Spying? FBI recorded Trump questions on Russia during first counterintelligence briefing

Agent's notes confirm IG report that August 2016 briefing with Trump and Flynn used to gather evidence for Russia probe

An FBI agent who was secretly inserted into Donald Trump's first counterintelligence briefing in August 2016 to gather evidence of Russia collusion recorded the specific questions the future president was asking intelligence officials as well as sizing up national security adviser Michael Flynn's behavior, according to a memo declassified and made public Thursday.

"Trump asked the following question, 'Joe, are the Russians bad? Because they have more numbers are they worse than the Chinese?'" Agent Joseph Pientka wrote in his summary memo of the briefing with then-candidate Trump. "Writer responded by saying both countries are bad. The numbers of IOs present in the U.S. is not an indicator of the severity of the threat. Writer reminded Trump the Chinese asymmetrical presence in the U.S."

File Enclosure 1_Dcoument Brief to Republican Candidate for U.S. President_08-30-16.pdf The extraordinary notes confirm information first divulged last December by the Justice Department inspector general that the Comey FBI used the August 2016 briefing as a way of sizing up then-candidate Trump and Flynn in the Russia case and gathering evidence against them.

Memos associated with the meeting show since-fired Agent Peter Strzok and departed FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith were involved in approving the effort by Pientka to use the briefing as an investigative tool instead of just an educational baseline intelligence meeting. Clinesmith was accused in the IG report of altering a key document in the Russia case and has left the bureau, though he has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Pientka's summary memo of the briefing shows the extent to which the FBI was gathering or seeking evidence against Trump and Flynn and likely will bolster claims by Republicans that the bureau

don’t blame Hannity if action isn’t taken:

VIDEO 7m46s: 24 Jul: Fox News: Sean Hannity: New report shows ‘indisputable evidence’ FBI ‘planted’ agent to ‘spy’ on Trump
A new declassified document reveals a ‘bombshell,’ he said
by Charle Creitz; Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
In his opening monologue Thursday, Sean Hannity said a new declassified document obtained by Fox News reveals a “bombshell” development showing an FBI agent involved in the “Crossfire Hurricane” Russia investigation “actively listened” for certain topics during a defensive briefing given to the Trump campaign in August 2016.
The document reflects type-written notes by FBI agent Joe Pientka after an August 17, 2016 briefing to then-candidate Donald Trump, Michael Flynn and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, “in support of ODNI briefings provided to U.S. Presidential candidates and two of their advisors.”

The briefing, which was held at the FBI’s New York Field Office, also included a “13-minute defensive briefing” delivered by agent Joe Pientka. The document states that FBI officials Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok “approved” Pientka’s notes.
“[This is] major breaking news surrounding ... the biggest abuse of power and corruption scandal in American history and that is Obama. Biden, James Comey working together to destroy President Trump,” Hannity said on “Hannity.”
“Now we have more definitive proof tonight because a bombshell document has now tonight been declassified by the DNI Director John Ra(t)cliffe. It shows the most extreme measures that Jim Comey, Mr. Higher-Honor himself, the FBI took in 2016 to spy on then-candidate Donald Trump,” he continued.

Hannity said the briefing was supposed to be a “routine” occurrence but that it was in truth, “a ruse.”...
https://www.foxnews.com/media/hannity-indisputable-fbi-planted-agent-spy-on-trump

Youtube: 3m09s: Fox News: Tucker Carlson: Declassified Documents Suggest FBI Used “Defensive” Briefing To Spy On Trump Administration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo5Lx5zZro8

Barr/Durham - don’t make excuses for not indicting anyone NOW because there’s an election in November.

the UK - which has reason to want this investigation to go no further and, therefore, has an interest in Trump losing - had no such concerns when releasing the following report, which resulted in worldwide FakeNewsMSM revisiting Trump/Russia/2016 at the very top of news bulletins yesterday:

21 Jul: BBC: Russia report: Long-awaited publication to detail threat to UK
By Gordon Corera, Security correspondent
Nearly a year-and-a-half after it was completed, the report will be published by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee on Tuesday morning.
It is expected to provide an overview of the threat Russia poses to the UK and what has been done to counter it.
It comes after allegations of Russian interference in last year’s election, which the Kremlin has said are false.
The report, due to be published at 10:30 BST, is based on secret intelligence material from the UK’s spy agencies as well as contributions from independent experts.
It is expected to detail the scale of Russian espionage and subversion against the UK and its allies...

***Operations by Moscow’s spy agencies played a significant role in America’s 2016 presidential election, and questions have long been raised as to whether there were similar activities in the UK around the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the 2016 Brexit referendum...

Some media campaigns linked to Russia in previous political events have already been identified and a harder question to answer may be whether there was any significant impact...

Why was the report delayed?
After many rumours, the public is now finally getting a chance to see the report. But it will not see everything.
Some parts are expected to be redacted or censored. And there is also a classified version which will be for official eyes only.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-53480682

21 Jul: BBC: Russia report: UK ‘badly underestimated’ threat, says committee
Much of the “highly sensitive” detail was not published due to fears Russia could use the evidence to threaten the UK...

***And it said the government only “belatedly realised the level of threat which Russia could pose” after the so-called “hack and leak” operation against the Democrats in the 2016 US election, calling it a “game changer”...

Analysis by Gordon Corera, Security correspondent
The report may not be what some expected, but it is still damning.
Many expected the committee to have answered the question of whether there was interference in political events like Brexit.
Instead, it says the problem was the government and the spy agencies failed to even look at this question...
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-53484344

VIDEO: 7m02: 24 Jul: The Spectator: Gregg Jarrett: FBI Director Chris Wray Is Hiding Joe Pientka from Investigators
Gregg Jarrett: At the heart of it, Joe Pientka. You’re right. I write about it in my book. But interestingly the government has scrubbed him from all reports including the FBI report, the Department of Justice report, even the FISA Court report. And the FBI has removed him from their website and sequestored him to San Francisco’s field office refusing to make him available, not withstanding any repeated demands to Congress. That’s the coverup by the existing FBI director Christopher Wray. And the other part of this equation is that the documents today – they’re exculpatory. They tend to prove Trump’s innocence and yet the FBI and Christopher Wray have concealed these documents along with the intel community for the better part of four years. It’s unconscionable. It’s corrupt...
https://thespectator.info/2020/07/24/gregg-jarrett-fbi-director-chris-wray-is-hiding-joe-pientka-from-investigators/

23 Jul: Washington Times: FBI disguised its intentions in candidate Trump ‘briefing,’ declassified documents show
By Rowan Scarborough
Said a Republican congressional source: “Every part of this FBI investigation stunk to high heaven, and it turns out even the defensive briefing of Trump was part of that investigation.”

“They spied on the campaign … never been done before. They spied on the other campaign using intelligence,” President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity...

The Pientka report was approved by FBI lawyer Kevin E. Clinesmith. He was accused in the Horowitz report of fabricating a CIA email to make it look like Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page had not worked for the agency, when in fact he had been an informant.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/23/fbi-disguised-intentions-donald-trump-briefing-dec/

FYI, there is a SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE way to deal with this problem.

DISESTABLISH the FBI, “sort through” the agents/employees of the FBI, keeping the good ones by transferring the SA/employees to another federal LE agency. Then FIRE the BAD personnel & ban such persons from government employment for life.

It makes NO difference whatever which badge & credential that a LEO carries. - ALL that is important is that he/she has the authority to do whatever mission that the agent is assigned.

Btw, the federal government (& the USA as a whole) needs >80 federal police agencies like we all need an aggressive cancer.

Yours, TMN78247
USAMPR, Retired

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