FBI scrambled to respond to Hillary Clinton lawyer amid Weiner laptop review, newly released emails show

Newly released internal FBI emails showed the agency's highest-ranking officials scrambling to answer to Hillary Clinton's lawyer in the days prior the 2016 presidential election, on the same day then-FBI Director James Comey sent a bombshell letter to Congress announcing a new review of hundreds of thousands of potentially classified emails found on former Rep. Anthony Weiner's laptop.
The trove of documents turned over by the FBI, in response to a lawsuit by the transparency group Judicial Watch, also included discussions by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page concerning a potential quid-pro-quo between the State Department and the FBI -- in which the FBI would agree to downgrade the classification level of a Clinton email in exchange for more legal attache positions that would benefit the agency abroad. There was no indication such a quid-pro-quo ever took place.
And, in the face of mounting criticism aimed at the FBI, the documents revealed that Comey quoted the 19th century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson by assuring his subordinates, "To be great is to be misunderstood."
The FBI did not respond to Fox News' request for comment on the released emails.
On Oct. 28, 2016, Comey upended the presidential campaign by informing Congress that the FBI would quickly review the Weiner laptop. The Justice Department's internal watchdog later faulted the FBI for failing to review the Weiner laptop through much of the fall of 2016, and suggested it was possible that now-fired FBI Agent Peter Strzok may have slow-walked the laptop analysis until other federal prosecutors pressured the FBI to review its contents.
On the afternoon of Oct. 28, Clinton lawyer David Kendall demanded answers from the FBI -- and the agency jumped into action, the emails showed.
Many of the emails found on the computer were between Clinton and her senior adviser Huma Abedin, Weiner's now-estranged wife. Despite claims by top FBI officials, including Strzok, several of those emails were determined to contain classified information.
"I received the email below from David Kendall and I called him back," then-FBI General Counsel James Baker wrote to the agency's top brass, including Comey, Page and Strzok, in an email. "Before doing so I alerted DOJ via email that I would do that."
Page and Strzok eventually were revealed to be having an extramarital affair, and Strzok was terminated after a slew of text messages surfaced in which he and Page derided Trump and his supporters using their government-issued phones. Republicans, citing some of those text messages, have accused Strzok and Page of orchestrating a coordinated leak strategy aimed at harming the president.
Although Kendall's email was redacted, Baker continued: "He said that our letter was 'tantalizingly ambiguous' and made statements that were 'inchoate and highly ominous' such that what we had done was worse than transparency because it allows people to make whatever they want out to make out of the letter to the prejudice of Secretary Clinton. ... I told him that I could not respond to his requests at this time but that I would discuss it with others and get back to him.

"To be great is to be misunderstood."
— Fired FBI Director James Comey, quoting Emerson

"I suggest that we have some kind of follow up meeting or phone call with this group either this evening or over the weekend to address this and probably other issues/questions that come up in the next 24 hours," Baker concluded. "Sound reasonable?"
In a partially redacted response, Strzok agreed to spearhead a conference call among the FBI's top officials the next day.

Comey sent a letter to Congress in November 2016 stating agents had concluded their review of "all of the communications" to or from Clinton while she was secretary of state that appeared on the laptop, and that the review did not change his assessment that Clinton should not be prosecuted. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

On Nov. 6 -- just two days before Election Day -- Comey sent another letter to Congress stating that agents had concluded their review of "all of the communications" to or from Clinton while she was secretary of state that appeared on the laptop, and that the review did not change his assessment that Clinton should not be prosecuted.
In an email also sent Nov. 6 and unearthed by Judicial Watch, Strzok wrote to the FBI's leadership: "[Redacted], Jon and I completed our review of all of the potential HRC work emails on the [Anthony Weiner] laptop. We found no previously unknown, potentially classified emails on the media.”
Strzok added that a team was coming in to "triple-check" his methodology and conclusions.
However, at least 18 classified emails sent from Abedin's account were found by the FBI on the Weiner laptop. And, despite Strzok's apparent claim, FBI officials later conceded they had not manually screened all of the nearly 700,000 emails on the laptop, but instead used computer technology to prioritize which emails to screen as Election Day rapidly approached.
“It is big news that, just days before the presidential election, Hillary Clinton’s personal lawyer pressured the top lawyer for the FBI on the infamous Weiner laptop emails,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “These documents further underscore that the fix was in for Hillary Clinton. When will the Justice Department and FBI finally do an honest investigation of the Clinton email scandal?”

