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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161133
01/24/2018 05:45 AM
01/24/2018 05:45 AM
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A "massive scandal" is brewing at the FBI. The story is from the New York Post, so take it for what it's worth. Still, it's getting a lot of attention. During the financial crisis, the federal government bailed out banks it declared “too big to fail.” Fearing their bankruptcy might trigger economic Armageddon, the feds propped them up with taxpayer cash.
Something similar is happening now at the FBI, with the Washington wagons circling the agency to protect it from charges of corruption. This time, the appropriate tag line is “too big to believe.”
Yet each day brings credible reports suggesting there is a massive scandal involving the top ranks of America’s premier law enforcement agency. The reports, which feature talk among agents of a “secret society” and suddenly missing text messages, point to the existence both of a cabal dedicated to defeating Donald Trump in 2016 and of a plan to let Hillary Clinton skate free in the classified email probe.
If either one is true — and I believe both probably are — it would mean FBI leaders betrayed the nation by abusing their powers in a bid to pick the president.
More support for this view involves the FBI’s use of the Russian dossier on Trump that was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. It is almost certain that the FBI used the dossier to get FISA court warrants to spy on Trump associates, meaning it used the opposition research of the party in power to convince a court to let it spy on the candidate of the other party — likely without telling the court of the dossier’s political link.
Even worse, there is growing reason to believe someone in President Barack Obama’s administration turned over classified information about Trump to the Clinton campaign.
As one former federal prosecutor put it, “It doesn’t get worse than that.” That prosecutor, Joseph diGenova, believes Trump was correct when he claimed Obama aides wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower.
These and other elements combine to make a toxic brew that smells to high heaven, but most Americans don’t know much about it. Mainstream media coverage has been sparse and dismissive and there’s a blackout from the same Democrats obsessed with Russia, Russia, Russia.
Partisan motives aside, it’s as if a scandal of this magnitude is more than America can bear — so let’s pretend there’s nothing to see and move along.
But, thankfully, the disgraceful episode won’t be washed away, thanks to a handful of congressional Republicans, led by California Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. After he accused the FBI of stonewalling in turning over records, the bureau relented, at least partially.
The result was clear evidence of bias against Trump by officials charged with investigating him and Clinton. Those same agents appear to have acted on that bias to tilt the election to Clinton.
In one text message, an agent suggests that Attorney General Loretta Lynch knew while the investigation was still going on that the FBI would not recommend charges against Clinton.
How could she know unless the fix was in?
All roads in the explosive developments lead to James Comey, whose Boy Scout image belied a sinister belief that he, like his infamous predecessor J. Edgar Hoover, was above the law.
It is why I named him J. Edgar Comey last year and wrote that he was “adept at using innuendo and leaks” to let everybody in Washington know they could be the next to be investigated.
It was in the office of Comey’s top deputy, Andrew McCabe, where agents discussed an “insurance policy” in the event that Trump won. Reports indicated that the Russia collusion probe was that insurance policy.
The text was from Peter Strzok, the top investigator on the Trump case, and was sent to Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer and also his mistress.
“I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40 . . .,” Strzok wrote.
It is frightening that Strzok, who called Trump “an idiot,” was the lead investigator on both the Clinton and Trump cases.
After these messages surfaced, special counsel Robert Mueller removed Strzok and Page from his probe, though both still work at the FBI.
Strzok, despite his talk of an “insurance policy” in 2016, wrote in May 2017 that he was skeptical that Mueller’s probe would find anything on Trump because “there’s no big there there.”
Talk about irony. While Dems and the left-wing media already found Trump guilty of collusion before Mueller was appointed, the real scandal might be the conduct of the probers themselves.
Suspicions are hardly allayed by the fact that the FBI says it can’t find five months of messages between Strzok and Page, who exchanged an estimated 50,000 messages overall. The missing period — Dec. 14, 2016, through May 17, 2017 — was a crucial time in Washington.
There were numerous leaks of classified material just before and after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
And the president fired Comey last May 9, provoking an intense lobbying effort for a special counsel, which led to Mueller’s appointment on May 19.
Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, has emerged from his hidey hole to notice that the FBI has run amok, and said Monday he would “leave no stone unturned” to find the five months of missing texts.
Fine, but the House is racing ahead of him. Nunes has prepared a four-page memo, based on classified material that purportedly lays out what the FBI and others did to corrupt the election.
A movement to release the memo is gaining steam, but Congress says it might take weeks. Why wait? Americans can handle the truth, no matter how big it is. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161134
01/24/2018 06:16 AM
01/24/2018 06:16 AM
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The "shocking" 4 page memo is part of a much larger 100+ page document that exonerates and confirms everything Trump and Snowdon have been saying all along. Bottom line: The NSA is monitoring and recording any and ALL electronic communications...without a warrant. They're spying on all of us in real time. And, all of your information is just waiting for the day when you become a target. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/23/congress-fbi-russia-republicans-escalate-probes-364616
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161135
01/24/2018 08:39 AM
01/24/2018 08:39 AM
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Democrats blame #ReleaseTheMemo on Russians and social media. Because of course they would. A new article by Scott Shackford at reason. Trust Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to try to turn a political controversy into an excuse to censor social media. A bunch of Republican lawmakers have been rallying around a classified memo by House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). The memo purports to show FBI abuses connected to the secret surveillance of people involved with Donald Trump's presidential campaign. The push to declassify the document was national news last week, complete with a hashtag campaign, #ReleaseTheMemo. It was discussed by every major news outlet. Several GOP lawmakers tweeted the hashtag. Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are upset because a bunch of Russian-operated Twitter accounts may have jumped on this and attempted the magnify the hashtag campaign's reach. The two of them have sent a letter to Twitter and Facebook pretty much demanding that they investigate the extent of the Russian involvement in the hashtag campaign. And they want a response in three days: If these reports are accurate, we are witnessing an ongoing attack by the Russian government through Kremlin-linked social media actors directly acting to intervene and influence our democratic process. This should be disconcerting to all Americans, but especially your companies as, once again, it appears the vast majority of their efforts are concentrated on your platforms. This latest example of Russian interference is in keeping with Moscow's concerted, covert, and continuing campaign to manipulate American public opinion and erode trust in our law enforcement and intelligence institutions. It's absurd to hold Russia responsible for the hashtag in any meaningful sense given that Republican lawmakers were openly, overtly screaming it from the rooftops, on Twitter, and in front of every news camera they could see. A source familiar with how Twitter works told The Hill that the growth of the hashtag appeared to have happened organically. If Russian trolls and bots were involved, they were at most magnifying a conflict that was already underway. They didn't set this fire, and they weren't the chief force spreading it. Feinstein's political machinations here are twofold. She's trying to make the case that the feds must regulate social media because of foreign involvement in American elections; and second, she's using the familiar guilt-by-association logical fallacy to discredit her political opponents.
