PeterS

DESPITE STRONG OBJECTIONS from the Justice Department, House Republicans released a four-page memo on Friday challenging the “legitimacy and legality” of the FBI’s surveillance of Carter Page, a former adviser to the Trump campaign suspected of having ties to Russian intelligence.

The memo, generated by staffers of House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes, R-Calif., confirms that the FBI sought authorization under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to intercept Page’s communications. The FBI submitted the FISA application in October 2016, after Page had left the Trump campaign, by establishing probable cause to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that Page was acting as an “agent” of Russia. The Nunes memo also reports that FISA surveillance of Page was subsequently renewed three times.

The central claim of the memo is that the FISA surveillance applications relied on a controversial dossier by former British spy Christopher Steele, whose raw intelligence reports claimed that Trump campaign officials had met with Russians and that Russian intelligence had information sufficient to blackmail Donald Trump. Steele was a Russia expert for MI6 and had provided credible information to the FBI in the past.

https://theintercept.com/2018/02/02/nunes-memo-fisa-trump-russia/

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Senate Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,

On October 21, 2016, DOJ and FBI sought and received a FISA probable cause order (not under Title VII) authorizing electronic surveillance on Carter Page from the FISC. Page is a U.S, ciitzen who served as a volunteer advisor to the Trump presidential campaign. Consistent with requirements under FISA, the application had to be first certified by the Director or Deputy Director of the FBI. It then required the approval of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General (DAG), or the senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division.

The FBI and DOJ obtained one initial FISA warrant targeting Carter Page and three FISA renewals from the FISC. As required by statute (50 U.S.C. &1805(d)(1), a FISA order on an American citizen must be renewed by the FISC every 90 days and each renewal requires a separate finding of probable cause. Then-Director James Comey signed three FISA applications in question on behalf of the FBI. and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe signed one. Then-DAG Sally Yates, then-acting DAG Dana Boente, and DAG Rod Rosenstein each signed one or more FISA applications on behalf of DOJ.

In the case of Carter Page, the government had at least four independent opportunities before the FISC to accurately provide an accounting of the relevant facts. However, our findings indicate that, as described below, material and relevant information was omitted.

1)The "dossier" compiled by Christopher Steele on behalf of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hillary Clinton campaign formed an essential part of the Carter Page FISA application. Steele was a longtime FBI source who was paid over $160,000 by the DNC and Clinton campaign, via the law firm Perkins Coie and research firm Fusion GPS, to obtain derogatory on Donald Trump ties to Russia.

a) Neither the initial application in October 2016, nor any of the renewals, disclose or reference the role of DNC, Clinton campaign, or any party/campaign in funding Steele's efforts, even though the political origins of the Steele dossier were then known to senior DOJ and FBI officials.

b) The initial FISA application notes Steele was working for a named U.S.person, but does not name Fusion GPS amd principal Glenn Simpson, who was paid by a U.S. law firm (Perkins Coie) representing the DNC (even though it was known by DOJ at the time that political actors were involved with the Steele dossier). The application does not mention Steele was ultimately working on behalf of--and paid by--the DNC and Clinton camapaign, or that the FBI had separately authorized payment to Steele for the same information.

2) The Carter Page FISA application also cited extensively a September 23, 2016, Yahoo News article by Michael Isikoff, which focuses on Page's July 2016 trip to Moscow. This article does not corroborate the Steele dossier because it is derived from information leaked by Steele himself to Yahoo News The Page FISA application incorrectly assesses that Steele did not directly provide information to Yahoo News. Steele has admitted in British court filings that he met with Yahoo News/ --and several other outlets--in September 2016 at the direction of Fusion GPS. Perkins Coie was aware of Steele's initial media contacts because they hosted at least one meeting in Washington D.C. in 2016 with Steele and Fusion GPS where this matter was discussed.

a) Steele was suspended and then terminated as an FBI source for what the FBI defines as the most serious of violations--an unauthorized disclosure to the media of his relationship with the FBI in an October 30, 2016, Mother Jones article by David Corn. Steele should have been terminated for his previous undisclosed contacts with Yahoo and other outlets in September--before the Page application was submitted to the FISC in October--but Steele improperly concealed from and lied to the FBI about these contacts.

b) Steele's numerous encounters with the media violated the cardinal rule of source handling--maintaining confidentiality--and demonstrated that Steele had become a less than reliable source for the FBI.

3) Before and after Steele was terminated as a source, he maintained contact with DOJ via then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, a senior DOJ official who worked closely with Deputy Attorneys General Yates and later Rosenstein. Shortly after the election, the FBI began interviewing Ohr, documenting his communications with Steele. For example, in September 2016, Steele admitted to Ohr his feelings against then-candidate Trump when Steele said he "was desparate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president." This clear evidence of Steele's bias was recorded by Ohr at the time and subsequently in official FBI files--but not reflected in any of the Page FISA applications.

a) During this same period, Ohr's wife was employed by Fusion GPS to assist in the cultivation of opposition research on Trump. Ohr later provided the FBI with all his wife's opposition research, paid for by the DNC and Clinton campaign via Fusion GPS. The Ohr's relationship with Steele and Fusion GPS was inexplicably concealed from the FISC.

