GOP Lawmaker Who Never Supported Second Special Counsel Now Says One Is “Essential” (VIDEO)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who has never supported the idea of a second special counsel to probe FISA abuse by Obama’s FBI and DOJ, now believes one is “essential.”

KING: “And that’s why, very reluctantly on my party, because I’ve never supported a special counsel before — in this case it is essential that there be one. I agree with Trey Gowdy, I agree with John Ratcliffe, because there’s so much interconnection here. There’s so many potential conflicts of interest and there’s so many people beyond the scope of the Inspector General, and we can’t expect the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate themselves.

On Tuesday, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) called for a second special counsel to investigate FISA abuse committed by the FBI and DOJ.

FOX News reports:

Gowdy, R-S.C., and Goodlatte, R-Va., penned a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

“Matters have arisen—both recently and otherwise—which necessitate the appointment of a Special Counsel. We do not make this observation and attendant request lightly,” Gowdy and Goodlatte wrote.

They pointed, specifically, toward the use of the infamous anti-Trump dossier used in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to obtain a warrant to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

“There is evidence of bias, trending toward animus, among those charged with investigating serious cases,” they wrote. “There is evidence political opposition research was used in court filings. There is evidence this political opposition research was neither vetted before it was used nor fully revealed to the relevant tribunal.”

Shortly after sending the letter to Sessions, Gowdy revealed to FOX News’ Bill Hemmer that he reached the conclusion a second special counsel is required after learning Inspector General Horowitz doesn’t have the subpoena power to use on former FBI Director James Comey and outgoing Deputy Director Andrew McCabe as witnesses.

When asked “what matters have arisen,” that now require a second special counsel to investigate, Gowdy had this to say…

GOWDY: “What changed for me was the knowledge that there are two dozen witnesses that Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General, would not have access to. So, your options are DOJ investigating themselves – they can’t do that because of conflict of interest. [Second,] Let the Inspector General do it. Now I’m a big fan of Mike Horowitz, but he has no jurisdiction over witnesses that have either left the department or never worked there. So, when I counted up 24 witnesses that he would not be able to access, were he to investigate it, you have only one conclusion – that’s a special counsel.

When asked by Hemmer who Horowitz does not have access to, Gowdy revealed former FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, along with Clinton hatchetmen Sidney Blumenthal and Cody Shearer are all on the list.

 

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