During a rather innocuous podcast discussion panel yesterday, one of President Trump’s personal lawyers Jay Sekulow mentioned the FBI had three FISA applications denied by the FISA court in 2016. [Podcast Here – Note comment at 25:05] The denials were always suspected; however, until now no-one in/around the administration has ever confirmed.
Jay Sekulow did not expand on his statement and did not explain where the information was derived from; however, if accurate this may explain the backstory to why FISA Judge Rudolph Contreras was recused. This issue has been nagging many people since the recusal notation in December 2017.
On November 30th, 2017, Mike Flynn signed a guilty plea; ostensibly admitting lying to investigators. The plea was accepted by Judge Rudolph Contreras; who is also a FISA court judge. Six days later, December 7th, 2017, Judge Contreras “was recused” from the case without explanation.
(Reuters) The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia judge presiding over the criminal case for President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been recused from handling the case, a court spokeswoman said on Thursday. (read more)
The only two significant things that happened between the initial Mike Flynn plea hearing and the recusal from Judge Contreras was:
#1) The stories about anti-Trump FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his involvement with Fusion-GPS and Christopher Steele (keep this in mind as it pertains to FISC presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer); and
#2) FBI Director Chris Wray appearing before the House Judicial Committee and hearing Representative Jim Jordan demand to see the 2016 FISA application.
In fact, Judge Contreras was recused only a few hours after that House Judicial Committee hearing. The story was memory-holed into the concentric whirlpool of nothingness. However, if what Jay Sekulow describes is true, and one of the denied FISA applications was against Mike Flynn, some of the issues reconcile.
The first thing to note is the FISA request would have been submitted to the FISA Judges in/around Washington DC. There are only three possibilities: Presiding FISA Judge Rosemary Collyer; Judge James Boasberg; and Judge Rudolph Contreras.
A key point to keep in mind is that FISC Judge Rosemary Collyer was the approver of the rushed FISA application applied against Carter Page in October 2016. Judge Collyer also authored the blistering 99-page FISC opinion against the FBI and DOJ-NSD abuse of the FISA-702(16)(17) system in April 2017. Contractors doing thousands of “about” search queries, 85% of them being unlawful (non-compliant), and the results shared outside the intelligence community (lacking minimization).
Additionally, Judge Collyer likely knew she was hoodwinked by a lack of honesty from DOJ-NSD head John Carlin, only a day after she approved the Carter Page FISA warrant. Collyer would also have seen the Page/Strzok text messages about Rudy Contreras as they were released in early December 2017; and Presiding Judge Collyer would have authority to tell Contreras to recuse himself. Keep all this in mind….
Contreras was the most recent appointment in the summer of 2016 having been designated on May 19th, 2016. The timing seems pertinent when we look at the text messages from Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. However, before getting to the text messages also consider this aspect from the book written by Edward Klein (Chapter 3):
Klein’s description in his book aligns with both the content and timeline of the Alfa Bank FISA timeline. The FISA judge in the book is not mentioned by name; however, from the description in the book as a “he” and the location (“only a few minutes” away), it is almost guaranteed to be Judge James E Boasberg.
Now we jump to the text messages from Lisa Page and Peter Strzok where they discuss how Agent Strzok is actually friends with Judge Contreras.
[Note this text message conversation is around the time just before “Crossfire Hurricane” begins (July 31st, 2016). Also note these text messages were originally hidden and redacted from congress in Dec. 2017 – compare here]
Lisa Page asks Peter Strzok if he was aware “Rudy is on the FISC”?
The conversation is specifically about an investigative need for friendly FISA judges, but Lisa Page and Peter Strzok are concerned about “recusal issues”.
Now, keep in mind all of this sunlight was surfacing in early December of 2017; literally days after Judge Contreras accepted a guilty plea from General Flynn (November 30th, 2017). Six days later, December 7th, 2017, Judge Contreras “was recused” from the case without explanation.
I’ll bet you a donut Presiding FISC Judge Rosemary Collyer; knowing all of the sketchy DOJ and FBI actions that had taken place in the past eighteen months; and seeing the FBI text messages about her FISA court surface; told Judge Rudy Contreras he could not participate in a legal case were he approved a dubious FISA warrant that was now being used as evidence against the accused, Flynn. That’s why Contreras “was recused”.
If my suspicion is correct, and I’m more than 90%+ sure on this, the transcribed intercept of Michael Flynn’s communication with Ambassador Kislyak, which was leaked to media, was based on an extended FISA warrant (renewal) where General Michael Flynn was the ongoing surveillance target.
When were the FISA warrants issued?
Here’s the Evidence We Need:
♦ Prove the July 31st, 2016, Crossfire Hurricane operation originated from fraud by exposing the CIA operation that created the originating “Electronic Communication” memo. Declassify that two-page “EC” document that Brennan gave to Comey.
♦ Release and declassify all of the Comey memos that document the investigative steps taken by the FBI as an outcome of the operation coordinated by CIA Director John Brennan in early 2016.
♦ Reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse by declassifying the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Show the FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries. [Crowdstrike? Fusion-GPS? Nellie Ohr?]
♦ Subpoena former DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) head John Carlin, or haul him in front of a grand jury, and get his testimony about why he hid the abuse from the FISA court in October 2016; why the DOJ-NSD rushed the Carter Page application to beat NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to the FISA court; and why Carlin quit immediately thereafter. Squeeze this bastard’s nuts in the proverbial legal vice.
♦ Prove the Carter Page FISA application (October 2016) was fraudulent and based on deceptions to the FISA Court. Declassify the entire document, and release the transcripts of those who signed the application(s); and/or depose those who have not yet testified.
♦ Release all of the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages without redactions. Let sunlight pour in on the actual conversation(s) that were taking place when Crossfire Hurricane (July ’16) and the FISA Application (Oct ’16) were taking place.
♦ Release all of Bruce Ohr 302’s, FBI notes from interviews and debriefing sessions, and other relevant documents associated with the interviews of Bruce Ohr and his internal communications. Including exculpatory evidence that Bruce Ohr may have shared with FBI Agent Joseph Pientka. [And get a deposition from this Pientka fella]
♦ Release the August 2nd, 2017, two-page scope memo provided by DAG Rod Rosenstein to special counsel Robert Mueller to advance the fraudulent Trump investigation, and initiate the more purposeful obstruction of justice investigation.
Yes, they were spying.
Release this material, and the entire corrupt construct is exposed….
