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Why Did Obama Tell The FBI To Hide Its Activities From The Trump Administration?
The Federalist ^ | May 11, 2020 | Margot Cleveland

Posted on 05/11/2020 5:36:06 AM PDT by gattaca

In 1980, 15-year-old Amy Carter left a burnt cake in the oven of the White House’s family quarters in a reflex of childish revenge for her father’s landslide loss to Ronald Reagan. In 2017, Barack Obama and Joe Biden avenged Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Hillary Clinton by leaving what they claim was a Russian agent in the West Wing.

That conclusion inevitably follows if one accepts as credible the FBI’s supposed predicates for launching the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into the Trump campaign and the four related probes into George Papadopoulos, Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn.

On July 31, 2016, the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign, purportedly to learn if members of the Trump team were “coordinating or cooperating” with the Russian government to influence or interfere with the 2016 elections. By August 16, 2016, the FBI had opened four subsidiary investigations on individuals connected to the campaign, claiming their connections to Russian businesses, pro-Russian factions, or Russian-owned entities “reasonably indicated” they “may wittingly or unwittingly be involved in activity on behalf of the Russian Federation which may constitute a federal crime or threat to the national security.”

Let the ‘Russian Spy’ Keep Spying The FBI maintained that it opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, rather than providing Trump a defensive briefing on the report from a “friendly foreign government” that Russia had reached out to a member of his campaign to release damaging information on Hillary Clinton, because agents “had no indication as to which person in the Trump campaign allegedly received the offer from the Russians.” According to Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director E.W. “Bill” Priestap, “had we provided a defensive briefing to someone on the Trump campaign, we would have alerted the campaign to what we were looking into, and, if someone on the campaign was engaged with the Russians, he/she would very likely change his/her tactics and/or otherwise seek to cover-up his/her activities, thereby preventing us from finding the truth.”

Former deputy director of the FBI Andy McCabe likewise told Inspector General Michael Horowitz “that he did not consider a defensive briefing as an alternative to opening a counterintelligence case” because, “based on the [Friendly Foreign Government] information, the FBI did not know if any member of the campaign was coordinating with Russia and that the FBI did not brief people who ‘could potentially be the subjects that you are investigating or looking for.’”

McCabe further explained that “in a sensitive counterintelligence matter, it was essential to have a better understanding of what was occurring before taking an overt step such as providing a defensive briefing.”

While “there are plenty of problems with Priestap and McCabe’s rationale, as well as the entire predicate for Crossfire Hurricane,” a bigger problem arises if you take them at their word, because by the time Americans elected Trump president on November 8, 2016, the FBI had “a better understanding of what was occurring,” and had identified four individuals of concern. But still the FBI did not provide president-elect Trump a defensive briefing.

Instructing Holdovers to Keep Serving Obama Then came the January 5, 2017, meeting in the Oval Office where Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper briefed President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Russia-related issues.

Rice later wrote an email to herself on January 20, 2017—Trump’s inauguration day and her last day in the White House—purporting to summarize that meeting. “On January 5, following a briefing by IC leadership on Russian hacking during the 2016 Presidential election,” Rice wrote, “President Obama had a brief follow-on conversation with FBI Director Jim Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the Oval Office. Vice President Biden and I were also present.”

According to Rice, “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.’” But then she added a significant caveat to that “commitment”: “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.”

The next portion of the email is classified, but Rice then noted that “the President asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Comey said he would.”

At the time Obama suggested to Yates and Comey—who were to keep their posts under the Trump administration—that the hold-overs consider withholding information from the incoming administration, Obama knew that President Trump had named Flynn to serve as national security advisor. Obama also knew there was an ongoing FBI investigation into Flynn premised on Flynn being a Russian agent.

Yet, rather than direct his team to provide the president-elect a briefing on the Russia investigation as it related to Flynn, Obama suggested it would be appropriate to withhold such information from the Trump administration.

