Posted on 04/04/2019 1:13:46 PM PDT by Liz
A secret memo granted broad rights to the FBI to share information gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with foreign officials. Two-way exchange of information with foreign officials could allow the politicized targeting of Americans, since foreign nations aren’t obligated to uphold the U.S. Constitution. The efforts by the Justice Department to gather information on Trump aides repeatedly involved figures associated with foreign agencies.
Foreign allies strongly opposed President Donald Trump declassifying information illuminating the investigation into Russian collusion. A 2012 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court motion contained a little-noticed provision expanding the FBI’s ability to share information with foreign officials, which could have laid the groundwork for abuses against U.S. citizens, Rep. Louie Gohmert said. “This motion and order would allow the FBI to collude with foreign governments about U.S. citizens,” Gohmert, a Texas Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. The potential for the U.S. government to spy on citizens — including for potentially political purposes — by partnering with foreign governments has come under renewed scrutiny following a pattern of Trump campaign associates being seemingly targeted abroad or by using their contacts with foreigners.
Republicans who believed the Russia probe improperly targeted a political opponent urged President Donald Trump to declassify documents related to the investigation months ago. But Trump ultimately declined, with two foreign countries adamantly opposed to the release.
In a 70-page motion to the court dated April 23, 2012, the Obama administration asked to modify “Section IV.C (Dissemination of Foreign Intelligence Information Concerning United States Persons To Foreign Governments).” “The following underlined text will be inserted into the first sentence: ‘The FBI may disseminate FISA-acquired information concerning United States persons, which reasonably appears to be foreign intelligence information, is necessary to understand foreign intelligence information or assess its importance, or is evidence of a crime being disseminated for a law enforcement purpose, to foreign governments as follows,'” it says (emphasis theirs).
Gohmert told TheDCNF: “‘Reasonably necessary to understand foreign intelligence or assess its importance?’ That’s pretty vague.There’s nothing they could obtain on American citizens that John Brennan or James Clapper couldn’t say ‘it helped me understand other intelligence,'” he continued, referring to the former directors of the CIA and of national intelligence, respectively.
Sidney Powell, a former federal prosecutor, told TheDCNF “this language is very concerning. There is ever-mounting evidence that our ‘allies’ in the ‘Five-Eyes’ world were part of the conspiracy to destroy President Trump,” she said, referring to the intelligence alliance between the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. “This amendment only exacerbates the likelihood of abuses.”
In September 2018, Trump ordered the “immediate declassification” of key documents that would illuminate the Russia probe — which ultimately found no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia — but reversed himself days later. He said two unnamed countries, described as “very good allies,” called to express concern. The New York Times reported that the British government expressed “grave concern.”
Foreign governments do not have the same restrictions on monitoring U.S. citizens as the Department of Justice does, since foreign governments are not beholden to the U.S. Constitution. Allowing a two-way exchange of information significantly expands the ability of the U.S. to work with other governments on topics dealing with Americans. The 2012 motion, which was mostly declassified in 2015, also requested additional powers to share intelligence with foreign governments that are still unknown because the relevant portion was redacted. “In addition, the following underlined text is inserted into Section IV.C.2: [redacted],” it said. “To facilitate the dissemination of evidence of a crime to foreign governments, the amendments permit FBI to [redacted].” Gohmert railed against the document on the House floor on March 28, saying the secret nature of the years-old motion meant Congress didn’t know what it voted to reauthorize. “I don’t know anyone that did know back in 2012 that our Obama Justice Department was throwing the door open with this vague and ambiguous language,” he said.
With special counsel Robert Mueller finding no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia despite an aggressive monitoring effort, Republicans are now looking into the potential abuse of powers originally granted for anti-terrorism purposes to spy on Americans for political reasons. Department of Justice officials used the Democrat-funded Steele dossier and a news article relying on the same source to obtain warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).“We now know FISA Court, at least one, perhaps more, courts were lied to … this basically a star chamber where the public is not allowed to know what went on,” Gohmert said.
