Steve A. Stone
Letter to Attorney General William P. Barr
By Steve A. Stone
Hon. William P. Barr
Attorney General of the United States of America
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Barr,
I'm writing to you today for several reasons. The first is to express my admiration for the superb job you've done since assuming your present office. Your efforts to restore the dignity and trustworthiness of your Department have been encouraging and badly needed. As a nation, we've been going through some truly distressing times. Americans everywhere wish to see a return to the days when the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were the nation's hallmarks of integrity. I assume that's your wish and goal as well. Of all the departments of our government, it's yours that has suffered the most from recent political intrigues. We all deserve better, and your efforts lead many of us to conclude things are actually turning around and trending well.
There is another message I wish to convey. It's not one of hope, but of cynicism. Though everyone who is objective is encouraged by the recent trends, we are far less than encouraged by the slow pace of justice in several high-profile cases. Our fear is of running out of time before any actual justice can be rendered. Not only are there statute of limitations concerns, but there is always the possibility that a new administration will take over in January 2021 and all your department's efforts toward prosecutions and the FBI's investigations of misdeeds will be summarily terminated.
To attempt to recount all the instances of high-level official corruption, malfeasance, misfeasance, and blatant violations of existing statutes would not only turn this letter into a novella, it would certainly bore you to the point of offense, so I won't do that. I will cite some of the primary names of interest to all us little people outside the Washington beltway whenever we broach this subject in our breakfast clubs. We discuss the many, many transgressions of Hillary Clinton and her sidekick Huma Abedin. Then, there is the FBI's former top echelon, from former Director James Comey, to Peter Strzok, to Andrew McCabe, to Lisa Page. We also talk about former intelligence community leaders like John Brennan and James Clapper. Then there are people who were in DoJ such as former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Bruce Ohr (oh, wait, he's still there, isn't he?), Sally Yates, and Rod Rosenstein. It may sound like hyperbole to state America yearns and cries out for justice, but it's the truth. We view all those named people and many more as corrupt at best and potential perpetrators of crimes of various kinds and seriousness. We also discuss the activities of people like Susan Rice and Samantha Power, with their misrepresentations and potential abuses of authority.
I will also not expend much ink in pointing out the truth that most of America is rather disgusted by the number of revelations involving children of former and current power people in Washington who secured extraordinarily lucrative positions with foreign companies. While that may not be specifically illegal, there is always the stench and taint of corruption that goes along with blatant influence peddling, and there is also always the potential that there were IOUs very subtly and occasionally called in as compensation for those deals.
We've all read the so-called Mueller Report on the investigation he led and note how cleverly it was constructed to declare the truth that the two-plus year investigation could prove nothing negative and yet still allege there might be undiscovered but well-concealed bad acts that had occurred. It's true that you read the text of the Page 2 summary statement verbatim for all the world to hear, but no one really declared the second part of the investigation report what it truly is – largely a purposeful fabrication and a smear.
We've also read the Department of Justice Inspector General Reports authored by Mr. Horowitz, and we take care to acknowledge that the limited scope of authority of an Inspector General obviously affected the usefulness of his efforts. While they contained documentary revelations and verifications of long-held suspicions, they didn't result in any kind of satisfactory outcome. In a sense they proved to be irritants because they hinted at larger truths and the very real prospect of undelivered justice.
Your predecessor, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, gave U.S. Attorney John W. Huber a special charge to commence investigations of various allegations concerning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's possible misdeeds involving the sale of Uranium One and of potentially unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation. We've been waiting for Mr. Huber's report of findings and actions for two and a half years and have yet to see anything tangible. Indeed, there has been little mention of Mr. Huber's supposed investigations for many months, despite speculations that he presented evidence to a federal grand jury and placed sealed indictments in federal courthouses all across the nation. Today it's safe to say Mr. Huber has been completely silent on any of his activities regarding his charge from Attorney General Sessions. While I understand that is normal department policy, you have to admit the public interest merits at least a hint that there's something in the works out in Utah and the tasks are still germane. Or, are they?
