Mueller Team In Possession of Thousands of Transition Emails

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: AboveBoard

What's interesting is the info from the GSA was handed over in August. Why the outrage now?

Even more interesting, is the letter sent by the transition lawyer that apparently said this:

It asked for Congress to act immediately “to protect future presidential transitions from having their private records misappropriated by government agencies, particularly in the context of sensitive investigations intersecting with political motives.”

Protect future presidential transitions...

That language would appear to indicate they have no recourse in this situation and can only hope to have future transition teams protected.

Because something is about to drop. My guess it's kush.

a reply to: luthier

so the govt is a third party now?
interesting opinion

He added that some of the records obtained by the special counsel’s office from the GSA “have been leaked to the press by unknown persons.”

n an interview with BuzzFeed News Saturday evening, GSA Deputy Counsel Lenny Loewentritt denied Langhofer's claim that then-GSA General Counsel Richard Beckler had promised that any requests for transition team records would be "routed to legal counsel for [Trump for America]."

"Beckler never made that commitment," said Loewentritt, who added that transition team members were warned that information "would not be held back in any law enforcement" investigation and that "no expectation of privacy can be assumed." (Longhofer's letter notes that Beckler "was hospitalized and incapacitated in August." He died the following month.)

....and here we go!!

a reply to: shooterbrody

A little lost are we?

It OK fox will have more narrative in the morning.

originally posted by: luthier
This is literally a common technique in white collar crime investigation to get information from a third party.

Thanks professor!
I did not know the government was a third party. LOL

originally posted by: luthier

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: AboveBoard

What's interesting is the info from the GSA was handed over in August. Why the outrage now?

Even more interesting, is the letter sent by the transition lawyer that apparently said this:

It asked for Congress to act immediately “to protect future presidential transitions from having their private records misappropriated by government agencies, particularly in the context of sensitive investigations intersecting with political motives.”

Protect future presidential transitions...

That language would appear to indicate they have no recourse in this situation and can only hope to have future transition teams protected.

Because something is about to drop. My guess it's kush.

That very well could be the case. Or perhaps Trump Jr, but I will gladly sit back and wait to see what, if anything happens.

Though I do take notice how the Trump team does like to get ahead of the news/media when things pop-up that look bad for them. They did that very thing when it was found that Jr. had that little meeting. They quickly released the emails to get out ahead of it.

Seems to me, and this is just speculation, that the Trump team like to surround these issues with an air of conspiracy as well, hoping the Right Wing media will run with it, which they do, to ensure his base is highly-informed on the excuses/deflections.

a reply to: luthier

no
you made the claim about "third parties"

no worries
the truth will come out

imo this appears to be the second claim of muellers people overstepping their authority

if real crimes were committed and the perps walk because muellers team is inept it would be a shame

a reply to: shooterbrody

Unless fox news is putting mueller on trial I think he is safe.

I seriously doubt there is anything here to taint the [Mueller] investigation," said William Jeffress, a white-collar defense attorney who represented Vice President Dick Cheney’s senior aide, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, during the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. Jeffress added the letter included no evidence to prove any privileged information had been obtained by Mueller's team and that even if it were, there are procedures for retrieving them

a reply to: WhatTheory

It's OK. I am sure you are a smart person but law isn't your thing.

originally posted by: queenofswords

He added that some of the records obtained by the special counsel’s office from the GSA “have been leaked to the press by unknown persons.”

n an interview with BuzzFeed News Saturday evening, GSA Deputy Counsel Lenny Loewentritt denied Langhofer's claim that then-GSA General Counsel Richard Beckler had promised that any requests for transition team records would be "routed to legal counsel for [Trump for America]."

"Beckler never made that commitment," said Loewentritt, who added that transition team members were warned that information "would not be held back in any law enforcement" investigation and that "no expectation of privacy can be assumed." (Longhofer's letter notes that Beckler "was hospitalized and incapacitated in August." He died the following month.)

....and here we go!!

well that is also interesting

a reply to: theantediluvian

They violated executive privilege.

The corruption is dripping off this. That lefties proudly back their tax dollars going to chasing the ghost of fake news rather than pumping it into education or helping the poor shows how heartless they are.

