Fox News Catherine Herridge files a report covering the relationships between Glenn Simpson, Nellie Ohr, Christopher Steele, Bruce Ohr and the DOJ and FBI.
Today Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham sends a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting a briefing on the FBI conduct during the raid and arrest of 66-year-old Roger Stone.
However, sorry, I can’t let this go unnoticed. This letter is pure Decepticon politics.
Just yesterday FBI Director Chris Wray gave testimony before the senate for over four hours. If Republicans in the senate were actually concerned about the issue, why didn’t a single senator spend 30 seconds to ask about Wray about it? I digress…
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So far the joint house committee transcripts have been leaked to: John Solomon (The Hill), The Epoch Times, The New York Times, and now The Daily Caller. Someone is trying to get additional traction to these structured transcripts.
The content is also interesting. The only thing we knew previously about the testimony of Nellie Ohr was that she evoked ‘spousal privilege’ during her deposition. However, now the Daily Caller is reporting that Nellie Ohr gave testimony about her research with Fusion GPS, to include doing research on Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr’s travels:
Daily Caller – The wife of a Justice Department official who worked for Fusion GPS during the 2016 campaign told Congress in 2018 that one of her tasks at the opposition research firm was to research President Donald Trump’s children, including their business activities and travel.
Nellie Ohr, a former contractor for Fusion GPS, also told lawmakers during an Oct. 19 deposition that she recalls that Christopher Steele gave her husband, Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, materials from the infamous anti-Trump dossier funded by Democrats.
Roger Stone pleaded not guilty today in DC court. Mr. Stone appears on Laura Ingraham to discuss all the recent events.
Regardless of opinion of Mr. Stone, myself being generally ambivalent, there’s an element of his flamboyant approach and fortitude that seems oddly admirable. I find myself hoping he’s the guy who can flick a booger on Weissmann.
This is really interesting. Unfortunately, we don’t get the names.
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Key phrases: “two current senior FBI officials”, “one former”, relating to an “FBI Contractor”. Could this be an FBI contractor like Fusion-GPS or Crowdstrike?
I wish we could know more.
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The background here is that any unilateral declassification by President Trump will end up putting him in opposition to a variety of corrupt interests. As a direct result he will be facing legal action from the legislative branch. With that accepted, here is the most strategic approach.
President Trump informs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, that he wishes to have a full intelligence briefing on the following documents:
The President selects a date for this briefing and informs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, to inform and coordinate with all executive branch lead intelligence officials, who were/are stakeholders in the compartmented intelligence products as described above, of their request be present for the briefing.
Further, all of the compartmented intelligence is to be collectively assembled by the ODNI into one volume of a singular Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB). There are to be eighteen printed copies of the PDB assembled and secured for the briefing.
Additionally, the office of the president informs the ODNI of the executives’ intent to invite for the briefing each member of the Intelligence Community legislative oversight known as the Gang-of-Eight.
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There has been a great deal of debate and consternation surrounding how the Administrative State has boxed in President Trump through the use of the Mueller/Weissman counterintelligence probe, authorized by Rod Rosenstein, where President Trump is a target of the investigation.
A widely held supporter perspective is that President Trump can expose the fraudulent origination of the counterintelligence investigation; of which he is now a target; if he were to declassify a series of documents as requested by congress and allies of his administration. This approach would hopefully remove the sword of Damocles.
Because the issues are very complex, we begin a two-part CTH post to outline the issues and hopefully clarify the situation; as well as outline a possible solution that would minimize the risk. This is part I.
The core issue within the debate surrounds two contradictory reference points: (1) President Trump has ultimate declassification authority. (2) Yes; however, in this example President Trump is also the target of the investigation; so declassification could be viewed by elements within the investigation as ‘obstruction’. Both of these points are true.
Also true is the reality that both laws and politics come into play.
In November 2018 President Trump gave an interview where he discussed the situation as it is visible to him. Democrats and opposition, writ large, are working earnestly to remove him from office. Obviously President Trump is aware:
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Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham announced today the postponement of the committee vote on nomination of William Barr for Attorney General by one week, after democrats requested a delay.
Generally, no big deal. Normally, the opposition democrats can call for a week delay. Typically, this stuff happens all the time and is one of those procedural issues no-one pays attention to. However…
Because the spidey-sense political radar is monitoring DC closely; it just so happens that we stood back, looked at the political calendar last night; and predicted this. Check out the alignment of the political planets for next week:
♦On Tuesday Feb 5th, President Trump is now scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address. There is absolutely NO DOUBT before Pelosi invited Trump, the democrats have pre-planned something around the event.
♦On Friday Feb 8th, AAG Matt Whitaker is scheduled to appear in front of the most Machiavellian political mind inside the Democrat apparatus, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (aka “The Penguin”).
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The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will be holding a public hearing today covering a variety of topics pertaining to ongoing “world wide threats”.
The participants of the hearing are: FBI Director Christopher Wray; CIA Director Gina Haspel; Office of the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats; Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency General Robert Ashley; National Security Agency (NSA) Director General Paul Nakasone; and Director Robert Cardillo National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The anticipated start time is 9:30am
SSCI Website Link HERE – Alternate Livestream Here
According to the DOJ announcement released today three companies: Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Huawei Device USA Inc. and Skycom Tech Co. Ltd. are charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and conspiracy to violate IEEPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Huawei and Huawei USA are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice related to the grand jury investigation in the Eastern District of New York.
Additionally Ms. Meng Wanzhou is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud. Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Wilbur Ross of the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the National Security Division, announced the charges: