Posted on 05/13/2019 7:00:29 AM PDT by Red Badger
Top Republicans talked up classified documents on Sunday they believe will root out FBI misconduct in the early stages of the Trump-Russia investigation.
Over the past few days, GOP lawmakers demanded answers about when the FBI was informed about British ex-spy Christopher Steele's "political motivations" before his unverified dossier was used to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent letters to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz to request documents related to a meeting between Steele and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec on Oct. 11, 2016 — 10 days before the first warrant application was submitted — and admitted he was encouraged by a client to get his research out before the 2016 election on Nov. 8, signaling a possible political motivation. The meeting was described in notes taken by Kavalec that were obtained by conservative group Citizens United through open-records litigation.
"In her notes, she indicates that Steele was urging to get the dossier out before the election," Graham, R-S.C., said on "Fox News Sunday." "And she also, in handwritten notes, indicates that it was paid for by the Democratic Party, the Clinton campaign, the dossier. The most important thing is, she transferred that information to the FBI. So the FBI is now on notice on October the 11th that their confidential informant is trying to get the dossier out for political purposes and that the State Department figured out the Democrats paid for it. How could they then go get a warrant based on that same document and not tell the court what the State Department told them?”
Graham, whose committee is investigating alleged FISA abuse, said there is one particular classified document he hopes will provide answers.
“There's a document that's classified that I'm going to try to get unclassified that takes the dossier — all the pages of it — and it has verification to one side," Graham said. "There really is no verification, other than media reports that were generated by reporters that received the dossier. So, the bottom line is the dossier has never been independently confirmed. It was used to get a warrant. They knew the author of the dossier was on the Democrat Party payroll. He hated Trump; they got the warrant anyway. Most Americans should be very upset about that. I'm very upset about it. And we're going to get to the bottom of it."
[Read more: Former Director James Comey: 'The FBI doesn't spy, the FBI investigates']
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also sent letters to Pompeo and FBI Director Christopher Wray seeking information about Steele's meeting with Kavalec and the FBI's behavior once the bureau was informed by the State Department about Steele. The dossier, compiled by Steele, contains unverified claims about President Trump's ties to Russia. The FBI used it to obtain a FISA warrant and three renewals to wiretap Page. Republican investigators allege the FBI misled the FISA Court by not revealing Steele's Democratic benefactors or his anti-Trump bias in the warrant application process.
Attorney General William Barr has said he is "working very closely" with Horowitz to examine the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation and alleged FISA abuse. That inquiry is expected to be completed in late May or June.
During an interview on Fox News, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, said now that special counsel Robert Mueller's report is out and found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, there will be "justice" for individuals behind a counterintelligence investigation he views as being based on false pretenses.
"There are classified documents that I believe prove that there will be accountability on all fronts, Maria, for a couple of reasons," Ratcliffe, a former U.S. attorney, told host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday. "You know, there's an old saying that justice delayed, is justice denied. But I think there's a Mueller exception to that rule. We've had to wait two years on Bob Mueller, but now that his report is out and there is no collusion, we can move forward.”
Bartiromo said she is being told the alleged misconduct stems all the way to former CIA Director John Brennan.
"Well, here's what we know about John Brennan in August of 2016. He briefed then Democratic Sen. Harry Reid on the Steele dossier," Ratcliffe said. "Brennan later testified under oath that the Steele dossier played no part of the intelligence community assessment, and that was a demonstrably false statement."
Ratcliffe listed Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper as ex-officials who he believes will face accountability.
Maybe so, but that'll just help reinforce the idea that the District of Criminals is an elite playground that's got nothing to do with ordinary Americans. PDJT will know how to play that one.
I couldn’t agree more. If you’re going to shoot, shoot, don’t talk-Tuco.
I’ve given up any hope that the Republicans or Trump will take any action against Clinton or the Dems for this coup. Too much talk - no action. Reminds me of the 90s, when a “Clinton conviction” was always just around the next corner.
Anyone tired of NOTHING-Burgers yet?
I have always said, that skunk Harry Reid is deeply involved in this whole affair, even though, his name is rarely mentioned.
He left, trying to disappear from the light of day.
There was a Drudge story earlier this morning where Trump declared that Wrey was just covering up the coup.
While you are likely more right than wrong, I say we try a few and see how it goes. We've got a long list to work with.
Yes Wray is a slime ball and covering up for the deep state.
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