Feinstein's love of censorship is well known. She flat-out wants to suppress online content that she deems dangerous. This lack of respect for Americans' speech rights and privacy is one of the few things she has in common with Trump.As for the guilt-by-association issue, it's remarkable how little people on either side are interested in engaging the surveillance issues that undergird this fight and instead want to make it all about attacking or defending Trump. I've already mocked Republicans acting outraged about the Nunes memo because a bunch of them just voted to expand the feds' power to snoop on American citizens for purposes unrelated to terrorism and espionage. On the very same day this hashtag campaign was launching, Trump signed that bill into law.The discussion of actual surveillance policy got drowned by constant efforts to either discredit Trump (by any silly memes necessary) or to discredit the FBI investigation. What's most obnoxious about Feinstein and Schiff's response here is how it simply does not engage the complaint that the surveillance state might have abused its powers when it snooped on and possibly unmasked the identities of people in Trump's orbit.Personally, based on my experience covering the federal surveillance apparatus, I doubt the Nunes memo actually reveals illegal conduct by federal officials. That's actually part of the problem—it's too easy for the feds to legally justify secretly snooping. Nevertheless, the Nunes memo should be declassified and released, as should the secret court warrant request that serves as the memo's foundation. Could there be a better example for the American public to be able to pick apart the consequences of our federal surveillance state than by learning exactly how it spied on the staff of a candidate for president?But no: When Feinstein actually had the opportunity to make surveillance laws better, she abandoned her own amendment and signed on to terrible legislation. And now she wants to make this all about Russian meddling in American elections, and to use that as an excuse for more censorship. We need more sunlight, not more secrecy. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161136
01/24/2018 10:16 AM
01/24/2018 10:16 AM
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The democraps reminds me of a slut sitting in a bar calling another woman a whore. They're lying out their ass and blaming Trump and the Russians when the facts clearly show that the FBI, DNC and Obummer colluded with Hillary to rig the election in her favor. And they're desperate to cover it up. No, Russian Bots Weren’t Behind The #ReleaseTheMemo Hashtag Over the past few days, journalists and Democratic politicians have pushed the idea that Russian bots and trolls influenced #ReleaseTheMemo, the viral social media campaign aimed at forcing the release of a four-page report put together by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee alleging abuses related to the Steele dossier and secret surveillance warrants. But that claim — which culminated in a letter that two Democratic lawmakers sent to Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday — appears to be off base. The Daily Beast reports Twitter’s internal analytics show that #ReleaseTheMemo was largely pushed not by Russian troll farms but instead by red-blooded Americans. According to The Beast: A knowledgeable source says that Twitter’s internal analysis has thus far found that authentic American accounts, and not Russian imposters or automated bots, are driving #ReleaseTheMemo. There are no preliminary indications that the Twitter activity either driving the hashtag or engaging with it is either predominantly Russian. In short, according to this source, who would not speak to The Daily Beast for attribution, the retweets are coming from inside the country. Read the rest at the link.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161137
01/25/2018 02:42 AM
01/25/2018 02:42 AM
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Comey, Rosenstein, McCabe All Named In FISA Memo, According To First LeakIf Trump needed an excuse to drain the swamp without the appearance of partisan politics, it’s just been handed to him on a silver platter Zero Hedge - January 25, 2018 A bombshell four-page “FISA memo” alleging egregious surveillance abuse by the FBI, DOJ and Obama administration, specifically names FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to the Daily Beast. The GOP-authored memo made waves last week after it was made available to the full House of Representatives for viewing. With over 60 GOP lawmakers calling for its release, Capitol Hill sources on both sides of the aisle tell The Daily Beast that it’s only a matter of time before the general public is allowed to view the document – which is likely to stoke already-inflamed tensions between GOP lawmakers and the individuals named in the leak. Earlier this morning, I examined the classified, four-page memo from @HouseIntelComm regarding the FBI, DOJ, and the so-called #RussianCollusion. To put it simply, “WOW.” I joined the call to #ReleaseTheMemo. Americans deserve truth and transparency. pic.twitter.com/r2RJnLNaUL — Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) January 19, 2018 The facts contained in the Republican majority-authored report are said to be “jaw-dropping and demand full transparency,” according to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), while the top ranking Democrat on the House Intel Committee, Adam Schiff (D-CA) dismissed the memo as “profoundly misleading” talking points drafted by Republican staffers. Several other GOP Congressmembers have weighed in. “I have read the memo,” tweeted Rep. Steve King (R-IA), adding “The sickening reality has set in. I no longer hold out hope there is an innocent explanation for the information the public has seen. I have long said it is worse than Watergate. It was #neverTrump & #alwaysHillary. #releasethememo.” Along with the four-page memo, Congressional investigators learned from a new batch of text messages between anti-Trump FBI investigators that several individuals within the Department of Justice and the FBI may have come together in the “immediate aftermath” of the 2016 election to undermine President Trump, according to Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) who has reviewed the texts. This is particularly interesting since the memo allegedly names Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein – who created Robert Mueller’s special counsel after former FBI Director James Comey was fired. The thousands of texts @TGowdySC and I reviewed today revealed manifest bias among top FBI officials against @realDonaldTrump. The texts between Strzok and Page referenced a "secret society." — John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) January 23, 2018 While the “secret society” reference may have been in jest (“Are you even going to give out your calendars? Seems kind of depressing. Maybe it should just be the first meeting of the secret society,” Page wrote to Strzok), a whistleblower has allegedly confirmed the existence of clandestine, of high ranking U.S. intelligence officials which met “offsite” to conspire against a sitting President, according to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). “we have an informant talking about a group holding secret meetings off-site,” Johnson said. “We have to continue to dig into it,” he added. “This is not a distraction. This is biased, potentially corruption at the highest levels of the FBI.” –The Hill On Monday night, Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and Trey Gowdy (R-SC) told Fox News what they had learned from the new batch of communications between FBI investigators Peter Strzok and Lisa Page – contained within a 384-page batch of text messages delivered to Congress from the DOJ last Friday. Of note Ratcliffe says that Strzok and Page were included in the clandestine anti-Trump cabal at the highest levels of the American intelligence community. .