Free Republic

A year after questions were first raised, there’s no evidence that Donald Trump “colluded” with Russia in order to get elected, according to prominent Democrats and Republicans who have reviewed information or received briefings. It’s too early to call it a closed case, because various investigations into Russian influence in the 2016 campaign and links to Trump associates continue. That reportedly includes probes by the FBI, Republican-led congressional committees, and the military. The FBI has largely stayed mum on its work. But President Trump claimed James Comey, as FBI Director, personally told him he was not under investigation. Later, Comey...

  This is easily the read of the day.  Sharyl Attkisson is the bravest reporter of her generation, so much of a threat to people with access to the capabilities of our intel agencies that she was spied upon and worse.  Today she faces the ugly truth about what recent reports (if true) reveal: Nobody wants our intel agencies to be used like the Stasi in East Germany; the secret police spying on its own citizens for political purposes. The prospect of our own NSA, CIA and FBI becoming politically weaponized has been shrouded by untruths, accusations and justifications. She...

Former CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson decided to offer her two-cents in light of the recent revelation that former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort was indeed wiretapped before and after the 2016 election. Mr. Manafort has a residence in Trump Tower, though it’s still unknown if any surveillance occurred there, but what is highly plausible is that conversations between him and Donald Trump were recorded, and we know that the FBI was monitoring the former campaign manager’s phone calls. The wiretaps were given the green light by the FISA court, which signs off on such surveillance activities in secret....

Many in the media are diving deeply into minutiae in order to discredit any notion that President Trump might have been onto something in March when he fired off a series of tweets claiming President Obama had “tapped” “wires” in Trump Tower just before the election. According to media reports this week, the FBI did indeed “wiretap” the former head of Trump’s campaign, Paul Manafort, both before and after Trump was elected. If Trump officials — or Trump himself — communicated with Manafort during the wiretaps, they would have been recorded, too. But we’re missing the bigger story. If these...

....As journalists, we’re supposed to sort through press releases, talking points and propaganda, using them only to the extent they enlighten us as to what special interests want to believe: Is it true? Is it the whole story? Who wants you to think it and why? Are they trying to deflect attention from other facts or a more important story? Finding these answers is a basic part of our job. Instead, we’re willing repositories for all kinds of narratives. We report — as if news — press releases from the government, corporations, special interests or nonprofits (that are often undisclosed...

Sharyl Attkisson will be the guest discussing her book "Smear" on C-Span2's "After Words" tonight at 9 and midnight EDT. Attkisson was a journalist for CBS who resigned a few years back because she felt her reporting was being micromanaged and shaped by management there. Her book looks at how journalists use false and misleading information to push their agendas instead of reporting the story. Attkisson does not define a "smear" as necessarily being untrue, but rather as being a story which is amplified beyond it's normal importance and having an underlying political or financial agenda which is not revealed...

Journalists today are elitists with their own agenda, never actually practicing journalism. Only a handful can be respected, trusted, and believed. Sharyl Attkisson falls into this category. She is an author and investigative reporter who hosts the syndicated TV news series Full Measure. Attkisson is a whistleblower of sorts in educating the public about the biased media. Her latest book, The Smear, reveals the tactics used to influence opinions in order to obscure the truth. In the beginning of this book, Attkisson discusses the propaganda campaign used by the OSS, the predecessor to the CIA. They had asked the legendary...

Sharyl Attkisson The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote Excellent book and so frightening to read ByLouis Patnodeon June 30, 2017 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase Excellent book and so frightening to read!! It is unbelievable how information can be manipulated and how much money is used to do exactly that!!! After reading this I do not have any idea where to get unbiased information. I suspect that the reporters like Sheryl are few and far between.God help our Republic!!!!!

FULL MEASURE W/ SHARYL ATTKISSON: Just a couple of months ago, we profiled Congressman Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee which was poised to dig deep on wide-ranging investigations into government mischief, waste, fraud and abuse. A few weeks later, Chaffetz abruptly resigned from Congress. We asked the Oversight Man what changed his mind about being a lead watchdog with not only a GOP majority in Congress, but also a Republican in the White House. He told me it’s more a matter of what hasn’t changed. We started the interview with me asking how he...

Sharyl Attkisson: Some people might think this is a great time to be a Republican Chairman of an important committee because Republicans control the House, they’re the majority in the Senate, and they hold the president’s office. That means, you would think, that federal agencies can’t stonewall investigations of spending, waste, fraud, and abuse. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah: The reality is, sadly, I don’t see much difference between the Trump administration and the Obama administration. I thought there would be this, these floodgates would open up with all the documents we wanted from the Department of State, the Department of Justice, the Pentagon....

