A terrible thing is happening in Cuba. The courts have charged a political dissident with committing treason against the state and lying about it. The prosecutor, after confiscating the man’s personal computer and cellphone, found emails dating back to 2016 that suggest the defendant may have communicated with dissident groups in Miami. Although the defendant has denied all charges, it looks like he will be sent to jail based on evidence that is circumstantial at best. This is what happens in a totalitarian state. Fortunately, it could never happen in the US. Or could it?
Actually, what I just described did not happen in Cuba. It is happening right here under the auspices of the Mueller special counsel investigation. Conservative author Jerome Corsi is accused of lying to the special counsel, which constitutes a felony.
Here is a statement released by NBC News:
“Two months before WikiLeaks released emails stolen from the Clinton campaign, right-wing conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi sent an email to former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone anticipating the document dump, according to draft court papers obtained by NBC News.
“The email was revealed in a draft court document, known as a statement of the offense, sent to Corsi by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office. Mueller also sent Corsi a draft plea agreement stipulating that the special counsel would not oppose Corsi requesting a sentence of probation if he agreed to plead guilty to one count of lying to federal investigators.
“As NBC News reported on Monday, Corsi said he has rejected the deal. He has described Mueller’s team as ‘thugs’ and insisted that he did not ‘intentionally lie’ about his communications related to WikiLeaks.”
Appearing on the November 27 airing of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight, Corsi denounced the Mueller accusation as a “perjury trap.” Apparently, Corsi forwarded an email in 2016 to a third party after receiving a request from Trump associate Roger Stone to contact WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange. Corsi says he declined Stone’s request, never had any communication with Assange, and simply forgot about the forwarded email. Once the email was brought to his attention, he amended his statement. “The special counsel was happy with that,” Corsi said, “until I couldn’t give them what they wanted—which was a connection they assumed I had with Assange.” He insists that the charge is bogus. “I refused to plead to a lie,” he told Tucker Carlson. “I intended always to tell the truth. My memory was not perfect.”
“Do you think that your political views are playing a role in the decision of the special counsel to charge you with a felony?” Carlson asked. “Yes,” Corsi responded. “This is a political witch hunt. It’s completely rigged and it’s politically driven by Clinton operatives who have an agenda. And if you can’t give them what they’re looking for to fill their narrative, they blow you up and charge you with a crime.” In effect, says Corsi, the Mueller team is angry not because Corsi lied, but because he would not lie.
The Mueller investigation is reminiscent of the infamous Star Chamber court that sat in England from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Abolished in 1641, Star Chamber was noted for its inquisitorial methods and severe punishments, handed down in secret without benefit of trial by jury. Today, it is a metaphor for any tribunal that functions by unfair and arbitrary methods—which exactly describes the Mueller investigation.
Mueller’s inquiry has proceeded in secret for over a year without any oversight or accountability. Mueller, in effect, has become the most powerful man in the US. I have compared him to Sen. Joe McCarthy, who ran roughshod over the Congress in the 1950s. Mueller has destroyed the public’s confidence in our justice system. He must be stopped. It is time for the president to intervene, unless we want to see our country turn into Cuba.
Ed Brodow is a political commentator, negotiation expert, and author of seven books including his latest, Tyranny of the Minority: How the Left is Destroying America.