That is just what Comey did. The following day, Comey provided “an ostensibly similar briefing about Russian interference efforts during the 2016 campaign,” and then “[a]fter that briefing, Comey privately briefed Trump on the most salacious and absurd ‘pee tape’ allegation in the Christopher Steele dossier.”

Lying to the President While Comey found it important to tell the incoming commander-in-chief of the ridiculous “pee tape” “intel,” following Obama’s guidance the then-FBI director did not tell Trump that the FBI had an active investigation into Trump’s incoming national security advisor predicated on the idea that Flynn was potentially a Russian agent.

Even after Obama had left office and Comey had a new commander-in-chief to report to, Comey continued to follow Obama’s prompt by withholding intel from Trump. Recently released documents included as exhibits to the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Flynn reveal this reality.

During that same January 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting in which Obama counseled Comey to be cautious in sharing information about Russia with the Trump administration, Obama and Comey discussed Flynn’s late-December telephone calls with the Russian ambassador.

Following Trump’s inauguration, Comey remained adamant that Trump not be briefed of the details of Flynn’s call with the Russian ambassador, and then “broke every protocol” to preempt Yates’s directive that he inform the White House of the conversation, by sending agents to interview Flynn in the West Wing on January 24, 2017.

But it wasn’t just Obama and Comey’s secreting of the supposed intel about Flynn that shows they put damaging the incoming Trump administration above protecting the country from purported Russian agents. The Flynn investigation was but one aspect of the Crossfire Hurricane probe, and Trump was not briefed on the other investigations either—most significantly the continuing investigation of Carter Page.

Secrets and Lies The FBI’s targeting of Page included the use of four constitutionally defective Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act surveillance warrants. The recent declassification of additional aspects of the four FISA applications exposes that the FBI believed Page continued to communicate with higher-ups in the Trump administration: The April 7, 2017 and the June 28, 2017, FISA renewal applications that sought continued surveillance on Page stated that “the FBI assesses that Page continues to have access to senior U.S. Government officials.”

They put damaging the incoming Trump administration above protecting the country from purported Russian agents. The renewal applications added that “the FBI further assesses that Page is attempting to downplay his contacts with the Russian Government and to dispel the controversy surrounding him, so as to make him more viable as a foreign policy expert who will be in a position, due to his continued contacts with senior U.S. Government officials, to influence U.S. foreign policy towards Russia.”

Yet the FBI did not brief Trump on its supposed belief “that Russia sought to use Page’s connections with administration officials to influence America’s foreign policy. Instead, as the newly declassified information reveals, following Trump’s inauguration, the FBI sought to, and apparently succeeded in, intercepting communications between Page and members of the Trump administration.”

So, not only was the FBI content with leaving a supposed Russian agent in the West Wing, it had no qualms about allowing another purported Russian agent to communicate with “senior U.S. Government officials” with the goal of influencing the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

Obama Told Us To The FBI, however, is not solely to blame for keeping this “important” information from Trump: They were only following the counsel of former President Barack Obama.

While a young Amy Carter can be forgiven for her juvenile vision of departing the White House “content with the picture of Nancy Reagan struggling to clean out the oven,” there is no excuse for an outcoming president to withhold “intel” on supposed Russian agents from the president-elect. And there is no excuse for an outcoming president to advise hold-over high-ranking officials to do likewise once the new president has taken office.

Or, rather, the only excuse is an equally scandalous one: Obama knew the Russia investigation was a hoax from the get-go.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barackhusseinobama; carterpage; collusion; crossfirehurricane; deepstate; fbi; fisaabuse; jamescomey; michaelflynn; obamaadmin; priestap; roguelist; russiacollusion; russiagate; russiancollusion; spygate; susanrice
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

41 posted on 05/11/2020 7:22:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Robert DeLong

Wow, she sure is ugly


42 posted on 05/11/2020 7:23:43 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
Her looks had to come from her father, as her mother Rosalynn wasn't a bad looking woman:

Rosalynn Carter Rosalynn Carter b 1927 New Georgia Encyclopedia

43 posted on 05/11/2020 7:47:19 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Rapscallion

“... blacken his name forever.”

