Posted on 12/30/2017 9:14:55 AM PST by Signalman
On Monday special counsel Robert Mueller made his first arrests in what started out as an investigation of alleged “collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia but which has mushroomed into a much wider probe of Team Trump.
Mueller indicted former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and another campaign official, Rick Gates, on multiple charges including conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the United States, being an unregistered agent of a foreign principal, and false and misleading statements.
All of this said, however, the entire probe and Mueller’s case against – whomever – may be tainted by the fact that the FBI likely relied on a bogus political document and the Justice Department Mueller works for in order to obtain secret court warrants to investigate Manafort in the first place.
As noted by The National Sentinel, last month CNN reported that investigators conducted electronic surveillance on Manafort before and after the Nov. 8 election under the authority of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court (FISA) warrant. The article cited unnamed sources, which led many to speculate that the information had been leaked – a violation of law that could be traced back to the FBI itself, to Mueller’s office of special counsel, or both.
Jerome Corsi writes:
Under the “fruit of the poison tree doctrine” established by the Supreme Court in Fourth Amendment illegal search and seizure cases, the FBI and/or Mueller may have compromised their entire investigation of Paul Manafort by either using the fraudulent “Russia dossier” paid for in part by the FBI, or by illegally leaking information derived from the FISA-authorized electronic surveillance to CNN and other mainstream media publications known to be partisan “Never Trump” mouthpieces.
It should be understood that regardless of what “mainstream media” outlets have reported, nothing substantial contained in the 35-page “dossier” – which we now know was bought and paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee – has been verified after more than a year. The document has always been an elaborate hoax, a political hit job packaged as legitimate “intelligence” on a political candidate and his team. (Related: Remember that Trump ‘dossier?’ That was Democrats using RUSSIA-fed info to attack the prez.)
It was created out of whole cloth as a political weapon designed to destroy Trump’s credibility and to be used as a legal tool with which to get him impeached. But the problem is, if the document is fake – and it is – then it cannot be relied on as “legitimate intelligence,” meaning that any FISA warrants and evidence gathered from the warrant cannot be legitimate, either.
And that sounds like what happened.
CNN noted further that the secret FISA warrant had been sought and obtained by agents after Manafort became the subject of an investigation beginning as far back as 2014 under then-FBI Director James Comey, and which started focusing on Manafort’s consulting work with the government of Ukraine.
“Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation. Two of these sources, however, cautioned that the evidence is not conclusive,” CNN reported.
“Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, which is leading the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications,” the CNN report noted further.
There is also some concern over leaks. On Friday CNN – which appears to be the ‘preferred network’ for leakers tied to Mueller’s probe – passed along information that someone was going to be indicted by the special counsel on Monday. That, of course, turned out to be true.
There’s just one problem: According to House Government Reform and Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., a former federal prosecutor, the leaking is against the law.
“In the only conversation I’ve had with Robert Mueller, I stressed to him the importance of cutting out the leaks,” Gowdy told “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s kind of ironic that the people charged with investigating the law and the violations of the law would violate the law.”
If FBI relied on bogus “Trump dossier” to obtain FISA warrants on Team Trump, Mueller’s probe may be tainted
“May be?”
Ain’t no “may be” about it, and people should serve hard time over it, including the FISA judge who granted it.
And the FISA judge’s wife who wrote it!
Hmmm. Slightly possible?
Mueller is tainted.
Mueller’s probe may be tainted ...
... like a septic tank
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree bump
May be? More like “IS”!
A bogus dossier used to create a bogus probe into a bogus allegation of collusion.
“...may be tainted...”
It was tainted from the start. It’s a bullshit soft coup attempt to remove a duly elected President and reverse an election that was legally and lawfully won.
Mueller and everyone involved in this farce needs to prosecuted and jailed.
Any particular reason you posted this two month old document now?
Regardless about how you and the author feel about the source of the dossier, Mueller is proceeding to charge people with crimes.
I don’t believe that Manaforte, who is charged with tax evasion for work he did for a Ukrainian political party can use the provenance of the dossier in his defense, as I don’t believe it is evidence against him.
Also: Mueller has two guilty pleas. To late for them to argue about the dossier.
Where the dossier may be vulnerable is in the court of public opinion. But just because a prosecution is completely politically motivated and uses absurd evidence won’t protect those caught in its web.
Ask Scooter Libby.
I think we can draw some fair conclusions about a year long investigation that has borne some charges basic on technical breakings of the law, but not in substance.
May be tainted?
There would not have been a Special Council had there not been a
fake dossier.
People need to go to jail over this. Lots of people.
Nellie Ohr needs to be thoroughly investigated. Her and her ham radio license were breaking all kinds of laws.
Post 2, 100% correct
The taint is already strong in that Weasel, Mueller...
Nellie Ohr is the tip of the CIA RICO Sedition iceberg.
“Mueller is tainted.”
He’s a taint.
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