Fraud Upon the FISA Court Confirmed

[Swordsmyth]

A recently unmasked FBI agent who worked on the Clinton email investigation and exchanged anti-Trump text messages with her FBI lover and other colleagues has been pictured for the first time by the Daily Mail.

Sally Moyer, 44, who texted 'f**k Trump,' called President Trump's voters 'retarded' and vowed to quit 'on the spot' if he won the election, was seen leaving her home early Friday morning wearing a floral top and dark pants.
She shook her head and declined to discuss the controversy with a DailyMail.com reporter, and ducked quickly into her nearby car in the rain without an umbrella before driving off. -Daily Mail

Moyer - an attorney and registered Democrat identified in the Inspector General's report as "Agent 5" is a veritable goldmine of hate, who had been working for the FBI since at least September of 2006.
When Moyer sent the texts, she was on the "filter team" for the Clinton email investigation - a group of FBI officials tasked with determining whether information obtained by the FBI is considered "privileged" or if it can be used in the investigation - also known as a taint team.

Moyer exchanged most of the messages with another FBI agent who worked on the Clinton investigation, identified as 'Agent 1' in the report.
Moyer and Agent 1 were in a romantic relationship at the time, and the two have since married, according the report. Agent 1's name is being withheld. -Daily Mail

Some of Moyer's greatest hits:

• "$#@! Trump"
• "screw you trump"
• "She [Hillary] better win... otherwise i'm gonna be walking around with both of my guns."
• Moyer also called Ohio Trump supporters "retarded"

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ton-taint-team


What a loser.

[timosman]

after the FBI agent would not commit to a date.

Always playing mofos.

[timosman]

What a loser.

She worked for FBI?

[Swordsmyth]

The Justice Department this week gave House Republicans some of the documents they seek related to the Russia election-meddling investigation and Hillary Clinton email probe -- after lawmakers threatened to hold officials in contempt for stonewalling.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said on "Fox News Sunday" that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had warned that “there’s going to be action on the floor of the House this week if FBI and DOJ do not comply with our subpoena request.”


The House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committee had requested more than a million documents from the FBI and DOJ related to the Clinton investigation and surveillance of members of the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential campaign.
But a spokesperson for Ryan told The Associated Press on Saturday that the department had partially complied with the subpoenas and had turned over more than a thousand new documents.
"Our efforts have resulted in the committees finally getting access to information that was sought months ago, but some important requests remain to be completed," the spokesperson, AshLee Strong, said in a statement Saturday. "Additional time has been requested for the outstanding items, and based on our understanding of the process we believe that request is reasonable. We expect the department to meet its full obligations to the two committees."
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who has been a central figure in requesting the documents, was provided a classified letter about whether the FBI used “confidential human sources” before it started its investigation in Russia ties to the Trump campaign.


AP reported that the DOJ is also working to provide documents related to former British spy Christopher Steele, who was behind the lurid and unverified anti-Trump dossier, which Republicans say was used to obtain the FISA warrant.
Acting Assistant Deputy Director Jill Tyson said that the FBI staff would be working through the weekend to keep production of documents moving forward, according to Politico. She also said that Nunes had asked for conversation transcripts between sources and Trump campaign officials -- that request was forwarded to National Intelligence Director Dan Coats.
The partial fulfillment of the request is likely to soothe what was at one point an escalating standoff between House Republicans and department officials.

More at: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...na-threat.html

[Swordsmyth]

The corporate media is reporting intrepid crusader Robert Mueller is preparing to do a Pontius Pilate on his special council investigation of Russia and the Trump campaign.
According to WaPo, Mueller has beefed up his team with a number of prosecutors and the job of prosecuting Russian nationals for supposedly influencing the 2016 election will be fobbed off on them.

“The Post reports that the new hires are the first indication of Mueller preparing for the end of his investigation,” WaPo reported.

The Trump component is in the process of performing a disappearing act in slow motion. The investigation petered out months ago. Democrats continued to pound on it. Because it’s all they have. The establishment Resistance run by Pelosi and Schumer is treading water and looking toward the midterms.

It’s like simple math. There is no evidence Trump or his associates colluded with Putin and the Russians to somehow - through the exaggerated influence of social media - throw the election in his favor.
This nonsense was dispelled early on.
It’s true. Enterprising Russians ran a lucrative clickbait scheme on social media - just like hundreds of other entrepreneurs. It took the the Democrats - fresh off a humiliating defeat to a casino and real estate windbag - to make up a fantasy deserving of a novel discount bin.
Establishment Dems counted on the corporate media to whip up the required hysteria and frenzy among already hysterical and frenzied liberals. Many apparently sought trauma counseling after the election.
Even with the media lavishing coverage on the Mueller investigation, it has failed to do much of anything except get Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and others in trouble - not for working under Putin’s direction to get the MAGA candidate elected, but for alleged bank fraud and violation of campaign finance laws.
This is pretty routine stuff in Washington.
Mueller doesn’t have a case and he knows it. Now he will save face by passing off the investigation to underlings.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ation-was-over

[Swordsmyth]

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) is demanding the Justice Department tell him by Monday evening whether the FBI used confidential informants “against” members or associates of the Trump campaign.
Nunes, in a Sunday letter, also asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein whether he or FBI Director Christopher Wray is “responsible for compliance with the Committee’s subpoenas.”
Nunes is giving Rosenstein until 5 p.m. on Monday to provide the requested information, the latest in a string of deadlines he has placed on the Justice Department.

