Having grown up watching political scandals unfold in D.C., from the resignation of Justice Abe Fortas, to Texas con-man Billy Sol Estes, and eventually Watergate, it is now obvious that these political scandals are truly sophomoric when contrasted with the recent revelations of the illegal and corrupt political practices of the Obama administration.

The “most transparent administration ever” was how Barack Obama characterized his administration.

They really deserve a prize, at least for audacity.

Where Nixon only had a handful of minions doing his dirty tricks and a secretary shuffling around to erase 18 minutes of Oval Office tape recordings that led to his impeachment, we now find that the Department of Justice, FBI, and State Department all were directly involved in an ever-widening array of illegal activities to cover-up the Hillary Clinton email scandal, derail the Trump campaign, and — after the election — disable his administration by any means possible. And that is only the tail end of 8 years of political chicanery.

It now appears that quite a number of high level personnel in these agencies were complicit enablers, or had direct involvement in the “fixing” of the Hillary Clinton email server scandal, the destruction of documents under subpoena, the falsifying of applications to the FISA court for surveillance warrants against the Trump campaign via a former advisor, leaking classified information to favorable media organizations, and leaking phony information to the same as verified intelligence materials.

That is probably just getting warmed up.

The list of Obama hold-overs in these departments now being investigated with good cause by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs includes 16 top-echelon personnel in the DOJ and FBI. The committee’s letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Jan. 31, 2018 is well worth reading to comprehend the pervasive nature of their actions, and efforts at covering up malfeasance.

The list of Obama hold-overs whose calendars and communications are being demanded for investigation by the Senate Committee: James Comey, James Rybicki, Andrew McCabe, John Giaclone, James Turgal, David Bowdich, Jonathan Moffa, Peter Strozk, Lisa Page, Trisha Anderson, E.W. Priestap, George Toscas, Randy Coleman, Brian Brooks, Michael Kortan, and James Baker.

Much of the post election media narrative of Trump colluding with Russian interests, i.e. Vladimir Putin, was concocted by Clinton campaign hirelings and then amplified by Obama administration elites in the FBI, DOJ and State Department while they selectively leaked to their echo chamber friends in the media. You might think that CNN, MSNBC, ABC and CBS all had an interest in a coup by the way they have fostered the now hopelessly shredded stories of the Steele Dossier and the whole Russia-collusion meme.

Despite the mainstream media giving a good leaving alone to any story that vindicates anything the president has said about this spreading scandal, “disgraceful” being the mildest way of describing this situation, they’re losing credibility every day.

The recent announcement by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation has now resulted in the indictment of a group of Russians, active here since 2014, for a variety of illegal acts related to political activity only reinforces the emptiness of the collusion claims regarding the Trump campaign.

Last Friday he stated, “There is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity. There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.”

The indictment itself is fascinating though tedious reading.

When top FBI agents and DOJ lawyers are being demoted, “re-assigned,” or “taking early retirement,” very likely a present day John Dean will appear, under oath before a Senate committee and fully expose the agenda and illegal methods the previous administration used to target political rivals.

Investigative journalist Sara Carter reported on Sept. 2, 2016 that FBI lawyer Lisa Page texted her paramour, FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strozk, that she was preparing the talking points because “POTUS wants to know everything we’re doing.”

She was referring to President Obama in the text.

The “everything” referred to the Clinton email investigation which the FBI had code-named “Mid-Year Exam,” and which surfaces in many of their texts.

Readers with a decent memory will recall then-president Obama in an interview with Chris Wallace (Fox News Sunday) snapped at Wallace after being asked if he would assure the audience that the Clinton email server issue was being handled with no favoritism. “I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations,” Mr. Obama said in the April 2016 interview. “I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations. We have a strict line and have always maintained it. I guarantee it.”

Apparently, that would be “no longer an operative statement” as Ron Zeigler used to say.

In a previous column, I observed that the roots of this scandal go back to D.C. yet again. This connects directly to the White House and Barack Obama. I wonder how the media would react if the Trump administration used the same tactics to weaponize federal agencies to target and harass political opponents?

Why is it that the same media ignores it, or tries to discredit the mounting evidence that the Obama administration did just that?

You must admit, audacity appeared to have no limits with the Obama/Clinton team.

Another View is a weekly column written collaboratively by Dale Landrith of Camden, Ken Frederic of Bristol, Paul Ackerman of Martinsville and Jan Dolcater of Rockport.

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