@RepRatcliffe on 5-month gap discovered in new FBI texts: "For former prosecutors like @TGowdySC & myself…it makes it harder & harder for us to explain away one strange coincidence after another." https://t.co/jTCsiBqaVi pic.twitter.com/yPKVEJoG91 — Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2018 In response to the memo, Congressional Democrats led by Adam Schiff (D-CA) drafted a “counter-memo” to “correct the record” regarding alleged FISA abuse contained within the GOP memo. .@RepAdamSchiff announces House Intel Dems have written their own counter-memo; will seek to make public, too. pic.twitter.com/0pK3xulL8u — Byron York (@ByronYork) January 24, 2018 Schiff’s “counter-memo” came on the heels of an absurd letter written by Schiff and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to Facebook and Twitter executives, calling for the Social Media giants to combat “Russian bots” which were promoting the hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo. NEW: Sen. Feinstein, Rep. Schiff urge Facebook and Twitter to investigate involvement of Russian bots in pushing "Release the Memo" campaign: "If these reports are accurate, we are witnessing an ongoing attack by the Russian government through Kremlin-linked social media actors." pic.twitter.com/SkAci5NefK — ABC News (@ABC) January 23, 2018 The letter’s claims were immediately shot down by Facebook, which told the Daily Beast that #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag has been pushed by actual Americans. a knowledgeable source says that Twitter’s internal analysis has thus far found that authentic American accounts, and not Russian imposters or automated bots, are driving #ReleaseTheMemo. There are no preliminary indications that the Twitter activity either driving the hashtag or engaging with it is either predominantly Russian. In short, according to this source, who would not speak to The Daily Beast for attribution, the retweets are coming from inside the country. And there you have it – not only were high level intelligence officials allegedly involved in clandestine meetings in which they conspired to destroy Donald Trump, today’s leak in conjunction of the four-page GOP memo appear to confirm what many have suspected all along; a highly illegal operation was conducted against President Trump which goes all the way to the top of the U.S. government. If Trump needed an excuse to drain the swamp without the appearance of partisan politics, it’s just been handed to him on a silver platter. Or he may want to wait until the general public has seen the memo – which is being fast-tracked by the House. The most underrated fact about the drama surrounding the FBI agents' text messages is that they were discovered in an inspector general investigation launched at the behest of *Democrats* in Congress who thought the FBI was biased against Clinton — Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) January 25, 2018
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161138
01/27/2018 06:05 AM
01/27/2018 06:05 AM
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In the "it's about damn time department"...
Congress Gives Clinton, Podesta Two Weeks To Explain Trump Dossier
Investigators seek to know role Clinton, Dems had in Steel dossier used to wiretap Trump
Zero Hedge - January 27, 2018
GOP Congressional investigators have written six letters to individuals or entities involved or thought to be involved in the funding, creation or distribution of the salacious and unverified “Trump-Russia dossier” believed to have been inappropriately used by the FBI, DOJ and Obama Administration in an effort to undermine Donald Trump as both a candidate and President of the United States.
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SCS) wrote six Judiciary Committee letters requesting information from: John Podesta, Donna Brazille, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robbie Mook, the DNC, and Hillary For America Chief Strategist Joel Benenson.
A brief refresher of facts and allegations:
– The DNC and Hillary Clinton’s PAC was revealed by The Washington Post to have paid opposition research firm Fusion GPS for the creation of a dossier that would be harmful to then-candidate Donald Trump.
– Fusion commissioned former UK spy Christopher Steele to assemble the dossier – which is comprised of a series of memos relying largely on Russian government sources to make allegations against Donald Trump and his associates.
– According to court filings, Fusion also worked with disgraced DOJ official Bruce Ohr, and hired his CIA-linked wife, Nellie Ohr, to assist in the smear campaign against Trump. Bruce Ohr was demoted from his senior DOJ position after it was revealed that he met with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson as well as Christopher Steele – then tried to cover it up.
– Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, denied under oath to the Senate Intelligence Committee that he knew about the dossier’s funding, while Clinton’s former spokesman, Brian Fallon, told CNN that Hillary likely had no idea who paid for it either.
– Current and past leaders of the DNC, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) also denied knowledge of the document’s funding.
Podesta met with Fusion co-founder Glenn Simpson the day after the Trump-Russia dossier was published by Buzzfeed News.
The Senate Judiciary Committee letters read in part:
In October 2017, the Washington Post reported that Hillary for America and the Democratic National Committee had funded, via Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele’s creation of a series of memos relying largely on Russian government sources to make allegations against Donald Trump and his associates. A letter from the law firm Perkins Coie acknowledged that, ” [t]o assist in its representation of the DNC and Hillary for America, Perkins Coie engaged Fusion GPS in April of2016″ and that “the engagement concluded prior to the November 2016 Presidential election.
The Committee has been investigating the FBI’ s relationship with Christopher Steele during this time his work was funded by Hillary for America and the DNC. The scope of our review includes the extent to which the FBI may have relied on information relayed by Mr. Steele in seeking judicial authorization for surveillance of individuals associated with Mr. Trump. It also includes whether any applications that may have been made for permission for such surveillance fully and accurately disclosed:
(1) the source of Fusion GPS’s and Mr. Steele’s funding;
(2) the degree to which his claims were or were not verified;
(3) the motivations of Mr. Steele, his clients, and his sources; and
( 4) representations about their contacts with the press.
The letter then goes on to list twelve questions – the last being a request for all communications between a list of 40 individuals or entities – including Christopher Steele, Bruce Ohr, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, Glenn Simpson and former CIA Director John Brennan.
The six recipients of letters have two weeks to comply with the following requests (note; “Hillary for America” is replaced by “the DNC” depending on who the letter is addressed to):
1. Prior to the Washington Post ‘s article in October of 2017, were you anyone else at Hillary for America aware of Mr. Steele’s efforts on behalf of the Clinton campaign to compile and distribute allegations about Mr. Trump and the Russian government? If so, when and how did you first learn of his activities on the campaign’s behalf? Please provide all related documents.
2. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America receive copies of any of the memoranda comprising Mr. Steele’s dossier prior to its publication by Buzzfeed in January of 2017? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.
3. Regardless of whether you or your associates received copies of the actual memoranda, did you or anyone else at Hillary for America otherwise receive information contained in the dossier prior to Buzzfeed publishing the dossier in January of 2017? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.
4. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America receive other memoranda written or forwarded by Mr. Steele regarding Mr. Trump and his associates that were not published as part of the Buzzfeed dossier? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.
5. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America distribute outside of the organization any o f the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list who distributed the information, what was distributed, and to whom it was distributed. Please provide all related documents.
6. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America communicate with any government officials – whether in the executive, legislative or judicial branches – regarding the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list the parties involved in the communication, the content of the communication, and the date and means of the communication. Please provide all related documents. References such as “anyone at Hillary for America” include all of Hillary for America’s officers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, advisors, volunteers, and, of course, Secretary Clinton herself. Mr. Podesta January 25, 2018
7. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America instruct, request, suggest, or imply that any individuals should pass along information to Mr. Steele or his intermediaries? Please provide all related documents.
8. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America communicate with members of the press regarding the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list the parties involved in the communication, the content of the communication, and the date and means of the communication. Please provide all related documents.
9. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America inform Secretary Clinton of Mr. Steele’s efforts, whether by name or not, or of the allegations he was spreading? If so, who and when? Please provide all related documents.
10. Were you or anyone else at Hillary for America aware of Mr. Steele’s contacts with the FBI or other government agencies prior to the 2016 election? If so, who? When and how did you or they become aware? Please provide all related documents.
11. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America encourage, whether directly or through intermediaries, Mr. Steele to initiate or continue contacts with the FBI or other government agencies? If so, who and when? Please provide all related documents.
12. For the period from March 2016 through January 2017, please provide all communications to, from, copying, or relating to: Fusion GPS; Bean LLC; Glenn Simpson; Mary Jacoby; Peter Fritsch; Tom Catan; Jason Felch; Neil King; David Michaels; Taylor Sears; Patrick Corcoran; Laura Sego; Jay Bagwell; Erica Castro; Nellie Ohr; Rinat Akhmetshin; Ed Lieberman; Edward Baumgartner; Orbis Business Intelligence Limited; Orbis Business International Limited; Walsingham Training Limited; Walsingham Partners Limited; Christopher Steele; Christopher Burrows; Sir Andrew Wood, Paul Hauser; 4 Oleg Deripaska; Cody Shearer; Sidney Blumenthal; Jon Winer; 5 Kathleen Kavalec; Victoria Nuland; Daniel Jones; 6 Bruce Ohr; Peter Strzok; Andrew McCabe; James Baker; 7 Sally Yates; Loretta Lynch; John Brennan.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161139
01/28/2018 09:53 AM
01/28/2018 09:53 AM
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Trump Ignores DOJ Warning, Wants FISA Memo Released
Memo reportedly shows extensive abuse of power, collusion between Obama administration, FBI, DOJ and Clinton campaign against Trump during 2016 presidential election
Zero Hedge - January 28, 2018
President Trump broke with the Department of Justice last week by calling for the release of a four-page “FISA memo” purportedly summarizing widespread surveillance absues by the FBI, DOJ and Obama Administration, reports the Washington Post.
The President’s desire was relayed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions by White House Chief-of-Staff John Kelly last Wednesday – putting the Trump White House at odds with the DOJ – which said that releasing the classified memo written by congressional republicans “extraordinarily reckless” without allowing the Department of Justice to first review the memo detailing its own criminal malfeasance during and after the 2016 presidential election.
The decision to release the memo ultimately lies with congress.
Somehow WaPo knew that Kelly and Sessions spoke twice last Wednesday – once in person during a “small-group afternoon meeting” and again that night over the phone.
Trump “is inclined to have that released just because it will shed light,” said a senior administration official who was speaking on the condition of anonymity to recount private conversations. “Apparently all the rumors are that it will shed light, it will help the investigators come to a conclusion.”
The memo, written by staffers for House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), was made available for all Congressional House members in mid-January for viewing in a secure room. Lawmakers who have seen the document have called for its release to the general public, as it is said to contain “jaw dropping” revelations of extensive abuse of power and highly illegal collusion between the Obama administration, the FBI, the DOJ and the Clinton Campaign against Donald Trump and his team during and after the 2016 presidential election.
“I have read the memo,” tweeted Rep. Steve King (R-IA), adding “The sickening reality has set in. I no longer hold out hope there is an innocent explanation for the information the public has seen. I have long said it is worse than Watergate. It was #neverTrump & #alwaysHillary. #releasethememo.”
“It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox News. “It’s troubling. It is shocking,” North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said. “Part of me wishes that I didn’t read it because I don’t want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.”
Immediately #ReleaseTheMemo #FISAMemo & ALL relevant material sourced in it. Every American needs to know the truth! We wouldn't be revealing any sources & methods that we shouldn't; only feds' reliance on bad sources & methods.
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 19, 2018
Meanwhile, The Washington Post is spinning Trump’s desire to release the memo as yet another example of the President’s “year-long attempts to shape and influence an investigation that is fundamentally outside his control,” pointing to reports that he wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller III last summer (which Trump denies). WaPo also points to Trump’s complaints over Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for not properly supervising the Mueller probe, and the President’s alleged comments to former FBI Director James Comey demanding loyalty and asking him to back off the investigation into former National Security advisor Michael Flynn, who was fired for misleading Vice President Mice Pence over his contact with Russians.
In other words, Trump has been resisting an active investigation which has yet to prove any collusion, and which has experienced significant mission creep into the personal finances of the Trump team – and The Washington Post is spinning it as Trump once again interfering with an investigation.
So now the President is calling for the release of the four-page FISA memo, which will reportedly put an end to the Russia investigation while quite possibly setting the stage for the criminal prosecution of those involved in trying to frame Trump.
That said, the Washington Post article appears to be nothing more than an exercise in pearl clutching over Trump’s demands for loyalty – as the paper notes that nothing the President has done is likely to lead to criminal charges.
To prove obstruction of justice, Mueller would have to show that Trump didn’t just act to derail the investigation but did so with a corrupt motive, such as an effort to hide his own misdeeds. Legal experts are divided over whether the Constitution allows for the president to be indicted while in office. As a result, Mueller might seek to outline his findings about Trump’s actions in a written report rather than bring them in court through criminal charges. It would probably fall to Rosenstein to decide whether to submit the report to Congress, which has the power to open impeachment proceedings.
As Trump faced growing questions about everything from his June directive to fire Mueller to his more recent grousing about Rosenstein, the White House was largely silent. In response to several specific queries, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley offered a written statement that addressed few of them. -WaPo
“The president has been clear publicly and privately that he wants absolute transparency throughout this process,” Gidley said in the statement. “Based on numerous news reports, top officials at the FBI have engaged in conduct that shows show bias against President Trump and bias for Hillary Clinton. The president has said repeatedly for months there is no consideration of terminating the special counsel.”
