Posted on 01/28/2018 10:59:14 AM PST by Kaslin
Lawmakers have been reluctant to discuss a classified four-page memo alleging that the FBI and Justice Department abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in order to spy on Trump campaign associates, but South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy provided several clues on Sunday to what’s in the controversial document.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Gowdy posed several questions to host Chris Wallace and his viewers that hinted at the allegations in the memo, which could be released by the House Intelligence Committee as early as this week.
“If you think your viewers want to know whether or not the dossier was used in court proceedings, whether or not it was vetted before it was used, whether or not it’s ever been vetted — if you are interested in who paid for the dossier, if you are interested in Christopher Steele’s relationship with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, then, yes, you will want the memo to come out,” Gowdy told Wallace.
“Do you want to know that the Democratic National Committee paid for material that was never vetted, that was included in a court proceeding?” he asked rhetorically.
“Do you want to know whether or not the primary source in these court proceedings had a bias against one candidate? Do you want to know whether or not he said he’d do anything to keep that candidate from becoming president?”
Gowdy’s reference to a source who said they opposed Donald Trump is unclear, though he would seem to be talking about Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the dossier.
Steele had been hired by Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm that was paid $1 million by the Clinton campaign and DNC to investigate Trump.
Steele met with FBI agents in July 2016 and several months later to discuss his investigation of Trump. The bureau and DOJ reportedly used Steele’s work in an application for a surveillance warrant taken out against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Republican lawmakers have pressed the FBI and DOJ over how heavily they relied on the dossier for the warrant and for the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. Republicans also want to know whether the agencies vetted the dossier prior to using it in any FISA application.
In a Senate hearing last June, former FBI Director James Comey called the dossier “salacious and unverified.”
Gowdy declined to confirm reports that the dossier was used to obtain the FISA warrant. He said that that information is classified at this point and he’s not allowed to discuss it. But Republicans will be able to get around that restriction if the Intelligence Committee votes to release the memo, which Gowdy helped write.
Democratic lawmakers have called the memo a set of talking points aimed at helping Trump, and the Justice Department sent a letter to committee chairman Devin Nunes calling the release “extremely reckless.”
In his interview, Gowdy said that he has suggested that Nunes allow the FBI and Justice Department to view the memo prior to its release. But he says that the information contained in the document is based on information already provided by those agencies.
“There’s nothing in this memo the Department is not already aware of,” Gowdy said on Sunday.
Watch Trey Gowdy discusses FISA memo
I am starting to believe this “investigation” is really just political theater designed to rile the base.
A revelation here, a drip there. And it grinds into the second year with everyone still in their jobs, no change whatsoever, and even Jeff Sessions at DOJ pushing to keep information secret. the only “special counsel” is still Mueller, appointed by a holdover Assistant AG Rosenstein, accountable to no one, still chasing Russian ghosts.
Him and another republican congressmen said this morning the FBI should be able to see the Memo before its released
The fix is in. There’s too much dirt for us deplorables to see it. Next thing you know, they’ll want honest elections.
They can’t expose too much of the corruption of the Kenyanesian Usurpation without exposing their own culpability.
The all knew Obama was not a natural born citizen.
He told us he was born a British subject because of his foreign national father.
We won’t know much if the memo comes out all redacted.
“Mueller, appointed by a holdover Assistant AG Rosenstein, accountable to no one”
*****************
And this is what happens when there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. This should never happen in a democracy. Its a recipe for abuse.
I’ll bet the reason there is so much strum und drang regarding the need to keep it secret is:
It includes damaging info about Mueller, info were it disclosed would induce his investigation to immediately collapse like a house of cards.
That he’s biased and compromised.
Chris Wallace is Scum to the bone.
The author of the article assumes that it is Steele who said that he would do anything to prevent Trump from being President when it is more likely Strozk IMHO.
Let USAians see the memo, or you’re just another brick in the stonewalling. A deep state, enabler.
I do think highly of Growdy, but do _not_ do what the NSA, CIA, FBI, DOJ recommend for this issue!
And many others.
These DC institutional creatures have become extremely dangerous to USAians and USConstitution.
Get ready for the fireworks when the newly appointed Special Prosecutor indicts the under fire Russian Conspiracy prosecutor Mueller for crimes against the state.
DC is going to implode....
It’s the election stupid!
Timing is of the essence to allow maximum unrecoverable damage
Normally, I would agree. However, I believe that McCabe and Rosenstein are in CYA mode by re-opening the Hillary email crimes and the Clinton Foundation potential crimes. I believe they saw all these leaks coming. Why Trump appointed them is beyond my understanding.
Why not a DOJ prosecutor?
That’s what the DOJ is for
I have been cautioning everyone to not let themselves get too worked up over this. In the end, it is going to be a disappointment.
Rosenstein is not a holdover. He was appointed by Trump and approved by the Senate. He is Trump’s guy, not Obama’s.
Sadly, I agree.
This has nothing to do about Obama’s place of birth. That was 8 years ago. Why don’t you try to catch up with the rest of us.
Roosterhead defends Mulehead.
And now goes against Nunes on release on Memo.
What do you Feepers who are constantly defending Roosterhead
have to say about this new development?
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