Last May you tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the infamous "Steele Dossier." We anecdotally know the entire story of that sordid document, including who chartered it, who constructed it, how it was marketed, and how it was misused by the Obama Department of Justice and FBI to first disrupt the campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump, and later to disrupt his earliest days in office. We anecdotally understand how the dossier was used as a pretext for violations of the rights of Carter Page and how George Papadopolous was set up to be implicated in foreign intrigues. What we don't have is what Mr. Durham is supposed to be working to deliver – all the evidentiary proof. The fear we all share now is related to two specific questions: will this investigation be reported out before any statute of limitations prevails, and will the investigation be completed in time for meaningful follow-up legal actions should a new administration be sworn in next January?
The principal concerns and constant declarations heard everywhere in the land seem to always contain the same four words – two-tiered justice system. This is the central point of this communication, and one I'm certain you hear from many other quarters. Americans want faith in our justice system. We want to believe we all have the potential for equal justice before the law. Today that is not the case. In truth, that hasn't been true for a very long time. We are more than just a little tired of seeing people we believe are extremely corrupt and who have benefited greatly from their corruption escape any aspect of justice. We understand that if one of us "average citizens" who dwell outside the Washington beltway, people who aren't part of the so-called ruling elite, were to engage in a tenth of the corruption that is reported to us by the media, we would not get treated nearly so kind. We know the conviction rate of federal attorneys is in the high 90th percentile, and that if our federal justice system decides to put one of us in prison, it's almost certain we will go to prison. That appears not to be the case for a select few, including those named on the first page of this letter, many of whom are known to have committed federal offenses.
To mimic a famous civil rights chant from my childhood: What do we want? JUSTICE! When do we want it? NOW!
To summarize, the American people are truly tired of waiting for the sword of Justice to fall upon those we are certain are guilty of many crimes. Not only that, we are concerned that even if all your efforts and those of Mr. Huber and Mr. Durham are 100% earnest and dedicated, they all could be for naught. Time is not on the side of justice today, but is its greatest enemy. The clock ticks and the sound of ticking only grows louder in our ears and our consciousness. It unnerves us.
I am not normally one to plead, but I am pleading now. Please, please do whatever is necessary to demonstrate to the American people that the DoJ can provide unbiased and true justice and that the wealthy, powerful, and politically connected will pay for their misdeeds just the same as any average criminal. That's truly all we want; it's all we ask.
I wish you well in your efforts in behalf of all Americans.
In Liberty,
Steve Stone
© Steve A. Stone
March 19, 2020
Hon. William P. Barr
Attorney General of the United States of America
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Barr,
I'm writing to you today for several reasons. The first is to express my admiration for the superb job you've done since assuming your present office. Your efforts to restore the dignity and trustworthiness of your Department have been encouraging and badly needed. As a nation, we've been going through some truly distressing times. Americans everywhere wish to see a return to the days when the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were the nation's hallmarks of integrity. I assume that's your wish and goal as well. Of all the departments of our government, it's yours that has suffered the most from recent political intrigues. We all deserve better, and your efforts lead many of us to conclude things are actually turning around and trending well.
There is another message I wish to convey. It's not one of hope, but of cynicism. Though everyone who is objective is encouraged by the recent trends, we are far less than encouraged by the slow pace of justice in several high-profile cases. Our fear is of running out of time before any actual justice can be rendered. Not only are there statute of limitations concerns, but there is always the possibility that a new administration will take over in January 2021 and all your department's efforts toward prosecutions and the FBI's investigations of misdeeds will be summarily terminated.
To attempt to recount all the instances of high-level official corruption, malfeasance, misfeasance, and blatant violations of existing statutes would not only turn this letter into a novella, it would certainly bore you to the point of offense, so I won't do that. I will cite some of the primary names of interest to all us little people outside the Washington beltway whenever we broach this subject in our breakfast clubs. We discuss the many, many transgressions of Hillary Clinton and her sidekick Huma Abedin. Then, there is the FBI's former top echelon, from former Director James Comey, to Peter Strzok, to Andrew McCabe, to Lisa Page. We also talk about former intelligence community leaders like John Brennan and James Clapper. Then there are people who were in DoJ such as former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Bruce Ohr (oh, wait, he's still there, isn't he?), Sally Yates, and Rod Rosenstein. It may sound like hyperbole to state America yearns and cries out for justice, but it's the truth. We view all those named people and many more as corrupt at best and potential perpetrators of crimes of various kinds and seriousness. We also discuss the activities of people like Susan Rice and Samantha Power, with their misrepresentations and potential abuses of authority.
