Senator Richard Burr has suspended his role as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) while he participates in a federal investigation into insider trading with his stock portfolio.

Last night a search warrant was delivered to Senator Burr’s lawyers and federal investigators scheduled a convenient time to pick up Mr. Burr’s cellular telephone from his Washington DC residence. It appears the cell phone is part of the ongoing review of Senator Burr’s stock trades.

With the investigation progressing, Mr. Burr said Thursday that he wanted to limit distraction to the Senate and informed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he would temporarily step aside as chairman of the SSCI while the review was ongoing. Senator Burr will remain a member of the committee and an interim chair will be selected.

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President Trump sits down for a lengthy hour-long interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo.  The President discusses coronavirus, the economy, China, trade, Flynn, the election, and much more.  55 minute interview taped yesterday, aired today.

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Against the unmasking discussion currently underway, it is worthwhile contrasting the distinctions between: (1) the NSA unmasking of incidental collection; and (2) the FBI unmasking as a result of targeted investigations.

There is a big difference between the two types; and Mike Flynn was a subject of both.

Appearing before a congressional committee on March 20, 2017, FBI Director James Comey outlined the FBI parameters for unmasking U.S. persons who are captured as part of domestic FBI surveillance.

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The distinction between the two unmasking aspects is becoming increasingly important. The FBI is currently claiming the Flynn-Kislyak call was due to “incidental collection”; this is a lie. The New York Times is pushing that lie today:

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First things first: ♦Understand Obama’s Surveillance Operation HERE.  ♦Michael Flynn wasn’t under a FISA (Title-1) HERE …. that’s the background.

Devin Nunes appears with Lou Dobbs to discuss the recent list of Obama-era officials who unmasked NSA intercepts of Michael Flynn talking to foreign government officials.  Rep. Nunes reminds the audience that Flynn is only one person within a much larger group of Trump transition team members who were under surveillance by Team Obama.

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For the sake of understanding this specific release, “unmasking” occurs when the NSA, eavesdropping on foreign communications, sweeps up communications with U.S. citizen. That is known as “incidental collection.”

When the intelligence about that communication is shared across the government, the names of U.S. citizens in the communication are typically concealed or masked to protect their identities. However, the names can be unmasked if U.S. officials make the request.

In this release [pdf here], the Obama-era NSA was monitoring various foreign government officials and within their communication they picked up contacts with incoming President-elect Trump’s National Security Advisor Lt. General Michael Flynn.  This release only includes NSA intercepts; not other intelligence agency reports; only the NSA.

The NSA generated [redacted number] of reports based on those foreign contacts. The reports are actual transcripts of the conversations.  The Obama-era officials then asked the NSA to unmask the name of General Flynn so they could see the content and context of the calls.  Current DNI Ric Grenell has assembled a list of who asked the NSA to unmask incoming NSA Michael Flynn from November 8, 2016 through January 31, 2017.

It is important to remember, these intercepts are part of the normal function of monitoring foreign communications.  There is nothing nefarious about the monitoring and there is nothing nefarious about a foreign person contacting the incoming administration, via General Flynn, to begin preparing for the change in administrations.

However, what is completely alarming and disturbing, is the extent to which the Obama administration went to share the contacts and transcripts of the calls with a myriad of government officials.  That’s where the list comes in.

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Fox News analyst Andrew McCarthy discusses the order by Judge Sullivan allowing amicus briefs from third-parties prior to issuing a ruling in the Flynn case. As McCarthy notes Sullivan is allowing an anti-Trump therapy session within his legal proceedings.

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Senator Grassley sends a letter (pdf here) thanking AG Bill Barr and DNI Richard Grenell for the declassified documents produced so far.  With the DOJ deciding to drop the Flynn prosecution Grassley notes there are three more buckets of classified documents he would like to see declassified and presented soon:

(1) The Flynn/Kislyak transcript. (2) The Susan Rice Memo to file. (3) The original and mysteriously missing Flynn 302 authored by FBI agent Joe Pientka. [Grassley Press]

Within the letter Senator Grassley notes he previously requested the release of these documents from former DAG Rod Rosenstein; who refused to submit them and made excuses to congressional oversight.

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In response to Judge Emmet Sullivan announcing a delay in Flynn ruling to allow third party amicus briefs to be filed with the court, Michael Flynn’s defense counsel files a motion in opposition. [Cloud pdf Here]  Embed pdf below

In opposition to the delay Attorney Sidney Powell notes Judge Sullivan’s earlier ruling of December 20, 2017, disallowing amicus briefs in this case.

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The great Lou Dobbs interviews Flynn’s exceptional defense lawyer, Sidney Powell, about the ongoing revelations directly and indirectly connected to the case against her client.

Ms. Powell is not only Flynn’s lawyer, but she’s one of the few people who put the picture together early and recognized President Obama’s surveillance state included the weaponization of the NSA database.  Now that revelations are quickly surfacing, Powell is in a strong position to help people see how the dots connect over multiple years. WATCH:

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Note: This interview took place prior to the recent order by Judge Sullivan delaying his decision and granting political allies time to petition the court and undermine the DOJ.

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This is nuts.  According to the Los Angeles Times city officials plan to keep the stay-at-home order in place for an additional three months.  However, this decision does provide further evidence the deep blue regions plan on maximizing economic damage.

The odd dynamic is…. without a massive local bailout, and funding for the citizens who are on lockdown, how could they possibly even attempt to pull this off?  Is this LA plan of action dependent on Pelosi’s brand new scheme for a $3 trillion spending package?

CALIFORNIA – Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home orders will “with all certainty” be extended for the next three months, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer acknowledged during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

Ferrer, though she didn’t issue an official order, said that timeline would only change if there was a “dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand.”

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