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GOP Finds 'Evidence of Potential Anti-Trump Bias' on Mueller's Team, Tells DOJ To Explain

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Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio are calling into question the impartiality of two members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.

The two Republican lawmakers sent a letter to recently confirmed Attorney General William Barr seeking information about actions taken or not taken by Department of Justice prosecutors Andrew Weissmann and Zainab Ahmad after learning of the bias of Russia dossier author Christopher Steele against then-candidate Donald Trump.

Meadows and Jordan noted in the letter to Barr that the dossier — paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee — was “crucial” in the FBI’s decision to launch a counterintelligence investigation against the Trump campaign, which was taken over by Mueller in May 2017.

The House Oversight Committee members recounted prior to the 2016 election that Weissmann and Ahmad were in contact with their DOJ colleague then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr about the dossier, who informed them of its potential bias.

“According to Ohr, Steele was ‘desperate’ to prevent then-candidate Donald Trump from becoming President — a bias Ohr communicated to the FBI. Ohr testified (before Congress) he also conveyed Steele’s information to Weissmann and Ahmad in 2016 — well before the Special Counsel was appointed,” Meadows and Jordan wrote.

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To the lawmakers, the prosecutors’ knowledge of the dossier’s origins raises red flags.

“Weissmann’s and Ahmad’s receipt of biased information before their appointment to the Special Counsel’s Office calls into question their impartiality, the very reason for establishing an independent Special Counsel investigation,” the lawmakers’ letter reads.

“We write to determine what steps both Weissmann and Ahmad took to apprise Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the Justice Department of their contacts with Ohr and the substance of those meetings before their assignment to the Special Counsel’s Office.”

The congressman contend that as seasoned DOJ prosecutors the men should understand their responsibility to convey such important information about the dossier to the appropriate officials at the department.

Do you think Mueller's team is biased?

“Since beginning our investigation in October 2017, we have obtained evidence of political bias and self-described ‘unusual’ conduct within the Department raising questions about the independence of the Special Counsel’s Office,” Meadows and Jordan wrote. “We learned several employees of the Special Counsel’s Office are affiliated with political opponents of President Trump.”

The representatives pointed to anti-Trump text messages between former Mueller team members Peter Strzok and Lisa page as examples of bias and say Ohr’s testimony now raises questions about Weissmann and Ahmad.

Meadows and Jordan are specifically asking Barr to identify what, if any, actions that Weissmann and Ahmad took upon learning of the bias.

Further, the congressmen want the prosecutors’ documents and communications that involve becoming part of the special counsel’s team.

Finally, Meadows and Jordan seek any documents or communications the DOJ used to evaluate Weissmann’s and Ahmad’s independence.

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Trump has questioned the impartiality of Mueller’s “13 Angry and heavily conflicted Democrats” on multiple occasions.

Politifact confirmed last March that at least 13 of the 17 lawyers on Mueller’s team are Democrats, six of whom contributed to Clinton.

Of the four remaining attorneys, the fact checker could not determine their party affiliation.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Weissmann attended Clinton’s election night party in November 2016.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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