Sharyl Attkisson Ping!
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Posted on 01/25/2018 11:43:18 AM PST by markomalley
What happens when federal agencies accused of possible wrongdoing — also control the alleged evidence against them? What happens when they’re the ones in charge of who inside their agencies — or connected to them — ultimately gets investigated and possibly charged?
Those questions are moving to the forefront as the facts play out in the investigations into our intelligence agencies’ surveillance activities.
There are two overarching issues.
First, there’s the alleged improper use of politically-funded opposition research to justify secret warrants to spy on U.S. citizens for political purposes.
Second, if corruption is ultimately identified at high levels in our intel agencies, it would necessitate a re-examination of every case and issue the officials touched over the past decade — or two — under administrations of both parties.
This is why I think the concerns transcend typical party politics.
It touches everybody. It’s potentially monumental.
This week, the FBI said it was unfair for the House Intelligence Committee not to provide its memo outlining alleged FBI abuses. The committee wrote the summary memo after reviewing classified government documents in the Trump-Russia probe.
The FBI’s complaint carries a note of irony considering that the agency has notoriously stonewalled Congress. Even when finally agreeing to provide requested documents, the Department of Justice uses the documents’ classified nature to severely restrict who can see them — even among members of Congress who possess the appropriate security clearance. Members who wish to view the documents must report to special locations during prescribed hours in the presence of Department of Justice minders who supervise them as they’re permitted to take handwritten notes only (you know, like the 1960s).
What most people don’t know is that the FBI and Department of Justice already know exactly what Congressional investigators have flagged in the documents they’ve reviewed, because three weeks ago the Senate Judiciary Committee sent its own summary memo to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The committee also referred to the Department of Justice a recommendation for possible charges against the author of the political opposition research file, the so-called “Trump dossier”: Christopher Steele.
The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Charles Grassley co-authored the memo with fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Grassley says it’s important for the public to see the unclassified portions of the memo. But unlike the House, which can release the memo on its own (and is taking steps to do so), Senate rules require permission from the Department of Justice — the possibly offending agency — approve or declassify the memo. And that’s reached a snag.
According to Grassley, the FBI is blocking the release of the unclassified sections of the Senate memo by falsely claiming that they contain classified information.
“It sure looks like a bureaucratic game of hide the ball, rather than a genuine concern about national security,” said Grassley in a speech on the Senate floor yesterday.
Grassley also pointed out that agencies accused of possible improprieties are the ones controlling the information. It’s the FBI who may have misused the unverified “dossier” opposition research, allegedly presenting it to a secret court as if it were verified intelligence.
“[FBI] Director [James] Comey testified in 2017 that it was ‘salacious and unverified’,” said Grassley. “So, it was a collection of unverified opposition research funded by a political opponent in an election year. Would it be proper for the Obama administration — or any administration — to use something like that to authorize further investigation that intrudes on the privacy of people associated with its political opponents? That should bother civil libertarians of any political stripe.”
Democrats and many in the media are taking the side of the intelligence community, calling the Republican efforts partisan. House Democrats are said to be writing a counter-memo.
“We need to produce our own memo that lays out the actual facts and shows how the majority memo distorts the work of the FBI and the Department of Justice,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Meantime, the Department of Justice has officially warned the House Intelligence Committee not to release its memo. It's like the possible defendant in a criminal trial threatening prosecutors for having the audacity to reveal alleged evidence to the judge and jury.
This is the first time I can recall open government groups and many reporters joining in the argument to keep the information secret. They are strangely uncurious about alleged improprieties with implications of the worst kind: Stasi-like tactics used against Americans. “Don’t be irresponsible and reveal sources and methods,” they plead.
As for me? I don’t care what political stripes the alleged offenders wear or whose side they’re on. If their sources and methods are inappropriate, they should be fully exposed and stopped.
FBI, and other agencies, living well outside of lawful law and in violation of USConstitution.
Return to USConstituion, or perish.
perhaps Trump could go to his Mueller meeting with a briefcase that has the word URANIUM printed on it-just for a laugh of course
If Hillary had been elected they would have gotten away with this...
We saw the same sort of corruption at the IRS, EPA, State Department, and Justice Department under President Obama.
WTF wouldn’t Obama’s FBI also have a culture of corruption that rises to the top ranks?
>>If, for some reason, the FBI/DOJ “hide the ball” tactics need to end, they’ll have to pair up with the ATF and find some family or fringe group to besiege and then shoot-up as a distraction from their political shenanigans.
It’s been quite a few weeks since there was a national news story about a police officer shooting a suspect. The problem must’ve “stopped” because the press no longer finds those events to be newsworthy. The yellow journalism served its purpose.
Probably to summarize the investigation so far in such a way as to get the gist of things released to the public without jeopardizing witnesses, methods, etc... they probably sent it back to Wray to have him confirm nothing classified was in it, no informants,witnesses or methodology exposed so they could then release the summary memo to the public.
But the FBI still stalled...
Now available: Sharyl's latest book Smear.
Watch Sharyl host "Full Measure," a Sunday morning talk show on the Sinclair network. More info.
Want on or off this ping list? Just drop me a FReep mail.
What happens when they’re the ones in charge of who inside their agencies — or connected to them — ultimately gets investigated and possibly charged?
We're going to find out...Will the FBI and 'intelligence services' protect themselves or the country they've sworn to protect? And how will they define that question?
Is this the piece?
If the corrupt press has it's way (protecting the rights of Government thugs over the rights of the people) we might never know what's in the memo... or why it was written...
Thank God you said THAT early on in this thread. The “R’s” need not set their hair on fire, and ours.
For clicks and hits and ratings and pay checks and promotions the media (on both sides) will be filling that role, seeking to arouse a civil war panic among us.
Personally, I believe we can’t participate in panic. Cool heads are attractive and can project confidence. (On that count is one reason I admire Nunes and Gowdy.)
PS: Did you read that Gowdy has been given Top Secret intelligence clearance? He is the only one who has it , I believe, on his committee.
I have no problem with another government exposing the corruption of our own government and politicians through wikileaks. They will cover up their own with collaboration from our media. It takes a government with the ability to hack and and organization like wikileaks to expose. They are afraid of being exposed.
Only for a short time.
round and round it goes zeroing in on ..... wait for it .... Zero N Chef. (yes I know I wrote chef)
This is God exposing the corruption at every level.
The left wingers hated the government and the press back in the sixties and seventies and ESPECIALLY the FBI. Now they’ve all joined forces against the rights of the people.
It’s sad to know we now have a press that stands with the powerful and elite AGAINST the American people.
Never thought I’d see the day...
You have more faith than I do... you choose a good screen name.
I would hope you would be right... and that the good people of the FBI would out the bad ones no matter who was President.
But, I have my doubts now a days.
Ping NOT Q
If you are on my ping list, you already received the following Twitter link to an excellent Larry Schweikart’s excellent 20-point summary:
https://twitter.com/LarrySchweikart/status/956897453613006848
I am pinging the opinion piece from TheHill.com in case you want to read the original article upon which Larry based his summary.
My favorite part of Larry’s article summary is point #3: all the big FBI cases (Benghazi, Uranium One etc.) may have to be re-opened when FBI is proven to have been compromised.
Friendly reminders: Please continue to pray for the safety and success of our POTUS, his family, our military, and all patriots.
Please click “Private Reply” beneath this post at the linked thread to message me that you want on or off the ping list.
Thank you.
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