The Inspector General report, expec... fireworks to the Clinton investigation. Michael Horowitz is the inspector general for the DOJ, and I have a feeling I would not want to be in his shoes. At least one major political party, and maybe both, will be gunning for him.

He's already had an impact. He appears to be the person responsible for McCabe's retirement. And he;s the fellow who found those emails between Peter Strzok and Lisa page.

Onward and upward,
airforce

A Senate memo suggests the FBI was misled by the Steele Dossier.

There is a link to the memo in the third paragraph of the article, which I can't use here because our software won't accept parentheses in a link.

Onward and upward,
airforce

What tells me the most is out of 11 FISA Judges, 10 were appointed by Obama.

Now how secure do you feel from Government spying?

That, and the fact they approve 99.9% of all warrants. There is no other court in the country that comes even close to that.

Onward and upward,
airforce

DOJ, FBI Continued to Spy on Trump in White House

Grassley-Graham letter references Trump surveillance renewals through June 2017

Jerome Corsi | Infowars.com - February 8, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. � The less highly-redacted version of the criminal referral letter written by Sen. Charles Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham made public on Tuesday provides evidence the Department of Justice and FBI were conducting FISA court-approved electronic surveillance of President Trump in the White House through at least June 2017.

The key sentences are on page 4 of the Grassley-Graham letter, reading as follows:

In defending Mr. Steele�s credibility to the FISC [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court], the FBI had posited an innocuous explanation for the September 23 [Yahoo News] article, based on the assumption that Mr. Steele had told the FBI the truth about his press contacts. The FBI then vouched for him twice more, using the same rationale in subsequent renewal applications filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in April and June 2017.

That Steele had lied to the FBI regarding his multiple press contacts is clear in how the purpose of the Grassley-Graham letter was to refer Steele to the DOJ and FBI for criminal investigation for suspicion of violating 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, a section of the federal code that prohibits knowingly making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to the federal government.

The FBI and DOJ filed the first warrant application under FISA for Dr. Carter Page on Oct. 21, 2016, with multiple extensions filed; with the last extensions being filed in April and June 2017 suggesting the FISA court approved electronic surveillance began with the Trump campaign, continued throughout the Trump transition, and extended six months or longer into the Trump presidency.

The Grassley-Graham letter also made clear that in June 2017, former FBI Director Comey testified publicly before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that he had briefed President-Elect Trump on the dossier allegations in January 2017, �which Comey described as �salacious� and �unverified.��

Further support for the argument the DOJ and FBI were conducting FISA court-authorized electronic surveillance of the Trump administration after Donald Trump�s Inauguration can be found in the 99-page declassified memorandum and order released by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on April 26, 2017.

On page 5, the FISC order and memorandum discusses DOJ and FBI requested extensions of FISA court-authorized electronic surveillance on Carter Page, noting the government submitted an extension through May 26, 2017, that the court granted, but for a shorter period, extending only through April 28, 2017.

While the DOJ/FBI FISA court applications were targeted on Carter Page, a major point of the FISC order and memorandum released April 26, 2017, was to reprimand the DOJ and FBI for violating minimization requirements such that the electronic surveillance extended to a wide network of Carter Page�s associates and contacts, and perhaps beyond, to persons involved in more distant communication chains that linked back to Carter Page.

To this date, the DOJ and FBI have refused to release a complete list of all persons in the Trump campaign, the Trump transition, and the Trump administration that were under FISA court-approved electronic surveillance.

Still, the indications from the scandal over Obama administration officials, including Valerie Jarrett and Susan Rice, unmasking names of those Trump associates whose communications were captured by the NSA suggests the FISA court-authorized electronic surveillance extended widely beyond Carter Page to include a large list of Trump associates whose communications were collected incidentally, as �collateral� contacts known to be in communication with Carter Page.

In conclusion, the record suggests Obama administration holdovers in the DOJ and FBI conspired to continue FISA court-authorized electronic surveillance over Donald Trump and his associates, starting during the 2016 presidential campaign, continuing into the transition, and not concluded until some six months after the Trump administration took over in the White House.

REPORT: Top Democrat Texted With Russian Oligarch Lobbyist In Effort To Contact Phony Dossier Author

ByJoseph Curl
@josephcurl
February 9, 2018

Sen. Mark Warner had �extensive contact last year� with lobbyist Adam Waldman in an effort to set up a meeting with Christopher Steele, who wrote a phony dossier on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, Fox News reported.

The Virginia senator, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, had frequent contacts with Waldman, who runs the Endeavor Group, a Washington lobbying firm that worked with a Russian oligarch named Oleg Deripaska in 2009 and 2010.

"We have so much to discuss u need to be careful but we can help our country," Warner texted the lobbyist, Adam Waldman, on March 22, 2017.

"I'm in," Waldman, whose firm has ties to Hillary Clinton, texted back to Warner.

Steele famously put together the anti-Trump dossier of unverified information that was used by FBI and Justice Department officials in October 2016 to get a warrant to conduct surveillance of former Trump adviser Carter Page. Despite the efforts, Steele has not agreed to an interview with the committee.

President Trump on Friday weighed in on the report.

Wow! -Senator Mark Warner got caught having extensive contact with a lobbyist for a Russian oligarch. Warner did not want a �paper trail� on a �private� meeting (in London) he requested with Steele of fraudulent Dossier fame. All tied into Crooked Hillary.
� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2018

Fox said secrecy "seemed very important to Warner as the conversation with Waldman heated up on March 29, 2017, when the lobbyist revealed that Steele wanted a bipartisan letter from Warner and the committee�s chairman, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, inviting him to talk to the Senate intelligence panel.

"Throughout the text exchanges, Warner seemed particularly intent on connecting directly with Steele without anyone else on the Senate Intelligence Committee being in the loop -- at least initially. In one text to the lobbyist, Warner wrote that he would 'rather not have a paper trail' of his messages."

But the report might be just another red herring (like two erroneous reports in the last two weeks). Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican member of the committee, tweeted Thursday night that Warner "fully disclosed this to the committee four months ago." He added that the disclosure "has had zero impact on our work."

Sen.Warner fully disclosed this to the committee four months ago.Has had zero impact on our work. https://t.co/bnmI2Thedt #FoxNews
� Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 9, 2018

Why did Susan Rice send an email to herself, just a few minutes before Trump became president? To cover herself, clearly.

Read the whole thing at the link.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Regardless of who appointed them, FISA Judges are a joke. They rubber stamp everything. They do under Trump, they did under Obama, they did under Bush. It's a fucking joke. FISA should be repealed and all of these judges should have to actually practice the law.

Feds announce indictments of Russian nationals for attempting to influence U.S. elections. The 37-page indictment is here .

Here is Rod Rosenstein\'s announcement.

And here is President Trump's tweet in response:



Onward and upward,
airforce

Ya know...

If anyone decided who to vote for based on what some anonymous "person" on fakebook told them..they really are a special kind of stupid.

And if the American people are that gullible we deserve to have our election hacked.

There is no way the Russians influenced the election...

But, the democrap party and their corrupt candidate for damn sure colluded with the Obama administration and the Russians to steal the election.

The public should be demanding that their sorry asses be thrown in prison.

Csc when it comes right down to it. From what I see. You have 3 different groups of americans.
Thoughs who see the wrong doings point them out,and offer solutions which is small.
Thoughs who do the wrong doings.
Then the masses who either don't care or don't want to know.
In a democracy the masses are easy to control so long as the wrong doers tell them what they want to hear. Along with all of the freebies and no responsibilities.

Russia on Mueller Indictment: All �Blather� Until Election Meddling Facts Come Out

�If they want to see the devil, let them�

RT - February 17, 2018

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has again dismissed claims of Russian meddling in the US election, saying that until facts are presented by Washington, they are nothing but �blather.�

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, he said that �Until we see facts, everything else will be just blather.� When asked to comment on the indictment of Russian nationals and companies in the US over alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, the foreign minister answered:�You know, I have no reaction at all because one can publish anything he wants. We see how accusations, statements, statements are multiplying.�

On Friday, a US federal grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three entities accused of interfering in the 2016 election and political processes. According to the indictment, those people were �supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump� and disparaging Hillary Clinton� as they staged political rallies and bought political advertising, while posing as grassroots entities.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova ridiculed the indictment, noting that 13 people could hardly have caused any real interference.

