The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on April 10, 2019, 11:34:24 pm
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Dems rage against Barr for backing claims of Trump campaign ‘spying’ by FBI
By Gregg Re, Brooke Singman | Fox News
Prominent Democrats lined up to hammer Attorney General Bill Barr for testifying Wednesday that federal authorities had spied on the Trump campaign in 2016, with one top House Democrat charging that Barr is not acting "in the best interest of the DOJ or the country."
"I think spying did occur," Barr said during the explosive hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. "The question is whether it was adequately predicated. …Spying on a political campaign is a big deal."
Barr later clarified in the hearing: "I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred; I’m saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it, that’s all.â€
Despite mounting evidence that the FBI pursued an array of efforts to gather intelligence from within the Trump campaign -- and the fact that the FBI successfully pursued warrants to surveil a former Trump aide in 2016 -- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Fox News that Barr's loyalties were compromised.
more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-rage-against-barr-for-backing-claims-of-trump-campaign-spying-by-fbi (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-rage-against-barr-for-backing-claims-of-trump-campaign-spying-by-fbi)
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Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation
By Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman and Nicholas Fandos | May 16, 2018
~snip~
The F.B.I. investigated four unidentified Trump campaign aides in those early months, congressional investigators revealed in February. The four men were Michael T. Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Mr. Papadopoulos, current and former officials said. Each was scrutinized because of his obvious or suspected Russian ties.
~snip
The F.B.I. obtained phone records and other documents using national security letters — a secret type of subpoena — officials said. And at least one government informant met several times with Mr. Page and Mr. Papadopoulos, current and former officials said. That has become a politically contentious point, with Mr. Trump’s allies questioning whether the F.B.I. was spying on the Trump campaign or trying to entrap campaign officials.
~snip~
But officials have told the inspector general something quite different. They said Ms. Page and others advocated a slower, circumspect pace, especially because polls predicted Mr. Trump’s defeat. They said that anything the F.B.I. did publicly would only give fodder to Mr. Trump’s claims on the campaign trail that the election was rigged.
Mr. Strzok countered that even if Mr. Trump’s chances of victory were low — like dying before 40 — the stakes were too high to justify inaction.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html)
The NY Times certainly indicates that it was spying, especially considering how Strzok urged to press forward with the 'investigation' (including surveillance) while the campaign was still ongoing instead of waiting until after it was over.
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Who besides me, thinks this type thing has been done before?
I do. (not saying it was right)