An email from Lisa Page discussed an apparent attempt by the State Department to pressure the FBI to downgrade the classification level of a Clinton email. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Separately, another email from Page, apparently sent in response to a Judicial Watch lawsuit, discussed an apparent attempt by the State Department to pressure the FBI to downgrade the classification level of a Clinton email.
"Jason Herring will be providing you with three 302s [witness reports] of current and former FBI employees who were interviewed during the course of the Clinton investigation," Page wrote. "These 302s are scheduled to be released to Congress in an unredacted form at the end of the week, and produced (with redactions) pursuant to FOIA at the beginning of next week.
Page continued: "As you will see, they describe a discussion about potential quid pro quo arrangement between then-DAD in IOD [deputy assistant director in International Operations Division] and an Undersecretary at the State Department whereby IOD would get more LEGAT [legal attaché] positions if the FBI could change the basis of the FOIA withhold re a Clinton email from classified to something else."
Through it all, the trove of documents suggested that top to bottom, FBI brass were convinced they were acting appropriately.
In response to a press release from Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley that criticized the FBI for failing to provide unclassified information on its Clinton probe in a timely and thorough matter to Congress, Comey quoted Emerson's 1841 essay "Self Reliance."
"Outstanding. ... I should have added that I'm proud of the way we have handled this release [of unclassified information]," Comey wrote to his subordinates, including Strzok, on Sept. 2, 2016. "Thanks for the work on it. Just another reminder that Emerson was right when he said, 'To be great is to be misunderstood.' Have a great and quiet weekend."
Page forwarded the email along to her colleagues, including Strzok, and added a smiley face.
Trump fired Comey in 2017, leading to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation after Comey leaked a series of memos he recorded while speaking with Trump privately.
Comey acknowledged in closed-door testimony in December that as of July 2016, investigators "didn't know whether we had anything" implicating Trump in improper Russia collusion, and that "in fact, when I was fired as director [in May 2017], I still didn't know whether there was anything to it."

Sean Hannity slams ‘garbage compromise’ on preliminary agreement on border security

Sean Hannity, the Fox News host, on Monday blasted the “garbage compromise” after congressional negotiators said they reached an “agreement in principle” on border security funding that includes more than $1.3 billion for physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
During his Monday night broadcast, Hannity broke into President Trump’s speech in El Paso, Texas, to criticize the reported deal to avoid a second government shutdown.
“By the way, on this new so-called compromise,” Hannity said. “I’m getting details. $1.3 billion? That’s not even a wall, a barrier… We will get back into this tomorrow. Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain—look at this crowd, look at the country.”
The $1.3 billion would be used for a physical barrier, which would span for about 55 miles of new wall, sources said. The miles would be located in the Rio Grande Valley. The source said it would be up to border patrol to decide what to use as a barrier, which could include steel slats.
Lawmakers have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to get the agreement through both houses of Congress and signed by Trump before several Cabinet-level departments shut down and hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed in what would be the second partial government shutdown this year.
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said during news show appearances Sunday that another shutdown remained on the table, although he also said Trump probably would be willing to compromise over how much of the $5.7 billion for wall construction he’s demanded would be allocated. “Someplace in the middle,” Mulvaney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

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Warren says Trump 'may not even be a free person' in 2020

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and President Donald Trump (Photo: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall and AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senator Elizabeth Warren targeted President Donald Trump during a campaign speech in Iowa on Sunday when she considered a run against the sitting president and suggested that he "may not even be a free person" in 2020.
Warren, who officially announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday, made the remark at the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids in front of a crowd of several hundred. The Massachusetts senator argued that Democrats should resist the urge to respond to "a racist tweet, a hateful tweet, something really dark and ugly" when choosing whether or not to spar with Trump.
“By the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not even be president,” she continued. “In fact, he may not even be a free person.”