�13 against billions budgets of special agencies? Against intelligence and counterespionage, against the newest technologies? Absurd? � Yes,� she wrote on Facebook.

Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, who was among those indicted, also weighed in. Describing Americans as �emotional people,� he said that there was no reason to be �upset.�

�If they want to see the devil, let them,� Prigozhin told RIA Novosti.

Even US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had to admit that there were �no allegations� that this �information warfare� yielded any results and affected the outcome of the presidential election.

The underwhelming indictment was also slammed in the US. Virginia State Senator Richard Black accused FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller of deliberately dragging out the Russian meddling probe for his own gain.

�To a certain extent, I think, Robert Muller is struggling to keep alive his position of a special counsel. The special counsel has already earned seven million dollars. When you become a special counsel, you have an open checkbook for the US Treasury and you are guaranteed to become a mega-millionaire if you simply can drag out the proceedings,� Black told RT.

The indictment described the methods used by the defendants to meddle in the election, with some of them looking rather weird and naive. It said that, among other things, the perpetrators asked a US citizen to build a cage for someone to stand in dressed as Hillary Clinton in a prison uniform. The meddlers were also said to have used social media hashtags like #Trump2016 and #Hillary4Prison, and posted �derogatory information� about Clinton and other candidates online. The indictment did not provide the actual content of the comments.

Social media users also found the results of the Mueller probe quite odd, pointing out that there was no way that 13 people could have had any effect on the election. Some argue that the FBI should have put more effort into preventing mass shootings.

FBI be busy chasing #13Russians and texting lovers but no time to prevent tragedies with warning signs like Las Vegas and Nicolas cruz, when warned months before.

FBI was weaponized by Obama admin and actively tried to tamper elections.

Why do we have an FBI again?

� PinkAboutIt 🇺🇸 (@Pink_About_it) February 16, 2018

Andrey Krutskikh, the special presidential representative for international cooperation in information security, has also criticized the indictment, calling it a �childish� move. �As for those lists, it�s a new trend in bad American diplomacy: instead of discussing the pressing issues of stabilization and security in the information space, they come up with some sort of accusations against individuals, organizations. This is typical of the US. It�s surprising that they still don�t understand that this method is completely ineffective,� Krutskikh told RIA-Novosti.

Despite the lack of significant proof, the accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election remain a hot topic in Washington, contributing largely to the worst deterioration in Russian-American relations since the Cold War. The US has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia, targeting private individuals, companies, and whole sectors of the economy.

Facebook Ad VP: MSM Ignoring Facts About Russian Ad Spending For Election

�Very few outlets have covered it because it doesn�t align with main media narrative of Trump and the election,� he says

Infowars.com - February 17, 2018


Most of Russia�s ad spending happened after the election, but that fact doesn�t support the mainstream media�s narrative of collusion with Trump, says Facebook�s Vice President of Ad Products Rob Goldman.

�The majority of the Russian ad spend happened AFTER the election,� Goldman tweeted Friday. �We shared that fact, but very few outlets have covered it because it doesn�t align with the main media narrative of Trump and the election.�


�Most of the coverage of the Russian meddling involves their attempt to effect the outcome of the 2016 US election. I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was NOT the main goal.�


President Trump retweeted Goldman�s statements Saturday.

�The Fake News Media never fails. Hard to ignore this face from the Vice President of Facebook Ads, Rob Goldman!� he tweeted.

�I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal.�
Rob Goldman
Vice President of Facebook Ads https://t.co/A5ft7cGJkE

� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2018

FBI Special Counsel Mueller�s indictment of 13 Russians for �defrauding� the US since 2014 also suggests no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, but rather a concerted disinformation effort meant to sow discord in US domestic politics.

The revelations spurred Trump to further dig into the corporate media once again.

�Funny how the Fake News Media doesn�t want to say that the Russian group was formed in 2014, long before my run for President. Maybe they knew I was going to run even though I didn�t know!�

Ex-CIA operative says US has long meddled in elections, but it�s OK since they are �god cops�

�If you ask an intelligence officer, did the Russians break the rules or do something bizarre, the answer is no, not at all�

RT - February 18, 2018

As Democrats indict Russians over �election meddling,� former CIA officers say the US has been interfering in foreign elections for decades and �hopefully� will keep doing so because it has the moral high ground.

In an article published in the New York Times on Saturday, former CIA officers and several researchers, who have been studying covert US intelligence operations for years, say that the while methods allegedly used by Russians to meddle into the US elections might slightly differ from the old school CIA operations overseas, there is nothing in the allegations against Russians that Americans haven�t done themselves.

�If you ask an intelligence officer, did the Russians break the rules or do something bizarre, the answer is no, not at all,� retired CIA veteran Steven Hall told NYT�s Scott Shane.

Hall, who left his job as CIA Chief of Russian Operations in 2015 after 30 years of service, noted that the US has never shunned attempting to meddle in other countries� elections.

Saying that the CIA had �absolutely� engaged in such operations in the past, Hall added that he hopes �we keep doing it.�

Thirteen Russian nationals and three entities were indicted on Friday as part of the special FBI counsel Robert Mueller�s lingering probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections, and collusion between Moscow and US President Donald Trump�s campaign. As proof to support either of the two allegations is still scant, the Russians listed in the indictment were accused of waging �information warfare against the United States of America,� including by sowing discord on social media with �divisive� posts on Facebook and Twitter.

While the social media boom is a recent phenomenon, the US intelligence has a long record of weaponizing information, albeit in a more conventional form, Loch Johnson, a scholar at the University of Georgia, who has been investigating the CIA since the 1970s, told the Times.

�We�ve used posters, pamphlets, mailers, banners � you name it. We�ve planted false information in foreign newspapers. We�ve used what the British call �King George�s cavalry�: suitcases of cash,� Johnson said, recounting that in the late 1980s he was told by CIA operatives that they used to plant reports that fit the US agenda or bluntly fake news in foreign newspapers by the dozen. The number of such daily �insertions� ran in as many as 70 to 80 publications, he recounted.

But when the US does it, it�s for the greater good, the scholar and the CIA officers claim.

Likening the American operations to what Russia is accused of, �is like saying cops and bad guys are the same because they both have guns � the motivation matters,� Hall said. Because, just like the bloody wars the US is waging around the world, it is being done for the sake of democracy.

Contrary to the supposed Russian onslaught on the American democracy, which, according to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, did not affect the outcome of the presidential elections, some US meddling did lead to actual changes of power across Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

According to a survey by Researcher Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University�s Institute for Politics and Strategy, the US meddled in elections at least 81 times from 1946 to 2000, including in Yugoslavia in the 2000 against Slobodan Milosevic.

The number, however, does not include the military coups orchestrated by the US, or regime changes as a result of the US interventions, some of which had precious little to do with democracy, such as the rise of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet after the violent overthrow of President Salvador Allende in 1973. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the US did not give up on its interventionist policy. The most recent examples include the US-led NATO intervention in Libya that brought down strongman Muammar Gaddafi, but failed to deliver a semblance of democracy. The war-ravaged country is being torn between three different power centers seven years after the military incursion.

The US role in the coup in Ukraine, which paved way for bloodshed in the country�s east, has been widely reported. Last year, former US Vice President Joe Biden admitted in his memoir that he demanded former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich resign in 2014, telling him that his �time was over.�

Biden also boasted that he played a part in the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor during a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk in March 2016.

It's about time someone brought this up. And maybe they should talk about how Britain helped reelect Roosevelt back in 1940.

Onward and upward,
airforce

This goes beyond criminal.

Disgraced FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe altered his summary of Mike Flynn interview

By Pamela Geller - on February 18, 2018

It has always been painfully obvious that disgraced FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe didn�t resign over text-gate or �Trump and Republican criticism�. Now it all makes sense. Former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Andrew McCabe altered far left FBI investigator Peter Strzok�s notes on his interview with General Michael Flynn. And then McCabe destroyed the evidence.

Huge scoop. Like my other big stories (Susan Rice, security clearances, Conyers) will take media a long time to confirm.

You know how Peter Strzok's system didn't back up.

You know why?

McCabe altered his 302 of the Flynn interview, and deleted all history of revisions.

