought to light.


The aids that were called out for Russian ties were Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, but Manafort and Gates are both no longer with the campaign, and the Podesta Group is linked to this exact same story. Long article in Politico:


http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/ap-trump-chair-routed-ukrainian-money-to-dc-lobbyists-227101


Lest we remember that Harry Reid has a history of saying what it takes to win:


Harry Reid in 2012:


One of the strangest incidents of the 2012 presidential campaign was when then-Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid accused then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney of having not paid any taxes over the past decade. That Reid made that allegation from the floor of the Senate made it even odder. 


The problem with Reid's allegation? It's just not true. We know that, at least in 2011 and 2010, Romney did pay taxes. How do we know that? Because Romney released his tax returns for those years. In 2011, Romney paid $1.9 million in taxes; in 2010, he paid slightly more than $3 million in taxes. 


(Snip)


Yet Reid (D-Nev.) not only refuses to retract the allegation but also seems to take great pride in it. When pressed by CNN's Dana Bash last year about continuing to defend a statement that is not true, Reid responded, "Romney didn't win, did he?"


Reid gave this answer to the Washington Post when asked about what he said about Romney:


People bring that up, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. Why? Because I knew what he had done was not be transparent and forthright about his taxes and to this day he hasn’t released his tax returns. … Did I want to do that? No. I had the information, I tried to get somebody else to do it. I tried to get somebody in the Obama 'reelect,' I tried to get one of the senators, I tried to get one of the outside groups, but nobody would do it. So I did it. And with that, like everything, I think in life, here’s something I learned from my father, if you’re going to do something, don’t do it half-assed, don’t play around. With the Mitt Romney stuff, I didn’t play around. ... 


Of course I'll add that the article notes that isn't true. Romney did release tax returns, not 10 years worth, but tax returns which showed he paid taxes.


THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS. IS THERE ANY LOW TO WHICH REID WILL GO?


Is there a line he wouldn’t cross when it comes to political warfare? 


“I don’t know what that line would be,” [Reid] said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/15/harry-reid-lied-about-mitt-romneys-taxes-hes-still-not-sorry/

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