When asked to clarify her statements, Warren pointed to the multiple open investigations into the president, which includes the Russia probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and two additional investigations led by federal prosecutors in New York and Democrats who won back the majority in the House of Representatives this past November.
Warren's comments come after President Trump took a jab at her on Twitter shortly after she announced her presidential campaign.
"Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President," he tweeted. "Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!"

California governor to reduce National Guard presence at border

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Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Legislative Black Caucus Martin Luther King Jr., Breakfast, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is slated to pull several hundred National Guard troops from the state’s border with Mexico on Monday in an apparent rebuff to President Donald Trump’s characterization of the region being under siege by Central American refugees and migrants, according to reports.
The move comes despite his predecessor’s agreement – along with other past and current border state governors – to send troops to the border at the Trump administration’s request. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown originally approved the mission through the end of March, but qualified that the state’s troops “will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.”
Newsom’s plan will require the National Guard to immediately begin withdrawing troops but still give it until the end of March to do so. According to excerpts from his Tuesday State of the State address, he will call the “border emergency” a “manufactured crisis,” and will say that “California will not be part of this political theater.”
Newsom's order will require around 110 National Guard troops to help the state prepare for its next wildfire season while another 100 members will be deployed to focus specifically on combating transnational crime, according to excerpts from his speech. A spokesman for Newsom said his office will separately request federal funds for the expansion of the state's counterdrug task force program, The Los Angeles Times reported.
California has repeatedly styled itself as the flagship resistance state to the Trump administration’s policies. Newsom, who is just a month into his governorship, has held up the state as an antidote to what he’s characterized as a corrupt Washington, a message he will likely try to convey in his State of the State speech on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania paper drops syndicated cartoon over Trump insult

At least one newspaper says it has dropped the syndicated cartoon "Non Sequitur" after a vulgar message to President Donald Trump appeared in it.
The Butler Eagle in Pennsylvania reported Sunday that the "shot at President Donald Trump" will cost cartoonist Wiley Miller "his place in the Eagle's Sunday comics."
A scribbled message in one panel of that day's cartoon appears to begin with "We fondly say go ..." followed by the message to Trump.
Ron Vodenichar, Eagle publisher and general manager, said in the paper that the paper was alerted about the message by a reader and included a syndicated comic strip.
"Neither the Butler Eagle nor any other newspaper that includes this strip had an opportunity to remove it even if they had discovered it before distribution. We apologize that such a disgusting trick was perpetuated on the reading public. The Butler Eagle will discontinue that comic immediately," he said.
The paper’s article was titled, “Lose Lips Sink Strips.”
It's not clear whether other publications have dropped the strip, distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication. The company's website says "Non Sequitur" appears in more than 700 newspapers.
Miller appeared to acknowledge the message in a tweet that said "some of my sharp-eyed readers have spotted a little Easter egg. ... Can you find it?"
Emails seeking comment from the Associated Press were left with the syndicate and with Miller.

