The latest disclosures from Special Counsel John Durham's investigation have politicos and press pundits in a spin trying to craft a compelling narrative that will absolve past and future Democrats of any wrongdoing. In contrast to the media and political hand-wringing that took place during Robert Mueller's inquiry into the thoroughly debunked Russian Collusion scandal, there is no such lack of decisiveness in this latest chapter.
Should Durham's claims that the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign conspired to spy on its opponent prove true, former President Donald Trump would be vindicated. The Fourth Estate would have to admit that its coverage of Russiagate went hand-in-hand with the unfair vilification of a sitting president. Perhaps even more damaging is that the Democrat machine would be forced to acknowledge that it was at least partially complicit in a plan to secure the highest office through dishonest means. And for those in the D.C. Swamp, that can never be allowed to happen.
Narrative? What Narrative?
The White House is steering clear of any association with the Durham matter. When pressed on the issue by Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused flat out to answer a single question. On each of the three questions proffered, Ms. Jean-Pierre demurred and directed further queries to the Department of Justice. The Biden administration is determined to keep its hands clean and its options open for potential fallout – or in politispeak: Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.
Instead, the White House is leaving this particular job to its friends in the Fourth Estate, who have decided that derision and mockery are the best treatments for a story that may prove to be a bigger scandal than Watergate. The question is: Why not just play it straight and let Hillary Clinton take the hit?
The answer perhaps is twofold.
First, with Joe Biden's dismal polling numbers, the idea of him running for a second term is starting to look less and less likely. As such, a new candidate must be found to contest the 2024 election. Vice President Kamala Harris is even more unpopular than her boss, so who does that leave? It seems no coincidence that Clinton is set to be the keynote speaker at Thursday's New York State Democratic Convention, a power move that will be seen by many as a toe in the water for a political comeback.
Second, it appears that the current White House occupant could himself be tarnished by the investigation. Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe recently suggested that both former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden were aware of Clinton's plans to create a Russian Collusion narrative. Speaking to Fox News, he outlined that former CIA Director John Brennan had:
"… briefed President Obama and Vice President Biden and other members of the national security team about this specific intelligence that John Durham now has about a Hillary Clinton plan to falsely accuse and vilify Donald Trump with a scandal, and the discussion around that and whether or not it was good intelligence."
(Photo by Jabin Botsford via Getty Images)
If Ratcliffe's assertion is proven true, there is little doubt a political earthquake would ensue.
No Such Story – Please Try Again Later
John Durham used to have a good reputation across political lines. Significant players in the Obama administration went on record lauding his impartiality and diligence. But not anymore. The media has launched a sustained campaign of debunking and pooh-poohing as many elements as possible of his investigation. Despite not mentioning a single word of the Durham revelations for three days after the news broke, the legacy media is now engaged in a near-constant diatribe against both the character and the content of the special counsel's work.
Snide remarks, ad hominem attacks, and derisive snorts at any who suggest the investigation may have merit is the order of the day. The Fourth Estate has become an attack dog on this issue in much the same way as it was against the Trump presidency.
Narrative Snapshot
The Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky once said, "A poet is someone who can use a single image to send a universal message." Here we have a word rather than an image: Durham. This single name has become a lightning rod that encompasses more than just a political narrative but also a worldview under which all protestations and principles of the past must be jettisoned.
This investigation is the latest line separating people into opposing camps. And perhaps this is the whole purpose of such a crafted and supercilious division. Joe Biden promised unity, but he cannot govern a united people; to enforce a radical agenda that would fundamentally alter the United States requires a reactionary and angered public.
If the standard playbook is in operation, how long will it be before those who give credence to the Durham investigation are labeled far-right conspiracists who are pushing a white supremacist narrative?
~ Read more from Mark Angelides.