Nah, use white-out on it. A shoutout to his white half he never acknowledges.


44 posted on 05/11/2020 7:57:14 AM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: LeonardFMason
......following Obama’s orders, Comey then-FBI director did not tell Trump that the FBI had an active investigation into Trump’s incoming national security advisor (Gen Flynn) predicated on the idea that Flynn was potentially a Russian agent” The FBI Director DID NOT TELL TRUMP on orders from OBAMA. This is BEYOND Outrageous......

AND THIS----

Obama's AG Lynch Reveals Bias and Intent For Failing To Give Trump Defensive Briefing
Said she didn't know why candidate Trump did not receive DOJ "defensive briefings"

saraacarter.com ^ | 3/13/2019 | Sara A. Carter / FR Posted by bitt

Pres Trump’s campaign was never given a defensive briefing by the FBI, despite Democrats' mounting concerns that Russians were allegedly trying to penetrate the campaign during the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win..

In testimony provided by Obama's AG Loretta Lynch, along with others, it is the key finding that won’t bode well for the FBI and DOJ. It also raises significant questions regarding preferential treatment of Hillary Clinton’s campaign and whether she ever received ‘defensive briefings’ in detail from the bureau. Lynch’s testimony is still not public but has been reviewed by SaraACarter.com.

"I WAS CERTAINLY AWARE THAT IT WAS AN OPTION, BUT
I DON’T KNOW WHAT, IF ANYTHING, EVER HAPPENED TO THAT OPTION," SAID OBAMA'S AG LYNCH.

The "defensive briefing" is a time-honored procedure that is often given to presidential candidates, elected officials and even U.S. businesses that have either been unwittingly approached by foreign actors attempting to gain trust and befriend those in position of influence.

The briefing allows the government to protect the candidates, specifically if there is substantial information or knowledge to suggest that someone has targeted an unwitting American for information, if the FBI or intel agencies suspect foreign adversaries may be trying to penetrate a presidential campaign.

===============================

Obama's FBI Was Giving Different Intelligence Briefings to Candidate Trump than to Candidate Clinton
GATEWAY PUNDIT | 6/23/2019 | Jim Hoft / FR Posted by bitt

The Democrats and liberal media insist that Russia wanted Trump to win over Crooked Hillary. The entire premise is ridiculous. The Russians had enough dirt on Hillary to fill the White House.

The TRUTH is that the entire DC establishment including the Obama White House, the liberal media and the Obama Deep State wanted Hillary Clinton to win… and they worked tirelessly and illegitimately to make it happen. And still failed. ....more at thegatewaypundit.com ...

45 posted on 05/11/2020 8:16:02 AM PDT by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: All
The corrupt, criminal, cowardly Obama Deep State ....all the usual suspect including Obama's DOJ and FBI......
have been running at breakneck speed to "get Trump" and his associates (as candidate and as president).

QUOTING TOM FITTON, JUDICIAL WATCH PRESIDENT:
Obama's State Dept was all hands on deck in terms of targeting Trump.

<><> meetings with Glen Simpson, Steele, Clinton aides, Sid Blumenthal and Clinton associate, Cody Shearer.
<><> Shocker---there was more than one dossier going to the FBI and DOJ.....
<><> there was Christopher Steele's dossier,
<><> and a second dossier created by the State Dept itself, targeting Trump.
<><> shows Jonathan Winer and Glen Simpson were in contact Sept 2016
<><> Winer immediately contacted Victoria Nuland, a top aide at the Obama State Dept.
<><> Post-election, they worked hand in glove with top Dem Steny Hoyer's guy on Russian issues.

46 posted on 05/11/2020 8:17:10 AM PDT by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Travis McGee

Its going to look like a repeat of the Nazi trials.


