The House Intelligence chief just tossed a huge wrench into Trump-related investigations

Business Insider ^ | March 22, 2017 | Allan Smith

[2ndDivisionVet]

Rep. Devin Nunes on Wednesday threw a huge wrench into the middle of the investigations surrounding President Donald Trump, his claims of being wiretapped by his predecessor, and Russia's meddling in the election.

And he now finds himself in a central role after making Republicans and Democrats alike scratch their heads over what appeared to be an unprecedented move.

Nunes, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, called for a sudden 1 p.m. press gathering Wednesday, with its subject unclear. But once it began, he fired off what sounded like a bombshell revelation: The intelligence community, he said, had "incidentally collected" information on the Trump transition team during the transition period....

[SubMareener]

[Yosemitest]

The main point from The House Intelligence chief just tossed a huge wrench into Trump-related investigations, Business Insider, Mar 22 2017 :

"... The California Republican went on to say the collection occurred on "numerous occasions" and was not related to the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in last year's presidential election.

"Details about US persons associated with the incoming administration, details with little or no apparent foreign intelligence value, were widely disseminated in intelligence community reporting," Nunes said.

The information he spoke of was collected legally, in his view, under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and he did not know if the surveillance consisted of phone calls, but that the intelligence reports he had seen "clearly show" Trump and his team WERE "monitored." ..."

[TBP]

This is a bombshell and general confirmation of what President Trump has been saying.

No wonder the media isn’t interested.

[TBP]

Remember the “Salena Zito Rule”:

Take President Trump seriously, but not literally.

[seastay]

Surveillance didn't involve Russia, therefore Comey lied about no "wiretaps" and Shifty Adam the Shill was caught sharing questions with Comey ( see at 9:15 in attached clip ) to cover it up. So then it is obvious the FBI and the democrats are the real criminals and are trying to change the narrative to phony Trump Russia collusion ... Nunes should not share any information with them

https://youtu.be/yXMMQX2eqhY

[Vendome]

So, either he is lying or the other jackasses on the committee are are.

[GOPBiker]

This press briefing is a load of BS a mile wide.

The surveillance of Supreme court judges, other judges, businessmen and President Trump (even before he was President) is an ongoing thing for years. It is not some 'incidental' happening.

Letter to Nunes exposing ongoing surveillance

Nunes is clearly covering as fast and hard as he can.

[RC one]

We’ll see what they have to say after some lefty leakers are looking at some prison time.

[Ray76]

Who unmasked the names? Who leaked the info?

[Paladin2]

Spy v Spy played with leaks of partial raw intel into the public space. Are 17 IC spook orgs too many or not enough?

[MaxistheBest]

” It is not some ‘incidental’ happening”

You are using the word “incidental” in the wrong context. Nunes is saying that the “incidental” collection is legal. What’s illegal is that the names were not “masked out” or blacked out AND that the names were sent to all the other agencies. With respect to American citizens, this is against the law!!

Try to keep up and hold your hatred for Trump in check!!

[MaxistheBest]

Here’s some more for you...

Woodward: Surveillance Report Likely ‘Highly Classified Gossip’ About Trump
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/03/22/donald-trump-wiretap-surveillance-report-highly-classified-gossip-woodward-nunes

Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward said that allegations from a report that say President Trump’s transition team was named in surveillance reports of foreign individuals would be “gross violations.”

A couple of diplomats who were legitimately wiretapped were talking about meeting Trump or his team, Woodward said on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

However, U.S. intelligence agencies are supposed to comply with “minimization” rules, which protect Americans’ names from being published in reports or leaked in any way, he added.

“The idea that there was intelligence value was really thin,” Woodward said.

“You’ve got this really serious problem potentially of people in the Obama administration passing around this highly classified gossip,” Woodward said.

He called the leaking of such names “inappropriate” and possibly illegal. If Nunes’ statements are true, it would be a “gross violation.”

They knew this information was floating around the intelligence agencies, Woodward said.

---

In DC...when Bob Woodward comes out on your side ...you have the truth on your side!!

[Yosemitest]

" ... is lying or the other jackasses on the committee are are."

By "jackasses" ... I assume you're talking about DemocRATS ... ?

[Ray76]

Comey was never asked directly: was Trump or the campaign ‘wiretapped’? The closest question asked was: did Obama have Trump ‘wiretapped’.

transcript here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/20/full-transcript-fbi-director-james-comey-testifies-on-russian-interference-in-2016-election/

They carefully avoid asking the important questions.

