Chris Stewart: House Intel released memo to inform public on FBI abuses, not to exonerate Trump

[jpsb]

Why do the cops pull over a guy for doing 15 over the limit and ignore the guy going 20 over?

I agree that there are lots of other things that should be investigated, but the problem is that Trump and his campaign did enough stupid things that they gave the democrats the pretext for the investigation.

Did Trump and his campaign do stupid things? Yes, Trump is not a proffesional pol so he made
mistakes (appointing gutless Sessions being his biggest) and now Rats are going to try to run
him out of town for it. I am happy to see you realize this is a political witch hunt not an
"investigation". Because a real investigation would be centered on how Wikileaks got the DNC
emails. Nothing can be ascertained until that question is answered.

[bigheadfred]

Are you saying that a citizen could never be the subject of a proper FISA warrant under any circumstances?

Somewhere up thread there was a stat, or maybe another thread, of what exactly, makes for a "proper" FISA warrant. There was a huge disparity of the use of the word "proper".

What I am saying is that FISA warrants should only be issued on truth and fact. Apparently, neither truth or fact matter.

[corbe]

   Another Excellent Thread on TBR.
   H/T to @Oceander, for riding this long!

[Oceander]

Did Trump and his campaign do stupid things? Yes, Trump is not a proffesional pol so he made
mistakes (appointing gutless Sessions being his biggest) and now Rats are going to try to run
him out of town for it. I am happy to see you realize this is a political witch hunt not an
"investigation". Because a real investigation would be centered on how Wikileaks got the DNC
emails. Nothing can be ascertained until that question is answered.

Since Trump gave them the pretext, what else would you have expected them to do?  Ignore a gift he gave them?

The problem is not that the investigation is not politically motivated, the problem is that Trump and his campaign created the slender basis that supports it.

[mrclose]

There's so much wrong with what you said.  First, it wasn't 'some guy.'  Second, they were in London.  Popadopulous was on Trump's foreign policy advisory team at the time.  He was speaking to Australia's top diplomat in Britain, Alexander Downer.  He told Downer the Russians 'had dirt' on Clinton.

How would you expect that NOT to get relayed and who the f*** wants a foreign policy advisor who drinks and runs his mouth?

You got me!
Yep ... London.

What is not known is whether the FBI knew about Papadopoulos' activities as they happened, or whether the bureau found out about them later, and in any event whether or not the Papadopoulos matter was, along with the dossier, part of the FBI's decision to start a counterintelligence investigation. It does seem clear that the Papadopoulos affair did not prompt the FBI to start a counterintelligence probe in March, or April, or May, or June of 2016.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-did-dossier-trigger-the-trump-russia-probe/article/2640470

The story says that Papadopoulos "drunkenly admitted" to Australian diplomat Downer in May that The Russians told him they had Hillary emails. The story also says that Downer did not report this to officials until after the WikiLeaks emails were released. So the FBI opened the investigation only after the emails were released, not when Papadopoulos heard the story.

5 minutes of googling reveals ties for papadopoulus to fusion
gps and the dossier.

[jpsb]

Since Trump gave them the pretext, what else would you have expected them to do?  Ignore a gift he gave them?

The problem is not that the investigation is not politically motivated, the problem is that Trump and his campaign created the slender basis that supports it.

The Rats are excellent at manufacturing crimes/abuses to go after political opponents. It's
what they do best. So if it wasn't Russia it would be something else. You can blame Trump
all you want for not knowing how to play the DC gotta game, but out here in fly over country
we view that as being a good, honest man.

[edpc]

Did Trump and his campaign do stupid things? Yes, Trump is not a proffesional pol so he made
mistakes (appointing gutless Sessions being his biggest) and now Rats are going to try to run
him out of town for it. I am happy to see you realize this is a political witch hunt not an
"investigation". Because a real investigation would be centered on how Wikileaks got the DNC
emails. Nothing can be ascertained until that question is answered.

Funny thing about how the DNC emails were stolen - the FBI (yes, the same FBI under Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, et al) - offered to help and asked to look at the server.  The DNC refused to cooperate.

You're also forgetting the current crop, Sessions, Rosenstein, and Wray are all Trump appointees.  So, I guess this political witch hunt must be orchestrated by Republican insiders on the President's team.

[Fantom]

Are you saying that a citizen could never be the subject of a proper FISA warrant under any circumstances?