Law certainly isn't my thing so I thank you and every one else for the "Nope" ... "Yup" ... "Nope" ... "Yeaha" ... arguments presented in this thread; they have been helpful in futher understanding this news story.

But I have to ask Luthier, why did you hedge in the below comment. You had them on the ropes, but than you left the door open for illegal activity?

originally posted by: luthier
a reply to: shooterbrody

Lol,

Nope. Completely legal. Trumps lawyer is hack making a bs claim...


This is literally a common technique in white collar crime investigation to get information from a third party. Nothing illegal has been presented by the media at least.

a reply to: amfirst1

Trump only became president on January 20th, 2017, I'm guessing these emails are before that and therefore he can't claim Executive privilege.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: AboveBoard

What's interesting is the info from the GSA was handed over in August. Why the outrage now?

Even more interesting, is the letter sent by the transition lawyer that apparently said this:

It asked for Congress to act immediately “to protect future presidential transitions from having their private records misappropriated by government agencies, particularly in the context of sensitive investigations intersecting with political motives.”

Protect future presidential transitions...

That language would appear to indicate they have no recourse in this situation and can only hope to have future transition teams protected.

That IS interesting.

I think the whole thing is largely for optics. Get Trumps base riled up that he "isn't being treated fair!" And "The FBI is corrupt!!!"

BuzzFeed has some details of claims in the letter and statements from a person named in the letter.
The Trump Campaign Claims A Federal Office Illegally Turned Over Transition Emails To The Special Counsel

The letter also makes a specific claim about communication between the government and the campaign — that Richard Beckler, then the general counsel of the GSA, "acknowledged unequivocally to [the Trump campaign's] legal counsel" in a June 15 discussion that the Trump campaign "owned and controlled" emails, and that "any requests for the production of PTT records would therefore be routed to legal counsel for [the Trump campaign]."

Langhofer puts much of the blame for the move on a career government employee, GSA Deputy Counsel Lenny Loewentritt, who he says was present for those assurances. (Beckler "was hospitalized and incapacitated" in August, according to the letter, and has since died.)

"Career GSA staff, working with Mr. Loewentritt and at the direction of the FBI, immediately produced all the materials requested by the Special Counsel’s Office – without notifying TFA or filtering or redacting privileged material," Langhofer writes.

So the guy who Langhofer alleges made the assurance in the middle of June was hospitalized in August and has since died. It doesn't sound like they have an actual legal basis for the claim which is why these alleged assurance is being cited. Loewentritt denies that any such assurances were given:

In a phone interview with BuzzFeed News on Saturday night, Loewentritt — whose LinkedIn represents that he has been at the agency since 1972 — disputed the claims made in the letter sent by the Trump campaign.

"Beckler never made that commitment," he said of the claim that any requests for transition records would be routed to the Trump campaign's counsel.

Specifically, Loewentritt said, "in using our devices," transition team members were informed that materials "would not be held back in any law enforcement" actions.

Loewentritt read to BuzzFeed News a series of agreements that anyone had to agree to when using GSA materials during the transition, including that there could be monitoring and auditing of devices and that, "Therefore, no expectation of privacy can be assumed."

The article also mentions that the Mueller team made their requests in two letters sent in August, for emails, laptops, phones etc for nine transition members involved in "national security and policy matters" and four additional senior transition officials.

originally posted by: amfirst1
a reply to: theantediluvian

They violated executive privilege.

I don't believe a president-elect can claim executive privilege. And it doesn't appear that argument is put forth in the letter either.

When can we expect to see them on wikileaks?

originally posted by: luthier
a reply to: shooterbrody

Lol,

Nope. Completely legal. Trumps lawyer is hack making a bs claim...


This is literally a common technique in white collar crime investigation to get information from a third party. Nothing illegal has been presented by the media at least.

Didn't Trump's lawyer attend the worst law school in the country?

Well, when you don't listen to your lawyers and tend not pay your lawyers...I guess you get what you can take.

It's pretty funny to see C-list lawyers of the president try to outfox the team Muller has assembled.

Why didn't trumps team just bleachbit these emails or wipe them with a clotj?

Destroying subpeonead evidence is no big deal right?

Besides, I am sure these emails are just about yoga. Nothing a meeting on a tarmac can't fix.