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

FYI: A FD-302 form is used by FBI agents to �report or summarize the interviews that they conduct� and contains information from the notes taken during the interview by the non-primary agent. It consists of information taken from the subject, rather than details about the subject themselves.

Translate:

FBI agents take notes during an interview � these summaries are put on a form numbered FD-302. The agent who interviewed Flynn did not think Flynn lied. McCabe altered the agent's form 302, fabricating what Flynn had said, to secure a guilty plea for Mueller. https://t.co/mS8lbm4xCu

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

The FBI cannot provide a *clean* history of revisions for the 302 interview with General Flynn.

That's why Judge Emmett Sullivan, who is very tough on unethical prosecutors, had ordered the Special Counsel to disclose exculpatory evidence, which would include these revisions.

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

The IG knows McCabe changed Peter Strzok 302 / notes with General Flynn.

Yet issuing a report to this effect would call thousands of FBI investigations into question.

It's full on freak-out mode, as no one know how to spin this.

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

Why did a federal judge order Muller to disclose exculpatory evidence AFTER Flynn pled guilty?

Do you know how unusual this is? Flynn waived the right to exculpatory evidence in his plea deal.

That's because the 302 was altered, and everyone knows it.

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

Who is Judge Emmett Sullivan?

*This* is Judge Sullivan:

"A federal judge took the extraordinary step of naming a special prosecutor to investigate whether the government lawyers should themselves be prosecuted for criminal wrongdoing."https://t.co/sf4iN6BC5Z

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

"2 Prosecutors in Case of Senator Ted Stevens Are Suspended"

Who was the judge who demanded they be investigated � which almost never happens, as federal judges are boot lickers for DOJ?

The same judge assigned to Flynn's case. Judge Sullivan.https://t.co/lCdO5a3wAn

� Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 19, 2018

Freeper:

There has been rumors �independently� from Sara Carter and others that FD-302s May have been altered and she pointed out it may be McCabe that told others to do it. This was heard right on the day he stepped down. They didn�t say to whom they were altered against if it was true but this possibly lines up with this! If true then Flynn plea will be rescinded and charges dropped and possibly Mueller team will be in trouble if they KNEW that these 302s were changed and didn�t informed Flynn until they were forced to by the new judge, Sullivan

Conservative Trrehouse:

← Corrupt FBI Officials Fight Back Against Intelligence Oversight Memo�
House Intelligence Committee Releases Transcript of Monday Night �Memo Meeting�� →
Robert Mueller Requests Postponement of General Mike Flynn Sentencing�
Posted on January 31, 2018 by sundance

Against a newly discovered likelihood the Robert Mueller investigation began under false pretenses; and against the backdrop that FBI surveillance and wiretaps were obtained through materially (intentionally) false representations to the FISA court; and against the backdrop the original Flynn plea judge (Contrereas) was also the approving FISA judge; and that judge �was summarily recused� from the case; and against increasing evidence that Mike Flynn was set up by a terminal animus, and politically-motivated investigative rogue unit, operating within the FBI; and against surfacing IG Horowitz evidence that FBI investigators manipulated (lied on) their FD-302 interrogation documents; and understanding those falsified 302�s were used in the Mueller/Flynn charging document�

�Special Counsel Robert Mueller now asks for postponement of sentencing:

[img]https://theconservativetreehouse.fi...eller-flynn-postponement.jpg?w=640&h=778[/img]

(pdf link)

Both parties did not �request� a postponement; both parties �agreed� to a postponement. The motive for the request (Mueller) is entirely divergent from, yet complimentary to, the motive to agree to the request (Flynn).

This is all beginning to go backwards.

It is not coincidental that Brandon L Van Grack is the signatory to the delay request by Special Counsel Robert Mueller�s request to the new Judge, Emmet G Sullivan.

If, as has been reported, Inspector General Michael Horowitz now has evidence the FBI manipulated their FD-302 (interrogation and questioning) documents, as also admitted by FBI agent Peter Strzok in related matters regarding Clinton�

[img]https://theconservativetreehouse.fi...trzok-text-sept-10-20161.jpg?w=640&h=366[/img]

�. and those manipulated or falsified FBI 302�s (containing FBI investigative notes of Michael Flynn�s questioning during the January 2017 interview), were used in the actual Flynn charging documents.

Well, then the underlying evidence presented to the initial judge, Ruben Contreras, in the December 1st plea hearing, were materially misrepresented.

With the IG exposing falsified and manipulative investigative practices by the FBI, Mueller would have no alternative but to throw the brakes on. This whole thing is turning into a sh*t-show of epic proportions. EARLIER WE DISCUSSED

The Robert Mueller lawyer, the Special Counsel attorney that signed General Flynn�s Statement of Offense filed in U.S, District Court 12/1/2017 was �Brandon L Van Grack�. [See page #5]




When Trump transition team lawyer Kory Langhofer (Trump for America transition organization) contacted the special counsels office about the illegal and unethical way they retrieved transition team emails from the GSA. Who was he put in contact with?



t was Brandon L Van Grack who was in communication w/ the Trump for America transition organization; and, according to the documents on this topic (attached), misrepresented (ie. lied about) the Special Counsel access to the GSA emails on 12/12/2017. (Pdf Link)

Questions: A) What reason would Van Grack have for taking the call from the transition attorney in the first place? and then, B) what reason would he have for lying about the information that was requested?

It is my belief, based on mounting evidence, a specific cast of characters -within the Mueller �Russia Election Interference� probe- were placed there to protect the people behind the FBI�s 2016 counterintelligence operation against Trump.

I suspect the same FBI and DOJ �small group�, the team who worked diligently to ensure Hillary Clinton was never found culpable in the 2015/2016 email investigation, later worked on the 2016 Trump counterintelligence operation (FISA wiretapping surveillance etc).

That same �small group� within the FBI and DOJ were then given the task in 2017 of covering both prior operations: A) *Clear Hillary Clinton, and B) *Counterintel op on Trump.

To cover, cloud and protect the DOJ and FBI officials engaged in both operations, the �small group� is now assembled within Robert Mueller�s Special Counsel team.

Inside Mueller�s crew, the �small group� essentially works to watch over what information the Trump officials or congress could possibly be discovering�. under the auspices of investigating �Muh Russia� etc.

If the �small group� comes across a risky trail being followed, they work to impede, block, delay or deflect anyone from that trail.

That�s why the Special Counsel attorney that signed General Flynn�s Statement of Offense filed Dec. 1, 2017, was the same attorney who responded to the Trump transition team inquiry. Brandon L Van Grack.

This �small group� are essentially career DOJ and FBI staff lawyers behind and beside the visible names we have recently become aware of: Peter Strzok, Bruce Ohr, Lisa Page, Bill Priestap, Andrew McCabe, Sally Yates, James Baker etc.

[img]https://theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/the-scheme-3.jpg?w=640&h=465[/img]

Former CIA director says America on...'t keep a straight face while saying it.

You can watch the 30-second video here .

Onward and upward,
airforce

Here is the text of the Democratic 10-page memo. With the redactions, it's considerably less than ten pages.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Report: Sessions May Fire FBI Deputy McCabe Days Before Retirement

Clinton crony forced out of FBI following release of FISA abuse memo

Jamie White | Infowars.com - March 14, 2018

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering firing FBI Deputy Director and Clinton ally Andrew McCabe, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The FBI�s Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended to Sessions that McCabe be fired, stemming from a Justice Department watchdog report claiming he misled investigators on aspects of the Clinton Foundation investigation and Hillary Clinton�s email server probe.

�The Department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated. That process includes recommendations from career employees and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time,� Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.

The move could come just days before McCabe is set to retire on March 18, which poses a danger to his pension as a 21-year veteran to the bureau.

FBI Director Christopher Wray abruptly removed McCabe from the bureau after reading the 4-page �Nunes memo,� which details how the FBI failed to disclose to a FISA court judge that the debunked Steele dossier was paid for by the Clinton campaign when seeking a search warrant for Trump campaign associate Carter Page.

President Trump criticized McCabe and the rest of the FBI leadership following the revelations last month.

�The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans � something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!� he tweeted in February.

The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans � something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!

� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2018

McCabe�s political bias surfaced in December when FBI investigators Peter Strzok and mistress Lisa Page suggested McCabe was aware that the Russia investigation was more of an �insurance policy� meant to derail Trump should he actually win the presidency.

