Posted on 04/26/2019 6:55:44 AM PDT by Bratch
Yesterday Senators Johnson and Grassley opened the door for the DOJ and FBI to justify the post-election investigation of President Donald Trump, based on a premise of a possible FBI counterintelligence operation ran against the office of the Vice-President, Mike Pence. And lickety-split the outrage voices jumped right to work. Predictable.
Discussions, conversations and displays of evidence outlining the efforts of the intelligence community, to defend against the potential of a compromised President, are exactly what the previous administration officials want to see. This is the conversation President Obama, Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes and Denis McDonough would be happy to discuss.
Think of the worst or most shocking possibility you can imagine for what might have taken place. Wiretaps on the White House? Enlisted assistance from staffers? Bugs placed in the cufflinks of Donald Trump? So what? From their position all of these efforts were undertaken because they were dealing with the possibility of a U.S. President who might be under the control of a foreign government. This is the conversation they would enjoy.
From their ‘buy-the-book‘ perspective the officials who ran the counterintelligence operation against President Trump have no fear of discussions about what they did in their post-election defense of the constitution (that’s how they will sell it). No fear.
Discussions of seemingly outrageous activity, via lots of blockbuster revelation, is in their interest. All of their actions easily justified from the standpoint of a possibility the inbound President was compromised. “We were riddled with anxiety”, they say.
There’s no risk to them in discussing their action, any action, undertaken from the basis of their premise. Recruiting incoming administration people to conduct surveillance and report back to the FBI? Justified under this premise. There is no upper limit.
Again, think of the most shocking revelation you can possibly imagine, none of it concerns them so long as they can justify it from their pre-constructed premise that Trump was a Russian asset. For this premise, there is no rule book. Everything is ‘by-the-book‘ because there is no book. It’s the perfect Alinsky play.
The participating officials within the DOJ, FBI or intelligence apparatus simply reference the possibility of President Trump as a Russian asset and every jaw-dropping headline reaches a crescendo only to fizzle into the ether of nothingness when an official says: “Yeah, so what?”
This is exactly what those officials want to see happen as they tell the story of their unprecedented heroic efforts to ensure all angles of possibility were covered.
These participating officials would like nothing more than a dozen congressional hearings where they can explain to the viewing public how honorable they were in trying to deal with the possibility of such an unprecedented threat… Oh, how the summer of headlines will be gleefully cheered by the adoring media. You think this conversation worries the participants? Not a smidgen.
The entire time all of these blockbuster outrages are being debated and analyzed in granular detail, you know what’s not being discussed?… The originating predicate.
Discussing the consequences, regardless of how ‘shocking‘, or ‘jaw-dropping‘, or ‘unimaginable‘, plays right into the hands of the participating members of the fraud and scheme. These are discoveries they welcome. These are discoveries to be planted. This is where they want the focus. This is Chaff and Countermeasures.
What they don’t want to discuss is the origination of ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ in July 2016. What they don’t want to discuss is Fusion-GPS and the creation of the Steele Dossier. What they don’t want to discuss is how the fraudulent premise was established.
What they don’t want to discuss is the exploitation of the NSA database for political surveillance. That’s what they don’t want to discuss… And every time attention starts to head in that direction, they’ll throw out another entirely justifiable headline-grabbing detail of their post election activity.
Shiny things; like the wife of Pence’s chief-of-staff worked with Peter Strzok.
EXCLUSIVE: @FBI Texts Show Agents Discussed Recruiting @WhiteHouse Sources To Spy For Bureau ||| #RussiaInvestigation #MuellerReporthttps://t.co/abPZBFhpYq
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) April 26, 2019
Must be urgent, right?
[…] Fox News has learned the texts, initially released in 2018 by a Senate committee, are under renewed scrutiny, with GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Homeland Security Committee chair Ron Johnson sending a letter Thursday night to Attorney General Bill Barr pushing for more information on the matter.
Oh, wait, so they sat on them because?…..
This is how the DC game is played. Senators Johnson and Grassley laid the first shiny distraction on the table; and based on the responses, boy howdy, does the outrage game work well. Inquiry immediately follows the distraction.
Oh, how quickly we forget our references for this DC strategy:
Where’s the Graham-Grassley letter to Gina Haspel?
Dear Director Haspel: “Hey, so, CIA, how’d Crossfire Hurricane start? What did you get through the Counterintelligence Mission Center? Can you spare a few minutes to note the contacts from GCHQ, and that meeting between Robert Hannigan and John Brennan?”
Huh, funny that.
Where’s the Burr-Warner letter to Paul Nakasone?
