Free Republic

In February 2018, California Rep. Devin Nunes released a four-page memo on “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Abuses at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The memo included two key claims: that the now-discredited Steele dossier “formed an essential part” of the Carter Page application, and that the application was compromised. Though Mr. Nunes has now been vindicated by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, at the time he was widely derided. Those who dismissed him included his Republican counterpart chairing the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr. In a July 24 story headlined “Burr breaks with Nunes,” CNN quoted...

The Burr-Feinstein antiencryption bill isn't just bad, it's evidence of a dangerous incompetence in congressional leadership that is undermining America’s security. In fact, the draft bill, leaked two weeks ago and now officially released, is compelling evidence that Senate leadership should strip – or at least not reappoint – Senators Burr and Feinstein of their positions on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Amongst its many provisions, the draft bill mandates that tech companies make all of our online data "intelligible" when presented with a court order. The bill defines intelligible as "decrypted, deciphered, decoded, demodulated, or deobfuscated" to "the...

Sens. Richard Burr (R) of North Carolina and Dianne Feinstein (D) of California should be stripped of their positions for introducing a bill that would endanger American digital security and privacy. The Burr-Feinstein antiencryption bill isn't just bad, it's evidence of a dangerous incompetence in congressional leadership that is undermining America’s security. In fact, the draft bill, leaked two weeks ago and now officially released, is compelling evidence that Senate leadership should strip – or at least not reappoint – Senators Burr and Feinstein of their positions on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.... To say this most recent Burr-Feinstein...

It's no secret that law enforcement agencies and governments at large want to have access to our personal data whether we like it or not. Hot on the heels of the FBI managing to bypass security measures that should have protected the data on a terrorist's iPhone 5c, we see that the case is definitely not closed. As many had suspected, now that the floodgates are open, agencies like the FBI are not content to let this one win be the last. This week, draft legislation leaked out of the U.S. Senate that to some highlights the government's ignorance about encryption. Within...

The Justice Department's review of the origins of the Russia investigation created "unease" at the CIA, according to a reporter who has followed its progress. Uncertainty over what investigators are seeking and whether the inquiry has become a criminal investigation has prompted some CIA analysts who played a role in the intelligence assessment of Russia's activities during the 2016 campaign to hire lawyers. "It's really not clear where he's going with this, but a lot of people are very rattled. Those CIA analysts I mentioned had to hire their own lawyers because no one’s even sure whether this is a...

Lindsey Graham is supposedly a new convert to the MAGA movement. Almost immediately after traitor John McCain died, Lindsey Graham appeared to have a change of heart. He began backing Trump on policy matters, and when Justice Kavanaugh was under attack, Lindsey was the point-man for his defense; delivering one of the most impassioned political speeches ever. Lindsey’s speech last year was a “game-changer” and MAGA rallied around the South Carolina senator and embraced him as a new and important figurehead in the movement. Graham even took over Chuck Grassley’s place as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee – a...

Why should the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee get a pass? – No one is more frustrated with the empty promises of Lindsey Graham than I am. The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who must stand for re-election to his South Carolina Senate seat in 2020, has spent this entire year rushing before the nearest TV camera to make empty promise after empty promise about his plans to force people to testify before his committee. He’s done this so many times, he has become the Senate’s version of the boy who cried wolf. It’s to the point now...

With media reporting that U.S. Attorney John Durham has expanded the timeline and scope of his investigation into U.S. government and intelligence community activity during the 2016 election, there’s an interesting quote from NBC: …”Justice Department officials have said that Durham has found something significant, and that critics should be careful.”… The expanded investigative timeline is now into May 2017 when Mueller was appointed special counsel, and would mean all of the preceding (and surrounding) activity leading up to Mueller would be reviewed. With that carefully in mind…. During the 2016 effort to weaponize the institutions of government against the...

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) on Wednesday told reporters that a whistleblower at the center of the House impeachment inquiry hasn't yet agreed to meet with his Senate panel. Asked if his panel would look into the content of the whistleblower's complaint — which is focused on President Trump's attempts to get the Ukraine government to investigate the Bidens — Burr said he first had to "go through the process of the whistleblower complaint." "I don't know," he added, asked how long that would take. "Tell me when I'm going to get access to a whistleblower who has...

Whooo doggies, Maria Bartiromo outdid herself this morning with an interview segment just packed with information, insight and discussion into the DOJ and FBI corruption and DNI Ratcliffe’s nomination. (h/t Michael Sheridan) This is a MUST WATCH: After the first segment on the El Paso and Dayton shootings, Ms. Bartiromo segued into a discussion of George Papadopoulos and the secret informant transcripts; from recordings that were part of the FBI sting operation using U.S. intelligence asset Stefan Halper; and are now being held in evidence by U.S. Attorney John Durham and Inspector General Michael Horowitz. [Background] Keep in mind Gowdy...

