The New York Post is reporting that the Obama administration may be about to get its own special counsel. The issue at hand is accusations of Obstruction Of Justice by then Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Ironically, the origin of the drive to examine Obama era legal practices originates, as with Robert Mueller examining Donald Trump, former FBI Director James Comey.
What is Loretta Lynch alleged to have done?
Lynch, according to sworn testimony by Comey to the Senate Judiciary Committee, interfered with his investigation of Hillary Clinton’s unsecured email server on a number of occasions.
Lynch at one point ordered Comey to mislead the public by referring to the investigation as a “matter.” Lynch also held a secret meeting with former President Bill Clinton on a parked private plane. She claimed that the conversation concerned grandchildren and other benign things. However, Comey cleared Ms. Clinton of wrongdoing three days after he confronted Lynch about the meeting. Lynch also allegedly reassured that Clinton campaign that she would impede the investigation, thus making sure that no embarrassing indictments would occur that would derail her candidacy.
How will a special counsel happen?
The Senate Judiciary Committee intends to call Lynch to testify under oath about the meeting she had with former President Clinton.
It will also likely call in other witnesses, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Amanda Renteria, the senior Clinton campaign staffer with whom Lynch is alleged to have been in communication. Comey’s notes taken of meetings with Lynch will also be subpoenaed.
At a certain point, after the committee has gathered enough evidence, the matter will be handed over to the Justice Department for investigation.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions will likely recuse himself, as he did with the Russian case, and arrange for a special counsel. Since Sen. Dianne Feinstein has already indicated that the obstruction of justice charge is worthy of investigation, the call will be bi-partisan.
What happens then?
Then the Trump administration will have a new narrative to counter the Russian collusion story., A special counsel, as history shows, has an unlimited brief and can investigate anyone and anything, whether related to the original reason for his appointment or not.
One of the primary questions that will be asked, bringing to mind the one asked during Watergate, what did the president know and when did he know it? Indeed, what did Hillary Clinton know and when did she know it.
Where an investigation of this nature will lead to is anyone’s guess. But it should be noted that no special counsel or special prosecutor has ever failed to take at least one scalp. The Obama-Clinton axis looks like a target rich environment in that regard.
