Meet DOJ's Rachel Brand: She'll Be A Russian Spy By Next Week

Before this morning, most people in the United States had never heard of Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand.  But, an ABC story (which we covered here) suggesting that Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein may have to recuse himself from overseeing Special Counsel Mueller"s Russia probe, and that Brand would be the next inline to step into that position, changed all that.

So what do we know about Rachel Brand?  Well, we know 4 things with absolute certainty:

1. She was appointed by the Trump administration and confirmed on May 18, 2017


2. She is an active contributor to Republican campaigns


3. Democrats hate her


4. Therefore, by the transitive property, we also know with absolute certainty she is a Russian spy

This is how ABC described Brand:

As for Brand, she previously led the Justice Department"s Office of Legal Policy, and she most recently served as a member of the government"s Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. She graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, according to the Justice Department.

Sessions recently said she "has proven herself to be a brilliant lawyer."

"She is also a dedicated public servant who is strongly committed to upholding the rule of law and our Constitution," he added.

Of course, a couple of quick internet searches revealed far more "suspicious" discoveries...

First, Brand is clearly a Conservative and has been an active contributor to several Republican campaigns in recent years, including "Ted Cruz For President" and "Ted Cruz For Senate."

Moreover, Democrats hate her as evidenced by the fact that she was only confirmed in the Senate via a 52-46 vote along party lines...

...and Senator Elizabeth Warren"s opposition speech in which Brand was "branded" as just another greedy capitalist:

“...has extensive experience, years of experience, fighting on behalf of the biggest and richest companies in the world.”

Finally, since Democrats have been hyper sensitive, in recent hearings, to the Acting Attorney General"s authority to fire Special Counsel Mueller...

...an authority which could soon be passed to Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand, it"s only logical to conclude that Democrats and the Washington Post will spend the weekend telling you why Rachel Brand is most likely a Russian spy.

So, what"s the over/under on how many days it takes Brand to recuse herself...two?  Four?

Rosenstein Says He May Need To Recuse Himself In Russia Probe: ABC

This morning is becoming very chaotic for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a man who has historically maintained a very low profile at the Department of Justice.  After issuing a rather uncharacteristic and cryptic statement last night urging Americans not to trust "anonymously-sourced" new stories (a statement that many have speculated is attributable to Wapo"s latest anonymously-sourced headline from last night) and being blasted by President Trump this morning, ABC is reporting that Rosenstein has privately acknowledged that he may need to recuse himself in Mueller"s Russia probe.

The senior Justice Department official with ultimate authority over the special counsel"s probe of Russia"s alleged meddling in the 2016 election has privately acknowledged to colleagues that he may have to recuse himself from the matter, which he took charge of only after Attorney General Jeff Sessions" own recusal, sources tell ABC News.

Those private remarks from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein are significant because they reflect the widening nature of the federal probe, which now includes a preliminary inquiry into whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct justice when he allegedly tried to curtail the probe and then fired James Comey as FBI director.

Of course, the next most logical question becomes who would step in to fill Rosenstein"s shoes?  According to ABC, that obligation would fall upon Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand.

Rosenstein, who authored an extensive and publicly-released memorandum recommending Comey"s firing, raised the possibility of his recusal during a recent meeting with Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand, the Justice Department"s new third-in-command, according to sources.

In the recent meeting with Brand, Rosenstein told her that if he were to recuse himself, she would have to step in and take over those responsibilities. She was sworn-in little more than a month ago.

That is, until Rachel Brand becomes "conflicted" and also has to be recused. 

In the end, we suspect liberals in Congress will not be satisfied with anyone chosen to oversee Special Counsel Mueller"s investigation until that "someone" becomes Nancy Pelosi or Maxine Waters. 

Schiff Calls On House Intel Chair To Recuse Himself From Russia Probe; Nunes Refuses

Update: Nunes has refused to step down from the Russia probe, The Hill reports. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee told reporters Monday evening he will not step down from the committee"s investigation into Russia"s interference in the United States presidential election, despite a chorus of Democratic lawmakers demanding he recuse himself. 

"Everything is politics here," Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said, as reported by a journalist from Voice of America.

* * *

Following similar calls by his ideological peers, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff demanded on Monday evening that Committee Chair, Devin Nunes, should recuse himself from "any further involvement" into President Trump’s campaign ties with Russia.

"After much consideration I believe Chairman should recuse himself from involvement in investigation/oversight of Trump campaign & transition,” Schiff tweeted on Monday evening, as Nunes was giving an interview to CNN about his visit to the White House grounds to view classified material last week.

“This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the chairman and I have worked together well for several years,” Schiff said in a statement and added that “I take this step with he knowledge of the solemn responsibility we have not he Intelligence committee to provide oversight on all intelligence matters, not just to conduct the investigation.... There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee. That it was also obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning. In the interests of a fair and impartial investigation whose results will be respected by the public, the Chairman"s recusal is more than warranted."

After much consideration I believe Chairman should recuse himself from involvement in investigation/oversight of Trump campaign & transition pic.twitter.com/jpfA1x80Si

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 27, 2017

Schiff"s call for Nunes to recuse himself follows that of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who on Monday said Speaker Paul Ryan should replace Nunes in order for the Russia probe to be “credible.”

“Chairman Nunes is falling down on the job and seems to be more interested in protecting the president than in seeking the truth,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. “If Speaker Ryan wants the House to have a credible investigation, he needs to replace Chairman Nunes.”

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), who also sits on the House Intelligence Committee, reiterated the call for Nunes to recuse himself, along side fellow California Democrat Eric Swalwell. Swalwell, the ranking member of an intelligence subcommittee, said, “Chairman Nunes should no longer be anywhere near this investigation, let alone leading it. 

"For the sake of our duty to independently find the truth, and for the sake of his ability to chair the committee in its other important duties, he should recuse himself from our committee"s Russia investigation.”

At the same time as Schiff made his statement, Nunes spoke to CNN on Monday evening after the previously discussed revelation that the republican had visited White House grounds the day prior last week"s stunning announcement that members of Trump"s campaign had been "accidentally" surveiled, to view confidential documents that allegedly prove potential surveillance of Trump team members. Nunes said that he was sure the West Wing was unaware of his visit to White House grounds to view said documents.. 

Some have speculated that the White House was the source of the intelligence viewed by Nunes. He would not give details to CNN Monday evening, but maintained that he had to view the documents on White House grounds, as they could not be brought to the Capitol complex.

Nunes on Monday denied that there was anything untoward in his Tuesday visit to the White House, pushing back on reports that the venture took place at night and calling the visit “pretty common.”

“At least once a week, if not more than that, we have to go to the executive branch in order to read classified intelligence,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.  “The sun was out,” he said. “If I really wanted to I could have snuck onto the grounds late at night, but I wasn’t trying to hide.”

Nunes said he was “quite certain that no one in the West Wing knew I was there.”

But Democrats have accused Nunes of acting as an agent of the White House and say he can no longer lead a credible investigation.

Perhaps the only silver lining to come out of this is that Nunes has become the Democrats top persona non grata, diverting attention from Trump, if only for the time being.