Citizen Group Demands DOJ Investigate Missing Call Logs

[gab13by13]

A Citizen group, CREW, has demanded that DOJ investigate whether or not, Donald Trump destroyed documents that could prove he committed a crime. Just another instance of where DOJ should at least investigate.

I apologize for the Raw Story link, ignore the ads.

Building on a February 8 letter — sent before the call logs were shared last month with the U.S. House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021—Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and National Security Archive again wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray.

Demanding an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the groups' letter emphasizes that the "significant gap" in Trump records corresponds to "a critical period when the Capitol was under attack by insurrectionists, raising the possibility that portions of the call logs were willfully destroyed to cover up evidence of criminal misconduct."

"As our previous letter outlines," the document reiterates, "former President Trump engaged in a pattern of conduct throughout his tenure in office that violated his record-keeping obligations under the Presidential Records Act in multiple ways."

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-letter/

Here's a better link from Salon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/garland-faces-demands-to-investigate-if-trump-mutilated-or-destroyed-records-to-cover-up-crimes/ar-AAWoOrr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=a04921dad9094928935491ed44cda78e

[FBaggins]

1. Didn't this issue go away shortly after it was discovered?

I could have sworn that the reporting quickly changed to the call log actually being complete? Something about other days/presidents' logs looking the same way?

[gab13by13]

2. Obviously, CREW isn't satisfied with the explanation.

[SharonClark]

4. An over 7 hour gap during the January 6 riot?

I haven’t read any source that has explained that away.

[FBaggins]

6. Here's what I found

Official review of Trump phone logs from January 6 finds record is complete

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/31/politics/mystery-call-gap-trump-jan-6-white-house-phone-logs/index.html

The relevant paragraphs appear to be:

The six pages of White House switchboard logs for January 6, 2021, are complete based on an official review of White House records, according to a source familiar with the matter. There are no missing pages and the seven-hour gap is likely explained by use of White House landlines, White House cell phones and personal cell phones that do not go through the switchboard.

...

The White House call log is generated by a switchboard system that dates back to the 1960s, according to the National Archives. The version installed in 1963 was already considered "somewhat outdated" just two decades later.

...

A former White House staffer who served in the Obama administration told CNN that if then-President Barrack Obama wanted to make a call to someone from the Oval Office, he would normally ask an aide seated nearby to dial the person. The aide would then call the number and hit transfer to connect the caller to the President.

That call would not go through the White House switchboard and therefore would not be recorded on the White House switchboard log, the former staffer said.

[gab13by13]

8. Saying that Trump's calls did not go through the switchboard,

does not make it legal for him to use cell phones or burner phones to cover up criminal activity.

It just amazes me how people dismiss Trump's criminal behavior.

So we find out that there was nothing unusual about Trump not using the proper communications, especially while in the Oval office. That is fucking wrong, it violates the fact that communications must be archived.

So Trump didn't go through the switchboard, then DOJ needs to get Mike Lees phone and Tommy Tuberville's phone and Gym Jordan's phone and find out whose phone they were communicating with in the White House.

Or maybe we just forget about saving our democracy. We deserve to become an autocracy, Democrats don't fight like Republicans.

Why doesn't Chuck Schumer have the Senate oversight committee investigate Mike Lee, or John Eastman, like Republicans did with benghazi.

John Eastman is working right now in Wisconsin and Arizona trying to get state officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The insurrection is still going on for fuck's sake. Eastman is claiming executive privilege to keep the select committee from getting 36,000 of his emails. DOJ could get those emails if they tried.

It seems to me the only people investigating Trump and his inner circle are the select committee.

[hamsterjill]

10. Couldn't agree more.

n/t

[FBaggins]

11. And the Obama staffer saying it was pretty standard practice for them as well?

The point is that the original story made it seem like the Watergate tapes with a clear erasure. That logs had been received and either some data had been deleted or entire pages were missing. The reality turns out to be that the 1/6 logs were not unusual and there's no reason to believe that someone went back and destroyed evidence. Calls made early in the morning or late in the day (from the residence) would go through the switchboard and calls from the Oval Office would not and thus would not be included on the switchboard logs. It sounds like a randomly-selected day from earlier in the administration (or even prior administrations) could look the same way.

That doesn't mean that everything is "hunky dory" - record retention regulations are presumably intended to capture all presidential communications and the standard practices of the Trump White House avoided that (and were likely intended to avoid it). But there was nothing special about 1/6 that creates a new smoking gun in the way the Watergate tapes attempted destruction of evidence did.

[gab13by13]

16. What is the difference?

So Trump didn't erase switchboard calls, instead he either used someone's cell phone or used burner phones to conceal criminal activity.

Should not DOJ be investigating that?

The problem I see, is that when Republicans commit crimes, Democrats blame the MSM for not covering it. The MSM is complicit with Republicans, it is owned and managed by the right.

Republicans know how to fight, know how to control the narrative to force their talking points to be covered by the MSM.

Republicans held 33 hearings on Benghazi. Hillary Clinton testified in public for 11 hours. My question is, what was Hillary Clinton charged with? Republicans spent all of that time on Benghazi for political purposes. 7 House Democrats even voted to hold those hearings for crying out loud.

Democrats need to make Mike Lee and Chip Roy testify for 11 hours before the American people.

Maybe the select committee will be enough? The loudest voice in the House of Representatives going after Donald Trump is Republican Liz Cheney. She laid out, in public, what crimes Trump should be prosecuted for.

