The Democrats Have a “Dossier” Problem, and It Will Not Go Away…

The Last Refuge ^ | January 12, 2018 | sundance

[Bratch]

Journalist Kimberley A. Strassel is one of the few mainstream journalists writing about the collaborative 2016 DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation” with a sense of what is to come.  Strassel likely understands where the story is going, and appears to have a solid grasp on the evidence trail, yet necessarily writes cautiously – the stakes are indeed quite high.

Today Strassel writes about the need for the Democrats to rehabilitate the Steele Dossier because the alternative origin, the truthful origin to the counterintelligence operation over the campaign of candidate Donald Trump, is a stunning political risk.

Two weeks ago the New York Times narrative said the Steele Dossier was nothing, irrelevant, and had nothing to do with the FBI beginning “Operation Trump”.  Today, mysteriously, Democrats embrace the Steele Dossier as they justify the DOJ/FBI counterintelligence and surveillance operation over an opposing political candidate.

The motive is transparent. If Democrats do not embrace the Steele Dossier as a national security origin for the entire DOJ/FBI operation, the real motive is subject to exposure.  That real motive is political. That real motive cannot be justified. That real motive presents a legal risk that must be avoided.

However, while Strassel’s outlook is almost guaranteed to be correct, there’s an angle that Democrats have likely not considered; and/or they will not easily be prepared for.

Let me put it this way, in the form of a question:

The Steele Dossier is the “least bad” option to justify the origin of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”.  However, what if the Steele Dossier is the finished product of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”,  not the beginning of an investigation?

What I mean by that is… our research indicates the “dossier” information is likely a fabricated story woven from loosely connected factual evidence derived from DOJ/FBI unlawful FISA-702 query use, and not vice-versa.

That is to say… The information within the dossier came from early 2016 FISA-702 abuses by contractors working for the FBI. It appears from the fact pattern that elements from the FISA-702 queries generated intelligence bytes that were later laundered by Christopher Steele and became elements within his completed intelligence ‘dossier’.

The “Dossier” did not precede the FBI’s FISA-702(16)(17) surveillance applications to the FISA Court; the Dossier was actually constructed from previous unauthorized FISA-702 queries.  A self-fulfilling intelligence prophecy per se’.

As a consequence, if the Democrats embrace the Dossier, and congress exposes the origin of the material within the Dossier, the Democrats end up embracing the conspiracy within the origin of the Dossier.

Funny that.

I wonder if they’ve thought that through?

Let me take a prudent moment to clear some things up for those who are following this story closely.

First, the MSM is about two-weeks behind understanding the researched evidence you have read in our ongoing analysis of this story-line. They are currently debating “FISA Warrants”, without even beginning to fathom that FISA-702 queries don’t require FISA Warrants.

Additionally, the FISA Court doesn’t give FISA-702 “Warrants”, they give FISA-702 search or surveillance approvals.

Secondly, the conservative media are still scared of this story.  The ramifications are almost too large to fathom.  A sitting president (Obama) knowingly involved in the weaponization of the FBI and DOJ to target a political opponent?  That’s a story that scares the hell out of the financial media.  One of the reasons it scares them is they are still suffering from the long-term side effects of “Battered Birther Syndrome“.

Those who are willing to engage in this story are petrified of being called a “Conspiracy Theorist” (etc. and writ large).   In a weird way now you know why this little political research website is called “The Last Refuge”.  We discuss the evidence and downstream facts that others are frightened to mention.  No big deal. Those tender voices read here to figure out where the story is going….  we leave the trail… they follow.

When the financial media arrive at the destination, they shout “look what we found”. Meanwhile we’re chilling on the perimeter up ahead, resharpening the machetes, watching them celebrate their discovery in the rear view.  No biggie. I digress…. moving on.

Let’s explain FISA because the media is taking too long to understand complex facts within the story.

We’ll break down the term: “ FISA-702(16)(17) ” into the elements that will help you make sense of this story in the future.

• FISA – Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
• 702 – An American caught up in the process of Foreign Surveillance
• (16) – A search query based on “TO” and/or “FROM”
• (17) – A search query based on “ABOUT”

Again, to repeat, there are differing FISA rules for use of the NSA or FBI database depending on the originating intelligence compartment.