I will also not expend much ink in pointing out the truth that most of America is rather disgusted by the number of revelations involving children of former and current power people in Washington who secured extraordinarily lucrative positions with foreign companies. While that may not be specifically illegal, there is always the stench and taint of corruption that goes along with blatant influence peddling, and there is also always the potential that there were IOUs very subtly and occasionally called in as compensation for those deals.
We've all read the so-called Mueller Report on the investigation he led and note how cleverly it was constructed to declare the truth that the two-plus year investigation could prove nothing negative and yet still allege there might be undiscovered but well-concealed bad acts that had occurred. It's true that you read the text of the Page 2 summary statement verbatim for all the world to hear, but no one really declared the second part of the investigation report what it truly is – largely a purposeful fabrication and a smear.
We've also read the Department of Justice Inspector General Reports authored by Mr. Horowitz, and we take care to acknowledge that the limited scope of authority of an Inspector General obviously affected the usefulness of his efforts. While they contained documentary revelations and verifications of long-held suspicions, they didn't result in any kind of satisfactory outcome. In a sense they proved to be irritants because they hinted at larger truths and the very real prospect of undelivered justice.
Your predecessor, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, gave U.S. Attorney John W. Huber a special charge to commence investigations of various allegations concerning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's possible misdeeds involving the sale of Uranium One and of potentially unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation. We've been waiting for Mr. Huber's report of findings and actions for two and a half years and have yet to see anything tangible. Indeed, there has been little mention of Mr. Huber's supposed investigations for many months, despite speculations that he presented evidence to a federal grand jury and placed sealed indictments in federal courthouses all across the nation. Today it's safe to say Mr. Huber has been completely silent on any of his activities regarding his charge from Attorney General Sessions. While I understand that is normal department policy, you have to admit the public interest merits at least a hint that there's something in the works out in Utah and the tasks are still germane. Or, are they?
Last May you tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the infamous "Steele Dossier." We anecdotally know the entire story of that sordid document, including who chartered it, who constructed it, how it was marketed, and how it was misused by the Obama Department of Justice and FBI to first disrupt the campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump, and later to disrupt his earliest days in office. We anecdotally understand how the dossier was used as a pretext for violations of the rights of Carter Page and how George Papadopolous was set up to be implicated in foreign intrigues. What we don't have is what Mr. Durham is supposed to be working to deliver – all the evidentiary proof. The fear we all share now is related to two specific questions: will this investigation be reported out before any statute of limitations prevails, and will the investigation be completed in time for meaningful follow-up legal actions should a new administration be sworn in next January?
The principal concerns and constant declarations heard everywhere in the land seem to always contain the same four words – two-tiered justice system. This is the central point of this communication, and one I'm certain you hear from many other quarters. Americans want faith in our justice system. We want to believe we all have the potential for equal justice before the law. Today that is not the case. In truth, that hasn't been true for a very long time. We are more than just a little tired of seeing people we believe are extremely corrupt and who have benefited greatly from their corruption escape any aspect of justice. We understand that if one of us "average citizens" who dwell outside the Washington beltway, people who aren't part of the so-called ruling elite, were to engage in a tenth of the corruption that is reported to us by the media, we would not get treated nearly so kind. We know the conviction rate of federal attorneys is in the high 90th percentile, and that if our federal justice system decides to put one of us in prison, it's almost certain we will go to prison. That appears not to be the case for a select few, including those named on the first page of this letter, many of whom are known to have committed federal offenses.
To mimic a famous civil rights chant from my childhood: What do we want? JUSTICE! When do we want it? NOW!
To summarize, the American people are truly tired of waiting for the sword of Justice to fall upon those we are certain are guilty of many crimes. Not only that, we are concerned that even if all your efforts and those of Mr. Huber and Mr. Durham are 100% earnest and dedicated, they all could be for naught. Time is not on the side of justice today, but is its greatest enemy. The clock ticks and the sound of ticking only grows louder in our ears and our consciousness. It unnerves us.
I am not normally one to plead, but I am pleading now. Please, please do whatever is necessary to demonstrate to the American people that the DoJ can provide unbiased and true justice and that the wealthy, powerful, and politically connected will pay for their misdeeds just the same as any average criminal. That's truly all we want; it's all we ask.
I wish you well in your efforts in behalf of all Americans.
In Liberty,
Steve Stone
© Steve A. Stone
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