I know a number of government officials and employees who like and respect former FBI Director James Comey. Much has been written about how damaging his Thursday testimony was for President Trump. It’s easy to find articles such as these on NBC, in the Washington Post and in The Atlantic:

Not only is the latest Freedom of Information (FOI) Act response I received from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) two and a half years late—a response was required under the law in about 30 days—it’s also woefully inadequate.In 2014, I filed a complaint asking the DOJ IG to investigate the unauthorized intrusions into my computers.My employer at the time, CBS would not let the DOJ IG inspect the primary computer at issue: my work laptop. However, I provided investigators my personal Apple computer, which two independent forensics exams had found was also subject to the remote intrusions. Since...

Here is an exclusive first look at a new report that says you can put a price on success when it comes to Congress. The report by “Issue One” exposes the secretive money system in which members of Congress “buy” top spots on the most powerful committees. To raise the money, they often collect from the very interests their committees are supposed to oversee… As an example, ordinary Republicans have six-figure party “dues.” But it takes more to make the ranks of leadership… Sharyl: How much does a committee chairmanship cost? Nick Penniman of “Issue One”: So, if you want...

FULL TITLE:SHARYL ATTKISSON: Pressure from Sponsors to Drop News Stories Like Seth Rich Is “Dangerous New Development” (Video) Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson joined Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV to discuss the liberal media, President Donald Trump’s first foreign trip and the Seth Rich murder investigation. Attkisson told Steve she believes the Seth Rich family is being “managed” by outside interests and important questions still remain on the murder investigation. Sharyl Attkisson: I think there are important questions and if you don’t know who murdered him you can’t really say, “Please don’t look here. That’s a conspiracy theory.” I feel for...

Ace reporter Attkisson reveals eye-popping timeline! The Obama administration isn’t accused of gathering intelligence information to spy for political, and other, purposes just once. Or twice. Or even just three times. A remarkable timeline assembled by ace investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson shows just how often the Obama administration apparently spied on friend and foe alike. With all of this information gathered in one place, WND then compiled a list gleaned from Attkisson’s timeline of all those whom the Obama administration is suspected of targeting either by spying, or investigating and/or prosecuting using intelligence information. And the list is impressive. {..snip..}

Many of you have asked for the status of my computer intrusion lawsuit against the federal government. On March 19, 2017, a federal judge denied the government’s motion to dismiss my computer intrusion lawsuit, and transferred the case from Washington D.C. to the Eastern District of Virginia. Below are excerpts from the judge’s opinion, which provides a good summary.

Now here's a list from estimable investigative report Sharyl Attkisson about where the major press leans ideologically. Nice to see that one publication with the masthead matching the one here, right there in the center on the right side, situated between The Economist and National Review Attkisson asked for advice on tweaking the chart as to the placements, which I can helpfully offer for starters: The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Economist, and Forbes can all move a couple of ticks leftward. Daily Beast can move several ticks left. Meanwhile, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, the Daily Signal, and the Daily...

I’ve spoken to a small group of reliable, formerly high-placed intelligence officials who have dropped a few interesting tidbits on me of late. Here’s my understanding, based on the discussions: It’s not true that wiretaps and/or electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens can “only” be done with a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order. Besides the FISA court, “wiretapping” or electronic surveillance can also be done under Title III authority. The government used this authority, for example, in the Justice Department’s secret Fast and Furious “gunwalking” case. Additionally, U.S. Presidents have the power to issue secret presidential directives that can...

I’ve spoken to a small group of reliable, formerly high-placed intelligence officials who have dropped a few interesting tidbits on me of late. Here’s my understanding, based on the discussions: It’s not true that wiretaps and/or electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens can “only” be done with a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order. Besides the FISA court, “wiretapping” or electronic surveillance can also be done under Title III authority. The government used this authority, for example, in the Justice Department’s secret Fast and Furious “gunwalking” case. Additionally, U.S. Presidents have the power to issue secret presidential directives that can...

Many of you have asked for the status of my computer intrusion lawsuit against the federal government. On March 19, 2017, a federal judge denied the government’s motion to dismiss my computer intrusion lawsuit, and transferred the case from Washington D.C. to the Eastern District of Virginia. Below are excerpts from the judge’s opinion, which provides a good summary. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MEMORANDUM OPINION, by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan As an investigative reporter for CBS News, Ms. Attkisson was responsible for investigating and reporting on national news stories. Between 2011 and 2013, she...