Horowitz Says He Was ‘Surprised’ By Durham’s Statement Bashing His Findings | Talking Points Memo

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz told the Senate Wednesday that he was “surprised” by a statement issued by a federal prosecutor investigating the 2016 Russia probe that critiqued Horowitz’s own review of that probe.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1267770
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They didn’t have anything to offer because there was nothing to offer, of course. I feel like we’re living through a real-life version of Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter madness, although one that is much less amusing and more horrifying.

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“Horowitz Says He Was ‘Surprised’ By Durham’s Statement Bashing His Findings.”

Franz von Papen was “surprised”, too.

And corporate journalists, laissez-faire professionals, and non-voters will continue to be surprised.

Right up to the time they’re led blindfolded to the bullet-pocked wall.

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Almost as “surprising” as the Sun rising in the east this morning. Barr is a lickspittle for Trump who believes the Constitution gives him the powers of a king. I do hope to disabuse him of this notion.

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When everyone is lying, throwing even the smallest sliver of factual/truthful into the mix ends ends up getting mostly lost in the noise.

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MAGA people are being fed two lines. One is wait until Bill Barr’s comments, he will give us the “truth.” . The second is lots of countries try to influence our elections, so did the Russians, so what?

Tell me how do we penetrate the media bubble.

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They didn’t offer anything because he could have followed up on it, and that’s the last thing they wanted. They want to introduce their “new information” late in the game, when all it can do is confuse the public, leaving no time to confirm or deny.

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Isn’t it odd that Barr didn’t give President Obama the same latitude that he so generously gives trump?

He is really a sickening little f**k.

Edit to add: I’m beginning to agree with John Dean:
Don’t vote on impeachment now. Keep investigating, and get more and more dirt. There might be just enough filth that is documented for a vote, say, on October 31, 2020. And then move the fainting couches behind McConnell and Graham.

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It makes one wonder, if one IG investigation has found sufficient cause to have opened an investigation, how a second review could find ADDITIONAL material to suggest otherwise. Is it special anti-matter material that cancels out regular cause?

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It’s disturbing that he’s surprised, as that means he’s not paying much attention to what’s actually going on in the top ranks of the DOJ. I’m not surprised that he’s surprised, though.

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The IG is INDEPENDENT BY LAW. Durham is a POLITICAL APPOINTEE who has to please his boss, also a POLITICAL APPOINTEE, who has shown no loyalty to the truth if it doesn’t help Trump.

Who should we believe?

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What a waste. Everything that has transpired since the Russia investigation began justifies it. Fully. Also, not for nothing, but the IGs were established by law precisely to be check on the entire Department, but particularly its political appointees. Sorry, but neither Durham or Barr gets a vote.

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I guess the idea is to keep hammering at something like a battering ram until somebody or something gives them the answer(s) they want- or more “spaghetti” to throw at the wall in order to make things messier. I would guess that this is what Rudy is up to in the Ukraine right now.

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Democrats REALLY need to be on guard towards the end of the 2020 Elections because I could imagine another 11th Hour surprise revelation or “investigation” into something or another.

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Fuck that idea! Let them fall flat on the floor!

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Bet nobody here is surprised.

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Durham’s statement Monday was ambiguous about where he disagreed with Horowitz.

Durham is still eeny meeny miny moeing over which word to parse and quibble with.

Remember, he’s Barr’s guy.

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“according to Horowitz, Durham conceded that there was an adequate predicate to open a preliminary investigation into the matter.”

“ “Based on the evidence collected to date, and while our investigation is ongoing, last month we advised the Inspector General that we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication” "

So Durham’s lying about what he told Horowitz. Ohhhhkayyyyy.

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First and foremost, I think the threat to our country and system of government by Putin’s Russia has to be reported and emphasized.

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Failing to plan against this in 2020 is political and criminal malpractice. It will happen. The only questions are how many October surprises Trumpworld can line up, and how many of them will look halfway credible when Trump & co thrust them upon us.

Both Trump and the GOP proved in the last 2 elections that their strategy is to derail the legitimate conversation, and to do it so close to the election that the public doesn’t have time to sort the truth out. In 2016 it allowed the oligarchists to seize the entire federal government. (That’s why thousands of federal employees are being forced to move from D.C. to fucking Kansas right now. The oligarchists are winning on the ground, despite Trump’s losses in the courts.)

I’m sure Trump wants to line up several such surprises. But he’s an ignorant fuckwit, so some will probably fizzle or fall apart before the moment arrives.

Trump will cheat in 2020 (I mean, more than he already has, more than we’re already impeaching him for). Moscow Mitch will cheat. Koch, Adelson, Mercer, Prince, and his whole cabinet will cheat. 2020 will not be a clean fight.


I really wonder how Joe Biden’s “we need Republicans” will hold up after he watches all his supposed colleagues pull out all the stops to trash him so they can keep their mad king.

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