A fantastic catch by Twitter user “15poundstogo” highlights a key phrase within the Senate Select Intelligence Committee (SSCI) Russia Report Volume-5, showing how the SSCI allowed those who created the Trump-Russia narrative to avoid questioning:

[SSCI Volume-5 Link, Page 23]

This is a very important detail to underpin the report we shared yesterday about former Dianne Feinstein top staffer Dan Jones attempting to avoid a subpoena from U.S. Attorney John Durham.  [SEE BACKGROUND HERE]  This key highlight from the SSCI is evidence of how the attempted coup against President Trump was coordinated by people outside government and inside government.

Dan Jones left the SSCI prior to the 2016 election and went to work pushing the Trump-Russia narrative through his media contacts.  Jones took over funding Fusion-GPS and Chris Steele in 2017 at the same time Senator Mark Warner took over as SSCI vice-chairman. Dan Jones and Mark Warner coordinated the efforts outside and inside government on the same objective.  The Senate Intel Committee was part of the effort.

As a result of their alignment and common purpose the SSCI didn’t investigate the origin of the Trump-Russia narrative; and instead positioned themselves as a shield to block any investigative inquiry into what took place.  THIS IS A BIG DEAL !

(more…)

First, let me set the stage for new readers. No-one is more cynical of DC operations and manipulations than me. I do not sell nor promote ‘hope porn’, and I am not confident that anything is close to being revealed. Indeed, given the scale and scope of what took place in the last eight years, yes eight years; I have expressed doubts that anyone in government would ever actually expose it.

That said, in addition to my own cynicism I have been deep in this “spygate” or “Russiagate” rabbit hole; factually and physically inside the DC network; long enough to see the map of an investigative trail bringing up the rear.

During one great conversation a lawyer said to me: “All of this you know; all of this you have evidence for; but we don’t have the badges”. Thus began my 2020 effort, ultimately a successful effort, to drag the badges into the hole.  That’s the background for an update with new information:

A very important article was written yesterday in the New Yorker [SEE HERE]. While the topic of the article spotlights the ridiculous conspiracy theory surrounding Alfa bank, and the insufferable nonsense about Trump Tower servers having contact -electronic touch signals- with servers from the Russian banking organization, there are aspects to the story that show where the Durham probe has been forced to travel.

Within the article –which everyone should read– some names are very important. The article is framed around defending the New Yorker’s previous reporting on the Alfa Bank conspiracy theory, so the intent of the article is defensive. However, the events being described in the article, and more importantly the people being outlined in the article, are accurate. Especially Daniel Jones and his lawyer William Taylor; and the connection of both to Fusion GPS and Glenn Simpson.

According to the article there are two parallel efforts underway to untangle the background of how the false Alfa Bank story was originated. One effort is a set of civil lawsuits by the owners of Alfa bank against those who created the fraudulent story that flowed through Fusion GPS, into Chris Steele’s dossier, into the FBI, and ultimately into the Buzzfeed reporting therein. The owners of the bank are taking all of these entities into court and demanding discovery of sources who framed/created the false impression.

(more…)

Earlier this morning our president called-in to Fox Business for an extensive interview with Maria Bartiromo.  President Trump covered a multitude of topics from the ongoing election, to the debate changes, to the efforts to get the intelligence community to declassify documents related to his three-years of targeting by deep state officials.

(more…)

By now the American electorate’s confidence in the FBI is hovering near zero.  FBI Director Chris Wray has done nothing to counter a reality of institutional corruption.

To the contrary, and factually, over the past several years the FBI have shown they are politically motivated in all their efforts. If the FBI was not political, they simply wouldn’t be seen taking a knee to express their political alignment with far-left causes:

From the FBI involvement in attempted election interference in 2015 and 2016; to their 2017/2018 efforts to overthrow the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump; to the 2018 Caesar Sayoc case, a transparently self-interested attempt to sway the 2018 mid-term election and protect themselves from further investigation; to the FBI involvement in the 2019 SWAT arrest of Roger Stone; to the 50 FBI agents who worked with Andrew Weissmann and Robert Mueller on the special counsel operation… all the way to this announcement today, everything the FBI does is wrapped in their political ideology.

There is a profound irony when considering how the political left decries Russia’s use of state police for political purposes; and yet we see the United States FBI carrying out identically motivated federal police operations. Think carefully about it.

Michigan – […] The [FBI] news conference comes after the filing of a federal affidavit Thursday morning that describes an alleged plot to overthrow the government and kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

(more…)

Fred Fleitz is the President and CEO, Center for Security Policy; a former NSC Chief of Staff, CIA analyst and House Intel Com staff member. Tonight he appeared with Lou Dobbs to discuss the ongoing issues with the intelligence apparatus and the requests by President Trump to release all documents without redaction.