Dear Gen. Nakasone: “Can you provide us a little more information about why the NSA dropped database “about queries”? Maybe outline the contractors that were of such concern they had to be restricted from access…. and, oh, their current status?”
Too soon? Three years.
The outrage trap must be avoided….
The issue(s) surround President Obama and high-ranking Obama intelligence officials, notably: John Brennan, James Comey, James Clapper and Sally Yates intentionally lying and/or misrepresenting issues to president-elect Donald Trump and the transition team in/around the transition period and after the January 20, 2017, inauguration.
Some of the misinformation stems from intelligence officials telling direct lies (ex. telling President-elect, and President Trump he was not under investigation). Other aspects were lies of omission surrounding the Steele Dossier during the January 6th, 2017, intelligence briefing session with the President-elect in Trump Tower.
In essence, there were many misleading and false statements, with varying scales of severity, during the period from November 9th, 2016, through mid-May 2017 when President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
James Comey wrote all about the unorthodox investigative methods they were forced to use in unseen memos currently withheld…. awaiting shiny thing timing:
The FBI, DOJ, ODNI, CIA and intelligence officials were intentionally not being direct and honest with President Trump and key members of his new administration. Obviously their lack of honesty was a serious issue, and in some cases had serious ramifications.
The expressed finding by Robert Mueller’s two-year probe of ‘no Trump-Russia collusion, no Trump-Russia conspiracy, and no Trump-Russia obstruction’ has led to some hindsight reviews where anger surfaces about the now visible deception. However, there is a trap laid here and Democrats are hoping outraged voices will walk straight into it. Some are already getting very close.
At 12:15pm on January 20th, 2017, Obama’s outgoing National Security Advisor Susan Rice wrote a memo-to-self. Many people have called this her “CYA” (cover your ass) memo, from the position that Susan Rice was protecting herself from consequences if the scheme against President Trump was discovered. Here’s the email:
On January 5, following a briefing by IC leadership on Russian hacking during the 2016 Presidential election, President Obama had a brief follow-on conversation with FBI Director Jim Corney and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the Oval Office. Vice President Biden and I were also present.
President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities “by the book“.
The President stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.
From a national security perspective, however, President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia.
[Redacted Classified Section of Unknown length]
The President asked Corney to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Corney said he would.
Susan Rice ~ (pdf link)
As stated, many have looked at this as a “CYA” memo, but that’s not what this is.
This is a justification memo, written by an outgoing National Security Advisor Susan Rice to document why there have been multiple false and misleading statements given to the incoming President Trump and all of his officials.
This is not a “CYA” memo, this is a justification memo for use AFTER the Trump-Russia collusion/conspiracy narrative collapsed; if the impeachment effort failed.
The “By The Book” aspect refers to President Obama and Susan Rice being told by CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, that President Trump was the subject of an active counterintelligence investigation to determine if he was under the influence of the Russian government.
Even the timing of the memo, written 15 minutes prior to the end of the Obama administration, is ex-post-facto useful as evidence of the author’s intent.
Put aside the nonsense aspect to the origination of the investigation for a moment; that part doesn’t apply here…. Accept their position ‘as if’ it is substantive.
We are talking about Brennan, Comey, Clapper and Yates telling President Obama and NSA Susan Rice that President-elect Trump is under a counterintelligence investigation where the suspicion is that Donald J Trump is an agent of a foreign power.
Under that auspices (fraudulent though it may be) the incoming President is a counterintelligence investigation target. A potentially compromised Russian asset. Under this auspices all of the officials would be permitted to lie and mislead their target, so long as they did so “By The Book.”
That’s their justification for a lengthy series of lies and false statements.
That’s why FBI Director James Comey can lie to the President and tell him he’s not the target of the ongoing Russia investigation. That’s the justification for keeping the accusations inside the Steele Dossier (remember, the Dossier is evidence) from the President-elect. That’s the justification for all of the officials to lie to President Trump, and even mislead the media if needed.
The Susan Rice email is one big Justification Letter; setting the stage for all of the participants to have a plausible reason for lies to anyone and everyone.
Call out John Brennan for telling Harry Reid about the Steele Dossier during his gang-of-eight briefing, but not telling Go8 member Devin Nunes about it. Brennan escapes by saying Nunes was on the Trump transition team; and briefing a conflicted politician on the dossier would have compromised the FBI investigation. See how that works?
Call out James Comey for lying to President-elect Trump during the January 6th Trump Tower meeting…. Comey escapes by saying Trump was a target of the FBI investigation for potential compromise as a Russian asset; informing the target of the evidence against him would have compromised the investigation. See how that works?