4) According to the head of the FBI's counterintelligence division, Assistant Director Bill Priestap, corroboration of the Steele dossier was in its "infancy" at the time of the initial Page FISA application. After Steele was terminated, a source validation report conducted by an independent unit within the FBI assessed Steele's reporting as only minimally corroborated. Yet, in early January, 2017, Director Comey briefed President-elect Trump on a summary of the Steele dossier, even though it was--according to his June 2017 testimony--"salacious and unverified." While the FISA application relied on Steele's past record of credible reporting on other unrelated matters, it ignored or concealed his anti-Trump financial and ideological motivations. Furthermore, Deputy Director McCabe testified before the Committee in December 2017 that no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.

5) The Page FISA application also mentions information regarding fellow Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos. The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Pete Strzok. Strzok was reassigned by the Special Counsel's Office to FBI Human Resources for improper text messages with his mistress, FBI Attorney Lisa Page (no known relation to Carter Page), where the both demonstrated a clear bias against Trump and in favor of Clinton, whom Strzok had also investigated. The Strzok/Lisa Page texts also reflect extensive discussions about the investigation, orchestrating leaks to the media, and include a meeting with Deputy Director McCabe to discuss an "insurance" policy against President Trump's election.

RETW Loc: Washington

Do you even know what is going on? I don't think so. The FISA warrant was obtained because of the phony trumped up dossier made up by former British spy Christopher Steele. That dossier was produced and paid for by, hillary clinton and the democratic national committee. And that is much more than collusion. That is a conspiracy to commit a crime of influencing a major election.

All who were involved in this conspiracy need to be charged with whatever crime that fits and put behind bars for a very long time.

Carter Page was named in the warrant, not Donald Trump. But the fake news media only talked about
Donald Trump. Making it appear as though it was Donald Trump that was named.

To this date, no evidence has been found to charge Carter Page with any wrongdoing. And no eveidence has been found that points to Donald Trump doing anything wrong either.

There is evidence, and plenty of it, that proves it was the DNC and hilary clinton that conspired to change the outcome of the presidential election. That is a major crime.

There is supportable evidence to prove it was hilary clinton that colluded with the Russians, to ruin
candidate Donald Trump.

All this collusion, conspiracy, crimes, treason, influencing, false charges claimed by the democrats,
was to cover up their own misdeeds.

What better way to try and cover your own tracks than to shift the blame for your own failure to another.

The scope of this crime is vast, and it goes all the way to the top. Obama had to know what was going on. After all, it was his justice department that was in charge when all this took place, starting way back before the primaries.

And let's not forget, if this had not been exposed, the crimes of hilary clinton would not have ever seen the light of day.

The floodgates to the swamp have just been unlocked, and the release handle is ready to be pulled.



GO---GO----Go-----MR. Trump

roy

Ever wonder why the whole statement is not being released,and only the cherry picked stuff,all this is ,is another attempt by trump to get rid of mullers boss so he can stop muller. Why does trump want this russian investigation stopped so bad.?

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

Well I think this is the best twist to the facts I’ve read today..

Blade puts up one that goes a bit farther than yours here..Connects the dots and such..

So many more to read I’m sure~~

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

I would hardly call a synopsis of a year long investigation "cherry picked stuff." My post above is the memo verbatim, excluding the introductory release authorization. The memo, by itself, is one hell of an indictment of high profile leftist politicians and bureaucrats. The meat and potatoes behind that memo must be hellacious.

FYI: Mueller and his "special counsel" are using completely unconstitutional tactics very similar to those of a Soviet Politburo. Mueller and everyone on his team are hard-core liberal activists, some of whom are staunch Hillary supporters who donated to her campaign. No, roy, there is no bias, no prejudice there, just a host of f*cking angels..

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

I knew the spin would be interesting.

But I have to admit I didn't expect the "Basing an investigaion on politically manufactured false information from an opposing campaign proves its legitimacy" spin.

PeterS

And here's my question(s)--what part or parts of the above are true? Why would Steele care who was the president of the United States--at least to the point that he was adamant that it was not Donald Trump? And what proof was shown that the Dossier was used to get the FISA warrant? Page was under investigation all the way back to 2013 so why would the FBI need to use the Dossier to get a warrant on someone who was known to associate with Russian spys?

Oh, and why do Trump and associates care about Carter Page? To quote the Russians, the man is an idiot...

PeterS

deleted

Weasel Loc: In the Great State Of Indiana!!

Thank You!
We keep clearing it up for them, yet they keep getting more confused. I think Liberals are stupid on purpose.
Now the big question Why are we continuing to pay Mr. MUELLER $MILLIONS OF DOLLARS Without so much as an update, or status report, after a year of hunting witches?

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

Its gotta be on purpose

RETW Loc: Washington

You can show proof that President Trump wants this stopped right? Who wants it stopped.

After a year of digging, there is not one bit of evidence, showing President Trump is guilty of any

collusion of any kind. However, there is evidence that hilary and the DNC committed conspiracy

to alter the Presidential election of 2016. That's a felony ding-dong.

RETW Loc: Washington

Your leftist palls have been cot with both hands in the cookie jar.

You lost ding-dong.

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

The whole pile of information is 10s of 1000s of pages, much of which is sensitive. That's why it wasn't all released.

Any normal person would be unhappy that an investigation made by partisan political hacks that used fake information for a secret warrant to begin were lodged against them.

PeterS

The FISA warrant was 50 pages not 10's of 1000's and without looking at the warrant how do you know whether the information contained within was fake or not?