47 posted on 05/11/2020 9:14:17 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: Diogenesis

alex,
i’ll take “conspiracy for treason and sedition”.

because it was ignored in the past.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Usurpation Day until the present.


48 posted on 05/11/2020 9:38:09 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizens Are Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Travis McGee; Registered

ROFL! Pinging Registered, he actually posted on a tribute thread the other day.


49 posted on 05/11/2020 9:46:09 AM PDT by Golden Eagle (Pompeo says 'enormous evidence' virus came from Wuhan lab. So, let's see it.)
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To: Travis McGee

Where is Jar Jar Val?


50 posted on 05/11/2020 10:38:40 AM PDT by depressed in 06 (60 in '20. Now, more than ever! (61, I didn't take into account Mittens.))
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To: Robert DeLong

the 2 standing between Clapper & Hillary, is the one on the right Stefan Halper? Do you know who the other is?


51 posted on 05/11/2020 10:54:33 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: mo
...done in collusion with, or perhaps even at the “behest of” certain foreign governments
Well, the dossier was certainly done with the collusion of MI6 with the permission of British government politicians. I can’t believe Steele (an ex?-MI6 agent) would have ventured something like that on his own.
52 posted on 05/11/2020 10:56:00 AM PDT by Hiddigeigei ("Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish," said Dionysus - Euripides)
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To: Robert DeLong
the 2 standing between Clapper & Hillary, is the one on the right Stefan Halper? Do you know who the other is?

It might be Vyacheslav Trubnikov.

53 posted on 05/11/2020 12:28:29 PM PDT by EVO X
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To: EVO X
You may be right. Kind of looks like him:

At any rate a very good guess. 8>)

54 posted on 05/11/2020 12:54:59 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Robert DeLong

It definitely not Christopher Andrews or Richard Dearlove.


55 posted on 05/11/2020 1:17:21 PM PDT by EVO X
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To: EVO X

Yep neither of them. 8>)


56 posted on 05/11/2020 1:21:58 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Travis McGee
So the people in the picture are:

Tennessee Congressional Democrat Steve Cohen

Left to right behind Steve Cohen are:

Attorney General Loretta Lynch
DNI James Clapper
Hillary Clinton of course
National Security Advisor Susan Rice
CIA Director Commie John Brennan
FBI Director Commie James Comey

In the last row: We have either Vyacheslav Trubnikov (Soviet that fed the BS to Steele) or perhaps Louis Sussman U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.
Stefan Halper (FBI informant)
Samantha Powers U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
Lisa Page (FBI Lawyer)
Peter Strzok (Scumbag FBi)
Nellie Ohr and her husband Bruce Ohr

Please provide any corrections if you think this list is wrong. 8>)

57 posted on 05/11/2020 3:47:06 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Robert DeLong; Travis McGee

“In the last row: We have either Vyacheslav Trubnikov (Soviet that fed the BS to Steele) or perhaps Louis Sussman U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.”

I’ve changed my guess to Richard Dearlove. The Travis McGee picture is a little grainy. The person next to Halper appears to have a bit more hair on the top of his head than Dearlove. That might be a processing issue. The glasses and face look like Dearlove.

There is a picture of Dearlove in this relevant article:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4054396/Putin-backed-Formula-1-tycoon-sponsored-Cambridge-intelligence-group-ex-MI6-chief-quit-fear-infiltrated-Russia.html


58 posted on 05/11/2020 11:44:53 PM PDT by EVO X
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To: EVO X

Could be. Not quite sure why that person was included, I can think of plenty of other who stand out as more recognizable, like Adam Schiff. 8>)


59 posted on 05/12/2020 6:32:21 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Robert DeLong
Could be. Not quite sure why that person was included, I can think of plenty of other who stand out as more recognizable, like Adam Schiff. 8>)

It wouldn't surprise me if we found out Schiff was in on the Russian hoax from the very beginning...

60 posted on 05/12/2020 8:11:25 AM PDT by EVO X
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