So future leaders of the free world take note; you’re not allowed express dissatisfaction when a federal agency allegedly colludes with the previous administration and an establishment candidate to rob you of an election using unverified evidence from Russian officials; it is also frowned upon to have a problem with a kangaroo-court witch hunt launched to push the invented narrative.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161141
01/30/2018 12:15 PM
01/30/2018 12:15 PM
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Trey Gowdy Says FISA Memo Will Embarrass Adam Schiff No wonder the anti-Trump Democrat didn’t want it to be released Paul Joseph Watson | Infowars.com - January 30, 2018 Rep. Trey Gowdy revealed one of the reasons why Adam Schiff is desperately trying to prevent the released of the FISA memo – it will directly embarrass the anti-Trump Democrat. During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, Gowdy slammed Democrats for trying to keep the memo hidden. “My Democratic colleagues didn’t want us to find this information, they did everything they could to keep us from finding this information,” said Gowdy. Asked if the memo would be “embarrassing” for Democrats, Gowdy responded, “I think it will be embarrassing for Adam Schiff once people realize the extent to which he went to keep them from learning any of this.” Asked to elaborate, the South Carolina Republican explained, “I mean going to court to help Fusion GPS so we can’t find out that they paid for the dossier and that they were working for the DNC. That’s a pretty big step to go to court to try to keep the American people from learning something. So look, if it were up to Adam Schiff, you wouldn’t know about Hillary Clinton’s email, you wouldn’t know about the server, you wouldn’t have known who paid for the dossier, so I find it ironic that he has his own memo now because if it were up to him, we wouldn’t know any of it.” Schiff himself seems petrified at the prospect of the memo being released, tweeting that the vote to make it public was “cynical and destructive.” Others have pointed out the incredible irony of much of the media being disinterested in finding out the details of the memo. “WaPo and NYT will run classified intel from anonymous sources every day but suddenly when a Republican releases a fully-sourced memo with his name on it they lose their minds,” remarked Jack Posobiec. “Language programming 101: Unverified lies about Trump are called a “dossier.” Verified truths about Democrat corruption are just, like, you know, a “memo,” quipped Stefan Molyneux. “I’ve never seen so many journalists upset over the prospect of getting more information. Weird, right?” asked Derek Hunter. Earlier on Fox News, Kellyanne Conway said the Trump White House was reviewing the memo today. It is expected to be released later this week. ![[Linked Image]](https://media.giphy.com/media/QgixZj4y3TwnS/giphy.gif) The democRATS are desperate because... #Memo shifts narrative. #Memo reinstates SESSIONS' authority re: Russia/ALL. #Memo factually demonstrates collusion at highest levels. #Memo factually demonstrates HUSSEIN ADMIN weaponized INTEL community to ensure D victory [+insurance]. #Memo factually demonstrates 'knowingly false intel' provided to FISA Judges to obtain warrant(s).
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161142
01/31/2018 05:17 AM
01/31/2018 05:17 AM
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We still don't know what is in that memo - we may find out later today or tomorrow. But getting a FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page would have been pretty easy . ...To monitor the communications of a "U.S. person" (a citizen, legal permanent resident, or U.S. corporation) under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the FBI needs probable cause to believe the target is an agent of a foreign power. In Page's case, the relevant definition of a foreign agent would be someone who "knowingly engages in clandestine intelligence gathering activities for or on behalf of a foreign power," or who knowingly assists such activities, when they "involve or may involve" violating a criminal statute. When a U.S. person is the target, a warrant cannot be issued "solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment."
Unlike when it seeks a warrant in an ordinary criminal case, the FBI did not need to show probable cause to believe that Page had broken the law, only that he was an agent of a foreign power, which might (or might not) involve illegal espionage. The New York Times says the FBI had to show Page was "probably an agent of a foreign power." But if probably means "more likely than not" (i.e., supported by "a preponderance of the evidence"), that is incorrect. Probable cause, which the Supreme Court has described as "a fair probability," is supposed to be stronger than a hunch or a reasonable suspicion, but it is weaker than a preponderance of the evidence, the standard that applies to verdicts in civil cases. To put it another way, the FBI could get a warrant for an American who was probably not a foreign agent.... Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161146
02/01/2018 03:46 AM
02/01/2018 03:46 AM
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Intelligence Agencies Join FBI in Push Against Plans to Release FISA Abuse MemoThe FBI expressed “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy” Sara Carter January 31, 2018 Whistleblowers, Republican congressional members, and some former intelligence officials cite mounting concern that the White House may not release the House Intelligence Committee’s FISA abuse memo as the FBI pushed against plans to make it public based on false allegations that the memo contains information that would harm U.S. national security, sources tell this reporter. The memo alleges severe abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by employees of the FBI and Department of Justice but FBI Director Christopher Wray Wednesday warned against the release of the memo issuing a public statement from the FBI that the bureau has “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” The four-page memo is currently under review by the White House National Security Council, as well as with the Director of National Intelligence, according to U.S. officials familiar with the review process. One U.S. official said they were concerned the review is being “slow-rolled in an effort to get President Trump to change his mind about releasing the memo.” The FISA memo is expected to be released by Friday and the White House isn’t expected to object. On Tuesday, that affirmation was clear when President Trump was caught on his mic after his State of the Union address told a Republican lawmaker that “100 percent” the memo would be released to the public. On Monday, the House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines to make the classified memo public and as long as the president doesn’t object after five days of review the memo can legally be released. U.S. Intelligence agencies, however, are now joining the FBI and pushing back against the memo’s release, former intelligence officials told this reporter. Those intelligence officials are concerned that the memo will reveal details of how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is used in monitoring communications of foreign people overseas, said one former U.S. intelligence official. Another U.S. official familiar with the memo and its contents disputed those concerns. “There are no Intelligence Community equities involved in the memo and nothing in the memo or the attached documents violates any national security-related processes,” the U.S. official stated. “This memo does not deal with any international issues, only domestic issues.” “The FISA memo is expected to be released by Friday and the White House isn’t expected to object” Republican congressional members who have already reviewed the memo say its public release is essential to accurately convey to the American people the extent of FISA abuse during the 2016 presidential election. Many members described the memo as “shocking” but Democrats, who suggest they have their own memo, pushed back on the FISA abuse memo initiated by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-CA, and other ranking Republican members of the committee. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Florida Republican, and member of the House Oversight Committee, reviewed the FISA memo after it was made available to House members last week. He wants the memo to be made public and questioned the FBI and DOJs pushback. “The FBI was afforded the opportunity to review the memo on Sunday and could not identify a single factual inaccuracy,” said DeSantis. “Accordingly, I find the Bureau’s statement to be a bit strange. Why not identify inaccuracies when you had the chance?” Nunes issued a statement Wednesday in response to the FBI saying, “having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies.” “The FBI is intimately familiar with ‘material omissions’ with respect to their presentations to both Congress and the courts, and they are welcome to make public, to the greatest extent possible, all the information they have on these abuses,” Nunes stated. “Regardless, it’s clear that top officials used unverified information in a court document to fuel a counter-intelligence investigation during an American political campaign. Once the truth gets out, we can begin taking steps to ensure our intelligence agencies and courts are never misused like this again.” Another congressional official, familiar with the contents of the memo, said it was the FBI and DOJ, which refused to disclose or provide documentation requested by the House Intelligence Committee since early last summer. The congressional official said, “it was only when the committee warned of contempt of Congress did Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to turn over the necessary documents used in the committees’ review of the alleged FISA abuses by the FBI and DOJ.” DOJ officials could not be immediately reached for comment. “They are sparing no expense at trying to stop this memo from being released,” the congressional official said. “You have the Democrats, media and the deep state trying to stop the memo from going public and if they can’t they are preemptively trying to discredit it.”The congressional official added that the memo was written so “there wouldn’t be any national security damage. First, they say that the memo’s release would be a national security concern and then the FBI says it’s the ‘omission of materials’ that doesn’t accurately explain what’s going on. But they didn’t want the committee to have any of the documents anyways. The committee had to fight tooth and nail for them. This is what it looks like when the deep state squeals.” On Wednesday the FBI stated its objections the memo’s release, which has already been viewed in a secure area on Capitol Hill by more than 200 members of the House. “The FBI takes seriously its obligations to the FISA Court and its compliance with procedures overseen by career professionals in the Department of Justice and the FBI,” said FBI officials in a statement. “We are committed to working with the appropriate oversight entities to ensure the continuing integrity of the FISA process.” “With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it. As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy,” the FBI stated. Report: The FBI is “Threatening” Trump Over the FISA Memo“They’re terrified, they’re frantic” Paul Joseph Watson | Infowars.com - February 1, 2018 The FBI is “threatening” Donald Trump over the imminent release of the FISA memo, according to Judicial Watch director of investigations Chris Farrell. The FBI is desperately trying to prevent the release of the FISA memo, which reportedly contains evidence that the Obama administration spied on members of the Trump campaign. The agency issued a rare statement yesterday declaring it had “grave concerns” about the accuracy of the classified document, which is set to be released today. Appearing on Fox Business with Lou Dobbs, Judicial Watch’s Chris Farrell said, “The FBI is threatening the president of the United States.” Farrell says the FBI is desperate to prevent Trump, “Revealing all the criminality that’s going on in the organization” and that’s why they brokered a meeting with Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly which should never have happened. The FBI is trying to “intimidate” Kelly and Trump “in order to cover up for their criminality,” according to Farrell. “These political operators are threatening the president of the United States, they’re betraying their oath to the Constitution,” said Farrell, adding that the FBI is sitting on a huge surveillance cover-up involving the mass monitoring of U.S. citizens.“They’re terrified, they’re embarrassed, they’re frantic,” said Farrell “This is another grave threat, not just on Mr. Trump personally, but it’s a threat on the Constitution,” he added, urging Trump to release the memo. As we reported last week, according to a high level FBI agent, the 50,000 missing FBI text messages which went “missing” but were subsequently recovered, contained threats of violence aimed at President Trump. According to the official, the messages included “frightening conversations” that went further than just harming Trump politically. The notion that the deep state would seek to physically harm Trump for his efforts to “drain the swamp” is no far-flung conspiracy theory. During an appearance on CNN, counterterrorism analyst and former CIA agent Philip Mudd said on air “the government’s gonna kill” Donald Trump because he disrespected the deep state. Even before Trump was inaugurated, Senator Chuck Schumer warned the president he was “really dumb” for picking a fight with the intelligence agencies and “they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you”. CNN analyst on Trump: "The government's gonna kill this guy." https://t.co/ymqwNErhWv pic.twitter.com/4WAA1WENgp — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) August 11, 2017
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161148
02/01/2018 10:51 AM
02/01/2018 10:51 AM
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There is a 100+ page document that was used by Nunes to prepare his memo. That document has been released. Although much has been redacted it is damning. Nothing we don't already know...but in a nutshell...The Clintons , the democrat leadership and the fbi are criminals and are the ones who colluded with the Russians and others to steal the election. They conspired with the obummer administration, the fbi, the dnc and the media to spread lies and innuendo. They lied and fabricated false "evidence" which was used to get the fisa court to issue a warrant to tap Trump's communications. The Mueller investigation is a sham and a witch hunt.
Heads need to roll and people need to go to prison.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161149
02/01/2018 11:10 AM
02/01/2018 11:10 AM
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mak9030mag
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Hopefully it will be released in its fill context..curious what all the blacked out info is. It was a lot to read.
And they say communism fell when the wall came down. The only thing it did was spread out.
McCarthy was right about communism influence in government.
Mak
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161150
02/01/2018 11:13 AM
02/01/2018 11:13 AM
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mak9030mag
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Also how about the 16 year plan. Looks like this is part of said plan they have for those who won't bow to global government.
Mak
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161152
02/01/2018 12:52 PM
02/01/2018 12:52 PM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,015
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mak9030mag
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By releasing it would show tyranny truly exists here in amerikia. Most of the people in this country don't want to face reality.
Mak
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161153
02/02/2018 06:38 AM
02/02/2018 06:38 AM
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As The Onion points out, the memo could undermine our faith in secret, unaccountable government agencies. But legally, I just don't see a whole lot there. Sure, there's corruption there - but show me where there isn't any corruption in Washington. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161154
02/02/2018 06:41 AM
02/02/2018 06:41 AM
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Here is the four-page memo. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161155
02/02/2018 06:47 AM
02/02/2018 06:47 AM
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Joined: Oct 2001
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ConSigCor
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FISA Memo Confirms Surveillance of Trump Campaign Was Based on Dodgy Steele Dossier
McCabe: No FISA warrant would have been approved without dossier.