The hearing is not an investigation, it’s a psy-op targeting the U.S. public.

At today’s presser (3/22/2017) Nunes was asked if “Obama ordered any kind of surveillance”. Nunes replied, “we don’t know who sent the tasking”. That is a very interesting reply. It indicates that surveillance was ordered, and was not incidental.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PLkX05tgj0&feature=youtu.be&t=257

[Yosemitest]

Maybe the New York Times can tell us (hehehe) .

Pay very close attention to ITEMS #4 and #5:

Found by Mark Levin at Mark Levin PROVES Trump Wiretapping Claims: ‘The Evidence Is Overwhelming’ #ObamaGate
(They went to the FISA, that's the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Court not once ... BUT TWICE ! ) :

1. Heat street, November 7, 2016 EXCLUSIVE: FBI ‘Granted FISA Warrant’ Covering Trump Camp’s Ties To Russia
“Two separate sources with links to the counter-intelligence community have confirmed to Heat Street that the FBI sought, and was granted, a FISA court warrant in October, giving counter-intelligence permission to examine the activities of ‘U.S. persons’ in Donald Trump’s campaign with ties to Russia.

… The first request, which, sources say, named Trump, was denied back in June, but the second was drawn more narrowly and was granted in October after evidence was presented of a server, possibly related to the Trump campaign, and its alleged links to two banks; SVB Bank and Russia’s Alfa Bank. While the Times story speaks of metadata, sources suggest that a FISA warrant was granted to look at the full content of emails and other related documents that may concern US persons.”


2. The Guardian, Jan 10 2017 John McCain passes dossier alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI
“ … The Guardian has learned that the FBI applied for a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court over the summer in order to monitor four members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials. …

“ … The Fisa court turned down the application asking FBI counter-intelligence investigators to narrow its focus. According to one report, the FBI was finally granted a warrant in October, … “


3. McClatchy, JANUARY 18, 2017 FBI, 5 other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump
“The FBI and five other law enforcement and intelligence agencies have collaborated for months in an investigation into Russian attempts to influence the November election, including whether money from the Kremlin covertly aided President-elect Donald Trump, two people familiar with the matter said.

The agencies involved in the inquiry are the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and representatives of the director of national intelligence, the sources said. …”


4. New Your Times, January 19 2017 Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates

“… The F.B.I. is leading the investigations, aided by the National Security Agency, the C.I.A. and the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit. The investigators have accelerated their efforts in recent weeks but have found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing, the officials said. One official said intelligence reports based on some of the WIRETAPPED communications had been provided to the White House. …”


5. New York Times, Jan 12 2017 N.S.A. Gets More Latitude to Share Intercepted Communications
“In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies BEFORE APPLYING PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.”


6. New York Times, March 1 2017 Obama Administration Rush To Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking
"In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government.”


7. New York Times, Feb 9 2017 Flynn Is Said to Have Talked to Russians About Sanctions Before Trump Took Office

8. Washington Post, March 2 2017 The Daily 202: Trump’s Russia headache gets worse, as Sessions struggles to spin undisclosed meetings
“ U.S. Investigators have examined contacts Attorney General Sessions had with Russian Officials during the time he was advising Donald Trump’s Campaign. The focus of the U.S. Counter Intelligence Investigation has been on communications between Trump Campaign Officials and Russia. … The inquiry involving Sessions is examining it’s contents while serving as Trump’s Foreign Policy Advisor in the spring and summer of 2016. “


9. The Wall Street Journal, March 2 2017 Investigators Probed Jeff Sessions’ Contacts With Russian Officials
“U.S. investigators have examined contacts Attorney General Jeff Sessions had with Russian officials during the time he was advising Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. ”

[GOPBiker]

I believe you mis-read my post.

I do not have hatred for President Trump in any fashion.

My post was to expose the minimizing of the magnitude of the crime committed against not just President Trump but the American people as a whole by Mr Nunes.

If you read the letter linked in my post you cannot mistake my meaning.

I completely agree there was a crime committed by whomever unmasked the names of Americans both on the agency side and the reporting side. This should be prosecuted to the fullest.

That is not the only crime committed here though, in my opinion.

[Ray76]

The dam is breaking. Swamp draining is about to commence.

[Ray76]

Nice to have all those links in one place. Bookmarked!

BTW - #4 “WIRETAPPED communications had been provided to the White House.” - That’s the OBAMA White House.

Obama has fled the country.

[Ray76]

Comey is lying. Nunes is doing a limited hangout. And Obama fled to a South Pacific island.

This is just the beginning.