If a search is conducted from an intelligence agency of the U.S. government whose objective is to ensure “National Security” there are different FISA rules than a search from an intelligence agency not engaged in “National Security”.

The DOJ has a National Security Division.  Their compartment rules on FISA searches and reviews are different from the DOJ Civil Rights Division.  There are 30 DOJ divisions.

The FBI (a department within the DOJ) has a Counterintelligence Division that focuses on terrorism threats etc.  A FISA search from within the Counterintelligence Division has different rules than a FISA search from the Science and Technology Division.

When a FISA-702 search is conducted based on the need for “national security” no approval from the FISA court is needed.  Search away.  If the FISA search is because of a “vital national security interest” the resulting search data can be opened without seeking permission from the FISA court.

♦A “FISA-702(16)” Search Result – would be a search result of the FBI (counter terrorism) database or NSA database that returns an American person as a result of a “To” or “From” (16) type data search.

EXAMPLE: Querying phone data (phone number)  TO: Mohammed BadGuy or FROM: Mohammed BadGuy  – might return a list of phone numbers that also contains an American persons phone number.  That American person is protected by the fourth amendment.  To look at the “upstream” connections of the American Person to other people, likely Americans, the search operator would need to ask permission of the FISA Court to review the upstream results.

[NOTE: *Exception* – the search was vital to national security. If so, the upstream phone numbers could be reviewed without asking FISA permission.]

♦A “FISA-702(17)” Search Result – would be a search result of the FBI (counter terrorism) database or NSA database that returns an American person (702) as a result of an “ABOUT” (17) type data search.

EXAMPLE: Querying everything in email ABOUT: Mohammed BadGuy – might return communication of an American who wrote a letter about Mohammed BadGuy or maybe he told a friend in a text to check out a media story about Mohammed BadGuy.  To look at the email or text of the American, the search operator would need to ask permission of the FISA Court to see the email/text content.

[NOTE:  *Exception* – the search was vital to national security?. If So, the email and text could be looked at without asking permission]

It was the 2016 FISA-702(17) “About Queries”, returns from searches, that were identified in 2016, by NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, as being conducted by the intelligence community (FBI), by “contractors” and “individuals”, for reasons that were unauthorized; had nothing to do with National Security; and did not request FISA Court Approval.

Mike Rogers discovered FBI contractors doing FISA-702 “About Searches” that resulted in returns providing information on Americans.  Those results were passed on to people outside government.

Pg 83. “FBI gave raw Section 702–acquired information to a private entity that was not a federal agency and whose personnel were not sufficiently supervised by a federal agency for compliance minimization procedures.”

(2017 FISA Court Opinion – 99 Page Brief)

Someone inside the FBI was giving FISA-702 search results on U.S. individuals to a private entity that had nothing to do with government.   Those 702 (American Citizen) results were not “minimized” and exposed the private data of the American citizen(s).

In addition, NSA Director Mike Rogers, who is also in charge of Cyber Command, discovered people within the intelligence community were doing “searches” of the NSA and FBI database that were returning information that had nothing to do with “Foreign Individuals”.

Rogers requested a full FISA-702 Compliance Review.

As an outcome of that review, the DOJ/FBI compliance officer noted FISA violations. Again, the FISA Court (page 84):

We do not know how many FISA-702 violations took place prior to NSA Mike Rogers initiating the full FISA-702 review in April 2016.  Nor do we know who the insider FBI individuals were; or what results were passed on; or what was done with the results.

However, given the nature of what was taking place at the time (March, April, May, 2016) it appears likely this was part of the DOJ/FBI/Fusion-GPS collision to gather information on the candidacy of Donald Trump.

CTH received a tip that Fusion GPS (either ‘individuals’ or the company) were one of the “contractors” mentioned, additionally the “private entity” could also be inside the Fusion GPS network.  Another “contractor” could possibly be CrowdStrike.  From all appearances there were multiple people involved.