More at: http://thehill.com/policy/national-s...-fbi-informant

[Swordsmyth]

The Justice Department on Monday declined to answer requests by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., for more information about the reported use of FBI informants while investigating President Trump's 2016 campaign.
Nunes had given Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein until 5 p.m. ET to say whether the FBI had used "informants against members or associates of the Trump campaign and if so, how many informants were used and how much money was spent on their activities?"
In his response to Nunes, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said: "Many of your requests relate to documents and information regarding issues surrounding confidential human sources that are solely in the custody and control of the FBI."
"The FBI retains and has the ability to produce the documents requested in a manner consistent with its obligation to protect confidential human sources and methods," Boyd added.

More at: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...nformants.html

[Jan2017]

EXCLUSIVE: This is the FBI agent who worked on Hillary Clinton probe, labeled Trump supporters 'retarded' and texted 'f**k Trump' to her colleague lover - seen for the first time since her identity was revealed after release of IG report

Sally Moyer, 44, was named as the FBI agent who traded anti-Trump texts that were seen in the 568-page inspector general report released last Friday

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-revealed.html

[Swordsmyth]

The House Judiciary Committee approved for the first time a resolution Tuesday demanding that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein turn over all requested documents regarding the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation during the presidential election after seven days or face possible impeachment or contempt.
The decision to move forward with the resolution came after a year of battles with the Justice Department and FBI to turn over requested documents. The committee voted on party lines 15-11 to pass the resolution directing Rosenstein to comply within the next seven days or face the consequences.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who has been one of the lawmakers at the frontlines of the committee’s investigation, said the resolution is the result of the frustration felt among lawmakers conducting oversight. He noted that it will be up to House Republican leaders to decide whether or not to take it to the full House for a vote.

“If they don’t comply with the resolution they know the remedies the House has, contempt and impeachment,” said Jordan.
“If we don’t get that information entitled to us, everybody knows that we’ll do what we have to do to get it done.”

Jordan and Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., were the authors of the resolution. Both members have criticized Rosenstein and the FBI for failing to deliver documents. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-CA, has also been fighting the Justice Department for documents and has threatened as well to hold Rosenstein in contempt or impeachment if they are not produced.

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC)
The resolution does not include a penalty but Jordan noted that the lawmakers are prepared to file impeachment or contempt against Rosenstein. The resolution is expected to sit on the House floor until members return from their break after the next week.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ng-dojfbi-docs

[Swordsmyth]

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is refusing to release intercepted material alleging that former Attorney General Loretta Lynch conspired with the Clinton campaign in a deal to rig the Clinton email investigation, reports Paul Sperry of RealClear Investigations.

The information remains so secret that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz had to censor it from his recently released 500-plus-page report on the FBI’s investigation of Clinton, and even withhold it from Congress.

Not even members of Congress with top secret security clearance have been allowed to see the unverified accounts intercepted from presumed Russian sources in which the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, allegedly implicates the Clinton campaign and Lynch in the scheme.

“It is remarkable how this Justice Department is protecting the corruption of the Obama Justice Department,” notes Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, which is suing the DOJ for the material.
Wasserman Schultz, Lynch and Clinton have denied the allegations and characterized them as Russian disinformation.

True or false, the material is consequential because it appears to have influenced former FBI Director James B. Comey’s decision to break with bureau protocols because he didn’t trust Lynch. In his recent book, Comey said he took the reins in the Clinton email probe, announcing Clinton should not be indicted, because of a “development still unknown to the American public” that “cast serious doubt” on Lynch’s credibility – clearly the intercepted material.
If the material documents an authentic exchange between Lynch and a Clinton aide, it would appear to be strong evidence that the Obama administration put partisan political considerations ahead of its duty to enforce the law. -RealClear Investigations

Then again, if the intercepts are fabricated, it would constitute Russia's most tangible success in influencing the 2016 U.S. election - since Comey may not have gone around Lynch cleared Clinton during his July 2016 press conference - nor would he have likely publicly announced the reopening of the investigation right before the election - an act Clinton and her allies blame for her stunning loss to Donald Trump.
The secret intelligence document purports to show that Lynch told the Clinton campaign she would keep the FBI email investigation on a short leash - a suggestion included in the Inspector General's original draft, but relegated to a classified appendix in the official report and entirely blanked out.

What is known, based on press leaks and a letter Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sent Lynch, is that in March 2016, the FBI received a batch of hacked documents from U.S. intelligence agencies that had access to stolen emails stored on Russian networks. One of the intercepted documents revealed an alleged email from then-DNC Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz to an operative working for billionaire Democratic fundraiser George Soros. It claimed Lynch had assured the Clinton campaign that investigators and prosecutors would go easy on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee regarding her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state. Lynch allegedly made the promise directly to Clinton political director Amanda Renteria. -RealClear Investigations

“The information was classified at such a high level by the intelligence community that it limited even the members [of Congress] who can see it, as well as the staffs,” Horowitz explained last week during congressional testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight authority over Justice and the FBI.