[FBaggins]

20. The difference is the lack of evidence

It isn't illegal for the president to use a cell phone (or other Oval Office line that isn't captured by that log). The story makes clear that it's pretty common (including the Obama administration). In fact - if the excerpt below represents presidential calls that wouldn't be logged... just about every Oval Office call depicted on The West Wing would escape the log.

It IS illegal to use any of those to conceal criminal activity, but that's circular. We can't say that the gap is evidence of criminal activity being concealed. Same for the "burner" notion. We knew that calls were being made and that they weren't in the log... so we assumed there was a "burner" phone involved. Except we now know that no burner phone was needed in order to avoid the log. Normal Oval Office calls also avoided the log.

if then-President Barrack Obama wanted to make a call to someone from the Oval Office, he would normally ask an aide seated nearby to dial the person. The aide would then call the number and hit transfer to connect the caller to the President.

That call would not show up on the log yet no burner phone was involved nor reason to believe that Obama was hiding illegal activity. The story was that we thought we had a clear smoking gun that evidence had been intentionally destroyed (itself a crime).

CREW alleges "destroying critical records" and "...portions of the call logs were destroyed to cover up..." - yet there's no evidence that either happened given what we now know.

[Effete Snob]

7. CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/31/politics/mystery-call-gap-trump-jan-6-white-house-phone-logs/index.html

According to multiple sources familiar with Trump’s phone behavior and the White House switchboard records, the January 6 log reflects Trump’s typical phone habits. He mainly placed calls through the switchboard when he was in the residence but rarely used it when he was in the Oval Office. The fact the log does not show calls on January 6, 2021, from the Oval Office is not unusual, said the sources, because Trump typically had staff either place calls directly for him on landlines or cell phones. Those calls would not be noted on the switchboard log.

The six pages of White House switchboard logs for January 6, 2021, are complete based on an official review of White House records, according to a source familiar with the matter. There are no missing pages and the seven-hour gap is likely explained by use of White House landlines, White House cell phones and personal cell phones that do not go through the switchboard.

[70sEraVet]

3. "From CREW's lips to DOJ's ears", as the saying goes.

[blogslug]

5. One more link to add

From CREW:

https://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action/legal-complaints/doj-must-investigate-missing-presidential-call-logs/

...Documents turned over to the January 6th Committee revealed the missing call log information. Throughout his administration, Trump’s recordkeeping practices were described as “generally chaotic” as he sought to evade having records of certain calls created, a clear violation of the Presidential Records Act. These habits included the former president’s habit of using cell phones to make or receive calls, particularly when he was in the Oval Office, which would bypass the White House switchboard and fail to create presidential records. The missing seven hour and 37-minute gap in White House call records from January 6, 2021 covers critical periods of the insurrectionist assault on the Capitol, despite at least five calls to or from Trump during that period having been documented in the public record. These include conversations with Senator Mike Lee, Senator Tommy Tuberville, then-Senator Kelly Loeffler, former Vice President Pence, Rep. Jim Jordan and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy...

pdf link to letter from CREW: https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Renewed-DOJ-Ltr.-4-14-22-final.docx.pdf

[jaxexpat]

9. Get the bastards on the witness stand YESTERDAY!

There was a riot that stormed into the capitol building on January 6th, 2021. Dozens of hundreds were involved. Criminal trespassing, vandalism and assault were perpetrated by citizens great and small. Some were followers and some were leaders. They didn't do it without guidance from people at the very top of government. They are people working toward tearing the nation down who have no intention of reconstructing it when they're done. That's a real cause for concern.

They all need to meet a just fate as an example for us all, an example to cause fear among the "deplorables" and inspire confidence in the remainder. For every unanswered question there is an undiscovered source. Everybody knows that pleading the fifth is the same as admitting guilt. Jail them as soon as they refuse to answer questions. I'm sure sources for the answers will be discovered soon after.

But the main thing is to take the whole thing seriously. So far, Garland has given a lot more reason for hope to the RWNJ than those who want and deserve their democracy back. Make me wrong, dammit!

[Snackshack]

12. Good Luck

…with that.

The Department of Injustice will not even move on the contempt charges recommended by the 1/6 committee. They are not going to lift a finger about “call logs”. Garland is a phenomenal disappointment and for whatever reason President Biden does not seem to be real concerned with the departments lack of law enforcement.

[Lucky Luciano]

18. Mueller Report should be made public to just put that to bed, but no.

[Evolve Dammit]

13. sad that a citizens group has to kick DOJ in the ass to wake them up...

[twodogsbarking]

14. Are they afraid of Trump and his gang?

[gab13by13]

17. You know, that is a question that we should consider.

The Fulton County DA who is taking on Trump from his phone call to Brad Rafensperger has had to add security for her safety. She will not reveal the names of her 2 prosecutors for safety reasons. She even bought them bullet proof vests to wear.

Maybe we should ask that same question to Alvin Bragg?

[twodogsbarking]

22. Imagine if TFG is arrested and detained. They are armed and dangerous,

have histories of threatening others, failed at an attempted coup.

[Alpeduez21]

15. I just don't see how this iteration of the DOJ

is less repukiclican than the previous iteration. Republicans don't have to pay for their crimes and America is just fine with that.

[gab13by13]

19. What is ironic to me is

if Merrick Garland is going out of his way to not be partisan, because of the last AG, is that not being partisan?

[Hotler]

21. "Citizen Group Demands". Godd luck with that and get to the back of the line.

There are others waiting ahead of you.