News broke Thursday night that sent Deep State operatives rushing for the Maalox. The New York Times reported that the Barr/Durham investigation into the origins of the Russia collusion hoax has changed from a formal review into a criminal probe.

We noted earlier this week there were persistent reports indicating that people at the CIA have lawyered up. Now we know why.

Other reports suggested that Durham “found something” that led him to request additional resources for his investigation, and that former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were now under scrutiny.

There is also an intriguing report from Fox News that may fill in some details. As you may recall, Barr and Durham traveled to Italy recently. While there, Italian officials played for them a taped deposition made by the mysterious Professor Joseph Mifsud.

No one knows for sure exactly how Mifsud fits into all of this, but one of his associates was an undercover U.S. agent. In the deposition, however, Misfud reportedly told authorities that his life was in danger and he needed police protection. It has also been reported that Durham possesses two cell phones that belonged to Misfud.

And Thursday night’s New York Times story included this odd line: “Mr. Durham has also asked whether C.I.A. officials might have somehow tricked the F.B.I. into opening the Russia investigation.”

On Fox & Friends yesterday, Geraldo Rivera made this stunning claim:

Did Barack Obama know that the intelligence agencies were seeking to delegitimize his successor? At what point did he know? What did he authorize? What role did he play? …

I predict in the next week or two, you’re gonna see a run on criminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC, by people further up the food chain in the previous administration.

Rivera also suggested that what is really fueling the Democrats’ flailing impeachment charade (see next item) is the fear that Barr and Durham are actually getting close to exposing the Deep State/Democrat corruption that attempted to rig the 2016 election and take down the duly elected president.

Stay tuned, my friends. We will keep you posted!

Stop This Charade!

As we told you yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have introduced a resolution calling on the House of Representatives to respect precedent and due process by ending this current impeachment charade. I am pleased to report that the resolution, S. Res. 378, has 43 co-sponsors.

Frankly, every senator should be able to support this resolution. Every senator, regardless of party, should be outraged by this hyper-partisan sham process.

Impeachment is one of the most profound responsibilities of Congress. It literally threatens to overturn an election, invalidating the votes of tens of millions of Americans. It is absolutely imperative that transparency be paramount in any impeachment effort.

Adam Schiff’s Star Chamber process, where the president cannot confront his accusers, is unacceptable. The Graham-McConnell resolution makes it clear that this travesty should not continue.

The kangaroo court being deployed by House Democrats is offensive to the notion of justice. This is not a pursuit of the truth but a pursuit of smears.

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, a self-described “liberal Democrat” who defended Bill Clinton against impeachment and who voted for Hillary Clinton, is now accusing House Democrats of “seeking to weaponize the Constitution for partisan purposes” in this outrageous impeachment charade.

The rule of law depends upon due process — on the legal safeguards that protects everyone, including the president of the United States. The inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison have been afforded more due-process rights than this partisan witch hunt has offered President Trump.

ACTION ITEM: Call your senators now at 202-224-3121. Politely, but firmly, urge them to co-sponsor the Graham-McConnell resolution and to call for a quick vote and passage to send a clear message to the House leadership that it must respect precedent, due process, and the will of the American voters.

Abbott Intervenes

A disturbing divorce and child custody battle has been making headlines this week. Initially I hesitated to comment because it’s hard to know all the facts in a messy divorce. But this has ramifications far beyond divorce law.

The case involves twin boys, one of whom allegedly claims to be transgender. The mother wants to begin the process of medically transitioning her son while the father objects. Monday, a Dallas jury decided in the mother’s favor.

Wednesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, “FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.” And Thursday the judge in the case ruled that Jeff Younger, James’s father, will have some say in his son’s future development.

I am glad the governor is seeking a review and I think this issue deserves more public debate. Every parent knows that children go through phases in life. Some kids say they want to be a dinosaur when they grow up. How do you “affirm” that?

But attempting to change a child’s gender is life-altering and comes with serious medical issues. There is virtually no evidence to support gender reassignment. Suicide rates are not reduced by these drastic procedures. And many young people come to regret it later in life.

I do not believe that gender reassignment is the best option for adults. But I recognize society’s libertarian impulses to allow adults to make their own choices.

Children, however, do not have the capacity to fully comprehend such choices and the severe consequences that come with them.

Rather than embracing this radical concept that defies basic science (our gender is genetically determined, not assigned at birth), it would be wise for society to hit the pause button and fully debate the ramifications of what this means for children.