There is an interesting dynamic unfolding with White Hats and Black Hats amid the story of how political forces within the DOJ and FBI conspired with Clinton allies in the 2016 presidential election, ie. “The Trump Operation”. [Hi Glenn, Jim, Andy]
Back-story – There are two central components:
♦First, corruption within the DOJ and FBI that included their use of unlawful use of FISA-702 exploits; and ♦second, how that intelligence information was extracted, passed along to those outside government, repackaged, and reconstituted into the “Steele Dossier”.  The finished, albeit sketchy, intelligence was later returned to the FBI to request lawful FISA court surveillance authority.  It is a circle of “intelligence laundering”.
We know the DOJ (National Security Division), and FBI (Counterintelligence Division), worked together on the enterprise.  This collaboration is where the insider “small group” participants assemble, intersect and ultimately redistribute themselves into the Mueller investigation with the help of Mueller’s adviser, FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker.

The Players, “Insiders”:

DOJ side: Asst. Attorney General Sally Yates, Asst. AG Head of National Security Division John P Carlin; Deputy Attorney Bruce Ohr; and legal liaison between Main Justice and FBI, Attorney Lisa Page.

FBI side: FBI Director Jim Comey; Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe; Director of Counterintelligence W.H. “Bill Priestap”; FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker; and lead FBI Counterintelligence Agent Peter Strzok.

Outsiders (The Dossier Crew):

Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson; the wife of Simpson, Mary B. Jacoby; a hired private contractor, familiar with CIA operations, Nellie Ohr (also wife of DOJ team insider Bruce Ohr); contracted former British MI6 Agent and head of Russia House, Christopher Steele (also attributed authorship of ‘Dossier’).

♦The basic enterprise seems pretty straightforward albeit corrupt as hell.  During a period of November 2015 through April 18th 2016, Justice Department political insiders and outside political contractors, including Fusion-GPS, accessed the NSA and FBI database using FISA-702(17) “About Queries”. They gathered information on candidate Hillary Clinton’s political opposition including Donald Trump campaign officials and affiliates.
This was essentially deep state political opposition research being conducted inside government for a considerable period of time. The information, gathered on Clinton’s  political opposition, was then weaponized against the candidacy of Donald Trump.
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Consider this an addendum “break out” thread, a reference of sorts, to help prepare people for the upcoming week and discussions about FISA-702.

We’ll break down the term: “ FISA-702(16)(17) ” into the elements that will help you make sense of this story in the future.

• FISA – Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
• 702 – An American caught up in the process of Foreign Surveillance
• (16) – A search query based on “TO” and/or “FROM”
• (17) – A search query based on “ABOUT”

Again, to repeat, there are differing FISA rules for use of the NSA or FBI database depending on the originating intelligence compartment.
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Dan Bongino does a great job in this interview. Sara Carter, plays the role of controlled opposition.  Carter shiftily helps Hillary Clinton deal with her “Dossier Problem“.
Unfortunately, but not unpredictably, Sara Carter begins deploying deep state ‘countermeasures’ from her ‘sources’ that are telling her Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele and Hillary Clinton was hoodwinked by a comprehensive Russian disinformation campaign; carried out by professional Russian intelligence agents; who duped the Clinton Campaign into THINKING Trump was a proxy political agent of Russia.
Ergo,… the ever patriotic Clinton campaign had no other option, except to do their civic  duty, and inform the FBI of the Russian claims… and that led to the entire FBI operation investigating candidate Donald Trump.   Thankfully, Donald Trump wasn’t a Russian spy.
Well, there’s the trial balloon narrative from those at risk within the Deep State Clinton group, and there’s Sara Carter testing it out for them:

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Last night on Fox News at Night with Shannon Bream, there was an interesting segment with a relatively unfamiliar face.  Policy Advisor and Author, Sidney Powell, appeared on the show to discuss the concluding DOJ Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, aspects to the current congressional investigations.
A very well briefed, and interestingly up-to-date, Mrs. Powell appears at 30:19 of the video discussion below. WATCH (prompted – just hit play):
https://youtu.be/kMuEa0k83js?t=30m19s
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All indications are Mrs. Powell was the author of the curiously correct Sean Hannity article “Creeps On A Mission” we enthusiastically noted last night – SEE HERE.
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In the first week of March 2016 an exclusive list of top tech executives, billionaires, donors and influence agents gathered at a secretive meeting with key leaders of the Washington system known collectively as ‘The Swamp‘.  The meeting took place at an exclusive enclave in Sea Island Georgia.  The Sea Island group was not defined by a political party, their commonality is power and influence.  The purpose of the 2016 meeting was to formulate a plan to destroy the candidacy of Donald John Trump.
Candidate Donald Trump represented an existential threat to a decades-built power and influence structure. There were/are trillions of dollars at stake.  One of the tools used by those in positions of power and influence is ‘leverage’.
Do we really think those in control of the FBI and DOJ began using and distributing information gleaned from FISA702 NSA database searches for the first time in 2016 against Donald Trump?

