Trey Gowdy Gives Clues To What’s In FISA Abuse Memo [VIDEO]

The Daily Caller ^ | January 28, 2018 | Chuck Ross

[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

[HarleyLady27]

Chris Wallace is Scum to the bone.

******************************

The ONLY part of this article and replies that make any sense...Gowdy: “All Hat and No Cattle”...remember Benghazi and the hearings he was over, more information there that would have hung people like you and I, but he was doing it for ‘theater’ and nothing more...

[Kid Shelleen]

I am afraid you are right. It feels like the time Comey concluded the Hillary investigation. Comey publicly described all her illegal actions but let her off the hook because she did not intend to break the law.

[Hotlanta Mike]

I am starting to believe this “investigation” is really just political theater designed to rile the base.

---

That;s why Nunes’ memo is brilliant strategy. The memo summarizes the information taken from thousands of documents obtained from the DOJ. One this summary is released to the general public it will outrage everyone about he abuse of power. The American public will demand to know the underlying facts derived in this summary, forcing specific evidence to be publicly revealed that will show criminal conspiracy.

[eyedigress]

Wasn’t it John McCain in the middle of this hand-off to the FBI?

[Ambrosia]

Do you really think that will happen? I hope so!

[Governor Dinwiddie]

We need a patriot in congress to just release the memo, hell be damned.

Heck, we recently had a multimillion dollar Hollyweird production infliced upon us called "The Post" starring Meryl Strep. The whole premise of the movie was the illegal theft and release of classified material, the "Pentagon Papers". This event was hailed by the MSM as an act of patriotic heroism.

Well sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Let Gowdy flip off the Deep State, the MSM, and the talking heads. Let Trey release the memo on his own. That is a bold act of patriotism of which our Founders would heartily approve.

Recalling that famous phrase uttered by James Cagney:

“Come and get me, copper!"

[Alberta's Child]

There’s no doubt in my mind that the memo has references to people and/or crimes that are the subject of ongoing DOJ investigations. Rosenstein really has no choice but to lodge an objection here even if he doesn’t know exactly what is in the memo.

[pt17]

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.

I agree and also think much of this is just so much political theater rather than any prelude to some application of law. D.C. denizens appear to be generally far less subject to the rule of law than us ordinary folk. The swamp protects its own and right now, DOJ is looking like the epitomy of swampland.

[Alberta's Child]

Something else to keep in mind here ...

The DOJ has already filed multiple charges against people as a result of the Mueller investigation. The memo will likely have information that will undermine the DOJ's ability to prosecute those cases. Even if Rosenstein was just as loyal to Trump as Trump's own children are, he'd have a clear conflict of interest if he did NOT object to the release of the memo.

[Lurkinanloomin]

It does not matter where Obama was born.
He is ineligible.
His foreign national father made him a British subject at birth.
He is not a natural born citizen.

[Alberta's Child]

Forget about the American public demanding anything. Paul Manafort’s lawyer has probably already drafted a subpoena to order Mueller to turn over every document that was used to craft this memo ... and the subpoena will be served on Mueller within an hour after the memo is made public.

[tennmountainman]

What ongoing investigations?

Do you want to follow the Gowdy route and show the FBI Memo first?
Grassley submitted a memo to FBI for review(Senate does not have the same power as House has regarding releases)

The FBI is still stonewalling Grassley and his committee.

Is that the route you wish to take with the House?

[kenmcg]

Saw Gowdy on Fox today, praising Mueller, slamming pubbies for overstating. He sounded more like he was auditioning for the democRAT party. Maybe he’s been drinking the same water that Lindsey Grahame consumes.

[Thibodeaux]

Most importantly...... he was President

The proof of his birth matters only as a reason to kill him

[bigbob]

Correct, although they may need to outsource some of it just due to the amount of work involved. The boss won’t let DOJ all all those needed lawyers to the gummit payroll, ya know!

I just want the memo to be released. It’s a part of the process and they’ve done a good job of hyping it so that when it does come out, even if some of “us” find it to be less of a bombshell that we’d hoped, the precedent has been set and like the first trickle of flood water coming over the dike, more will inevitably follow.

Gradual, incremental releases of information is essential if we want the swamp to be drained without blowing up the stock market and our economy at the same time.

[Reverend Wright]

“There’s no doubt in my mind that the memo has references to people and/or crimes that are the subject of ongoing DOJ investigations. “

That’s odd.

Because AAG Boyd claims: “...we are currently unaware of any wrongdoing related to the FISA process...”
http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/01/24/nunes.letter.pdf

[Guardian Sebastian]

I think it will be only a confirmation of the facts we have been hearing for the past several weeks. There will be no big new news in it. Then Hillary and the Dems will exclaim, that this is old debunked news.

[Alberta's Child]

1. The House committee should NOT show the memo to the FBI before releasing it.

2. But the DOJ/FBI has every reason to ask the House committee to review it first.

These may seem contradictory, but they're not. Everyone involved here has to do their jobs, even if it seemingly puts them at odds with each other.

[2111USMC]

I’m thinking you are probably right.

While the contents may be earth shaking to Joe Six-Pack, it may be stuff that FReepers have known about for a long time.

If it names names, that will give it some weight.

[Hostage]

No, Rosenstein is a holdover. He was employed in DOJ during Obama’s reign in a job similarly to the one he has now. But he had no formal appointment.

He was appointed because he was recommended for appointment by persons in the early Trump Administration, persons who are no longer there.

The President gave new admin people the benefit of the doubt. He’s much wiser now.

Rosenstein is dirty. He recommended firing Comey because the Hillary camp wanted Comey out as payback for his announcement to reopen the email case against her (which Comey then closed again in days). Comey reopened it because NYPD said if he didn’t they would go public with a lot of the corruption and ghastly acts found on Weiner’s laptop.

Rosenstein recommended firing Comey, then waited to see if ‘Andy’ aka ‘Dirty Cop McCabe’ would get the nod to replace Comey. Recall that McCabe was waiting in the wings to be confirmed as FBI Director.