Congressional sources told RealClearInvestigations the material is classified "TS/SCI," which stands for Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information. -RealClear Investigations

Horowitz said that he has asked Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray to work with the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence to figure out if the intercepted material can be rewritten to allow congress to see it. Once appropriately redacted to protect "sources and methods," said Horowitz, he hopes that members of congress can then go to the secure reading room in the basement of the Capitol Building, called the "tank," and view the materials.
“We very much want the committee to see this information,” Horowitz said.
For some strange reason, CNN, WaPo and the New York Times have uncritically taken Lynch, Clinton and Wasserman Schultz's denials at face value, dismissing the compromising information as possibly fake and unreliable. Horowitz even quotes non-FBI "witnesses" in his report describing the secret information as "objectively false."
FBI Sandbagging
While the FBI apparently took the intercept seriously, it never interviewed anyone named in it until Clinton's email case was closed by Comey in July 2016. In August, the FBI informally quizzed Lynch about the allegations - while Comey also reportedly confronted the former AG and was told to leave her office.

Comey said he had doubts about Lynch’s independence as early as September 2015 when she called him into her office and asked him to minimize the probe by calling it “a matter” instead of an “investigation,” which aligned with Clinton campaign talking points. Then, just days before FBI agents interviewed Clinton in July 2016, Lynch privately met with former President Bill Clinton on her government plane while it was parked on an airport tarmac in Phoenix. In a text message that has since been brought to light, the lead investigators on the case, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, made clear at the time their understanding that Lynch knew that “no charges will be brought” against Clinton.
Renteria, the Clinton campaign official, who ran for governor of California but failed to secure a top-two spot in the primary, insists the intelligence citing her was disinformation created by Russian officials to dupe Americans and create discord and turmoil during the election. -RealClear Investigations

The FBI and Washington Post have both investigated this and concluded that the story-line has no basis in reality. It was simply made up by the Russians.
— Amanda Renteria (@AmandaRenteria) June 18, 2018

While Lynch has never been directly asked under oath by Congress about the allegation - she swore in a July 2016 session in front of the House Judiciary Committee "I have not spoken to anyone on either the [Clinton] campaign or transition or any staff members affiliated with them."
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says he'll issue a subpoena for Lynch, but the panel's top Democrat Dianne Feinstein (CA) has to agree to it per committee rules. Grassley also said he would be open to exploring immunity for Comey's former #2, Andrew McCabe.

Feinstein may be hesitant to sign on, as she says she thinks Comey acted in good faith - which means she thinks Congress shouldn't have a crack at questioning a key figure in the largest political scandal in modern history.
"While I disagree with his actions, I have seen no evidence that Mr. Comey acted in bad faith or that he lied about any of his actions," said Feinstein during a Monday Judiciary panel hearing. Former Feinstein staffer and FBI investigator Dan Jones, meanwhile, continues to work with Christopher Steele and Fusion GPS on a $50 million investigation privately funded by George Soros and other "wealthy donors" to continue the investigation into Donald Trump.
Of interest, Amanda Renteria is also former Feinstein staffer. Also recall that Feinstein leaked Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson's Congressional testimony in January.
Lynch was dinged in the IG report over an "ambiguous" incomplete recusal from the Clinton email "matter" despite a clandestine 30-minute "tarmac" meeting with Bill Clinton one week before the FBI exonerated Hillary Clinton.
Interesting how a "dossier" full of falsehoods about Trump not only released to the public, but was used by the FBI as part of an espionage operation on the Trump campaign - while an intercepted communication from Russia is suddenly classified as so top-secret that even members of Congressional intelligence oversight committees can't see it.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ecret-deal-rig

[Swordsmyth]

Peter Strzok, the FBI counterintelligence agent removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation over anti-Trump bias, appeared before a closed door session in front of two House committees on Wednesday, where he tried to explain anti-Trump text exchanges with his FBI mistress as "Just an intimate conversation between intimate friends," according to Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, quoting Strzok's description of the controversial messages.

While Jackson Lee gladly accepted Strzok's answer, Republican Mark Meadows of North Carolina wasn't buying it:

While Jackson Lee said she believed Strzok’s account that his “intimate” messages didn’t reflect political bias in his work, Republican Representative Mark Meadows said, “None of my concerns about political bias have been alleviated based on what I’ve heard so far.” -Bloomberg

“If you have intimate personal conversations between two people, that normally would show the intent more so than perhaps something that would be said out in public,” said Meadows.
Meadows said that some of the questions on Wednesday revolved around "who knew what when - and what was the genesis of the Russia collusion investigation," into Trump's campaign.
Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) wasn't buying it either, as Sara Carter details: "It was a waste—Strzok is full of it and he kept hiding behind [the] classified information excuse."
Others had similarly disappointed reactions: Freedom Caucus & Judiciary Committee member, Matt Gaetz (R-FL) attended today’s deposition and reacted to Strzok’s testimony, telling the Sean Hannity Radio Show, that “… I am shocked at the lack of curiosity with Robert Mueller. I mean Sean, if you were in Mueller’s shoes, and you had found these text messages, I would think that you would want to ask whether or not they impacted the investigative decisions that were made, whether there was bias, whether there was contact with other members of the FBI regarding the investigation and where it was going and who was making the critical judgment calls,” the Florida Congressman said. “I just cannot believe the lack of curiosity on the part of Robert Mueller. It was the strongest reaction I had today from Peter Strzok’s testimony.”
* * *

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ng-closed-door

[Swordsmyth]

