Newly uncovered records have exposed a stunning double standard at the Department of Justice (DOJ) that reeks of political favoritism.
Documents released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) reveal that DOJ attorneys who blocked a probe into the Hillary Clinton campaign’s dubious financial dealings later spearheaded Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against President Donald Trump, the Daily Caller reported.
In 2016, the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee (DNC) funneled over $1 million through Perkins Coie to Fusion GPS, the group behind the notorious Steele Dossier smearing Trump with unproven Russia ties.
Those hefty payments, cleverly listed as “legal services” in Federal Election Commission filings, were anything but transparent.
However, they didn’t seem to bother certain DOJ insiders.
By 2019, when allegations of misreporting emerged, FBI officials initially believed there was enough evidence of concealment to justify an investigation.
Enter DOJ attorneys Richard Pilger and J.P. Cooney, who swiftly poured cold water on the idea.
They argued it would be tough to prove deliberate falsehoods in the filings.
In a June 14, 2019, email, Cooney noted:
“The FEC has approved campaigns hiring vendors… and any money paid to Fusion GPS for the dossier through [Perkins Coie] was probably reported as legal services or something like that.”
This neat little loophole hid political hit jobs under vague labels while dodging accountability.
The efforts raise serious questions about the integrity that the American people expect from campaign finance laws.
Thanks to Pilger and Cooney’s input, the FBI dropped plans for a Clinton probe in 2019, per a memo Grassley disclosed.
This was despite the FEC later fining the campaign and DNC $113,000 in 2022 for improper reporting.
In addition, after shielding Clinton, Pilger and Cooney later played key roles in Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost case against Trump.
Cooney rose to a top prosecutor spot on Smith’s team, while Pilger assisted in reviewing and approving the investigation, according to Grassley’s records.
Grassley pulled no punches, declaring:
“These records show the same partisans who rushed to cover for Clinton rabidly pursued Arctic Frost, which was a runaway train aimed directly at President Trump and the Republican political apparatus.”
This isn’t a shock to Grassley, who revealed that whistleblowers alerted him years ago about DOJ interference in Clinton-related investigations.
While some might dismiss this as mere red tape, the glaring pattern of protecting one political faction while hounding another raises troubling questions about impartiality in our justice system.
For those who value equal treatment under the law, this saga is a stark reminder that vigilance against bias in our institutions isn’t just necessary, it’s urgent.
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