Free Republic

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on President Trump to close the prison at Guantanamo: “It was 16 years ago today that the first detainees arrived at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Since then, 780 detainees have been held there. I have called on both the Obama and Bush administrations to remove and transfer all detainees and close the facility, and hundreds of detainees have been transferred or released. Today, 41 detainees remain, five of whom have been cleared for transfer to other countries and 36 who remain in legal limbo. “This prison has cost taxpayers more than $5 billion,...

RUSH: Everybody thinks the immigration news today is worthy of bombshell, and it’s big. Trump’s meeting with everybody talking about what to do with the DACA, the DREAMers. But that’s not the bombshell news today. The bombshell news today that is not being discussed anywhere in the Drive-By Media, there has been further examination of the texts sent between the FBI agent Peter Strzok and his “paramour,” Lisa Page, the woman with whom he was having an affair. And this examination of their texts makes it look almost conclusively like they were leaking FBI material to the media. Peter Strzok...

RUSH: Trump has been busy tweeting. Last night just before midnight, Trump, “I authorized zero access to the White House. I actually turned down this author many times. I never spoke with him for the book. It’s full of lies, misrepresentations, and sources that don’t exist. Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve.” So Bannon has now earned a Trumpian nickname. When that happens to you, that’s not good. I mean, Crooked Hillary will always now forever be known as Crooked Hillary. To a certain extent, Lyin’ Ted. I mean, he’s always gonna...

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said Thursday that he believes Stephen Bannon was responsible for the majority of the first-year leaks coming out of the Trump administration. “The thing that I think everybody believes and that everybody knows is that most of the leaking that was coming out of the Trump White House was Steve Bannon,” Limbaugh said. His comments come amid an intensifying feud between Trump and Bannon, his former chief strategist, after excerpts were published from a new book about the early days of the Trump White House that quoted Bannon harshly criticizing the president and his family....

President Donald Trump’s growing feud with Steve Bannon is threatening the former White House strategist’s leadership of the conservative Breitbart News website and upending Mr. Bannon’s plans to wage “war” on party incumbents he deemed insufficiently loyal to the White House agenda. Mr. Trump said Mr. Bannon has “lost his mind” and that he has “nothing to do with me or my presidency,” a response to Mr. Bannon’s numerous incendiary comments—including insults about the president’s family—in a new book about the first year of the Trump administration. Mr. Bannon’s longtime benefactors, billionaires Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer, are...

Things are getting increasingly interesting and simultaneously obvious. Thursday night the Washington Post reported that FBI Director Christopher Wray had relieved FBI Chief Legal Counsel, James Baker, of his responsibilities within the department. Attorney James Baker accompanied FBI Asst. Director “Andy” McCabe to the Tuesday congressional hearing with the House Intelligence Community. Curiously, in addition to other lines of inquiry, during the questioning McCabe was asked about whether James Baker was authorized to speak to the media about the Steele Dossier and the underlying ‘counterintelligence’ operation. Asst. Director McCabe responded that Baker would not be authorized to take such action....

The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee and a lead proponent of the Russian collusion narrative downplayed expectations there will be any smoking gun evidence showing collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, after months have passed and millions spent in investigations. Back in March, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-WA), in defending the need for investigations, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that there was “circumstantial evidence” of collusion, and that the American people had a right to know whether the circumstantial evidence of collusion is “indicative of more.” But on Sunday, Schiff backed away from the need for any actual...

The revelation last year of an unorthodox tarmac meeting between former President Bill Clinton and then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch set off a frenzied scramble at the FBI to track down the source, newly released documents show. Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, which on Thursday released 29 pages of FBI emails related to the 2016 meeting, said the messages show officials were more concerned about the leak than the substance of the report.“These new FBI documents show the FBI was more concerned about a whistleblower who told the truth about the infamous Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting than the scandalous meeting itself,” Judicial...

Reality Winner, the former NSA contractor accused of leaking documents, has been spotted for the first time since her June 9 arraignment, exercising in her Georgia prison. Winner, 25, appeared undisturbed by her impending prosecution - or the possibility of being given ten years in prison, plus fines - as she performed handstands and stretches in the yard of the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Center. She was also seen sitting down to eat lunch in the midday sun - which won't be anything close to the heat she will face when she goes to court, as the government is expected...