.

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released the following statement today:

(more…)

Missouri U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen has provided additional information to the Flynn defense team highlighting a January 25th meeting between officials in the DOJ-NSD and FBI the day after Michael Flynn (code-named Razor) was interviewed in the White House.

The DOJ officials attending the meeting included: Mary McCord (NSD head), George Toscas (NSD principal deputy), Stu Evans, Tashina Guahar, and “Matt A” (possibly Matthew Axelrod (lawyer for the Deputy Attorney General).  Additionally, from the FBI there was: James Baker (chief legal counsel), Bill Priestap (CoIntel head) and a redacted name.  It is clear from the meeting notes the group was trying to find something to target Michael Flynn and brainstorming on what approach to take.

As noted they discussed the “Logan Act” yet found there was no reasonable way to use it and Flynn’s contact with Russian Ambassador Kislyak, during the transition, was normal.

FBI Legal Counsel James Baker asked how could you prosecute Flynn for a 1001 violation (lying to FBI officials) when you couldn’t prosecute any underlying crime because the contact with Kislyak was normal.

The “truth of something being falsely stated to the public” surrounds the January 15, 2017, CBS interview with Vice-President Mike Pence who conflated a question about contact with Russians during the election; with Flynn’s contact with Kislyak in the transition period.

John Dickerson: Just to button up one question, did any advisor or anybody in the Trump campaign have any contact with the Russians who were trying to meddle in the election?

MIKE PENCE: Of course not. And I think to suggest that is to give credence to some of these bizarre rumors that have swirled around the candidacy. (link)

The DOJ/FBI team was going to hang their hat on this conflation as a conflict between Pence and Flynn.   That’s the beginning of the Russian “blackmail” narrative.

(more…)

Counsel to General Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell, comments on new unredacted information regarding the presidential transition scandal known commonly as ‘Russiagate,’ and the roles that President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton may have played in the events in question. The interview is with Newsmax TV’s John Bachman

(more…)

An interesting letter from the DOJ provided to the Flynn defense team portends a release of handwritten notes, from the day after the January 24, 2017, Flynn interview, likely authored by Kevin Clinesmith as the FBI discussed next steps.

If the notes are from Kevin Clinesmith, he is the former FBI lawyer from the office of general counsel who was charged by the DOJ for manipulating evidence, and potentially cooperating as part of his plea agreement. [Background] Remember, the DOJ only presented a Criminal Information status against Clinesmith with no grand jury, which suggests counsel for defendant approached DOJ to structure an agreement.  The plea agreement likely also included an agreement for method of public release. [LINK HERE]

During an interview last night, Sidney Powell said more truth-bombs are likely forthcoming.  If Clinesmith is “cooperating”; or if Clinesmith is merely informing the DOJ of activity that took place during the Flynn targeting, which is helping them locate evidence of the background events; this could be very helpful to the defense team.  We await specifics…

UPDATE: Clinesmith (?)  notes released (see below)

(more…)

CTH is delayed in analysis of this story because we are a stickler for source document origination. For some unknown reason the originating document source is identified as ODNI, yet the documents themselves are not officially released.  That is not comforting, and points toward controlled messaging.

According to reports today, most citations returning to [Federalist and Fox News], the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, has released the background documents (pertaining to an earlier declassification of documents) showing handwritten notes by CIA Director John Brennan briefing the White House and the CIA referral to the FBI -of Clinton coordinating the Trump-Russia narrative- for operation Crossfire Hurricane.

The two releases today would be connected to the earlier release (red boxes) to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Without an official originating source for the handwritten notes I am cautious to expand discussion.  The Federalist and Fox News appear to have received the notes.

The notes would pertain to a July 26, 2016, discussion between CIA Director John Brennan and an advisor to Hillary Clinton.  That discussion subsequently led Brennan to brief President Obama, Denis McDonough, Susan Rice and possibly James Comey on July 28, 2016, as noted by Brennan himself in a recent op-ed.

(more…)

Representative Jim Jordan and Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo discuss the latest information, releases and investigations within the overall “Spygate” dynamic.

.

Earlier today Maria Bartiromo sent out a tweet indicating significant declassification is about to be released.  Now, let me put the dots together….

We know to a demonstrable certainty that Mark Meadows was the majority source of information fed to John Solomon while Meadows was in congress.  Meadows was Solomon’s primary source for almost all of his reporting.  We also know that Meadows kicked-off a stink recently with his “off-record” commentary creating a narrative that President Trump was much more ill than admitted by White House.

Additionally, Mark Meadows recently said that President Trump was reviewing and declassifying information while he was in Walter Reed medical facility.   Put it all together and I will wager you a considerable sum that Mark Meadows is now Bartiromo’s source.

(more…)