Eric Cantor's Petraeus October Surprise Failed as FBI Stood Firm

[buzzman]

http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17640-eric-cantor-s-petraeus-october-surprise-failed-as-fbi-stood-firm

Amidst the sordid details of the high-ranking CIA sex scandal (that has now spread to an investigation of Jill Kelley, the woman who complained of being harassed by Gen. David Petraeus's mistress (Paula Broadwell), being involved in voluminous and questionable e-mail exchanges with the current commander of forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen), one important political factor has emerged in the last day: Republican House Majority Eric Cantor appears to have tried to put pressure on the FBI to advance the investigation, with the likely goal of an October surprise scandal that would have potentially harmed Obama's chance of re-election.

[aletier_v]

1. maybe the twins will get raided tonight!!!

[Lucinda]

2. Oh good grief. If Cantor wanted to, he could have gone public.

It wasn't his doing, it all just fell in his lap.

[Patiod]

4. Why would Petreaus' dalliances have any impact on the election?

The guy is hardly a gung-ho Obama supporter.

[AAO]

10. He's a Republican. So is General 30,000 emails Allen.

[Lucinda]

17. It wouldn't have....which is another reason why it seems silly

to call it some sort of October surprise from Cantor.

[leveymg]

3. I think it's more likely that Mueller told Cantor to shut up about it, and he did.

That's why Mueller is still FBI Director. He knows how and when to do that.

[underthematrix]

7. Well contacting the FBI about a SPECIFIC

matter is considered interference. It was Cantor's assistant who made direct contact with Mueller's office and he got nothing because the FBI does not comment on pending matters, especially in the OBAMA Justice Department.

[TwilightGardener]

5. I'd heard that he referred the matter to Mueller--is that considered

"pressuring"? Did he think Mueller just didn't know, OR did he tell Mueller to hurry it up? Interesting.

[LiberalArkie]

6. I think he thought some of the agents had gone "rouge" and told Mueller, as he should have.

And Mueller let him know that it was an agency investigation.

Simple.

[juajen]

13. That's "rogue", not "rouge".

You have been visited by the DU spelling police. I only come out at certain times, that is when I feel like it.

[SoCalDem]

14. pretty sure the poster knew that and was just "funning"...hence the "..." around "rouge".

Like we do around here with "moran"..

[SoCalDem]

15. Boy I hate the delay in edit.. I corrected my typo and it still does not show up

Knew..not "new".. I knew that.. -----> me

[rocktivity]

8. But what if Cantor kept his mouth shut because

Last edited Tue Nov 13, 2012, 07:31 PM - Edit history (1)

the scandal would have been a weapon that the Rethugs could have blackmailed Petraeus with?


rocktivity

[SCVDem]

9. To all the Fox talking heads who say

the President should have known.

How?

The righties want a government so big that they can pry into our bedrooms to make sure we are being moral. I believe the name for that is the Taliban.

Under this President we have a smaller government who does not employ morality police.

So once again, how should a busy President have known?

[Gman]

11. He also had a campaign to run

even though he won 59-41, there was talk that he was in trouble. Discretion was the better part of some kind of perverted "valor" on his part just so he didn't leave his own ass hanging out there by spilling a story that had no national security implications.

[freshwest]

12. Would love to see some of these schemers go home. Cantor.. ugh!

[Bucky]

16. I have a theory, that as a successful lawyer, Cantor knew to steer clear of meddling in a scandal

Occam's razor, folks. If you want to claim Cantor wanted to do something political with this, you have to have evidence other than the "gone ragout" shirtless FBI dude trying to bring it to Cantor. Man, all these people in this Love Pentagon seem fucked up--the thrill-seeking hotties, the douchy FBI loser, and the bone-minded generals who now want to drag how "honorable" they are into this steamy pile of santora.

Maybe your gut tells you Cantor couldn't have known about it and not wanted to use it to tar the president. My gut tells me Cantor's probably got pretty good survival instincts. He seems like the one Republican in the leadership who occasionally pokes his head out of Limbaugh's ass just to see how the wind is blowing.