Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held an unusual press event, and delivered an unusual statement to the media, specifically refuting the content of an NBC report –READ HERE–

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Good morning. There were some news reports this morning that I want to address. First, my commitment to the success of our President and our country is as strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as Secretary of State. President Trump’s “America first” agenda has given voice to millions who felt completely abandoned by the political status quo and who felt their interests came second to those of other countries.
President Trump’s foreign policy goals break the mold of what people traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country. We’re finding new ways to govern that deliver new victories. Our job is now to achieve results on behalf of America, and we are doing that.
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The Weaponized Administrative State is Protecting Itself

A report from Reuters highlights the DOJ and FBI refusing to hand over documents related to the Steele Dossier on candidate Donald Trump, and the FBI (Via James Comey) involvement in assembling the content therein.   However, the lede is buried in paragraph four of the article.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI are resisting demands from a Republican lawmaker to hand over documents about a former British spy’s dossier on purported Russian support for Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, because the FBI has its own open criminal investigation, officials said.
The U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee issued subpoenas in August seeking “any and all documents” about both agencies’ dealings with former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, according to a letter seen by Reuters from committee chairman Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter.

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Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appears on CNN last night to deny knowledge of the wiretapping of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
In March Clapper stated he would specifically have known if a FISA warrant was issued against any Trump campaign officials. Last night Clapper stated he held no knowledge of the FISA warrant. Clapper is walking through a legal minefield. WATCH:

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It is important to remember that FBI Director James Comey stated on March 20th 2017 he briefed the DNI (James Clapper) and the National Security Adviser (Susan Rice) on the details of the counter intelligence operation. By all intents and appearances the statement last night by Clapper denying knowledge is essentially refuting James Comey’s earlier testimony and throwing Comey under the bus.
They both cannot be telling the truth.
Either Comey told Clapper which means Clapper is lying.  Or Comey never told Clapper, which provides evidence of the FBI collusion with the White House; and the FBI working as a rogue intelligence agency for political targeting.
In the abstract the Obama authorized wiretapping of a Trump campaign official is alarming. However when these recent revelations are added to FBI James Comey admitting to keeping the investigations hidden from congressional oversight an even more alarming picture emerges.
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Knowing that former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort was wiretapped by the Obama Administration via the FBI, James Comey, let’s take another look at Comey’s testimony.
New York Representative Elise Stefanik begins her March 20th, 2017, questioning by asking director Comey what are the typical protocols, broad standards and procedures for notifying the Director of National Intelligence, the White House and senior congressional leadership (aka the intelligence Gang of Eight), when the FBI has opened a counter-intelligence investigation.
The parseltongue response from Comey is a generalized reply (with uncomfortable body language) that notification of counter-intel investigations are discussed with the White House, and other pertinent officials, on a calendar basis, ie. “quarterly”.
With the statement that such counter-intel notifications happen “generally quarterly”, and against the backdrop that Comey stated in July of 2016 a counter-intel investigation began, Stefanik asks:

…”when did you notify the White House, the DNI and congressional leadership”?

Watch an extremely uncomfortable Director James Comey lie by claiming there was no active DNI -which is entirely false- James Clapper was Obama’s DNI.

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Watch it again.
Watch that first 3:00 minutes again. Ending with:

…”Because of the sensitivity of the matter” ~ James Comey

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There will be much discussion and speculation about a recent “leaked” FBI FISA warrant surrounding former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. However, the interesting aspect always falls upon the timeline, not necessarily the wiretapping itself per se’.
According to the CNN report the wiretapping and surveillance of Manafort started sometime in 2014 and then was discontinued after nothing of criminal value or significance was gained.  [NOTE: FISA warrants must be updated in 90 day increments; continued surveillance involving U.S. persons must be justified; if nothing exists the court orders the surveillance to cease the warrant is no longer valid.]  However, according to the same leaked source reporting from CNN the wiretapping began again in 2016.
The July/August 2016 time frame is interesting because that coincides with the surfacing of the ridiculous opposition research “Steele Dossier” on Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Further recently revealed information about the “steele dossier”, interestingly surrounds the James Comey FBI paying for the information contained therein.
Bear with me on this… So the James Comey FBI paid a British informant, former MI6 operative Christopher Steele, for content within the Steele Dossier, which was originally financed by the Jeb Bush campaign and Never Trumpers, and later passed on to Hillary Clinton allies via continued investigative funding by Fusion GPS. Christopher Steele is the same guy the DNC contracted to research the “DNC hacking” (which many think was actually DNC leaking).
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The first round of new NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) negotiations begins today in Washington DC.  The U.S., Canada and Mexico begin the task of renegotiating a trade deal originally established in 1995. There are trillions of dollars in trade being discussed, and more substantively the basic principles behind a tri-lateral trade deal that has compromised U.S. economic growth are being reformatted and reestablished.
Most of the media presentations on the substantive issues are framed in falsehoods, deception and many outright lies.  The advancement of multinational corporations, and multinational financial constructs has eliminated the historic reference points still being used by the media to mislead the average consumer – EXPLAINED HERE –
NAFTA was/is a highly political trade deal that has severely compromised U.S. workers and U.S. manufacturers.  There may be as many as six rounds of negotiations as each economic sector is addressed.  However, the first round is essentially to establish the principles of priority for each trade nation.  Against the backdrop of America as the worlds largest economy and market, the entire globe is watching to see the outcome.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer delivers his opening remarks (video and transcript below).