A House Republican says he didn’t mean to imply that both FBI investigators he unmasked by name in a congressional hearing were among five unidentified agents cited for pro-Clinton, anti-Trump bias by the Justice Department inspector general in his recently released report on the Clinton email investigation.
IG Michael Horowitz said he did not name the politically biased investigators in his report because the FBI said they worked in counterintelligence and requested he protect their identities.
However, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, who heads a House Oversight subcommittee, argued the FBI was wrong to ask Horowitz to conceal their identities, because not all of them work in counterintelligence.
“But they don’t work in counterintelligence,” said in a June 19 exchange with Horowitz. “If that’s the reason the FBI is giving, they’re giving you false information, because they work for the general counsel.”
Meadows then named Kevin Clinesmith and Sally Moyer as two examples, and his staff later confirmed they were among the five unidentified FBI investigators in the IG report.
Dozens of media outlets reported the names, including the Post. However, Moyer’s lawyer insists she is not one of the biased five and “has not been referred for investigation.”
Adding to the confusion is that Moyer, who does work in the general counsel’s office, is mentioned throughout the IG report as a senior FBI investigator on the Clinton probe who made key and controversial decisions in the case. Clinesmith, who in fact was referred by Horowitz for bias review, worked as a second, more junior lawyer on Moyer’s team.
Clinesmith is “FBI Attorney 2” in the report, while Moyer is, in fact, “FBI Attorney 1,” which is not listed as one of the agents or lawyers cited for bias or referred for investigation.
Meadows’ office says it regrets the “misinterpretation.”

More at: https://nypost.com/2018/06/27/sally-...report-on-fbi/

[Swordsmyth]

The House on Thursday passed a resolution demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) hand over sensitive documents, in the process delivering a final warning shot to senior officials before conservatives move ahead with more aggressive action against the department.
In a 226-183 vote, lawmakers approved the messaging measure, which calls on the DOJ to turn over all of the documents House Republicans have requested related to the FBI's handling of investigations during the 2016 presidential election.
The party-line vote, with one Republican voting present, puts the entire conference on the record in the escalating feud between the DOJ and House Republicans, who have been fighting for months for access to a trove of highly sensitive documents.

While the resolution is not enforceable, Republicans say they wanted to send a clear message to the DOJ and are vowing to impeach or hold senior officials in contempt of Congress if they don’t comply with their document request.

More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/39...-doj-documents

[Swordsmyth]

Facing a grilling during the House Committee on the Judiciary hearing this morning, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein refused to say whether or not any member of the Obama administration tried to undermine President Donald Trump’s campaign leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

“What did the DOJ or FBI do in terms of collecting information, spying, or surveillance on the Trump campaign be it via Stefan Halper or anybody else working on behalf of the agencies?” GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida asked Rosenstein during a House Committee on the Judiciary hearing Thursday.
“As you know, congressman, I’m not permitted to discuss classified information in an open setting but I can assure you we are working with oversight committees and producing all relevant evidence to allow them to answer those questions,” Rosenstein answered.

Unsatisfied with Rosenstein’s response, DeSantis pressed him once again.

“Let me ask you this, then, did the Obama administration, anybody in the administration direct anybody, Halper or anybody, to make contact with anyone associated with the Trump campaign?” DeSantis asked.
“As I said, congressman, appreciate the — I understand your interest, I’m not permitted to discuss classified information,” Rosenstein said.


Rosenstein used the same argument as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), one of the Justice Department's fiercest critics, repeatedly asked questions centering on whether federal officials began collecting intelligence on the Trump campaign and Russia before launching its investigation in July 2016.

“Did any investigative activity regarding the Trump campaign and Russia occur before July 31, 2016?” Gaetz asked, noting this is the date the FBI initiated its counterintelligence investigation, according to the Democratic memo produced by the House Intelligence Committee.
“Congressman, as you know, we are dealing with the Intelligence Committee on that issue and Chairman [Devin] Nunes met with Director Wray and me. I received the same briefing that he received so I do not know any additional information beyond what he knows about that and I’m not able to produce any information beyond what the FBI has told me,” Rosenstein replied.

Gaetz also asked whether Rosenstein knew of any payments to collect intelligence on the Trump campaign before the FBI launched its probe.

“No, but keep in mind I wasn’t there. I only know the information we’ve obtained from the FBI records,” Rosenstein replied.

But, as The Hill reports, Rep. DeSantis was not done and suggested later in his questioning that Rosenstein should recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, pointing to the fact the deputy attorney general himself wrote the memo to President Trump recommending former FBI Director James Comey be fired.

“They talk about the Mueller investigation. It’s really the Rosenstein investigation. You appointed Mueller. You’re supervising Mueller, and it’s supposedly about collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia and obstruction of justice,” DeSantis said.
“But you wrote the memo saying that Comey should be fired and you signed the FISA extension for Carter Page. So, my question is to you, it seems like you should be recused from this more so than [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions just because you were involved in making decisions affecting both prongs of this investigation,” DeSantis continued. “Why haven’t you done that?”

Rosenstein responded he would recuse himself if “it were appropriate.”

“Congressman, I can assure you that if it were appropriate for me to recuse, I would be more than happy to do so,” Rosenstein said. “But, it’s my responsibility to do it.”

DeSantis drilled down, emphasizing that Mueller is said to be investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president in the Comey firing. While press reports have indicated that the special counsel is looking into possible obstruction of justice, officials have not spoken publicly about the lines of inquiry in the probe.

“I am not commenting on what is under investigation by the Mueller probe and to the best of my knowledge, neither is Mr. Mueller,” Rosenstein said.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...trump-campaign

[Swordsmyth]

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is calling for 17 current and former FBI and Justice Department employees to testify on Capitol Hill about alleged government surveillance on the 2016 Trump campaign.
The list includes former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, FBI agent Peter Strzok and others who may “have relevant information.”
Nunes is requesting that the joint task force of the Oversight and Judiciary Committees interview the staffers because The House Intelligence Committee doesn’t have direct oversight over the FBI and DOJ.