Ilhan Omar's AIPAC tweet sparks condemnation, including from Chelsea Clinton

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sparked backlash for her Israel tweets. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sparked backlash Sunday evening from members of both parties -- including former first daughter Chelsea Clinton -- after she accused a prominent lobbying group of paying members of Congress to support Israel.
Omar, who became the first Somali-American woman elected to Congress in November, responded to a Twitter post by journalist Glenn Greenwald criticizing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for threatening to take action against Omar and another freshman lawmaker, Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks.
"There’s situations in our conference where a member does something that is wrong — I think you’ve seen from my own actions that I take action about it," McCarthy told reporters Friday, making an apparent reference to Republican congressman Steve King of Iowa. "I think when they stay silent, they are just as guilty ... I think this will not be the end of this, and if they do not take action then I think you will see action from myself. It’s unacceptable in this country, especially when you sit back and think about and listen to what this country went through in World War II."
MCCARTHY ASKS DEMS TO DENOUNCE ALLEGED ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS: 'THIS WILL NOT BE THE END OF THIS'
Greenwald accused McCarthy of targeting Omar and Tlaib for their numerous criticisms of Israel, to which Omar chimed in "It's all about the Benjamins, baby," quoting a 1997 rap song by Puff Daddy. She then doubled down when challenged by Batya Ungar-Sargon, the opinion editor of The Forward newspaper.
"Would love to know who @IlhanMN thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, though I think I can guess," Ungar-Sargon tweeted. "Bad form, Congresswoman. That's the second anti-Semitic trope you've tweeted."
In response, Omar tweeted "AIPAC!" referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which regularly has been accused by progressives of agitating for a conflict with Iran.
"We are proud that we are engaged in the democratic process to strengthen the US-Israel relationship," AIPAC tweeted Sunday evening. "Our bipartisan efforts are reflective of American values and interests. We will not be deterred in any way by ill-informed and illegitimate attacks on this important work."
Another freshman Democrat, Max Rose of New York, tweeted that Omar's statements "are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself."
"When someone uses hateful and offensive tropes and words against people of my faith, I will not be silent," Rose said in a statement. "... At a time when anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise, our leaders should not be invoking hurtful stereotypes and caricatures of Jewish people to dismiss those who support Israel. In the Democratic Party - and in the United States of America - we celebrate the diversity of our people, and the Gods we pray to, as a strength. The congresswoman's statements do not live up to that cherished ideal."
JEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN REP. RASHIDA TLAIB OVER TIES TO RADICAL PRO-HEZBOLLAH, ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST
The Republican Jewish Coalition called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to take action against Omar and asked rhetorically if other House Democrats would "care to comment on the outrageous anti-Semitism being spewed by one of your fêted members?"
"[House Majority] Leader [Steny] Hoyer [D-Md.] - you've led many AIPAC trips to Israel," RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks tweeted. "Will you speak out against this??"
McCarthy himself tweeted: "Anti-Semitic tropes have no place in the halls of Congress. It is dangerous for Democrat leadership to stay silent on this reckless language."
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who repeatedly accused the global body of anti-Israel bias during her tenure, tweeted that Omar's statements "CANNOT be tolerated in our own Congress by anyone of either party. In a time of increased anti semitism, we all must be held to account. No excuses."
Chelsea Clinton tweeted: "We should expect all elected officials, regardless of party, and all public figures to not traffic in anti-Semitism."
Left-wing historian and Politico Magazine contributing editor Joshua Zeitz tweeted: "I'm one of those American Jews who opposes the occupation [of the West Bank and Gaza Strip], laments Israel's anti-democratic drift, and doesn't regard the country as especially central to my Jewish identity. And I knew exactly what the congresswoman meant. She might as well call us hook-nosed."
Clinton later promised that she would "reach out" to Omar Monday after another user said she was "disappointed" that Clinton was "piling on."
"I would be happy to talk," Omar tweeted at Clinton in response. "We must call out smears from the GOP and their allies. And I believe we can do that without criticizing people for their faith. I look forward to building an inclusive movement for justice with you."
Sunday marked the latest in a long line of statements by Omar that critics have slammed as anti-Semitic. In 2012, she tweeted that "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine#Israel.” She did not apologize for posting the tweet until last month.
In January, Omar argued in a Yahoo! News interview that Israel could not be considered a democracy and compared it to the Islamic theocracy in Iran.
"When I see Israel institute laws that recognize it as a Jewish state and does not recognize the other religions that are living in it, and we still uphold it as a democracy in the Middle East I almost chuckle because I know that if we see that any other society we would criticize it, call it out," she said. "We do that to Iran, we do that to any other place that sort of upholds its religion. And I see that now happening with Saudi Arabia and so I am aggravated, truly, in those contradictions."

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