This morning, @USTradeRep Ambassador Robert Lighthizer delivered an opening statement at the first round of #NAFTA renegotiations. pic.twitter.com/8h21Ednskf

— Department of State (@StateDept) August 16, 2017

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AMBASSADOR ROBERT LIGHTHIZER – This is an historic day for the United States. Today, for the first time, we will start negotiating to revise a major free trade agreement. American politicians have been promising to renegotiate NAFTA for years, but today President Trump is going to fulfill those promises.
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The Daily Caller is reporting that Hope Hicks will be named as Communications Director.  Most people familiar with the 2015 campaign origin will remember Hope Hicks as one of the very original members of the small campaign team.
(Via Daily Caller) Hope Hicks will be named the new White House communications director, The Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
President Trump has offered the job to Hicks and she has accepted the position, according to a White House insider. Hicks has been close by Trump’s side since the early days of the campaign and is one of his most trusted staffers. She has been serving on the press team in more of a behind-the-scenes role as the director of strategic communications.
The communications director position has been open since President Trump fired Anthony Scaramucci in July, just ten days after the Mooch took over the position from former press secretary Sean Spicer. Trump ditched Scaramucci shortly after he decided to bring on Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as his new chief of staff.  (link)
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In the entire ridiculous enterprise of Steve Bannon -vs- HR McMaster the idiots on the #FireMcMaster side are ultimately going to end up delivering an exit for Steve Bannon. Then again, I repeat myself – SEE HERE –
But seriously, if there was validity to the #FireMcMaster issues, which there isn’t, and if we supported the #FireMcMaster cause, which we don’t, anyone with any intelligence at all would drop the anti-McMaster premise during a high visibility national security crisis like North Korea.
Then again, we ain’t exactly talking about the sharpest tacks in the political toolbox.  And if you understand that dynamic, you’ll also understand the reason why Jake Tapper is pushing this story right now.
The real target is Steve Bannon. Cue the audio visual demonstration – WATCH.

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And as unbelievable as it might seem, look at the useful tweet from one of Bannon’s media #FireMcMaster “supporters“.
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosentein, appears on Fox News Sunday to discuss leak investigations and the ongoing Mueller probe into the 2016 election.
If special counsel Robert Mueller finds any crime outside the scope of the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, then he’ll have to seek permission, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said.

If there’s evidence of a crime that’s found within the scope of what they have agreed, then Mueller has free rein, Rosenstein explained. If it’s outside the scope of the probe, then “he needs to come to the acting attorney general, at this time me, for permission to expand his investigation,” he added. Rosenstein noted this as a precedent, which was also followed by independent counsel Ken Starr during the Clinton years.
Reports have come out over the past couple months about how the probe is investigating Trump for obstruction of justice, and that Mueller has impaneled grand juries, capable of issuing subpoenas.
These reports and more have relied on anonymous sources, against whom Rosenstein cautioned could be unreliable. He dubbed these reports, “speculation in the news media.”
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Here’s one angle to the Robert Mueller investigation that was entirely predictable.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now seeking documents from the White House on Michael Flynn and his personal arrangement to lobby for Turkey during the 2016 election.  Specifically they are looking into the financial aspects and whether Flynn masked the lobbying payments made to him.
Before getting to the crux of the issue, CTH must remind everyone that back in November of 2016 when we first discovered (During the Transition) the possibility that Flynn was under consideration for ODNI or National Security Adviser role – WE WARNED this was going to be an issue – SEE HERE November 17th, 2016.
We knew even before the election this could be a problem.  As far as we could surmise at the time – the Trump Campaign and subsequent President-Elect transition team, had no idea that campaign advocate and campaign adviser Michael Flynn was also being paid to lobby in DC on behalf of the government of Turkey, and Recep Erdogan.
The entire Flynn lobbying arrangement was beyond sketchy.  Before the election Flynn penned an op-ed advocating heavily for Recep Erdogan –SEE HERE–  The content was entirely disconnected from the assembled foreign policy outlook of Candidate Donald Trump. The Flynn Op-Ed was actually counter to candidate Trump’s policy views.
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