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said in a new interview with “60 Minutes” that the firing of James Comey as FBI director was the “biggest mistake in modern political history.” In an unaired portion of the interview, Charlie Rose asked Bannon a line of questions about Comey’s May 9 firing and the subsequent hiring of Robert Mueller as special counsel. “Someone said to me that you described the firing of James Comey as the biggest mistake in political history,” Rose told Bannon. “That would probably be too bombastic even for me, but maybe modern political history,” replied Bannon,...

Imran Awan and his brother Abid worked for several dozen Democratic U.S. Representatives, including several from California, according to a recent investigative report citing congressional staff data. CBS Los Angeles reported on Thursday (original links): Imran Awan was fired Tuesday by Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the same day he pleaded not guilty to a bank fraud charge in connection with a $165,000 home equity loan, authorities said.His brother Abid Awan, was employed earlier this year by Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu, Tony Cardenas, and nearly 30 more House Democrats as a “shared employee”, according to Legistorm, a website that tracks congressional employment....

Almost one month after it was disclosed that former President Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice was unmasking members of President Trump’s team and other Americans, Trump’s own national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, sent an official letter giving her unfettered and continuing access to classified information and waiving her “need-to-know” requirement on anything she viewed or received during her tenure, Circa has confirmed.

A Thursday report in Circa cites three officials claiming that FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is the “top suspect” in an investigation into leaks of classified Department of Justice information to the media. The report claims the investigation is “criminal” in nature. It is unclear exactly what information Baker is suspected of leaking and to which new outlets he did so. Baker is reportedly a “close ally” of ousted FBI Director James Comey, who, in 2014, appointed him to his current post as the top attorney representing the bureau. According to a June report in Vox, Baker was...

Sara Carter, Award Winning National Security Correspondent for Circa, joined Brian Kilmeade today to discuss her breaking news regarding leaks from within the FBI. Sarah has uncovered that the General Counsel for the FBI, James Baker, is allegedly under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice for leaking classified information. "I would be stunned if it was not true." Carter says, "The FBI just doesn't let stories like this run if there is no validity." Sara is also perusing the allegations of the unmaking of names by the Obama administration. "It appears to those who have viewed these documents...

FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is purportedly under a Department of Justice criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media, according to multiple government officials close to the probe who spoke with Circa on the condition of anonymity.

EXCLUSIVE: A top FBI lawyer is allegedly under an investigation for leaking classified information to the media FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is purportedly under a Department of Justice criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media, according to multiple government officials close to the probe who spoke with Circa on the condition of anonymity. FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty said the bureau would not comment on Baker and would not confirm or deny any investigation. This comes as Department of Justice Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would soon be making an announcement regarding the...

Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone claims to know the identity of the leaker who provided to The New York Times emails from Donald Trump Jr. about a meeting last year with a Kremlin-linked lawyer promising dirt that could hurt Hillary Clinton. But he's only giving away this person's initials. Speaking to a gathering at the Capitol Hill Club for Young Republicans, Stone was asked if he knew anything about the Trump Jr. email controversy, which started taking command of headlines over the weekend after the Times first reported on the meeting. According to Independent Journal Review, someone from American Bridge,...

Former FBI director James Comey made a quiet visit to The New York Times building on Thursday, one of few public outings since he admitted leaking stories to the newspaper about President Trump before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8. Comey kept his sunglasses on and his gaze forward as he marched through the front entrance of the Times Square office building which houses the publication. He was accompanied by his wife Patrice Failor who also wore sunglasses. Unmistakable as he towered over the crowds in a crisp navy suit and tie on one of the warmest days of...

Thorner & Ingold: What about those Trump tapes? Much ado about nothing By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold - Did President Trump record his meetings with Director Comey, or did he not? That is the question burning in the minds of Democrats. More important, it had a profound effect on Comey’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee. Comey’s testimony was honest, if not perfectly forthright. He confirmed that he had told Trump, on three separate occasions, that the President was not under investigation. This is in direct conflict with statements leaked to the New York Times, possibly by Comey or...

Law James Comey Has A Long History Of Questionable Obstruction Cases From Martha Stewart to Frank Quattrone to Steven Hatfill, former FBI director James Comey has left a long trail of highly questionable obstruction of justice cases that he used to make a name for himself. Mollie Hemingway By Mollie Hemingway June 12, 2017 Following countdown clocks on cable outlets and dramatic claims in the media about what devastating testimony to expect, James Comey sat down before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. The hearing ended up being a bit of a let-down for critics of President Trump who hoped...