“For the sake of transparency and to keep the American people as fully informed as possible about these matters, the task force should consider interviewing these individuals in an open setting,” Nunes wrote in the letter.
The request comes days after Strzok testified in secret to Congress about his anti-Trump text messages sent during the Clinton email investigation leading up to the 2016 election.
The full list of 17 officials can be found below:
-Trisha Anderson, DOJ lawyer
-James Baker, former FBI general counsel
-Gregory Brower, former FBI congressional liaison
-John Carlin, former head of the DOJ’s national security division
-Kevin Clinesmith, FBI lawyer
-Tashina Gauhar, DOJ official
-David Laufman, former head of DOJ’s counterintelligence division
-Andrew McCabe, former FBI deputy director
-Mary McCord, former DOJ lawyer
-Jonathan Moffa, FBI official
-Sally Moyer, FBI lawyer
-Bruce Ohr, former associate deputy attorney general
-Lisa Page, former FBI lawyer
-Joseph Pientka, FBI agent
-E.W. “Bill” Priestap, assistant director of the FBI counterintelligence division
-Peter Strzok, FBI agent
-George Toscas, DOJ official

More at: https://www.infowars.com/nunes-calls...rnment-spying/

[Swordsmyth]

Another swamp creature exposes himself:


Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said Friday that impeachment "should be on the table" if President Trump or one of his appointees ends special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference prematurely.
Shapiro, the founder and co-editor of The Daily Wire, appeared on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," where he said he doesn't believe Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. Shapiro said he's waiting to see evidence suggest otherwise.


Maher argued that Republicans don’t want any type of incriminating report to come out in the special counsel's investigation, which is why they've accused Mueller of bias and have recently ratcheted up their attacks on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the investigation.
Shapiro said attacks on Rosenstein are less concerning, since Mueller could still be left to do his job under a different deputy attorney general. However, he said, if Rosenstein's hypothetical replacement ended the probe, it would be a problem.
"If he throws it in the trash or quashes the Mueller investigation then, yes, impeachment should be on the table," Shapiro said.

More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/39...-investigation

[Swordsmyth]

A federal judge has approved a request to tightly control how evidence is shared with a Russian company accused of funding an Internet trolling operation to mislead American voters in the 2016 election.
The dispute over how to protect sensitive materials from disclosure had threatened to stall prosecution of the sole defendant to appear in court to face charges in the indictment of Russian entities under special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the District of Columbia said Friday that federal prosecutors gave “ample good cause” that identifying sources in the probe could tip off Russian intelligence and other foreign services to ongoing national security investigations and undermine efforts to protect future elections from similar interference.
Friedrich barred the U.S.-based attorneys for Concord Management and Consulting, which was indicted in February along with 13 Russian individuals and two other companies from sharing sensitive case materials from any foreign national without court approval.
Concord denies the allegations, and its attorneys said it was critical that their defense strategy include co-defendant Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, a catering magnate known as “Putin’s chef” because of his ties to Russian President Vladi*mir Putin.
Prigozhin and Concord were hit with U.S. sanctions over Russia’s occupation of Crimea and military actions in Ukraine in 2016, and they were hit again this March based on “malicious cyber-enabled activities.”
In a seven-page opinion, Friedrich ruled, “Concord’s right to prepare and present a full defense at trial does not depend on Prigozhin having access to sensitive discovery materials, at least not at this early stage of the prosecution.”
The judge said the issue could be revisited after a trial date is set.


Friedrich barred any individual or entity, including Prigozhin or any other foreign national other than Concord’s defense team with the Reed Smith law firm, from accessing sensitive materials without her approval. Sensitive data, the order said, must be stored in a U.S. office of the firm, reviewed only when a designated firm employee is present and “not disclosed, transported or transmitted outside of the United States.”
Friedrich said Concord’s attorneys may later ask to disclose sensitive evidence at its offices to others, including potential witnesses, their counsel and defense team vendors, by submitting their names outside of the presence of prosecutors to an independent, court-appointed “firewall attorney” nominated by the U.S. government, who could alert the judge to any government concerns.

More at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.341994be2a92

[Swordsmyth]

A stunning revelation buried deep inside Department of Justice inspector general Michael Horowitz’s report on the FBI’s Hillary Clinton email investigation suggests the controversial June 2016 tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton was coordinated.
If true, it blows a hole in the narrative Lynch and Clinton have maintained for two years. Lynch claimed the “social” meeting was spontaneous and the two discussed grandchildren.

The meeting was extremely controversial at the time because it came just days before then-FBI Director James Comey announced the FBI would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton for using a private email server while secretary of state.
What does Horowitz’s report say?

The report states that the DOJ department of public affairs supervisor traveling with Lynch told internal DOJ investigators that Clinton’s Secret Service detail contacted Lynch’s security detail ahead of time to arrange the meeting.
Clinton’s plane was parked next to Lynch’s, the report revealed, or about just 20 to 30 yards away.
Clinton told investigators he only learned the plane next to his was Lynch’s after being briefed by his staff. He claimed he then debated whether or not he should “say hello” and “shake hands with the Attorney General.”
Page 203 of the report states:

The OPA Supervisor said that he later learned that former President Clinton’s Secret Service detail had contacted Lynch’s FBI security detail and let them know that the former President wanted to meet with Lynch. Although Lynch’s staff was supposed to receive notice of such requests, witnesses told us that they were not informed of the request from former President Clinton.