But McCabe�s bias was already known when reports emerged last May showing a Clinton-connected Super PAC gave his wife $700,000 for her Virginia state Senate race in 2015.

�How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin� James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife�s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?� he tweeted last year.

How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin� James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife�s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?

� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017

And not a moment too soon.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Word just in...Fionia Hill and McMaster are next.

They were talking about McMaster getting fired pretty much the day after he was hired.

I'm still getting my mind around why Larry Kudlow was hired. He's even more of a free trader that was Gary Cohn, the guy he's replacing.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Ex-FBI Asst. Director Says Upcoming Inspector General Report Is �Pure TNT�

The Inspector General�s report is thought to include evidence of outgoing Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe ordering agents to alter �302� forms

Zero Hedge - March 17, 2018

Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said today that a highly anticipated report from the DOJ�s Inspector General Michael Horowitz will contain �some pure TNT.� Horowitz has been investigating the conduct of the FBI�s top brass surrounding the 2016 election for over a year. He also uncovered over 50,000 text messages between two anti-Trump / pro-Clinton FBI employees directly involved in the exoneration of Clinton and the counterintelligence operation launched against the Trump campaign.

Swecker: �The behavior if it�s manifested in the action with your thumb on the scale of a particular investigation, one way or the other, that�s borderline criminal behavior � manipulating an investigation. I think this IG report is going to be particularly impactful, more so than any of these useless congressional investigations. I think you�re going to see some pure TNT come out in this IG report.�

Ex-FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker puts Comey & McCabe on notice: 'Some pure TNT' will come out in the Inspector General report. pic.twitter.com/QdS3WkiTJ7

� Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) March 16, 2018

The Inspector General�s report is thought to include evidence of outgoing Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe ordering agents to alter �302� forms � the paperwork an agent files after interviewing someone.

Horowitz is also reportedly homing in on McCabe�s handling of the Anthony Weiner laptop after reports emerged that he wanted to avoid taking action on the FBI�s findings until after the 2016 election.

The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, has been asking witnesses why FBI leadership seemed unwilling to move forward on the examination of emails found on the laptop of former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)until late October � about three weeks after first being alerted to the issue, according to these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. A key question of the internal investigation is whether McCabe or anyone else at the FBI wanted to avoid taking action on the laptop findings until after the Nov. 8 election, these people said. It is unclear whether the inspector general has reached any conclusions on that point. �WaPo

In January, Fox�s Sean Hannity sat down with journalist Sara Carter � who shed light on the McCabe situation, saying that FBI Director Christopher Wray was �shocked to his core� after reading the GOP-authored �FISA� memo describing FBI malfeasance surrounding the 2016 U.S. election:

Carter: What we know tonight is that FBI Director Christopher Wray went Sunday and reviewed the four-page FISA memo. The very next day, Andrew McCabe was asked to resign. Remember Sean, he was planning on resigning in March � that already came out in December. This time they asked him to go right away. You�re not coming into the office. I�ve heard rep[orts he didn�t even come in for the morning meeting � that he didn�t show up.

Hannity: A source of mine told me tonight that when Wray read this, it shocked him to his core.

Sara Carter: Shocked him to his core, and not only that, the Inspector General�s report � I have been told tonight by a number of sources, there�s indicators right now that McCabe may have asked FBI agents to actually change their 302�s � those are their interviews with witnesses. So basically every time an FBI agent interviews a witness, they have to go back and file a report.

Hannity: Changes? So that would be obstruction of justice?

Carter: Exactly. This is something the Inspector General is investigating. If this is true and not alleged, McCabe will be fired. I heard they are considering firing him within the next few days if this turns out to be true.

Meanwhile, several Republican Senators are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to order a special counsel to probe the FBI�s conduct during its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election � including the use of the �Steele dossier� in seeking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against former Trump Campaign advisor Carter Page. The letter marks the second formal request by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The request comes amid controversy over Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe�s pension � which is in jeopardy after the Department of Justice�s internal watchdog found enough evidence of malfeasance to recommend firing McCabe immediately.

The letter also notes that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who they have the �utmost confidence� in, �does not have the tools that a prosecutor would to gather all the facts, such as the ability to obtain testimony from essential witnesses who are not current DOJ employees.�

Senators Chuck Grassley Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas), signed a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions as well as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to name a special counsel who can �gather all the facts.�

�We believe that a special counsel is needed to work with the Inspector General to independently gather the facts and make prosecutorial decisions, if any are merited. The Justice Department cannot credibly investigate itself without these enhanced measures of independence,� wrote the senators.

See the letter below, and click on the tweet for more background on the ongoing investigation from Nick Short of the Security Studies Group.

https://twitter.com/PoliticalShort/status/974395652992937989

As Chuck Ross of the Daily Caller points out, the letter also �broke a bit of news�:

It reveals that Bruce Ohr, the former deputy assistant attorney general, was interviewed 12 separate times by the FBI in 2016 and 2017.

Ohr was in contact with Steele prior to the 2016 election. And shortly after the election, Ohr was in contact with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that hired Steele to investigate Trump.

Ohr�s wife, a Russia expert named Nellie Ohr, also happened to be working as a contractor for Fusion GPS for its Trump investigation.

Senate Judiciary Republicans want to know whether the FBI and DOJ were aware of that relationship.

The committee letter lists all of Ohr�s FBI interviews, which were summarized on what�s known as a FD-302 document. The first interview with Ohr was conducted on November, 22, 2016. The most recent occurred on May 15, 2017. �Daily Caller

The DOJ�s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced in January that it was opening a probe of the FBI�s handling of the Clinton email investigation. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked the OIG to explore whether FBI officials abused their authority when they used an unverified and salacious dossier from Fusion GPS to obtain a FISA warrant on Carter Page.

That said, Sessions has resisted repeated calls for a second Special Counsel.

Graham and Grassley also asked the OIG to look into the FBI�s conduct while handling the Russia probe, writing in a February letter:

�We respectfully request that you conduct a comprehensive review of potential improper political influence, misconduct, or mismanagement in the conduct of the counterintelligence and criminal investigations related to Russia and individuals associated with (1) the Trump campaign, (2) the Presidential transition, or (3) the administration prior to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.�

The Senators also noted in their Thursday letter that if the DOJ declines to appoint a second special counsel, they want �a detailed reply explaining why not.�

Trump Slams �Sanctimonious Comey� After Sessions Fires FBI�s McCabe A Day Before Retirement

Perhaps this means Trump will lay off the constant trolling of Sessions for a while?

Zero Hedge - March 17, 2018
Update: President Trump tweets that McCabe�s firing �is a great day for the hard working men and women of The FBI� and democracy,� then lashes out at �sanctimonious� former FBI Director Comey�s �lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI� indicating that his actions made McCabe �look like a choirboy.�

Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI � A great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!

� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018

Perhaps this means Trump will lay off the constant trolling of Sessions for a while?

* * *

As we detailed earlier, after a long day of what seemed like the swamp protecting one of their dirtiest creatures, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, just over 24 hours before he was set to retire and claim his full pension benefits.

McCabe turns 50 on Sunday � the earliest he would have been eligible for his full retirement benefits.

Sessions noted that both the Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz as well as the FBI�s disciplinary office had found �that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor � including under oath � on multiple occasions.�

So, McCabe was involved in leaks and he lied under oath.

Horowitz found that McCabe had authorized two FBI officials to talk to then-Wall Street Journal reporter Devlin Barrett for a story about the case and another investigation into Clinton�s family foundation. Barrett now works for The Washington Post. �WaPo

�I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately,� said Sessions, who said he based his decision on the findings.

While the move will probably cost McCabe a significant portion of his retirement benefits, he could challenge it in court.

Former FBI officials tell CNN that McCabe could also lose out on future health care coverage in his retirement, but the �most significant �damage� to a separated FBI employee is: loss of lifetime medical benefits for self and family,� tweeted CNN law enforcement analyst James A. Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory special agent.

On Thursday he spent almost four hours at the DOJ to beg for his full retirement.

Full statement from AG Sessions:

The FBI�s OPR then reviewed the report and underlying documents and issued a disciplinary proposal recommending the dismissal of Mr. McCabe. Both the OIG and FBI OPR reports concluded that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor � including under oath � on multiple occasions.