These ‘passed-along’ FISA-702 search results appear to be the seeds which were fertilized by Glenn Simpson, Mary Jacobs, Nellie Ohr; “unmasked” by Obama administration officials; and enhanced/laundered by Christopher Steele – to end with a “Steele Dossier” returned to the FBI via Counterintelligence Agent Peter Strzok, DOJ Deputy Bruce Ohr, and DOJ/FBI lawyer Lisa Page, for their “insurance policy”.

The DOJ and FBI then took the dossier, full circle, back to the FISA Court to gain 702 surveillance authority and approval (media says ‘warrant’), upon the Trump Campaign (October 2016), and President-Elect (after November 8th, 2016).

There’s a Twitter Thread on The SUBJECT HERE

In October 2016, immediately after the DOJ lawyers formatted the FBI information (Steele Dossier etc.) for a valid FISC application, the head of the NSD, Asst. Attorney General John P Carlin, left his job.  Carlin’s exit came as the NSD and Admiral Rogers informed the FISC that frequent unauthorized FISA-702 searches had been conducted. Read Here.

All research indicates the intelligence information the DOJ and FBI collected via their FISA-702 queries, combined with the intelligence Fusion GPS created in their earlier use of contractor access to FISA-702(17) “about queries”, was the intelligence data delivered to Christopher Steele for use in creating “The Russian Dossier”.

RESOURCES:  – The BIG UGLY

• The DOJ and FBI working with Fusion GPS HERE
• Confirmation DOJ and FBI used FISC Authority for Surveillance HERE.
• Behind the political Battle – What it all means – HERE
• Devin Nunes Gets Information From DOJ/FBI – SEE HERE
• Congress Begins indicating a Leak Investigation – HERE
• DOJ Deputy Attorney Bruce Ohr Gets another Demotion HERE
• How the DOJ and FBI were “Weaponized” – HERE
• Grassley and Graham call FBI/DOJ Bluff HERE
• NSA Director Mike Rogers and the FISA Scheme Explained HERE
• The Russian Conspiracy was “The Insurance Policy” HERE
• Fusion GPS runs for Cover HERE
• Lindsey Graham discussed the Steele Dossier and FISA Warrant HERE
• The Scale of the DOJ and FBI Corruption – Outlined HERE
• The DOJ FISA Corruption Outlined HERE
• Devin Nunes subpoenas McCain staffer David Kramer HERE
• New context to understand Evelyn Farkas Comments – Discussed HERE
• How will media respond? – Discussed HERE
• A Counterintelligence Timeline – WH and FBI – HERE
• FBI Asst. Deputy, Andrew “Andy” McCabe announces intent to retire – HERE
• FBI Legal Counsel, James Baker, identified as leaker to media – HERE
• FBI Legal Counsel, James Baker, removed from responsibility – HERE
• Steele Dossier Origination Now Directly Leads To Obama White House – HERE
• FBI Asst. Director “Andy” McCabe has convenient memory lapse – HERE
• Rand Paul Discusses Evidence of Conspiracy HERE
• Summary of Scheme and Letter from Trump Transition Team HERE
• Congress Confirms the Investigative Approach for The Big Ugly HERE
• Understanding the Background Motives of Inspector General Horowitz HERE
• Democrats Realize the BIG Ugly Is Coming HERE
• Understanding the Important Role of Bill Priestap HERE
• Inspector General Horowitz Explains how he caught Peter Strzok and Lisa Page HERE
• Understanding the Pattern of Information Releases HERE
• Jim Jordan Questions Rod Rosenstein HERE
• More releases of information about Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Andrew McCabe HERE
• Why Was FISA Court Judge Recused – Discussion HERE
• Jaw-Dropping Info. on Demoted DOJ Deputy Bruce G Ohr’s wife, Nellie H. Ohr HERE
• Discovery – Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS on Trump Opposition Research Project
• Intel Chairman Devin Nunes Outlines FBI FISA Warrant Abuse HERE
• The FBI/DOJ Leak Hunting Task Force Everyone Forgot – Outlined HERE
• Jim Jordan Discusses the Fraud Behind the FBI FISA Warrant HERE
• Black Hat Hunting II – Becomes Obvious – False Media Leaks To Catch Leakers HERE
• The BIG UGLY – The Big Picture and What it Means HERE
• Judge Rudolph Contreras Recuses Himself – FISA Discoveries HERE
• “The Predicate” – The Importance of the Origin of The FISA WARRANTS HERE
• Black Hat Hunting I – First Appearance of Coordinated Plan HERE
• Deputy Head of Counterintelligence FBI Agent Peter Strzok – Outlined HERE
• Discovering Initial Seeds of DOJ-OIG Investigative Plan – Outlined HERE
• President Trump Reacts to Evidence of FBI Mgmt Bias Against Him HERE
• Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes Threatens FBI with Contempt HERE
• First IG Release of FBI Team Bias on Robert Mueller Squad HERE