In addition, Lynch revealed to DOJ investigators she was not social with the Clintons and had never met with either one of them prior to the tarmac meetings.
Both Clinton and Lynch denied discussing nefarious subjects, such as the DOJ’s Clinton investigation, known as “Midyear,” or any other matters involving the Clintons’ public life. They both maintained the conversation was lighthearted and personal.
The report goes on to detail that Lynch’s staff — who were waiting outside the plane in a staff van — felt “blindsided” and “shocked” Lynch would meet with the former president.
Finally, it was Lynch’s senior counselor who broke up the meeting when she realized it would become extremely problematic if the media learned Lynch had just met with the the husband of a subject in a major investigation. The senior counselor said she could not recall what she heard when she entered the plane but said Lynch appeared “uncomfortable and wanted the meeting to be done.”
According to the report, the meeting between Lynch and Clinton lasted about 20 minutes.


https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/0...mpression=true

[Jan2017]

Why is Strzok still employed by the FIB ?

June 19, 2018
FBI Agent Peter Strzok, author of anti-Trump text messages, escorted out of bureau headquarters but still employed: Lawyer
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/19/fbis...-building.html

[Swordsmyth]

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is calling for 10 government officials who served at the State Department or White House during the Obama administration to testify in Congress about the Russia probe as he investigates possible government surveillance abuse during the 2016 election.
In a Monday letter to a pair of congressional committees, Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., asked the Oversight and Judiciary Committees to take steps to interview former State Department officials Elizabeth Dibble, Jonathan Finer, Kathleen Kavalec, Lewis Lukens, Victoria Nuland, Thomas Williams and Jonathan Winer, as well as former Obama White House officials Jake Sullivan, Colin Kahl and Shailagh Murray.
Dibble, the former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in London, a city where other figures in the Russia investigation were operating.

Great to see DCM Elizabeth Dibble @BarackObama speech today @USAinUK @USAinNI asking about @Y_Influencers pic.twitter.com/fIabY0upAN
— Conor Houston (@ConorHoustonNI) April 23, 2016

Winer, a former Obama State Department official, has acknowledged he had regular contact with ex-British spy Christopher Steele, the author of the controversial anti-Trump dossier.

More at: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...tics+-+Text%29

[Swordsmyth]

A top aide to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is reportedly planning on stepping down from his position.
NPR reported on Tuesday that Associate Deputy Attorney General Scott Schools will leave the Department of Justice (DOJ).

NPR notes that Schools's departure comes after he played a critical role in some of the Justice Department's most important recent decisions. Schools reportedly recommended that then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe be dismissed for his "lack of candor" in an internal probe.

He also received regular briefings from special counsel Robert Mueller about the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/395333-t...ep-down-report

[Swordsmyth]

Embattled FBI agent Peter Strzok has been subpoenaed by two powerful House committees to testify in public at a joint hearing slated for 10 a.m. on July 10.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ting-cold-feet

[Swordsmyth]

Mueller delayed sentencing of Michael Flynn last week.
Today Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered a status hearing for July 10, 2018 at 10 AM with Robert Mueller’s prosecutors and Michael Flynn. Mr. Flynn is being ordered to attend the hearing.
Via Techno Fog.

This is big: in response to today’s motion, the Court has, on its own, set the matter for a status hearing. General Flynn will be in attendance.
July 10. Mark your calendars. pic.twitter.com/oeuuOKR9O9
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 2, 2018

Likely subject matter:
Why did the Special Counsel secure a plea deal in December of 2017 when it wouldn’t be ready for sentencing in August of 2018?
��
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 2, 2018

More at: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...ontent=2260527

[Swordsmyth]

During a closed-door interview on June 27, former FBI official Peter Strzok downplayed his role in obtaining surveillance warrants to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
The Daily Beast reported that Strzok, the former deputy chief of counterintelligence, claimed in the interview that he had no substantive input on drafting or securing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants used to spy on Page, an energy consultant who left the Trump team in September 2016.
Strzok also denied providing evidence for the FISAs, the first of which was granted on Oct. 21, 2016.
A Republican in the June 27 interview confirmed that Strzok, who oversaw the Russian investigation, denied having a direct role in the FISA process. But the Republican was also incredulous at Strzok’s suggestion that he had little to do with the spy warrants obtained against Page. (RELATED: Goodlatte: FBI Lawyers Instructed Strzok Not To Answer ‘Many, Many’ Questions)
A new report appears to justify the Republican’s skepticism.
The Hill’s John Solomon is reporting that Strzok exchanged emails with FBI attorney Lisa Page regarding the Carter Page surveillance.
Strzok and Lisa Page exchanged numerous anti-Trump text messages during their work on the Russia probe, which was codenamed “Crossfire Hurricane.” In one Aug. 8, 2016 message, Strzok told Page that “we’ll stop” Trump from becoming president.
Strzok, who was the FBI’s top investigator on Crossfire Hurricane, sent an email with the subject line “Crossfire FISA” to Lisa Page discussing a set of talking points aimed at getting then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe to push the Department of Justice (DOJ) to approve a surveillance warrant against Carter Page, according to The Hill.
“At a minimum, that keeps the hurry the F up pressure on him,” Strzok emailed Lisa Page on Oct. 14, 2016, according to The Hill.
Strzok also commented on a letter that Carter Page sent to then-FBI Director Jim Comey offering to meet with the FBI to discuss allegations made against him in a Yahoo! News article published on Sept. 23, 2016.
“At a minimum, the letter provides us a pretext to interview,” Strzok wrote to Lisa Page, with whom he was having an affair, on Sept. 26, 2016.