The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and accountability. As the OPR proposal stated, �all FBI employees know that lacking candor under oath results in dismissal and that our integrity is our brand.�

Pursuant to Department Order 1202, and based on the report of the Inspector General, the findings of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, and the recommendation of the Department�s senior career official, I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately.

McCabe responded to his ouster, saying that his firing, along with negative comments by President Trump were meant to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller�s investigation, reported the New York Times.

�The idea that I was dishonest is just wrong,� said McCabe, adding, �This is part of an effort to discredit me as a witness.�

Mr. McCabe was among the first at the F.B.I. to scrutinize possible Trump campaign ties to Russia. And he is a potential witness to the question of whether Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice. Mr. Trump has taunted Mr. McCabe both publicly and privately, and Republican allies have cast him as the center of a �deep state� effort to undermine the Trump presidency. �NYT

While McCabe�s firing is directly related to the disclosure of sensitive information to the media about the Clinton email investigation, the former Deputy Director took a leave of absence in January amid a heated controversy over the FBI�s conduct surrounding the 2016 election.

In December, The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has discovered that edits made to former FBI Director James Comey�s statement exonerating Hillary Clinton for transmitting classified info over an unsecured, private email server went far beyond what was previously known � as special agents operating under McCabe changed various language which effectively decriminalized Clinton�s behavior.

McCabe�s team also conducted a counterintelligence operation to investigate the Trump campaign, in which they used an unverified dossier and were not forthright with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) over its political origins, in violation of FBI policy.

As revelations of FBI misconduct spiraled out of control last year, President Trump noted that McCabe was �racing the clock to retire with full benefits.�

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!

� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017

On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said �We do think that it is well documented that he has had some very troubling behavior and by most accounts a bad actor.�

While �background conversations with reporters are commonplace in Washington,� notes the Washington Post, �McCabe�s authorizing such a talk was viewed as inappropriate because the matter being discussed was an ongoing criminal investigation.�

One wonders how long before McCabe writes his multi-million-dollar �tell-all� book� or when he will start his new job? We hear the offers are pouring in�

Congrats to Andrew McCabe on his new job at CNN!

� Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) March 17, 2018

McCabe Bailout: Dems Launch Dozens of GoFundMe Campaigns

Lying under oath doesn�t mean much to the left

Zero Hedge - March 18, 2018

Despite being fired for lying under oath and leaking to the press in a manner that �lacked candor,� former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has received an outpouring of support from the left.

In addition to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) offering him a temporary job so he can receive his full retirement benefits, dozens of people have set up GoFundMe accounts, which have already raised tens of thousands of dollars.

Some have expressed surprise that the same people who have long railed against �the man� are so overwrought that an FBI Official � who was found corrupt in an IG investigation demanded by Democrats that and that was directed by an Obama IG appointee � was fired by an administration they don�t like, that they�ve put the closest thing to �Agent Smith� on a pedestal and are now giving him money.

So far 39 GoFundMe donation campaigns have been set up for the former Deputy Director who�s now left with a reduced pension.

Seriously, 39 people are starting a gofundme acct for Andrew McCabe�how funny.😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/0Ctvku6fIe

� DocG👍😎👌BasedAlpha (@GLBarricelli2) March 17, 2018

Chicago resident �Ethan,� for example, who describes himself as a �volunteer� set up a campaign for $75,000 despite not knowing much about McCabe�s pension.

�If President Trump and AG Sessions fire Andrew McCabe before he retires, it will be an insult to every civil servant in the country,� Ethan writes. �I have no idea if this is even close to what Mr. McCabe�s pension would be, but we need to start somewhere and show our support!�

So far Ethan the campaign has taken in $1,961 of its $75,000 goal.

Meanwhile, McCabe isn�t �losing his pension.� While the Friday termination will impact him financially to some degree, the most significant impact is that he doesn�t get to start taking it for another seven years, and he will likely lose his lifetime medical benefits for he and his wife.

Considering McCabe�s number of years at the agency and estimations of his high-level pay grade, formulas published by the US Office of Personnel Management for law enforcement officers show that his yearly payout could hit in the area of $60,000 each year, if McCabe were to retire after his birthday on Sunday.

If he were to be fired before Sunday, it appears likely McCabe could be docked his pension until he hits another, later age milestone.

Experts disagree � and caution that predicting payouts is complicated given the complex federal system and each individual�s personal career particularities � but, per federal rules, McCabe may not be able to draw an annuity until a date ranging just shy of his 57th birthday, and as late as his 62nd. That could put the value of his uncollected pension in the realm of a half-million dollars. -CNN

Furthermore, McCabe can earn his full pension if he�s employed in any federal position for just another day or so.

One suggestion from a McCabe supporter: if a friendly member of Congress hired him for a week he could possibly qualify for pension benefits by extending his service the extra days

� Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) March 17, 2018

Would be happy to consider this. The Sixth District of MA would benefit from the wisdom and talent of such an experienced public servant. https://t.co/ynQWhdzQpC

� Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) March 17, 2018

With those 20 years, he would need to just go to work with the federal government for another day or so in any job he pleases, whether that�s as a election security analyst for a Wisconsin congressman or a typist for a day, to get full benefits, said the former official who spoke to The Fix. The job doesn�t matter so much as the fact that he�s working within the federal government with the same retirement benefits until or after his 50th birthday. (Though this former official stressed that it would probably look more ethical if McCabe worked for at least a pay period rather than just one day.) -WaPo

Ironically, nobody knows just yet the full extent of McCabe�s malfeasance which the DOJ�s Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility recommended firing him over. Once the full OIG report is published, those offering McCabe jobs may need GoFundMe campaigns of their own.

Fools and their money are soon parted.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Former assistant FBI director: High-ranking people throughout the government had a plot to protect Hillary Clinton from being indicted

by Mandy Mayfield | March 18, 2018


Former assistant FBI director James Kallstrom suggested Sunday morning that the constant shifting of high-ranking government officials over the last year is related to an internal plot to help Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

"I think we have ample facts revealed to us during this last year and a half that high-ranking people throughout government, not just the FBI, high-ranking people had a plot to not have Hillary Clinton, you know, indicted," Kallstrom said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo."

Kallstrom, who worked at the FBI for 27 years, was responding to Bartiromo's question about whether he thought that someone in the FBI was directing officials to protect Clinton.

"Do you think somebody was directing them or do you think they just came to the conclusion on their own, this leadership at the FBI and the Department of Justice, that they wanted to change the outcome of the election?" Bartiromo asked.

Kallstrom also said officials had a scheme to blame Trump for the Russian interference during the 2016 election.

"They had a backup plan to basically frame Donald Trump and that's what's been going," Kallstrom said.

The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun

Friday's firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, based on a report from the Office of Professional Responsibility, is only the beginning of what is likely to be the most explosive series of revelations in American history.

Forget Watergate. It will be the distant past once the inspector general's reports�there apparently will be more than one�start to come out. This will be the "Gate of Gates."

From the FBI and across the intelligence agencies an astonishing number of people are going to find themselves accused, one can safely predict at this point, of some atrocious behavior in a free republic. And it will not just be the small change of Peter Strzok (the dimwitted director of counter-intelligence) and his gal pal Lisa Page. It will include�on one level or another�James Comey, Loretta Lynch, John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice and, almost inevitably, Barack Obama, not to mention others known and unknown.

All these people's reputations will be damaged forever for the pathetic purpose of getting Hillary Clinton elected president and later for their determination to manipulate the FBI and intelligence agencies to wound as severely as possible Trump's presidency. That they didn't stop to think that they might be wounding America at the same time is extraordinarily selfish and nauseating.

Further, that a Russia collusion investigation was employed by these people for their nefarious purposes is darkly ironic because their technique itself reeks of Stalin's NKVD.

In the case of Mike Flynn particularly, they worked under the famous dictum of Comrade Beria: "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime."

This is, however, a great day for our country since so many of our citizens have lost confidence in the FBI. This can be the beginning of a new and better FBI.