Today’s Campaign Update (Because The Campaign Never Ends) Tired of all this #Winning yet? – Another month, another sterling jobs report. The private sector beat “expert” expectations yet again by adding 164,000 new jobs during the month of July, finishing the month with an all-time record 157,288,000 Americans gainfully employed. Even more encouraging is the fact that almost 400,000 Americans moved from the part-time jobs that characterized the Obama economy to the good-paying full-time jobs that are the centerpiece of the Trump economy. This truly never, ever gets old. She’s gonna need some new script-writers. – The Chief of Staff...

That was quick. Donald Trump Jr. was interviewed by the highly corrupt members of the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday behind closed doors. Last month, the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about his prior testimony to Senate investigators related to the Russia investigation. The Senate Intel Panel has interviewed over 200 witnesses and poured over hundreds of thousands of documents as part of their investigation into whether Trump’s camp colluded with Russia — the investigation started over two years ago in January of 2017. Don Jr. previously testified to the Committee (for 25 hours)...

The stupid Beltway GOP Establishment, but I repeat myself, is finally standing firm on something – unfortunately, what it is standing firm on is its failure to listen to its own base. The base is woke and the Establishment’s a joke. I speak to a lot of conservative groups of various types and flavors: hardcore tea partiers, patriotic vets, loyal radio listeners, besieged students, brass New Yorkers, even rich country club types who you would think were into Jeb! – you know, diversity. And lately, I’ve tended to start off my talks by posing this question:“Okay, who here agrees with...

President Donald Trump’s eldest son will give private testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in mid-June, as a result of a deal revealed on Tuesday. Donald Trump Jr. will answer questions limited to five or six topics for up to four hours, reported Politico. Committee chair Richard Burr, the senior Republican senator from North Carolina, created tension with Trump’s allies after issuing a subpoena for the president’s son’s testimony, reported The New York Times. (RELATED: Montana’s Democratic Gov Steve Bullock Announces 2020 Run) Trump Jr. had already volunteered to show up for interviews but failed to appear twice,...

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. and the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee reached a deal on Tuesday for the president’s eldest son to sit for a private interview with senators in the coming weeks that will be limited in time, an accord that should cool a heated intraparty standoff.

On this weekend’s broadcast of “Sunday Morning Futures,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged Donald Trump Jr. to ignore a subpoena issued by Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). Graham said, “If I were Donald Trump Jr.’s lawyer, I would tell him, you don’t need to go back into this environment anymore. You’ve been there for hours and hours and nothing being alleged here changes the outcome of the Mueller investigation.”

FULL TITLE: Dan Bongino Slams ‘Weak’ Richard Burr: He’s a ‘Fake Republican,’ Committee’s Really Run by ‘Dr. Evil’ Mark Warner ‘I think they are afraid the I.G. report, it will look really ugly’ RUSH EXCERPT: BONGINO: “Don junior should tell them to go, they must the memo? Did they think it was a hoax? Did they miss the 440 pages of memo from Mueller himself? This collusion hoax was real, they would want anything. Here’s what’s really going on, judge Richard, the Republican chairman of the Senate committee has been called junior’s meek. He’s always been weak. He’s a fake...

Trump Jr. is deciding whether to comply with a subpoena from the committee — which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election — but the source said the president’s eldest child is more likely to work out a compromise to avoid the public scrutiny. “There’s no way the president’s son is going to appear before a committee and get questioned at a hearing by Democratic candidates running for president,” said a Republican insider with ties to the White House. “We’re in an election cycle. There’s no logical basis to call Don in.” The two Democratic presidential hopefuls on the...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is slamming Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the GOP chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, for contradicting direct orders from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Russia investigation and issuing a subpoena of Donald Trump, Jr., despite McConnell’s statement that the case is closed. Apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn’t get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed... Burr, as Breitbart News and other outlets reported late Wednesday, has issued a subpoena of Trump, Jr., which the president’s eldest son is electing to rebuff despite Trump, Jr.’s history...

A BURR IN THEIR BRITCHES Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have done everything but build a moat and a drawbridge to keep House Democrats from pursuing President Trump. So the idea that they would then turn and eat one of their own to save Trump’s eldest son another day of testimony was foolish on its face. Depending on your point of view, you may think that Senate Republicans acted out of patriotic virtue, partisan self-interest or even malign intent. But work no one could reasonably argue that that they have not acted to protect Trump. Not only have the members...