The FISA memo confirms that the FBI relied on the notorious and hyper-partisan Steele dossier to justify its surveillance of the Trump campaign.
The memo is about to go public, but excerpts were already leaked to news organizations.
“The political origins of the Steele dossier were known to senior DOJ and FBI officials, but excluded from the FISA applications,” according to the Washington Examiner.
The Steele dossier was funded by the HIllary Clinton campaign and the DNC via Fusion GPS.
“DOJ official Bruce Ohr met with Steele beginning in the summer of 2016 and relayed to DOJ information about Steele’s bias. Steele told Ohr that he, Steele, was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected president and was passionate about him not becoming president.”
Clip: First details on 'the memo' reported by Catherine Herridge: pic.twitter.com/cuklrBlpHR
— johnny dollar (@johnnydollar01) February 2, 2018
The memo also reportedly details how, “Andrew McCabe confirmed that no FISA warrant would have been sought from the FISA Court without the Steele dossier information.”
Reaction to the revelations are already rolling in.
House Intel memo key point: The FBI's Andrew McCabe confirmed to the committee that no FISA warrant would have been sought from the FISA Court without the Steele dossier information. Story posting soon.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 2, 2018
“It’s a disgrace what’s going on in our country, a lot of people should be ashamed of themselves,” President Trump commented moments ago.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161156
02/02/2018 09:25 AM
02/02/2018 09:25 AM
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Here is a copy of an email I just sent to the White House. I'm under no illusions that President Trump will read it, but hopefully someone will. Dear sir:
A lot has been said about the four page memo released this morning, and a lot more will be said. The fact is (and to paraphrase you, sir), this is not an example of the FISA courts being implemented incorrectly. IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FISA COURTS BEING IMPLEMENTED PERFECTLY.
Certainly, some people should be fired, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. If you want to drain the swamp (or flush the toilet), I have no objections. But the real fix is to RESCIND SECTION 702 AND ABOLISH THE FISA COURTS ENTIRELY.
I must remind you sir, the only legitimate function of our government is not to ensure the safety of the citizens, but to PRESERVE LIBERTY. And the FISA courts do neither.
You have the power to do so, at least temporarily, by executive order. I urge you to do so immediately, and to use your leadership to get Congress to repeal Section 702.
Thank you. Personally, I think this scandal pales to the one a couple years ago, with Lois Lerner (remember her?) and the IRS. Remember what came of that one? Nothing. But if this one finally gets people to look at the inherent dangers to liberty of Section 702, perhaps something good will come of this. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161157
02/02/2018 11:08 AM
02/02/2018 11:08 AM
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More than one congressman has said that Watergate pales in comparison to this. They seem shocked that a law they passed is being used by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to violate the constitution.
As for the fbi...
Look at the Bundy case. It was proven in court that the fbi and blm lied to and withheld evidence from the court and the accused. In fact it was proven that the Bundy's were telling the truth about the governments activities all along.
Now, we find out that the same agency did the same thing to the Trump administration.
Why am I not surprised. Once a liar always a liar. And, they've been doing it since Hoover.
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161158
02/02/2018 11:38 AM
02/02/2018 11:38 AM
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Originally posted by ConSigCor:
More than one congressman has said that Watergate pales in comparison to this. They seem shocked that a law they passed is being used by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to violate the constitution.... The real scandal is that the FISA courts exist at all. And yes, THAT is worse than Watergate. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161159
02/02/2018 02:56 PM
02/02/2018 02:56 PM
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mak9030mag
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Here's a question what gov agency isn't corrupt? Or doing questionable things all in the name of upholding the law?
Mak
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161160
02/02/2018 04:20 PM
02/02/2018 04:20 PM
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Originally posted by mak9030mag:
Here's a question what gov agency isn't corrupt? Or doing questionable things all in the name of upholding the law? If you can think of one, you're better than I. Being one of those free market anarchist, I just assume the words "government" and "corruption" are synonymous. Gary Hunt at the Outpost of Freedom has posted a pdf of the memo , for anyone hasn't seen it yet. And Nick Gillespie pointed out that, if you think the memo discredits the FBI and the DOJ, you haven\'t been paying attention for the last fifty years or so . Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161161
02/02/2018 06:28 PM
02/02/2018 06:28 PM
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SBL
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Is there anybody out there who is actually shocked by all this? Have you spoken with anyone who is surprised?
This memo isn't by any means a revelation, only a confirmation.
Again and again the things we've been talking about for YEARS, sometimes decades are proven true. First they ignore us, then they call us conspiracy theorists, then they get angry. Now they're covering their asses.
Trump needs to clean house, firing everybody who had anything at all to do with the scandal, even the guy who made the coffee.
On equipment: You get what you inspect, not what you expect.
On training: Our drills are bloodless battles so that our battles are bloody drills.
On tactics: Cheating just means you're serious about winning.
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161162
02/02/2018 06:30 PM
02/02/2018 06:30 PM
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Central Virginia; VIM
SBL
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BTW, this is giving me all kinds of new ideas for my patriot fiction stories. I was thinking of doing one involving the DC Madam "suicide", but this is just too tempting.
On equipment: You get what you inspect, not what you expect.
On training: Our drills are bloodless battles so that our battles are bloody drills.
On tactics: Cheating just means you're serious about winning.
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161164
02/03/2018 04:20 PM
02/03/2018 04:20 PM
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Posts: 675
Somewhere in these blue ridged...
The Answer
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The memo was less juicy than I had hoped. Nunes threatens "phase two" of his investigation.
None of this is going to change the fact that FISA warrants are a joke - it's a rubber stamp.
Semper Vigilantes, Numquam Exspectantes
Always Watching, Never Waiting
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161165
02/04/2018 04:11 AM
02/04/2018 04:11 AM
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Let the games begin.  GOP Congressman Seeks Treason Charg...sed as campaign attack dogs,’ Gosar says Following the release of a four-page memo detailing rampant FISA warrant abuse by the FBI and DOJ, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) announced that he will seek the criminal prosecution of FBI and DOJ officials for the “full throated adoption of this illegal misconduct and abuse of FISA by James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Sally Yates and Rod Rosenstein” who Gosar called “traitors to our nation.”