Democrats, who are all over Twitter at the moment defending McCabe, are making a huge mistake. They will be embarrassed when the details come out. The Office of Professional Responsibility is not a partisan adjunct of the Republican Party or anything close. Furthermore, it was the Democratic Party that called for the inspector general to investigate. He was appointed by Obama. As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

The same goes for the Democrats' determined and ever-loyal media allies. It is time for them to think twice. The press, of all people, should want the government to be accountable to the citizenry. That's supposedly their job. They should also want organizations like the FBI to be unbiased. Given what has happened in the past few years, however, even tyng those sentences seems laughable. But we are at a turning point. Who knows? Even some of the media may wake up. A large number of facts will be appearing shortly that they will have to digest, facts that will not be especially easy to sn. We shall see how they respond.

The real draining of the Swamp has finally begun. Jeff Sessions may have quietly been engineering it in ways his critics, even Trump himself, didn't realize. It is time for every concerned citizen to keep up the pressure. At moments like this, it's easy to be cynical and think, oh, this is a good moment, but it will go back to business as usual soon. By thinking that way, you become part of the part of the problem. Don't. Act.

The firing of McCabe isbig news, because we don\'t often see a tyrant fall.

Onward and upward,
airforce

Special counsel in every way but name

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times - Sunday, April 1, 2018

Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have declined calls to appoint a second special counsel to investigate the FBI�s behavior during the 2016 campaign, but the man he has picked to lead an internal Justice Department review is a special counsel in every way but name.

John W. Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, can convene a grand jury, issue subpoenas, collect evidence and order witnesses to testify � all the usual powers a federal prosecutor has � as he delves into whether the FBI abused its powers when it sought permission and then carried out wiretapping of a Trump campaign figure, or whether it trod too lightly in pursuing questions about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Sessions said the facts of the FBI situation don�t yet rise to the level of demanding a special counsel, but Mr. Huber is as close as can be.

�He will have the full authority of a federal prosecutor,� said Richard Painter, former chief ethics attorney for President George W. Bush. �If he looks at this and finds someone in the DOJ lied to a government official, he would be able to convene a grand jury, compel testimony and even prosecute them.�

By appointing an active federal prosecutor � in this case one first nominated by President Obama and kept on by President Trump � Mr. Sessions also may deflect criticism that the review is a partisan attempt to undermine the other special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is investigating the Trump campaign�s interactions with Russia in 2016.

Paul G. Cassell, a former federal judge who has known Mr. Huber since law school, said asking an acting U.S. attorney to lead the investigation is a good move because it may tamp down on excesses.

�When you have a special counsel, you always have to wonder if there is overzealousness in their prosecution because they only have one case,� he said. �Huber is going to be less inclined to move forward with prosecution unless it�s warranted because if he moves one case forward, others will be left behind.�

Questions remain about how Mr. Huber will operate. The Justice Department declined to comment on whether he will have a budget or appoint a team like Mr. Mueller. It also would not discuss how Mr. Huber�s probe would work with other active investigations, including Mr. Mueller�s.

�If he starts digging into the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] warrant, for example, he may find something really ugly,� Mr. Painter said. �But some of that may need to be handed over to Mueller.�

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has launched an investigation similar to Mr. Huber�s. It is not clear, however, if Mr. Horowitz�s reach can compel testimony from key players who are no longer in the federal government, such as former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Mr. Sessions fired Mr. McCabe last month on charges of misleading investigators looking into whether the bureau slow-walked its investigation into Mrs. Clinton�s exclusive use of a private email server as secretary of state.

Mr. Huber is said to have the power to force testimony from people who have exited the government.

Some Republicans who have demanded a second special counsel expressed support for Mr. Huber. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Mr. Huber�s home state of Utah, called him a �capable public servant and a man of great integrity.�

Insider or outsider?

Those who know Mr. Huber describe him as a humble man who flies coach. They also praise his character, fairness and ability to handle high-profile cases.

Whether he is ready for the spotlight of the FBI investigation, though, remains to be seen. He could face accusations of partisanship from Democrats or become a target for Mr. Trump�s Twitter outrage, as have Mr. Sessions, Mr. Mueller and others.

�I don�t think John has anything in his background that gets you ready for something like this,� said former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman of Utah, who spent four years in Washington as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee and recruited Mr. Huber to the U.S. attorney�s office.

�My time on the Judiciary Committee was high-profile, and it was a rude awakening coming to D.C. from the U.S. attorney�s office, where everything is black-and-white and not bogged down by politics,� Mr. Tolman said.

Others say the fact that Mr. Huber comes into the job encumbered with political baggage will be an asset.

�He�s a real guy, not a phony, and that is so important in Washington,� said Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, an anti-drug task force that Mr. Huber once chaired. �I know D.C. is different, but he�s very secure in himself and even as U.S. attorney he knows he is going to take a lot of heat from people.�

Mr. Huber has some experience in the Washington spotlight.

Last year, he appeared at a White House press briefing to voice support for two bills that would impose tougher penalties on illegal immigrants. The appearance raised questions for some about the Justice Department�s independence from the White House.

After the White House briefing, Mr. Huber took a leadership position on the Justice Department�s advisory committee of U.S. attorneys, which offers insight and advice to Mr. Sessions. But he was first appointed to that committee by Mr. Obama�s last attorney general, Loretta E. Lynch.

�John has been favorite of Sessions,� Mr. Tolman said. �I�ve never seen a U.S. attorney give a press conference from the White House on a controversial topic before, which John did. This appears to be some effort by Sessions to have someone in the trenches that he considers one of his own.�

Bipartisan support

Mr. Huber has received high marks from Republican and Democratic administrations. In 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft honored him for his work fighting violent crime. In 2010, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. recognized him for his performance as a federal prosecutor.

Appointed as U.S. attorney by Mr. Obama in 2015, Mr. Huber resigned when Mr. Trump took office, as is the custom when there is a turnover in administrations. But Mr. Trump renominated Mr. Huber last year, and the Senate confirmed him for another four years.

A native of Magna, Utah, Mr. Huber got his start prosecuting routine crimes such as domestic violence in Weber County, an area so conservative that Bill Clinton finished fourth there in the 1992 presidential election. As a county prosecutor, Mr. Huber garnered some attention for his success in handling gun crimes at the state and federal level.

That success led to the U.S. attorney�s office, where he continued prosecuting gun cases. Perhaps his most high-profile case was the 2008 prosecution of a man who sold a gun used in a mass shooting at a Salt Lake City shopping mall. The shooting and trial generated national headlines.

�The case was very complicated because it involved the prosecution of an illegal firearm acquisition by the shooter,� Mr. Cassell said. �Huber navigated the issue in a way that brought credit to the office and received nearly universal praise for how it was handled. He showed great concerns for victims.�

During his college days, Mr. Huber played football for legendary University of Utah coach Ron McBride, who taught him to �be the hammer, not the nail,� according to an article in the Salt Lake City Deseret News. His colleagues say he still lives by that motto.

�John is a very ethical man,� Mr. Gorman said. �He won�t be swayed by anything other than doing the right thing. If Sessions picked him, then my hat is off to Sessions.�

Devin Nunes Threatens to Impeach DOJ�s Rod Rosenstein and FBI�s Chris Wray

By Graham Lanktree On 4/11/18

The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee says he is prepared to impeach the head of the FBI and Deputy Attorney General if he doesn�t get a two-page document he says prompted the Russia investigation.

�Just the fact that they're not giving this to us tells me there's something wrong here,� California Republican Representative Devin Nunes told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on the The Ingraham Angle Tuesday night.

�I can tell you that we're not just going to hold in contempt, we will have a plan to hold in contempt and to impeach,� Nunes told Ingraham, who asked what his committee would do to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein if they don�t bow to his demand.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been seeking an unredacted version of the document, which marked the beginning and formal basis of the FBI�s investigation of the Trump campaign on allegations it aided Russia�s interference in the 2016 election.

Last August Nunes�s committee subpoenaed the FBI and Justice Department for documents about the investigation and a dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele. The dossier contains explosive allegations that the Kremlin has compromising information on President Donald Trump that could be used to blackmail him.

Nunes and other Republicans have argued the unverified dossier was the spark that eventually led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation has resulted in the indictment of several of Trump�s close aides and former officials.

In December, The New York Times reported that it was Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos�who told an Australian diplomat in May 2016 that he was informed Russia had thousands of emails damaging to candidate Hillary Clinton�that prompted American law enforcement to investigate.

Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to an indictment by the probe for lying to investigators and is now cooperating with Mueller. In the indictment, Mueller states Papadopoulos was told about the emails by a Kremlin connected academic in March 2016 and that the two attempted to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In early 2017 American intelligence agencies issued a report that found Moscow hacked U.S. political parties and conducted a misinformation campaign to influence the election in Trump�s favor.

So far the FBI and DOJ have rebuffed Nunes demands for an unredacted version of the two-page document. In a letter to Nunes early this month, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote his department is working in a �manner consistent with relevant legal precedents.� The two top lawmakers on the committee, Boyd wrote, have been given �numerous in-camera reviews of classified materials.�

�We�re at a boiling point where we need this two-page document,� Nunes told Ingraham Tuesday.

Democratic Representative Ted Lieu wrote on Twitter Tuesday that Nunes�s interview with Ingraham demonstrates how �continual attacks by some extreme Republicans on law enforcement are becoming shameful and wildly out of touch with reality.�

Early this year Nunes ignited controversy when, against the wishes of the FBI, Republicans released an intelligence memo they said showed the FBI improperly spied on former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page. The FBI said in a statement it had �grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo�s accuracy.� Some Republicans on the committee also argued the memo did not vindicate Trump.

"We are going to get the document,� Nunes said Tuesday, indicating he will move to impeach Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Mueller investigation, and Wray if it isn�t delivered.

Early Wednesday Trump attacked Rosenstein by name on Twitter, calling him conflicted and blaming him for authorizing the extension of a foreign intelligence surveillance warrant against Page as part of the Russia investigation. The Associated Press reports Trump has privately considered firing Rosenstein in recent days.

�We are going to get the two pages," Nunes told Ingraham. "So they can either cough them up now or it will get really complicating starting tomorrow night, and we�ll have to take all the necessary steps to get the documents.�

Top FBI Insider Who Quit Over Rigged Hillary Probe Ready to Spill Beans on Comey & Obama to Congress

Bombshell development.

An FBI agent who quit his top position over the bureau�s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation is heading to Congress to testify. John Giacalone, who led the Clinton investigation for the first seven months, will reportedly expose former President Barack Obama and fired FBI Director James Comey for corruptly helping Clinton.

There�s a massive media blackout on this because Giacalone is expected to testify that top brass at the FBI rigged the investigative process so that Clinton could skirt charges for clear violations of the law. Exposing Comey also shines a big light on Obama, who many believe was calling the shots behind the scenes to help Clinton.

The joint investigation, which is being led by Republican Reps. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, have laid the groundwork for Congress to finally hold the failed Democratic presidential nominee accountable for breaking the law.

True Pundit wrote about Giacalone in September 2016, the first media outlet to detail why he quit the FBI over Comey�s tainted Hillary Clinton probe. From True Pundit before the presidential election in 2016:

Visionary Reads the Tea Leaves

The wheels on the federal investigations started coming loose after the New Year, in January of this year.

John Giacalone was the supervisor of the bureau�s National Security Branch and also the FBI brains and genesis behind the Clinton email and private server investigation. He first approached Comey in 2015 for the green light to probe how the former secretary of state operated her private email server and handled classified correspondences. Rumors had been swirling in intelligence circles. Once approved, Giacalone spearheaded the investigation, and helped hand select top agents who were highly skilled but also discreet. Many of those agents were concerned when Giacalone abruptly resigned in the middle of the investigation.

FBI insiders said Giacalone used the term �sideways� to describe the direction the Clinton probe had taken in the bureau. Giacalone lamented privately he no longer had confidence in the direction the investigation was headed. He felt it was simpler to quietly step aside, walk away instead of fight to keep the investigation on its proper track. Giacalone was a true heavyweight agent at FBI. In fact, he likely should have been running the entire show. His pedigree included running and creating FBI divisions in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and even serving as deputy commander in the Iraqi theater of operations. But in the midst of the Clinton investigation, Giacalone handed the bureau his retirement papers in Feb.

�John is a strategic thinker. He recognizes patterns and signs and can then see things long before they develop,� a FBI insider said. �Losing him was a major blow. We now know perhaps what he was envisioning. He didn�t want that around his neck.�

Giacalone could not be reached for comment.

In late 2015 through January 2016, Giacalone shared the frustration of many agents who were perturbed about one lingering issue: When was the FBI going to interview Hillary Clinton?

By June, that frustration had reached a boiling point, largely fueled by Giacalone�s resignation months earlier. Frustrated FBI personnel were beginning to question the pace of the case and believed their intelligence gathering and analysis were beyond strong enough for a referral to the Justice Department in early 2016, sources said. Agents were left to wonder if their dogged research would ever see public eyes. There was a fear creeping into the case that perhaps the investigation was being politicized, that FBI and DOJ brass were trying to run out the clock, or �slow-walk� the case, on what should be considered an easily warranted criminal indictment prior to November�s general election.

Suddenly, Giacalone�s retirement in Feb. was starting to make more sense to FBI grunts who didn�t have the seasoning and street smarts of the retired New Yorker to digest the landscape, months prior, of the probe�s downward trajectory

�The window here has almost closed,� a federal law enforcement source told True Pundit in June. �Clinton should have been interviewed months ago. There is no longer enough time to refer it to DOJ, vet the case with AUSA�s (Assistant US Attorney�s), the AG and her staff, prepare the case, call a Grand Jury, and put the case on.�

Officials in June reiterated that all those elements in the legal process, if expedited without delays or legal snags, would put a grand jury decision to indict in late September or October, just weeks before the election.

�Can you imagine the uproar if she was arrested weeks before the election?� a federal law enforcement source said. �There was a window we were shooting for and we could have made it but everything is so slow now. I mean, she hasn�t even been interviewed. It�s incredible.�

The FBI case agents and support personnel are forbidden to �go public� or comment on the record to share their frustrations and dismay because they each signed an unprecedented confidentiality agreement prior to signing onto work the Clinton investigation. Violating that agreement would likely cost them their careers and pensions. Regardless, True Pundit conducted interviews with FBI assets and support personnel who collectively painted a dark insiders� portrait of the Clinton criminal probe which was commissioned to determine how Clinton and her aides handled, maintained, stored and ultimately botched some of the most sensitive information ever breached in the country�s 240-year history. True Pundit�s interviews and intelligence gathering on the Clinton investigation found:

Allegations of pay-for-play involving the Clinton Foundation were not properly vetted, ultimately white washed
FBI agents were blocked from serving search warrants to retrieve key evidence
Attempts to secure Clinton�s medical records to confirm her head injury were sabotaged by FBI Director James Comey
FBI agents were not allowed to interrogate witnesses and targets without warning
Clinton and aides were provided special VIP accommodations during interviews
FBI suspended standard investigative tactics employed in other probes
FBI agents efforts were often blocked, suppressed by FBI, DOJ brass
Agents lost faith that their superiors and DOJ wanted to see the case reach a grand jury

In addition to Giacalone, Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI�s counterintelligence division and Michael Steinbach, the former chief of the FBI�s national security department and the individual who succeeded Giacalone, will also testify.

All three men served in top positions at the FBI and were deeply connected to the Clinton email investigation. However, the real headliner here is Giacalone for his proximity to Comey and others involved in the decision to let Clinton evade charges.

Comey Grilled As Feds Seriously Consider Charging McCabe In Criminal Referral

Leaks concerning specific investigative steps the US Attorney's Office has allegedly taken are extremely disturbing.

Zero Hedge - June 1, 2018

Federal investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney's office recently interviewed former FBI director James Comey as part of an ongoing probe into whether former FBI #2 Andrew McCabe broke the law when he lied to federal agents, reports the Washington Post.

Investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney�s Office recently interviewed former FBI director James B. Comey as part of a probe into whether his deputy, Andrew McCabe, broke the law by lying to federal agents � an indication the office is seriously considering whether McCabe should be charged with a crime, a person familiar with the matter said. �Washington Post

What makes the interview particularly interesting is that Comey and McCabe have given conflicting reports over the events leading up to McCabe�s firing, with Comey calling his former deputy a liar in an April appearance on The View.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz issued a criminal referral for McCabe following a months-long probe which found that the former acting FBI Director leaked a self-serving story to the press and then lied about it under oath. McCabe was fired on March 16 after Horowitz found that he �had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor � including under oath � on multiple occasions.�

Specifically, McCabe was fired for lying about authorizing an F.B.I. spokesman and attorney to tell Devlin Barrett of the Wall St. Journal � just days before the 2016 election, that the FBI had not put the brakes on a separate investigation into the Clinton Foundation, at a time in which McCabe was coming under fire for his wife taking a $467,500 campaign contribution from Clinton proxy pal, Terry McAuliffe.

