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March 29th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

larry phillips mugshotGUEST COLUMN, Larry Phillips, Kismet

 

I’ve never been one to push conspiracy theories as most are highly charged partisan diversions or political attacks. However, some partisan theories might just expose such inquisitiveness as to incite the public to ask more questions about those theories.

The main question: Are they simply theories or not? This is more seriously contemplated these days after learning how corrupt and unscrupulous top officials of the FBI and Justice Department have been, and still are.

My questions about how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court Judges (FISC) ignored serious abuses of warrant requests to spy on American people working for a Presidental campaign is at last getting the attention of the public through solid reporting by various – and rare – true journalists.

Reporting has shown presiding FISC Judge Rosemary M. Collyer waited a whole week before publically scolding (tepidly) the FBI and asked for a report by Jan. 10 as to how the FBI will correct its (illegal) abuse of FISA requests.

I even brought up a point that maybe it was U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was the one who told her to respond – somehow.

Reporter Stu Cvrk at www.redstate.com described Collyer’s order to the FBI best in his post on Dec. 22: 

“Oh, the horror. Please, please, FBI, tell us how you’ll cover our butts now that the FISC complicity in FISA abuse has been made known to all Americans.”

Cvrk also pointed out the “fact” that “  Devin Nunes (R-CA) (had) accused the FISC of complicity in the FISA abuse identified in the Horowitz report,” a full 18 months before the report’s release. And what happened?

Collyer blew off Nunes’ requests for documents and his warning his committee had proof of abuses and incomplete warrant requests.

And here is the underlying question: How much of the Nunes Report was known to silent-as-a-mouse, SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts? After all, Roberts had appointed every one of the 11 FISC Judges sitting on that secret island of unaccountable and untouchable pompous overseers of national security from foreign (not local) agents of doom.

It’s not a conspiracy theory to ask what and how Roberts is involved in this FISA Court abuse. 

It is well known Roberts doesn’t like President Trump. He broke all traditional and historical presidence when he publically bashed Trump for pointing out most of the judges on the Ninth District Court of Appeals are “Obama Judges.”

On Nov. 21, 2018, Roberts responded, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

Baloney.

Even Fake News NBC reported Roberts response was rare.

“It’s the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump.”

But, it wasn’t the first time Roberts barked earlier at Trump, who, rightly, claims that judges make decisions based on agenda-driven considerations.

“I will not criticize the political branches,” Roberts said in a speech in October 2018. “Our role is very clear. We are to interpret the Constitution and laws of the United States and ensure that the political branches act within them.”

Snippety, high-tone words from a man who “interpreted the Constitution” and said it allowed ObamaCare because it was a tax, which by the way, proponents and attorneys supporting ObamaCare never claimed in court. 

In fact, Roberts’ decision on ObamaCare will go down as one of the most disgusting misinterpretations in SCOTUS history, right there beside The Dred Scott decision. His name will always be a stain on the highest bench of the land.

So, back to how is Roberts involved in FISA Court abuse? Well, for one, “Back in November, Ed Timperlake pointed out that Fiona Hill’s testimony before Adam Schiff’ impeachment star chamber essentially made the Chief Justice a fact witness,” according to reporting by Cvrk.

Seems “Hill testified about her relationship with Christopher Steele’s work product, (so) a public connection was made between the impeachment process and the fraudulent document used in the FISC process to unmask innocent Americans and target political opponents.

“John Cardillo, a conservative radio personality and host on Newsmax TV, sounded the recusal alarm,” according to Cvrk. ‘There is already a crisis of confidence among the American people that we have a fair system of justice. When you have a chief justice of the Supreme Court overtly making comments that are derogatory to the president of the United States, take all speculation out of the process,’ Cardillo said.”

Roberts is the FISA Court head (over Collyer and the rest), and Roberts is constitutionally required to preside over the Senate impeachment trial. 

Now, Cvrk, Timperlake, Cardillo and numerous others are demanding Roberts recuse himself from being the judge during the Senate trial because he appoints and oversees FISC Judges, who are fact witnesses in the trial, which makes him a fact witness – and his disdain for Trump is known worldwide.

I believe further investigations will uncover more in the future of Roberts involvement in this “Deep Swamp” abuse. I’m not saying he’s  in a conspiracy to destroy Trump, but there are legitimate questions that must be asked.

• What’s really going on Roberts?

 • When did you first learn about the Nunes Report (and his abuse warnings)?

• Why didn’t you intervene?

• Did you tell FISC Judge Collyer to ignore Nunes’ requests for documents and tell her to blow him off in her letters?

• Why have you been silent in view of the Horowitz report?

• Has federal prosecutor John Durham interviewed you?

 • Who will you hire as your attorney if you are indicted by a federal grand jury?

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

 

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