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161168
02/05/2018 06:33 AM
02/05/2018 06:33 AM
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Tulsa
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Trump critics worry that he\'s undermining trust in the FBI. As if that were a bad thing. Among other things in this article: 38% of Republicans have a favorable view of the FBI, compared to 64% of Democrats. ...I don't know that the Republicans who are suddenly mistrustful of the FBI will absorb any of these lessons, which would require reasoning in a principled way rather than reacting out of partisan reflex. But there is a chance that at least some of them will come away from this episode with a new appreciation for the cracks in "the pillars of the criminal justice system," just as some Republicans embrace sentencing reform after serving time in prison. That would be a heartening development. By contrast, the uncritical embrace of the FBI by some of Trump's opponents is pretty sickening. The Times portrays Trump's spat with the bureau as a black-and-white conflict between a dishonest demagogue and dedicated professionals who only want to uphold the law: More than a dozen officials who work at or recently left the Justice Department and the F.B.I. said they feared that the president was mortgaging the credibility of those agencies for his own short-term political gain as he seeks to undercut the Russia inquiry...
"Thanks to this rhetoric, there is a subset of the public that won't believe what comes out of the Mueller investigation," said Christopher Hunter, a former F.B.I. agent and prosecutor who left the Justice Department at the end of last year. Mr. Hunter said he worried that juries might be more skeptical of testimony from agents even in criminal trials unrelated to Mr. Trump. "All it takes to sink a case," he said, "is for one juror to disbelieve the F.B.I."...
David Strauss, a University of Chicago law professor, said Mr. Trump's accusations against the F.B.I. and the Justice Department were not mere political rhetoric, but messages with consequences. "We have a president who seems to have no understanding of the professional ethos of the Justice Department, who has no understanding how these people think about their jobs," he said...
Josh Campbell, who spent a decade at the F.B.I. and worked directly for Mr. Comey at one time, wrote in The Times on Saturday that he was resigning so that he could speak out. "These political attacks on the bureau must stop," he wrote. "If those critics of the agency persuade the public that the F.B.I. cannot be trusted, they will also have succeeded in making our nation less safe." If you think it is self-evidently a bad thing that "juries might be more skeptical of testimony from agents even in criminal trials unrelated to Mr. Trump," the rest of this self-serving twaddle will not bother you. Question the FBI, the FBI says, and you are endangering national security. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between the dedicated professionals and the dishonest demagogues. Read the whole thing at the link. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161169
02/05/2018 12:00 PM
02/05/2018 12:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 23,916
Tulsa
airforce
Administrator
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Administrator
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 23,916
Tulsa
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What the FISA memo really tells us about our government. A new article by Ron Paul a the Mises Institute. The release of the House Intelligence Committee’s memo on the FBI’s abuse of the FISA process set off a partisan firestorm. The Democrats warned us beforehand that declassifying the memo would be the end the world as we know it. It was reckless to allow Americans to see this classified material, they said. Agents in the field could be harmed, sources and methods would be compromised, they claimed.
Republicans who had seen the memo claimed that it was far worse than Watergate. They said that mass firings would begin immediately after it became public. They said that the criminality of US government agencies exposed by the memo would shock Americans.
Then it was released and the world did not end. FBI agents have thus far not been fired. Seeing “classified” material did not terrify us, but rather it demonstrated clearly that information is kept from us by claiming it is “classified.”
In the end, both sides got it wrong. Here’s what the memo really shows us:
First, the memo demonstrates that there is a “deep state” that does not want things like elections to threaten its existence. Candidate Trump’s repeated promises to get along with Russia and to re-assess NATO so many years after the end of the Cold War were threatening to a Washington that depends on creating enemies to sustain the fear needed to justify a trillion dollar yearly military budget.
Imagine if candidate Trump had kept his campaign promises when he became President. Without the “Russia threat” and without the “China threat” and without the need to dump billions into NATO, we might actually have reaped a “peace dividend” more than a quarter century after the end of the Cold War. That would have starved the war-promoting military-industrial complex and its network of pro-war “think tanks” that populate the Washington Beltway area.
Second, the memo shows us that neither Republicans nor Democrats really care that much about surveillance abuse when average Americans are the victims. It is clear that the FISA abuse detailed in the memo was well known to Republicans like House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes before the memo was actually released. It was likely also well known by Democrats in the House. But both parties suppressed this evidence of FBI abuse of the FISA process until after the FISA Amendments Act could be re-authorized. They didn’t want Americans to know how corrupt the surveillance system really is and how the US has become far too much like East Germany. That might cause more Americans to call up their Representatives and demand that the FISA mass surveillance amendment be allowed to sunset.
Ironically, Chairman Nunes was the biggest cheerleader for the extension of the FISA Amendments even as he knew how terribly the FISA process had been abused!
Finally, hawks on both sides of the aisle in Congress used “Russia-gate” as an excuse to build animosity toward Russia among average Americans. They knew from the classified information that there was no basis for their claims that the Trump Administration was put into office with Moscow’s assistance, but they played along because it served their real goal of keeping the US on war footing and keeping the gravy train rolling.
But don’t worry: the neocons in both parties will soon find another excuse to keep us terrified and ready to flush away a trillion dollars a year on military spending and continue our arguments and new “Cold War” with Russia.
In the meantime, be skeptical of both parties. With few exceptions they are not protecting liberty but promoting its opposite. Onward and upward, airforce
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Re: The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun
#161170
02/06/2018 04:09 AM
02/06/2018 04:09 AM
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,734
A 059 Btn 16 FF MSC
ConSigCor
OP
Senior Member
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OP
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Trump Attorneys Approve Second Special Counsel To Probe FBI & DOJ
Fallout over FISA memo continues for Deep State
Zero Hedge - February 5, 2018
The war between the White House and the FBI/DOJ complex may be turning nuclear.
While speaking to reported aboard Air Force 1, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said that President Trump’s attorneys have already approved the idea of appointing a second special counsel to investigate the FBI and Justice Department’s actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to White House pool reports.
The excerpt from the pool in question:
*FISA warrant should it be released? and what about a second special counsel?*
**
Presidents attorneys have addressed this and said yes to a second special counsel.
FISA: That document along with any other that the House Intelligence Committee chooses to vote out of its committee through its process and all the House procedures, we would entertain like anything else.
As Axios adds, Shah also said that the White House will approach further memos, including the one created by Democrats, in the same way they handled the memo authored by Devin Nunes:
“Which is to allow for a legal review, national security review led by the White House Counsel’s Office, and then within five days the president will make a decision about declassifying it,” said Shah.
And another highlight from the gaggle summarized by Axios:
Trump’s tweet calling Rep. Adam Schiff a leaker: “We don’t really see any reason why anybody else would leak his information other than partisan political stunts by Adam Schiff and other members of the minority.”
"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
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