The scandals buried within the bowels of Washington, D.C., continue to seep out into the public realm. Corrupt characters seem to be imbedded throughout the federal government and at levels where they can conduct dirty business almost unseen.
Every now and then corruption is exposed and reveals the brokenness of the federal law enforcement and judicial systems. One of the people most harmed by this was former President Donald Trump who was attacked by federal law enforcement over the bogus “Russiagate” conspiracy.
Trump might feel a bit vindicated after a former top FBI official involved in “Russiagate” was sentenced this week on charges of foreign conspiracy. Former FBI counterintelligence official Charles McGonigal pled guilty in August to aiding a Russian oligarch in exchange for secret payments, according to the Daily Caller.
“I have no patience or sympathy for this guy,” former FBI agent Jim DiOrio told the Wall Street Journal. “He saw an opportunity and he took advantage.”
McGonigal was sentenced to approximately 4 years in federal prison and fined $40,000 in a Manhattan court. He accepted payments from the Russian oligarch to collect open-source research against a rival, the outlet reported. He was also charged for accepting $225,000 in payments from a former Albanian intelligence officer. He faces sentencing on those charges in February.
McGonigal’s connection to Trump is exposed by his involvement in the Crossfire Hurricane probe, also known as the “Russiagate” probe. This dealt with the Trump campaign in 2016 and the probe took 22 months and spent $32 million in taxpayer money to investigate. The probe eventually determined there was no evidence Trump colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election in his favor.
McGonigal was also involved in a “classified defensive briefing” that was given to the attorneys of failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2015, according to the Daily Caller. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in 2020 that this was a “clear double standard by the Department of Justice.”
News reports show that earlier in his career McGonigal was one of two FBI agents who stopped a plot to bomb the New York City metro in 1997. He was also credited in the FBI’s post-9/11 investigation and stayed in the city to work on a task force focused on foreign terror threats in New York City.
Key Takeaways:
- Former FBI official gets four years in prison for foreign payment conspiracy.
- His conviction sheds new light on what really happened during “Russiagate.”
- The convicted FBI official once helped stop a bomb plot in New York City.
Source: Daily Caller