IG Stimulated Releases of Information:

♦Release #1 was the FBI Agent Strzok and Attorney Lisa Page story; and the repercussions from discovering their politically motivated bias in the 2015/2016 Clinton email investigation and 2016/2017 Russian Election investigation.

♦Release #2 outlined the depth of FBI Agent Strzok and FBI Attorney Page’s specific history in the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton to include the changing of the wording [“grossly negligent” to “extremely careless”] of the probe outcome delivered by FBI Director James Comey.

♦Release #3 was the information about DOJ Deputy Bruce Ohr being in contact with Fusion GPS at the same time as the FISA application was submitted and granted by the FISA court; which authorized surveillance and wiretapping of candidate Donald Trump; that release also attached Bruce Ohr and Agent Strzok directly to the Steele Dossier.

♦Release #4 was information that Deputy Bruce Ohr’s wife, Nellie Ohr, was an actual contract employee of Fusion GPS, and was hired by F-GPS specifically to work on opposition research against candidate Donald Trump. Both Bruce Ohr and Nellie Ohr are attached to the origin of the Christopher Steele Russian Dossier.

♦Release #5 was the specific communication between FBI Agent Strzok and FBI Attorney Page. The 10,000 text messages that included evidence of them both meeting with Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe to discuss the “insurance policy” against candidate Donald Trump in August of 2016.

 

 

[CatOwner]

It’s only a problem if the people responsible start ending up behind bars. Good luck with that.

[Delta 21]

The democrats have a Treason problem and its definitely not going away.

[heights]

Unless Trump Fires Sessions and appoints a Real Attorney General, it will definitely go away.

[SSS Two]

All research indicates the intelligence information the DOJ and FBI collected via their FISA-702 queries, combined with the intelligence Fusion GPS created in their earlier use of contractor access to FISA-702(17) “about queries”, was the intelligence data delivered to Christopher Steele for use in creating “The Russian Dossier”.

Some of the dossier may be rooted in fact. Sure, providing Fusion GPS with FISA intelligence is as illegal as it gets, but I'm guessing information gleaned from warrantless surveillance is accurate.

[atc23]

I think the facts are outrunning Sessions at this point. What we have here is way above his paygrade.

He’s going to be steamrolled. I say he resigns within 2 weeks.

[heights]

“I think the facts are outrunning Sessions at this point. What we have here is way above his paygrade.
He’s going to be steamrolled. I say he resigns within 2 weeks.”

I would like to believe that, but I think whatever it is they are Blackmailing Sessions with, and if you watch his Recusal Video, its something that terrifies him, he will never go voluntarily.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Now that is some solid research...or a great start for sure.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A timeline is needed.

[canuck_conservative]

Good article, lots of useful info!

Now I understand how Admiral Mike Rogers was a good guy.

[Liz]

What? Democrats soiling their diapers again? Once again we see the nasty Democrat apparat. They should be worried at being outed as jerks and creeps. The shamed Dems take on a Sisyphian task to restore credibility----but its not going to work.

