AGENDA 21 RADIO

BY CHRISS STREET

Senator Kamala Harris’ weekend Central Valley listening tour conveniently avoided the brewing scandal over potential criminal violations by former FBI Director James Comey for writing memos at home using classified information regarding the investigation of President Trump and the Russia, that may have been a crime.

KQED News reported that freshman Sen. Harris spent time during last week’s Congressional recess on a “listening tour through California.” She sat quietly without responding through a series of agricultural interest meetings regarding water, trade, immigration, labor, and environmental regulation.

Harris was a high-energy Attorney General, but uncharacteristically only commented: “I want to make sure I have a very good and accurate perspective from you on the needs of California” so she can go back to Washington DC to get California “its fair share.”

Harris was expected to be barnstorming the state in a victory lap after becoming a progressive hero in June with her liberal-perfect-pitch demands for a “special prosecutor” to investigate President Trump for contacts with Russians and her dominating the Democrat interrogation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the Comey firing.

Progressive sites such as Vox, HuffPost and NBC News crowned Harris a rising feminist hero for her effectiveness with stridently badgering witnesses during televised Senate hearings that forced Republicans to cut-off her grilling of Sessions. Mother Jones Editor Clara Jones tweeted that reasons Harris was muzzled: “because she is black, because she is a woman; because she is good; and because she is amassing power quickly.”

Politico stated that Sen. Harris’ “fierce opposition to the White House is heightening speculation about her 2020 intentions” to run for President. They quoted top Silicon Valley Democrat fund raiser Wade Randlett: “The dominant trend in Democratic Party politics is fresh, new and interesting — that’s what people are looking for — not old, steady and establishment.’’ Randlett trumpeted that “Kamala is the trifecta on that.’’

But Senator Harris’ avoiding being seen fundraising in California’s liberal big money bastions of Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara and Hollywood; may be related to a report by The Hill on July 9 that four of the seven memos written by Comey, supposedly at home, regarding Trump conversations contained markings that allegedly make clear the information was classified at a confidential and possibly even secret level.

The FBI Manuel of Investigative Operations and Guidelines make it clear that any agent who removes classified information, makes private notes regarding such information, and/or distributes such information to a un-authorized person will be terminated.

The Manuel states that anyone who “knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States” has criminally violated federal law. Violators under ‘Disclosure of Classified Information’ (18 U.S. Code § 798): “Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.”

Potential violation of ‘Disclosure of Classified Information’ was the basis for investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server that James Comey personally oversaw as FBI Director. Under the FBI Manuel, a criminal investigation can only be initiated when investigators have a good-faith basis to believe there is a penal code violation and a prosecutorial referral can only be made investigators are convinced the suspect committed a crime.

James Comey as FBI Director, was involved in the 2012 criminal investigation that led to the imprisonment of former FBI bomb technician and government contractor Donald John Sachtleben under ‘Disclosure of Classified Information.’ Sachtleban leaked information to the Associated Press regarding details of a foiled Yemen bomb plot. His 43-month sentence for leaking was the longest ever imposed by a federal civilian court, although Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35-years by a military judge giving info to Wikileaks.

Senator Kamala Harris as a member of the powerful Judiciary Committee was present ar the hearing when James Comey admitted to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that he “shared” at least one memo regarding Trump and the Russians national security investigation with Columbia Law School Daniel C. Richman, who then politically leaked it to the New York Times.

It has not been disclosed what other press leaks that James Comey was involved during or after being FBI Director. But Senator Harris knows that such actions could be criminal.