--SNIP--
Former President Barack Obama and former national security adviser Susan Rice are pictured. (Joshua Roberts/REUTERS) When it emerged in early 2017 that Obama officials including former national security adviser Susan Rice made dozens of requests to unmask the identities of associates of Trump, it triggered an uproar. (RELATED: UNMASKED: Susan Rice Requested Intelligence On Trump Associates) “We thought it was bad that they were unmasking so many American citizens to additional American officials, but now we find out they got authority to even share it with foreign governments without our approval,” Gohmert told TheDCNF. “It seems like they were setting the stage for the FBI to become more politically operative. In what other places might it have been helpful?
Luke Rosiak, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter, authored “Obstruction of Justice: How the Deep State Risked National Security to Protect the Democrats.” Send news tips to luke@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Investigate the FISA judges. They HAD to be in with the deep state.
The foreign government involvement makes the coup attempt an act of war - whether one has been declared or not.
This in turn makes treason and not merely sedition the correct charge.
Agreed.
We will find any combination, from things I’ve read, of Italy (breaks my heart), Germany, England and France involved.
And NOW we get better understanding why the UK bans certain Americans from entering like Mike Savage and other journalists as “anti-islamic” or as “nationalists”. The FBI compiles lists an gives them to the Brits.
In return, brits create “Russian” dossiers and interfere with US Presidential elections.
This in turn makes treason and not merely sedition the correct charge."
You got that right!
Now, if there were only some true patriots left in the halls of gov't power who will do more than simply shake fingers and send strongly worded letters.
We knew this.
Hey, look on the bright side. At least Italy has woken up and started turning away the migrants from north Africa. They are ahead of those lesser countries like Germany, England, and France in seeing the danger.
The CIA cannot spy on Americans in the United States, but British MI6 can spy on Americans in the United States.
Likewise, MI6 cannot spy on British Subjects in the U.K. but the CIA can.
So MI6 spies on Americans, CIA spies on Britains, then the two swap information.
That has made me proud.
But if they were in on this whole FISA thing, bar trade with them and whatever the hell else we can do to them.
No problem being very fond of another country, where my pop came from.
HUGE PROBLEM when they screw the US!!!
The FISA courts approve 99.8% of all applications. It is a joke. American civil liberties are being abrogated routinely.
I doubt that Barr will reveal the extent of these abuses. He will rationalize his actions by the belief that these secret courts are too important for national security. We need a total revamping of these procedures.
If what appears to have happened here, happened. And I fully believe it did. It is government corruption on a scale that is unimaginable. The fact that it has been almost 3 years and no one has been charged tells me that the entire government, elected and unelected, are involved one way or another. Knowledge of it without taking action is the same as participating in my book. The entire congress and all agencies should be investigated, and not by congress and the agencies. We need a true independent investigation NOW! The fact that Barr as not initiated it already tells me all I need to know about him.
Congress, stop voting on legislation that you have not read, especially when it contains redacted sections. If Congress would do its job for the benefit of American citizens, maybe our country would not be on its downward spiral.
The CIA has shared info with friendly foreign intelligence agencies since their birth - and visa versa.
Pretty sure Australia is involved in this as well as the UK.
In return, brits create “Russian” dossiers and interfere with US Presidential elections.
So, the *real* scandal is British collusion.
So...... there was election related collusion with foreign governments, massive collusion. The collusion included President Barack Obama and who knows who all else in the White House.
The colluders must be tried and then executed for crimes against the Republic. The punishment must be so severe it will never happen again
Let us sharpen the charge somewhat.
Would that be the UK and Australian governments or rogue elements akin to the rogues in the American FBI?
If that were the case, then any US citizen helping assist Japan not only before Pearl, but the hours afterward before a formal declaration, would not be guilty of treason under this definition.
Likewise, under this construction, treason could never be charged against internal, domestic enemies because naturally, a state of (declared) war doesn't exist. Therefore, anyone plotting a conspiracy to mount insurrection, execute a coup, plan an assassination, etc would not be engaged in treason.
This is patently false. Treason is giving either engaging in enemy action, or giving aid and comfort to the enemy, declared or not, internal or foreign. An attempted coup on the president satisfies all conditions for treason, and the conspirators should be adjudicated forthwith.
As the governments don’t appear to be cooperating in the exposure of the plot, they must be listed among its proponents, with all the implications that follow.
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