Every lie, every omission, every false and/or misleading statement, must first be filtered through the “By The Book” prism of Trump being considered a Russian asset. This is the justification trap democrats are waiting to exploit for maximum damage and diminishment of counter attack.
The “By the Book” justification, where every action could have been taken because Trump might have been an actual Russian operative, is the weapon under the camouflage tarp as the radical left lures-in their political opposition. They shrug their shoulders and say in condescending voice: ‘well, we didn’t know; we had to be prudent‘, etc.
Getting outraged about the Obama administration’s lies, misstatements and fabrications can backfire if you don’t first think about it from their constructed frame-of-reference.
The ‘By-the-Book’ framework is based on a false-premise; but the action, just about any action, taken to mislead (even undermine) the incoming administration is excusable under this carefully crafted justification memo. That’s exactly why Susan Rice wrote it; and each of the participating members knows they can use it, when needed.
The way to get around the legal and political defense inside this justification memo is to ignore the activity of those protected by it and go directly to the origin of how they created that false premise in the first place:
♦ President Trump can prove the July 31st, 2016, Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation originated from a scheme within the intelligence apparatus by exposing the preceding CIA operation that created the originating “Electronic Communication” memo. Declassify that two-page “EC” document that Brennan gave to Comey. [The trail is found within the Weissmann report and the use of Alexander Downer – SEE HERE]
♦ Release and declassify all of the Comey memos that document the investigative steps taken by the FBI as an outcome of the operation coordinated by CIA Director John Brennan in early 2016. [The trail was memorialized by James Comey – SEE HERE]
♦ Reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse by declassifying the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Show the FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries. [Crowdstrike? Fusion-GPS? Nellie Ohr? Daniel Richman?] The was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation. [The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer – SEE HERE]
♦ Subpoena former DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) head John Carlin, or haul him in front of a grand jury, and get his testimony about why he hid the abuse from the FISA court in October 2016; why the DOJ-NSD rushed the Carter Page application to beat NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to the FISA court; and why Carlin quit immediately thereafter. Squeeze this bastard’s nuts in the proverbial legal vice.
♦ Prove the Carter Page FISA application (October 2016) was fraudulent and based on deceptions to the FISA Court. Declassify the entire document, and release the transcripts of those who signed the application(s); and/or depose those who have not yet testified. The creation of the Steele Dossier was the cover-up operation. [SEE HERE]
♦ Release all of the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages without redactions. Let sunlight pour in on the actual conversation(s) that were taking place when Crossfire Hurricane (July ’16) and the FISA Application (Oct ’16) were taking place. The current redactions were made by the people who weaponized the intelligence system for political surveillance and spy operation. This is why Page and Strzok texts are redacted!
♦ Release all of Bruce Ohr 302’s, FBI notes from interviews and debriefing sessions, and other relevant documents associated with the interviews of Bruce Ohr and his internal communications. Including exculpatory evidence that Bruce Ohr may have shared with FBI Agent Joseph Pientka. [And get a deposition from this Pientka fella] Bruce Ohr is the courier, carrying information from those outside to those on the inside.
♦ Release the August 2nd, 2017, two-page scope memo provided by DAG Rod Rosenstein to special counsel Robert Mueller to advance the fraudulent Trump investigation, and initiate the more purposeful obstruction of justice investigation. Also Release the October 20th, 2017, second scope memo recently discovered. The Scope Memos are keys to unlocking the underlying spy/surveillance cover-up. [SEE HERE and SEE HERE]
Bttt
These players will all simply say in testimony that they don’t remember.
The law and the facts are on our side. SD should stick with those and make a straightforward case.
And it is not just me who finds this confusing and poorly written. Read the comments.
It was all to cover up the myriad crimes of the Kenyanesian Usurpation.
Neither party wants the facts to come to light because BOTH parties cooperated to violate the Constitution.
Well do you really expect literary excellence from a produce department blogger like Mark Bradman?
Literary excellence - well I guess that is a bit much, but some thought and some self-restraint from engaging in verbal diarrhea, perhaps even trying to lay out points according to some sense of order, eliminating things that just don’t fit the point that is trying to be made.
bump
I disagree. This is important insight as to what to expect and what needs to be done.
No doubt Rosenstein knew Obama’s FBI saw the Russian interference.
No doubt he played along with the dumb-down tactic of not informing the Trump campaign.
In doing so, he tacitly allowed the FBI to set a honeypot for the Russians to get bolder and contact the Trump campaign.
The FBI then, with the FISA court, could spy on the Trump campaign and create the “insurance policy” that would either sully the campaign or get Trump impeached if elected.