I would think, that when the objective is to undermine the campaign and Presidency of your political opposition. Then the FISA court should double down on their scrutiny for granting such.

Even you have to admit that the obama/clinton regime is rife with corruption and use of State powers for their own gain and against their political opponents.

Anyways @Oceander , as we both have said what we care to on this. And too avoid risk of falling into meaningless rote repetition. Reply as you will. I bid you a good night, and hope all is well with you and yours.

[Concerned]

There are quite a few calling for a Special Counsel (SC). And as more info is released I think the
pressure on Sessions to appoint one will be immense. Either we get a SC or we get a new
AG and then we get a SC.

Good to know. Got any names and quotes because I’m not seeing “quite a few” who have actually publicly called for a SC (which does seem like the logical independent investigory body to really dig into this)?

[jpsb]

Funny thing about how the DNC emails were stolen - the FBI (yes, the same FBI under Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, et al) - offered to help and asked to look at the server.  The DNC refused to cooperate.

You're also forgetting the current crop, Sessions, Rosenstein, and Wray are all Trump appointees.  So, I guess this political witch hunt must be orchestrated by Republican insiders on the President's team.

I am not following you. What is your point?

[Oceander]

I would think, that when the objective is to undermine the campaign and Presidency of your political opposition. Then the FISA court should double down on their scrutiny for granting such.

Even you have to admit that the obama/clinton regime is rife with corruption and use of State powers for their own gain and against their political opponents.

Anyways @Oceander , as we both have said what we care to on this. And too avoid risk of falling into meaningless rote repetition. Reply as you will. I bid you a good night, and hope all is well with you and yours.

I agree that the court should have exercised more oversight on this FISA application and when it got wind that there was some sort of political connection, it should have pushed very, very hard to extract all of the information.  It clearly did not. 

Thank you for the well wishes; I hope you and yours have a good evening as well. 

[jpsb]

Good to know. Got any names and quotes because I’m not seeing “quite a few” who have actually publicly called for a SC (which does seem like the logical independent investigory body to really dig into this)?

Google is your friend (not really). Here is one

! No longer available

and

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/27/house-republicans-call-for-a-second-special-counsel--to-investigate-clinton-comey-and-lynch.html

[edpc]

I am not following you. What is your point?

My point is that all the supposed deep staters so invested and colluding with Democrats were rebuffed by the DNC when they offered to assist with the email leak.

Also, it's tough to say it's a politically motivated witch hunt when the people responsible for Meuller's position are Trump appointees.  Additionally, the pushback at the FBI is coming from another Trump appointee, who he highly praised prior to confirmation.

[Concerned]

Google is your friend (not really). Here is one

! No longer available

and

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/27/house-republicans-call-for-a-second-special-counsel--to-investigate-clinton-comey-and-lynch.html

That CNBC article is from last summer.  I'm talking calls for the SC about the memo and calls since the information in the memo's been made public.  Sounds like I haven't missed them after all.

[jpsb]

We have the Special Counselor because the idiot Jeff Sessions recused himself and that left
NeverTrumper Bush/Obama appointee in charge of DOJ. Appointing Session was a big mistake
and so was appointing Rosenstein. Wray might be a mistake, time will tell.

My only point was any investigation into RussiaGate begins and ends with how did Wikileaks get
the DNC emails? And no one is investigating that. Which makes Mueller's investigation a witch hunt.

[Hoodat]

In order for Trump to be exonerated, they would first have to come up with a crime.

[jpsb]

That CNBC article is from last summer.  I'm talking calls for the SC about the memo and calls since the information in the memo's been made public.  Sounds like I haven't missed them after all.

Your just not paying any attention. House GOP members have been and continue to call for
a SP to look into abuses at DOJ. Google investigate the investigators.

[Hoodat]

The story says that Papadopoulos "drunkenly admitted" to Australian diplomat Downer in May that The Russians told him they had Hillary emails.

If it is proven that the Russians have Hillary's emails, then the person signing this document below should go to prison for committing a felony.



http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/HRC-classified-NDA1.pdf

[Concerned]

Your just not paying any attention. House GOP members have been and continue to call for
a SP to look into abuses at DOJ. Google investigate the investigators.