(FISA Court Opinion – Page 84)

Do we really think the enterprise of gathering, reviewing, then weaponizing government collected information, began with the candidacy of Donald Trump?  Do we really believe that 2016 was the first and only time those who hold power within government conspired with, and paid, outside affiliated interests to protect themselves and their system?
Are we to believe Donald Trump was the first and only target of this process?
No.
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Unless the professional praetorian media apparatus can find another ‘sh**hole’ to hide behind, next week is shaping up to be a VERY bad week for Democrats:

The U.S. DOJ Has Begun Taking down the low hanging fruit on the Uranium One Tree – SEE HERE
The Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, Has Begun releasing a years-worth of Investigative Documents to the House Judiciary Committee – SEE HERE
(Great job Dave)

For those that are paranoid about the DOJ/FBI leadership and want to view them as an adversary that is fine. IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE. Even if they were opposed to cleaning up (which they are not) they are between a rock (IG) and a hard place (Congress) and will comply. (more)

Even Sean Hannity has discovered the BIGGER STORY behind the OIG Report – HERE
And Chairman Devin Nunes is now openly telling his colleagues in congress that the Obama, Lynch and Comey DOJ and FBI FISA violations are beyond their imaginings:

(Via Fox) House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes told Republican colleagues in two closed-door meetings this week he has seen evidence that shows clear “abuse” of government surveillance programs by FBI and Justice Department officials, according to three sources familiar with the conversations, raising more questions about whether the controversial anti-Trump dossier was used by the Obama administration to authorize surveillance of advisers to President Trump.

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Journalist Kimberley A. Strassel is one of the few mainstream journalists writing about the collaborative 2016 DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation” with a sense of what is to come.  Strassel likely understands where the story is going, and appears to have a solid grasp on the evidence trail, yet necessarily writes cautiously – the stakes are indeed quite high.
Today Strassel writes about the need for the Democrats to rehabilitate the Steele Dossier because the alternative origin, the truthful origin to the counterintelligence operation over the campaign of candidate Donald Trump, is a stunning political risk.
Two weeks ago the New York Times narrative said the Steele Dossier was nothing, irrelevant, and had nothing to do with the FBI beginning “Operation Trump”.  Today, mysteriously, Democrats embrace the Steele Dossier as they justify the DOJ/FBI counterintelligence and surveillance operation over an opposing political candidate.

The motive is transparent. If Democrats do not embrace the Steele Dossier as a national security origin for the entire DOJ/FBI operation, the real motive is subject to exposure.  That real motive is political. That real motive cannot be justified. That real motive presents a legal risk that must be avoided.
However, while Strassel’s outlook is almost guaranteed to be correct, there’s an angle that Democrats have likely not considered; and/or they will not easily be prepared for.
Let me put it this way, in the form of a question:

The Steele Dossier is the “least bad” option to justify the origin of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”.  However, what if the Steele Dossier is the finished product of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”,  not the beginning of an investigation?

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Dan Bongino is asking the right question on Twitter:

Pages #83 through #96 of the FISA Court Opinion provide the context for this question.
The fastest way to answer the question is to ask the guy at the epicenter of the FISA-702 queries.  W.H. “Bill” Priestap, the FBI Director of Counterintelligence.  Mr. Priestap could easily answer that question…. and he’s on the Nunes witness list for questioning this month… but will he answer?
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Following the released transcript of Fusion-GPS Co-Founder Glenn Simpson’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Senator Dianne Feinstein, several media outlets have begun questioning the relationship between the FBI investigators, Glenn Simpson and dossier author Christopher Steele.
What we have discovered highlights the answer to those relationship questions; and also answers a host of other questions, including: Did the FBI pay Christopher Steele?  Yes, but now how media has stated.  Was the FBI connected to the creation of the Steele Dossier? Yes, but again, not the way the media is currently outlining.

The motive within the FBI/DOJ surveillance of the 2016 campaign of Donald Trump is simple. However, to understand how they did it – the story becomes more complex.  Some key background understanding is necessary.
♦First, to understand what took place in 2016 we must travel back to 2015 when Office of Inspector General (OIG) Michael Horowitz asked for approval to conduct oversight over the National Security Division of the Department of Justice; the DOJ-NSD.
In 2015 Inspector General Michael Horowitz was blocked by the Department of Justice from having oversight over the DOJ-NSD. In a lengthy response to the IG’s office [Full 58 page pdf HERE] Sally Yates essentially said ‘all DOJ is subject to oversight, except the National Security Division’.
♦Second, to understand how FISA is used within the intelligence community it is CRITICAL to understand that IC departments centered around National Security, such as the DOJ National Security Division, or the FBI Counterintelligence Division, may use the NSA database -and FISA enabled inquires- with considerably more leeway, and less restrictions on access and use.  In short, FISA “queries” from any national security department within government are allowed without seeking court approval.
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It can be difficult to see through the wording to understand the accurate story.  Sara Carter and Fox News are both confirming the DOJ and FBI used the Steele Dossier to get FISA-702 Data Surveillance Authority allowing them to spy on Trump campaign officials.
In the latest developments, as reported by Sara Carter and Fox News, the DOJ and FBI used the sketchy ‘Steele Dossier’ as the foundation for their FISA application. WATCH:

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Both Carter and Hannity use the term “FISA Warrants”, however in the interest of understanding, and accurately portraying what took place, it was not technically a “warrant” as we traditionally think about it.
A warrant implies advanced judicial approval to begin surveillance and collecting emails and phone calls etc.  Like a traditional Title III DOJ / law enforcement search warrant. But that’s not how FISA-702 works.
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