More at: http://dailycaller.com/2018/07/06/pe...&utm_content=1

[Swordsmyth]

House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) has been a busy man.
In a Thursday letter to two fellow GOP chairmen, Nunes referred 15 people connected to the Russia investigation to testify in an "open setting." Many of those on the list are tied directly to Hillary Clinton, Fusion GPS and the infamous "Steele dossier" - a collection of 17 memos full of compromising yet unverified claims about President Trump's ties to Russia.

The names on the list include Sidney Blumenthal, Fusion GPS founders Glenn Simpson and Thomas Catan, Perkins Coie attorney Marc Elias, and former FBI agent and Feinstein staffer Daniel Jones, who is spearheading a $50 million Soros-funded effort to continue the Trump-Russia investigation with Fusion GPS and Steele.
The Steele dossier was compiled by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele on behalf of opposition research firm Fusion GPS, and was funded in part by Hillary Clinton and the DNC.
The Thursday letter to GOP House Chairmen Trey Gowdy and Bob Goodlatte is the third sent by Nunes in recent days referring people to Congressional panels in what appears to be a massive expansion of the "SpyGate" probe into the FBI/DOJ counterintelligence operation against the Trump campaign surrounding the 2016 US election.
All together, Nunes has referred 42 people to Gowdy and Goodlatte - highlighting that the individuals likely fall under the scope of their joint task force. Moreover, he's not about to let them wiggle out of testimony.
"They can plead the Fifth," Nunes told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "This isn't going to be like the documents where we've had to continue to fight with the Justice Department in order to have access to documents. This is much different. These are all American citizens. They will, if they do not agree to appear under oath, and testify, then they will be subpoenaed. That I could tell you for sure."
What is Nunes up to?

As the Washington Examiner's Byron York notes, Nunes is up to something.

The short version is that the investigation is expanding to the two additional committees, even as Nunes devotes his own committee's resources to learning whether the FBI used informants against the 2016 Trump campaign and, if so, how many, when, and how much money was spent on the project.
...
In the last week Nunes has sent three letters to Goodlatte and Gowdy, each recommending a number of people that the task force should interview. The first letter focused on current and former officials of the Justice Department and FBI, 17 in all, whose actions formed the focus of the first phase of Nunes' investigation, on the Trump dossier. The second letter focused on current and former officials of the State Department and some other agencies, 10 in all, whose role in the dossier and other matters formed the second part of Nunes' probe. And the third letter focused on people outside of government, 15 in all, whose names have popped up throughout the investigation. -Washington Examiner

So Nunes has sent three letters encircling three specific categories of individuals involved in the Trump-Russia investigation in some way or another, and has recommended that either Judiciary or Oversight committees interview each person.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-dozens-public

[Swordsmyth]

It did not take long for Heinrich Himmler lookalike, Rod Rosenstein to get even with Rep. Jim Jordan's hard-line questioning during the House Judiciary Committee hearing recently, where Jordan and Rosenstein got into a heated discussion over Rosenstein's refusal to turn over political sensitive documents on Robert Mueller's investigation.
Just days later, Rep. Jim Jordan was named by Ohio State wrestler Mike DiSabato as having known about the alleged abuse of athletes by Dr. Richard Strauss, who was the team physician from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, an accusation Jordan quickly denied.
Jordan, who was the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State from 1986 to 1994, says he had no knowledge of abuses during that time.
Anyone with an IQ above moron can see that this accusation involving Jordan in this 20-year-old incident is payback from Rosenstein over Rep. Jordan's hard-line demand for evidence. Even something that should be more alarming to the American people is the distinct probability that Rosenstein is digging up dirt on every Representative who is demanding proof from him.

More at: https://freedomoutpost.com/rod-rosen...s-of-congress/

[Swordsmyth]

The Justice Department and the FBI have failed to meet deadlines for the delivery of specific documents about FBI activities prior to the official investigation into Russian meddling, reports Fox News citing a "source close to the discussions."
“The DOJ gave the committee some, but not all, of the outstanding documents, so they are not in compliance,” an Intelligence Committee spokesperson told Fox.
If DOJ records reveal that the FBI was actively working against the Trump campaign prior to events which officially precipitated Operation Crossfire Hurricane - especially during the period in which they engaged informant Stefan Halper to conduct espionage on multiple Trump aides, it will have wide ranging implications on the FBI's version of how the counterintelligence operation began. Without the documents, congressional investigators won't be able to piece together the timeline of events, or whether the FBI followed agency protocols during that period.
While FBI headquarters authorized the official counterintelligence operation on July 31, 2016 - John Solomon of The Hill reported in June that efforts to spy on and possibly entrap Trump campaign aides began much earlier.