I think this is the classic case of the boy who cried wolf.  Yes, I heard the near-constant drumbeat last summer about another special counsel.  They were largely general and non-descript, about wanting yet another investigation Hillary and Lynn.  I ignored them because there was nothing "real" that I heard.  Now they have something tangible and real yet I've heard no drumbeat since the memo was released.  I don't think that's an accident or a mistake.  I'm not sure they want a real, independent investigation into the memo, and it sounds like there aren't a lot of calls for a SC on it since it's release.  That's my point.

[edpc]

My only point was any investigation into RussiaGate begins and ends with how did Wikileaks get the DNC emails? And no one is investigating that. Which makes Mueller's investigation a witch hunt.

It's certainly a part of the investigation that is very important and the DNC refused to allow access to their server by anyone except Crowd Strike. However, the investigation still would have continued due to the Russian connections with Page, Papadopoulos, and Manafort.

[Oceander]

If it is proven that the Russians have Hillary's emails, then the person signing this document below should go to prison for committing a felony.



http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/HRC-classified-NDA1.pdf

 Just because the Russians have her emails?  Without regard to whether they were stolen?

[jpsb]

I think this is the classic case of the boy who cried wolf.  Yes, I heard the near-constant drumbeat last summer about another special counsel.  They were largely general and non-descript, about wanting yet another investigation Hillary and Lynn.  I ignored them because there was nothing "real" that I heard.  Now they have something tangible and real yet I've heard no drumbeat since the memo was released.  I don't think that's an accident or a mistake.  I'm not sure they want a real, independent investigation into the memo, and it sounds like there aren't a lot of calls for a SC on it since it's release.  That's my point.

Well there are plenty of calls for a SC, even NeverTrump national review is calling for one. But what
everyone is really waiting for is the report by the DOJ Inspector General on how DOJ/FBI
handled the Clinton email investigation. If that report indicates criminal behavior by DOJ/FBI
Sessions will have no choice.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454649/investigate-fbi-justice-department-investigators-public-needs-accountability

[jpsb]

It's certainly a part of the investigation that is very important and the DNC refused to allow access to their server by anyone except Crowd Strike. However, the investigation still would have continued due to the Russian connections with Page, Papadopoulos, and Manafort.

If you don't know how Wikileaks got the DNC emails then just what are you investigating?

[edpc]

You got me!
Yep ... London.

The story says that Papadopoulos "drunkenly admitted" to Australian diplomat Downer in May that The Russians told him they had Hillary emails. The story also says that Downer did not report this to officials until after the WikiLeaks emails were released. So the FBI opened the investigation only after the emails were released, not when Papadopoulos heard the story.

5 minutes of googling reveals ties for papadopoulus to fusion
gps and the dossier.

The story also says this.......


Still, there's one more important factor to be considered in assessing the dossier's role in the FBI investigation. According to papers released as part of his plea of guilty to lying to investigators, Trump volunteer advisor George Papadopoulos admitted having contacts with possible intermediaries to high-ranked Russians who are said to have offered assistance to the Trump campaign. That happened beginning in March, 2016 and continued for a few months. What is not known is whether the FBI knew about Papadopoulos' activities as they happened, or whether the bureau found out about them later, and in any event whether or not the Papadopoulos matter was, along with the dossier, part of the FBI's decision to start a counterintelligence investigation. It does seem clear that the Papadopoulos affair did not prompt the FBI to start a counterintelligence probe in March, or April, or May, or June of 2016.


Anyone who knows how intelligence gathering works understands the importance of cross-referencing information from unrelated sources. For all we know, the FBI was getting information about the communications between Papadopoulos and intermediaries, but could not verify it until Downer came along with his direct interaction.  They would not just initiate the investigation on the Australian diplomat's say so.  It would have to validate something they already knew.

Any supposed implications or collusion between Papadopoulos and Fusion GPS to infiltrate and frame the Trump campaign is so far-fetched. He was initially on the Ben Carson team and was recommended to Trump by Sam Clovis. The number of dominoes that would have to fall for everything to get him into place is ridiculous.

[Concerned]

Well there are plenty of calls for a SC, even NeverTrump national review is calling for one. But what
everyone is really waiting for is the report by the DOJ Inspector General on how DOJ/FBI
handled the Clinton email investigation. If that report indicates criminal behavior by DOJ/FBI
Sessions will have no choice.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454649/investigate-fbi-justice-department-investigators-public-needs-accountability

Look, I’m asking for a very simple thing:  SINCE THE MEMO WAS RELEASED PUBLICLY, which Republicans have called for a special counsel to independently investigate the matters in the memo?  So far, I’ve heard none.