==============================

BACKSTORY Obama Was Briefed On Russian Hacking But Did Nothing
Weekly Standard ^ | 3:45 PM, DEC 13, 2016 | By MICHAEL WARREN / FR Posted by drewh

In the extensive report on the massive Russian-backed operation to hack American political and government severs—including a successful hack of the Democratic National Committee's server—the paper reveals that then-President Barack Obama had been "briefed regularly" on Russia's effort to target servers at the State Department, the White House, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Here's the Times: Mr. Obama was briefed regularly on all this, but he made a decision that many in the White House now regret: OBAMA did not name Russians publicly, or issue sanctions.

There was always a reason: fear of escalating a cyberwar, and concern that the United States needed Russia's cooperation in negotiations over Syria.

"We'd have all these circular meetings," one senior State Department official said, "in which everyone agreed you had to push back at the Russians and push back hard. But it didn't happen."

So the Russians escalated again — breaking into systems not just for espionage, but to publish or broadcast what they found, known as "doxing" in the cyberworld.

It was a brazen change in tactics, moving the Russians from espionage to influence operations. In February, 2014 they broadcast an intercepted phone call between Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary of state who handles Russian affairs and has a contentious relationship with Mr. Putin, and Geoffrey Pyatt, the United States ambassador to Ukraine. Ms. Nuland was heard describing a little-known American effort to broker a deal in Ukraine, then in political turmoil. (Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...

================================================

CONCLUSION Too bad the Royal Idiot is too stupid to realize what a jerk he looks like. Obama is the fall guy here......the janitor mopping up the mess of Hillary's decrepit campaign.

[Liz]

Feinstein Claims "Mental Faculties" Were Impaired When She Released Fusion GPS
Freedom Outpost | 01-11-2018 | Tim Brown / FR Posted by ReformedMedia

The Democrat Party is filled w/ people who are mentally unstable. That's why they are so anti-American in many cases, and while they are attempting to go after President Donald Trump over being "mentally unstable," something that Iran's Ayatollah basically just said, they would do well to deal with their own mentally unstable people, starting with Senator Dianne Feinstein (R-CA).

Senator Feinstein took it upon herself to release the 312-page transcript of the interview of Glenn Simpson, a former journalist and co-founder of Fusion GPS, which commissioned the infamous and debunked Trump dossier that has led to untold millions being spent on a witchhunt in DC that has basically turned up nothing.

Of course, Feinstein offered a previous excuse, one that is a bit more sinister and walked it back. She then offered another excuse for her behavior on Wednesday.

“The one regret I have is that I should have spoke with Senator Grassley before,” she told NBC News. “And I don’t make an excuse but I’ve had a bad cold and maybe that slowed down my mental facilities [sic] a little bit.” Of course, she is making an excuse.

When Feinstein was first called out on her actions, she said, “I just got pressured." “I meant to tell him, and I didn’t have a chance to tell him [Charles Grassley], and that concerns me,” Feinstein said. “I just got pressured, and I didn’t do it.”

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/951184876648239104

Of course, it makes one wonder who was doing the pressuring, or was it just that Feinstein saw the opportunity and took it?

However, Senator Feinstein began to immediately back peddle her statements, claiming that she was not pressured.

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/951195517618409472

As you can see, she never did clear up the discrepancy in her statements, and that concerns me!

On Wednesday, President Trump called out "Sneaky Dianne Feinstein" for what she did. more at freedomoutpost.com ...

[fedupjohn]

Save for future enjoyment and popcorn eating binges...

WELL DONE

[LS]

You mean the AG who months ago INDICTED the U1 guy (whose indictment was just unsealed yesterday) meaning U1 was already being investigated and another guy already (quietly) convicted; the AG who “months ago” had started an investigation of the Cankles e-mails; the AG who has started (but it was already going on) the investigation of Hezbollah connections . . .

that AG?

[sphinx]

Some of the dossier may be rooted in fact. Sure, providing Fusion GPS with FISA intelligence is as illegal as it gets, but I'm guessing information gleaned from warrantless surveillance is accurate.

That bears repeating. This could get a lot messier than it already is.

[AlaskaErik]

The Reader’s Digest version would be much easier to digest.

[bitt]

ping to #11 and 12

[Bratch]

The Reader’s Digest version would be much easier to digest.

[stockpirate]

There was NO Russian hack of the DNC, Seth Rich passed off the filesand they murdered him