The bridge to the Russia investigation wasn’t erected in Moscow during the summer of the 2016 election.
It originated earlier, 1,700 miles away in London, where foreign figures contacted Trump campaign advisers and provided the FBI with hearsay allegations of Trump-Russia collusion, bureau documents and interviews of government insiders reveal. These contacts in spring 2016 — some from trusted intelligence sources, others from Hillary Clinton supporters — occurred well before FBI headquarters authorized an official counterintelligence investigation on July 31, 2016. -The Hill

Another red flag from The Hill was noted by retired assistant FBI director for intelligence, Kevin Brock, who supervised an agency update to their longstanding bureau rules governing the use of sources while working under then-director Robert Mueller. These rules prohibit the FBI from directing a human source to perform espionage on an American until a formal investigation has been opened - paperwork and all.

Brock sees oddities in how the Russia case began. “These types of investigations aren’t normally run by assistant directors and deputy directors at headquarters,” he told me. “All that happens normally in a field office, but that isn’t the case here and so it becomes a red flag. Congress would have legitimate oversight interests in the conditions and timing of the targeting of a confidential human source against a U.S. person.” -The Hill

The records were requested by three House GOP committee chairmen; Trey Gowdy on Oversight, Devin Nunes from Intelligence and Bob Goodlatte on Judiciary - while the Friday deadline was set by a House resolution after a subpoenas and letters issued as far back as August of last year failed to do the trick.

The source said House staffers -- who reviewed records Thursday at the Justice Department (DOJ) because lawmakers were out of town for the holiday recess -- concluded that Justice and the FBI have still not provided information and records about FBI activities before the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections officially opened on July 31 of that year. -Fox News

"The House Judiciary Committee has been in contact daily with the Justice Department to ensure they produce all the documents subpoenaed by the committee earlier this year," said a Republican aide to the House Judiciary Committee. "The Justice Department has produced more documents over the past weeks and has requested more time to produce additional documents. This request seems to be reasonable, and we expect the department to comply with the terms of the subpoena.”
Last weekend a Justice Department official emphasized that the FBI and DOJ had advised both chambers' intelligence committees that records previously limited to congress's "Gang of Eight" were now available to the rest of congress and cleared staff. They were originally reported to have included documents concerning the FBI's use of informants during the election.
"What put this in motion? And of course, was what put this into motion, was something that is politically motivated, or was it based on legit law enforcement evidence?" said former George W. Bush Deputy Assistant Attorney General Thomas Dupree. "Based on hearing and the back-and-forth we have seen over the last few months, we are in an extremely unusual, and in my view disturbing, situation, where the has been a complete breakdown and a fracture of trust."

Meanwhile, the face of the noncompliant DOJ is none other than Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein - who recommended former FBI Director Jim Comey's firing, appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and signed off on at least one FISA warrant renewal for Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
That said, Fox notes that "those who have worked with Rosenstein emphasize he is in a difficult position because it is not routine to provide records from ongoing investigations."

We're kind of beyond what's routine...


https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-investigation

[TheCount]

Oh good, Zerohedge.

[Swordsmyth]

Oh good, Zerohedge.

Oh good, no argument.

[Swordsmyth]

It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that Jim Jordan is on the rise. Already a member of the Freedom Caucus, his name has been thrown around by many for the next Speaker of the House. Jordan has also led the charge against the corruption at the FBI and DOJ – known for many heated debates in hearings.
To note, the University opened an investigation into the accusations that Dr. Richard Strauss – who died in 2005 – abused students when he was the doctor for the wrestling team during his tenure from the mid-70’s to late 90’s back in April. The timing of Jordan’s name being thrown into the mess is not the only suspect element regarding this scandal…
Enter Perkins Coie, the firm heavily involved in the investigation into whether or not Russia influenced the 2016 Presidential election. When DNC servers were hacked, Perkins Coie did not go to authorities with proof of the hack but instead hired Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity firm with ties to Hillary Clinton, to investigate the breach.
As FMShooter reported back in 2017:

On top of all of this, Crowdstrike was the only one to come to a conclusion on the “Russia” conspiracy. The FBI never even inspected the hacked DNC servers and simply went off of Crowdstrike’s conclusion that Russian hackers did infiltrate DNC servers when there is absolutely no proof behind their claim.

Perkins Coie also sits at the center of the FISA abuse scandal. The Steele dossierwas the first piece of evidence used in FISA warrants to surveil former Trump team member, Carter Page. Both the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee helped fund research into the Steele dossier through Perkins Coie – the very same law firm that is now looking into the accusations against Strauss and Jim Jordan.
For proof, OpenSecrets has Perkins Coie’s major contributions laid bare.

Of course, the DNC tops the list with Hillary For America, Obama for America, and Priorities USA Action – David Brock’s former PAC – also making appearances; along with many other high-profile Democratic fundraising efforts.

Notably, Perkins Coie was hired by OSU to investigate the accusations less than a month after the University shut down their office that helped sexual-assault victims. In a statement, OSU said:

To date, Perkins Coie has interviewed more than 150 former students and witnesses and is engaged in further investigative efforts. Ohio State has shared all additional information that has come to the attention of the university with the independent investigators whose work is ongoing.

This isn’t even mentioning the shaky history of Jordan’s accusers, raising questions about their authenticity.

One of the accusers, Mike DiSabato is being accused by the widow of a marine for intimidating and bullying her over a memorial fund set up in her husband’s name. Another accuser served time in prison for a $1.8 million fraud scheme.
While OSU did notify local police and prosecutors, it’s strange that they immediately selected a law firm (and stranger that it was Perkins Coie) instead of letting police handle the investigation. Perkins Coie has no power to convene a grand jury or bring charges of perjury; nor do they have police powers or are able to compel someone to testify.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...jordan-steeped