There will be indictments for this soft coup attempt.
It is no insight if it is so poorly written that those who need to read it are disuaded from doing so.
If sundance thinks he needs to provide me with an important insight he should tell me at the outset what insight it is he is providing me that I need. Otherwise he will have, and apparently has, failed in his effort to educate this poor unworthy soul.
_______________
This is extremely convoluted.
I wonder ...... can some of the brilliant people here at FR try to explain all of this.
I am more than a little confused right now, and a little afraid from what I think I've read.
I agree.
The conspirators will be able to legally justify their actions thanks to the Rice memo.The “By The Book” aspect refers to President Obama and Susan Rice being told by CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, that President Trump was the subject of an active counterintelligence investigation to determine if he was under the influence of the Russian government.
Even the timing of the memo, written 15 minutes prior to the end of the Obama administration, is ex-post-facto useful as evidence of the author’s intent.
Put aside the nonsense aspect to the origination of the investigation for a moment; that part doesn’t apply here…. Accept their position ‘as if’ it is substantive.
We are talking about Brennan, Comey, Clapper and Yates telling President Obama and NSA Susan Rice that President-elect Trump is under a counterintelligence investigation where the suspicion is that Donald J Trump is an agent of a foreign power.
Under that auspices (fraudulent though it may be) the incoming President is a counterintelligence investigation target. A potentially compromised Russian asset. Under this auspices all of the officials would be permitted to lie and mislead their target, so long as they did so “By The Book.”
That’s their justification for a lengthy series of lies and false statements.
The investigation needs to focus on the the dubious events leading up to the issuance of the FISA warrants; that's their vulnerable point.
"...Discussions of seemingly outrageous activity, via lots of blockbuster revelation, is in their interest. All of their actions easily justified from the standpoint of a possibility the inbound President was compromised. “We were riddled with anxiety”, they say..."
Bottom line, they cannot go with collusion or obstruction of justice. Their only thing to go with is "There were bad things being done that we had to pursue, even if we were wrong in pursuing it."
Even that is going to fail for them, though it will drag out the process.
The originating predicate (checkmate) for the hoax and the attempted coup will bring it all down. They are not getting away with sedition and treason because of the last minute cya move by Rice. POTUS would not be hitting high notes with the coup trumpet were it not so. The trail of evidence goes too far back in time to now fabricate justification. Obama the usurper was compromised and wholly owned by every single agency that played a part in his rise to the presidency.
BUMPed for later...
..... encouraging words.
Quite right.
Many, if not most Ds think of Obama as a highly skilled world-class politician when the available evidence suggests exactly the opposite.
Unfortunately, our R elders likely had no knowledge of the extent to which the forces that filled O's WH team with dedicated and effective position players also had/have their hands deep in most key federal agencies.
The elders may have based their calculation to disregard his ineligibility simply on a seeming lack of assets that would be preferable to having known criminal Hillary in the WH.
I am going on gut instinct and a little reading, writing, and arithmetic.
We get so bombarded by negative Nellies and the fake news, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that our very stable genius POTUS has been dealing with the very best and the very worst in people his whole adult life while rising to billionaire status, and the hoax and coup attempt barely chinked his armor. The deep state actors are nothing new to him, and to their detriment have underestimated President Trump. It has been said that virtuous men approached Donald J. Trump and encouraged him to run for president for the sake of our nation. I believe that much was known and conveyed before DJT ever rode the escalator to his announcement to run for president.
“When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A whole lot of people failed in an epic way. Justice is going to be meted out and there’s no escaping it, try as they might.
97% of the US State Dept. personnel are purported to have voted for HRC, and 95% of the DOJ did so as well. Getting all of the ducks in a row is more complicated than it might have been, were the shoe on the other foot and HRC called the shots. Add in all of the resistance out of the SES in the DOS and DOJ, and all of the other branches of government, and one can see why the response on behalf of blind justice is slow as molasses. Plus, the Mueller Report was one giant clog in the wheel of justice eating up almost two years.
On top of all that, there is the wave of anti-Trumpers within the GOP, doing their damnedest to harm POTUS at just about every turn. See the GOP led past Congress for one example.
The IG was blocked from doing his job in significant measure until the Mueller Report was released, thus finally giving access to actors and evidence, which appears to have been pushed along to completion, by the recent hiring of AG Barr. So, that situation also seemed to be a roadblock to serving justice, which is now for all intent and purpose removed.
I’m as impatient as the next person and I want to see people investigated, prosecuted, and convicted, then sent to prison for the rest of their lives. I wish for the gallows treatment, but I don’t see that happening, with the current state of affairs in our laws and the courts.
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