The WSJ article reads:

New details show that senior law-enforcement officials repeatedly voiced skepticism of the strength of the evidence in a bureau investigation of the Clinton Foundation, sought to condense what was at times a sprawling cross-country effort, and, according to some people familiar with the matter, told agents to limit their pursuit of the case. The probe of the foundation began more than a year ago to determine whether financial crimes or influence peddling occurred related to the charity.



Some investigators grew frustrated, viewing FBI leadership as uninterested in probing the charity, these people said. Others involved disagreed sharply, defending FBI bosses and saying Mr. McCabe in particular was caught between an increasingly acrimonious fight for control between the Justice Department and FBI agents pursuing the Clinton Foundation case.

So McCabe was found to have leaked information to the WSJ in order to combat rumors that Clinton had indirectly bribed him to back off the Clinton Foundation investigation, and then lied about it four times to the DOJ and FBI, including twice under oath.

McCabe vs. Comey

Investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney�s office were likely to be keenly interested in Comey�s version of whether or not he knew about McCabe�s disclosure.

Comey and McCabe offered varying accounts of who authorized the disclosure for the article. They discussed the story the day after it was published, and Comey, according to the inspector general�s report, told investigators McCabe �definitely did not tell me that he authorized� the disclosure. -WaPo

�I have a strong impression he conveyed to me �it wasn�t me boss.� And I don�t think that was by saying those words, I think it was most likely by saying �I don�t know how this s� gets in the media or why would people talk about this kind of thing,� words that I would fairly take as �I, Andy, didn�t do it,� � Comey said, according to the inspector general.

During an April appearance on ABC�s The View to peddle his new book, A Higher Royalty Loyalty, where he called McCabe a liar, and said he actually �ordered the [IG] report� which found McCabe guilty of leaking to the press and then lying under oath about it, several times.

Comey was asked by host Megan McCain how he thought the public was supposed to have �confidence� in the FBI amid revelations that McCabe lied about the leak.

�It�s not okay. The McCabe case illustrates what an organization committed to the truth looks like,� Comey said. �I ordered that investigation.�

Comey then appeared to try and frame McCabe as a �good person� despite all the lying.

�Good people lie. I think I�m a good person, where I have lied,� Comey said. �I still believe Andrew McCabe is a good person but the inspector general found he lied,� noting that there are �severe consequences� within the DOJ for doing so.

Following McCabe�s firing, his attorney Michael R. Bromwich (flush with cash from the disgraced Deputy Director�s half-million dollar legal defense GoFundMe campaign), fired back � claiming that Comey was well aware of the leaks.

�In his comments this week about the McCabe matter, former FBI Director James Comey has relied on the Inspector Genera�s (OIG) conclusions in their report on Mr. McCabe. In fact, the report fails to adequately address the evidence (including sworn testimony) and documents that prove that Mr. McCabe advised Director Comey repeatedly that he was working with the Wall Street Journal on the stories in question�� reads the statement in part.

#BREAKING: In a newly released statement Andrew McCabe�s attorney, Michael Bromwich, claims McCabe told James Comey on multiple occasions that he was working with The Wall Street Journal. pic.twitter.com/IeeusAGndH

� Rebekah Worsham 🇺🇸 (@RebekahWorsham) April 18, 2018

McCabe vs. the DOJ

McCabe may also find himself at odds with the Department of Justice, as notes he kept allegedly detailing an interaction with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raise questions about a memo Rosenstein wrote justifying Comey�s firing. While Rosenstein�s memo took aim at Comey for his mishandling of the Clinton email investigation, McCabe�s notes suggest that Trump told Rosenstein to point to the Russia investigation. Rosenstein�s recommendation ultimately did not mention Russia.

McCabe�s interactions with Rosenstein could complicate any potential prosecution of McCabe because Rosenstein would likely be involved in a final decision on filing charges. McCabe has argued that the Justice Department�s actions against him, including his firing, are retaliatory for his work on the Russia investigation. -WaPo

As the Washington Post notes, lying to federal investigators can carry a five-year prison sentence � however McCabe says he did not intentionally mislead anyone. The Post also notes that while Comey�s interview is significant, it does not indicated that prosecutors have reached any conclusions.

Lying to Comey might not itself be a crime. But the inspector general alleged McCabe misled investigators three other times.

He told agents from the FBI inspection division on May 9, 2017, that he had not authorized the disclosure and did not know who had, the inspector general alleged. McCabe similarly told inspector general investigators on July 28 that he was not aware of one of the FBI officials, lawyer Lisa Page, having been authorized to speak to reporters, and because he was not in Washington on the days she did so, he could not say what she was doing. McCabe later admitted he authorized Page to talk to reporters.

The inspector general also alleged that McCabe lied in a final conversation in November, claiming that he had told Comey he had authorized the disclosure and that he had not claimed otherwise to inspection division agents in May.

Michael Bromwich replied in a statement: �A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney�s Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe. We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorney�s Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed.

He added that �leaks concerning specific investigative steps the US Attorney�s Office has allegedly taken are extremely disturbing.�

Whatever Comey told federal investigators, we suspect it eventually boiled down to �McCabe didn�t tell me,� squarely placing responsibility for the leaks � and the lies, on McCabe�s shoulders.

Breaking: Peter Strzok ‘Escorted’ From FBI Building

Strzok’s lawyer Aitan Goelman confirms

Infowars.com - June 19, 2018

Shamed FBI agent Peter Strzok was escorted from the FBI building Tuesday, according to his lawyer Aitan Goelman.

CONFIRMED: Peter Strzok — who’s been the subject of a daylong congressional hearing about FBI bias — was escorted from FBI headquarters. pic.twitter.com/2GHpZnUqLQ

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 19, 2018

In a statement, Goelman confirmed, “Despite being put through a highly questionable process, Pete has complied with every FBI procedure, including being escorted from the building as part of the ongoing internal proceedings.”

Goelman also defended Strzok in an article Tuesday, saying his mission to stop Trump was driven by a desire to protect national security and American Democracy.

CNN reporter Laura Jarrett claims Strzok is still employed as of today.

News – FBI special agent Peter Strzok was escorted out of the FBI building on Friday, source familiar tells me; as of today, he is still employed; he’s been stationed in Human Resources since dismissal from Mueller team.

— Laura Jarrett (@LauraAJarrett) June 19, 2018

Strzok was the main subject of Tuesday’s congressional hearings dealing with the FBI’s mishandling of the Hillary Clinton probe.

During the hearing, Justice Department Inspector General Michael confirmed his office is still looking into whether Strzok’s anti-Trump bias played a role in the Clinton email investigation.

Comey Under Investigation For Handling Of Classified Information

06/18/2018

Justin Caruso | Senior Media Reporter

Former FBI director James Comey is under investigation for mishandling classified information, DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz revealed Monday.

He is specifically under investigation for his handling of memos he wrote about interactions with President Trump while FBI director.

“Comey said he did not expect a report on his handling of classified information because, ‘That’s frivolous.’ I don’t happen to think that it is frivolous,” Sen. Chuck Grassley said during a Senate hearing Monday.

“Question number one, Mr. Horowitz, are you investigating the handling of his memo and does that include the classification issues, and should Mr. Comey expect a report when it’s complete?” Grassley asked.

“We received a referral on that from the FBI. We are handling that referral and we will issue a report when the matter is complete, consistent with the law and rules that are — a report that’s consistent and takes those into account,” Horowitz responded.

Ever hear of a self-licking ice cream cone?



Onward and upward,
airforce

IE: the War on Terror, Drugs, Poverty, etc.

-Ludwig von Mises

Onward and upward,
airforce

This could be big.



Onward and upward,
airforce

Nothing But Crap just reported that this is an "obvious move by the Trump administration to obstruct the Mueller investigation".