Washington (CNN) A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter.
The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the sources said. It is unclear what the charges are. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment. (read more)

(Article Link) – (Tweet Link)

First wave of arrests to begin on Monday?
(more…)

A few media reports are all confirming the initial funding for the Fusion GPS opposition research against candidate Donald Trump came from The Washington Free Beacon and the previously undisclosed underwriter for the WFB, billionaire Paul Singer.

This makes sense because WFB was the primary conservative media advocate for candidate Marco Rubio who was also backed by billionaire Paul Singer. The primary editor of WFB Matthew Continetti is married to the daughter of notorious NeverTrumper Bill Kristol:

WASHINGTON – Lawyers for the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon informed the House Intelligence Committee Friday that the organization was the original funder for the anti-Trump opposition research project with Fusion GPS. (link)

The Washington Free Beacon did not reveal their ownership, however both Breitbart and Daily Caller are confirming the financial underwriting for WFB comes from Paul Singer. The WFB is now attempting to explain their opposition research HERE.
It’s a rather odd dynamic to discover that a media outlet would be purchasing a contract for opposition research, no?  Then again, the majority of the electorate have no idea how the right-side of the political continuum is engaged in pushing an ideological agenda – they are not just reporting facts.  WFB should lose all journalistic credibility; they won’t, but they should.
(more…)

House intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes announces the congressional probe into the Russian Uranium One deal.  As described, the initial part of the probe will be to discover if there was actually an ongoing FBI investigation into the company at the time the Obama administration gave the green light for the controversial purchase.
In order to answer that originating question the DOJ has released an FBI informant from their non disclosure agreement (NDA).  If it is confirmed the FBI was actually conducting an investigation – the additional lines of probative value will encompass how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved the purchase during an ongoing FBI investigation.

.
If the FBI was investigating, and if CFIUS approved the purchase despite the investigation, then it appears congress would move to the third probative point “why”?
Within the third probative point is where the possibility of a quid-pro-quo with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton comes into play.  The financial dynamic behind Uranium One and the Clinton Foundation is substantive, factual, generally well cited, and potentially illegal albeit difficult to prove.
It is within that third dynamic that WikiLeaks previously outlined the exceptionally coincidental connections which align with the quid-pro-quo and encompass Hillary/Bill Clinton, John Podesta, and Russian business and governmental interests.
(more…)

Apparently, prior to the Washington Post revealing the DNC  and Clinton Campaign paid for the “Russian Dossier”, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (DNC) and John Podesta (campaign) testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee they knew nothing about who and how the Steele Dossier was financed…

…but wait, it gets better.
Sitting beside John Podesta when he gave his Senate testimony was, wait for it,..  attorney Marc Elias.  Yup, the campaign and DNC lawyer who actually wrote the checks to Fusion GPS to pay Christopher Steele.  Whoopsie.
(Via CNN) Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta and former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz both privately denied to congressional Russia investigators that they had any knowledge about an arrangement to pay for opposition research on President Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The interviews happened before this week’s disclosure that the Clinton campaign and DNC paid for the research. Senate investigators may seek to further question the two top Democrats and dig deeper on the origins of the so-called Trump dossier, one of the sources briefed on the matter said.
(more…)

There is a tremendous amount of obfuscation coming from democrats after the revelation that Hillary Clinton and the DNC paid Fusion GPS to contract Christoper Steele to create the now infamous “Dossier”.  One of the most significant falsehoods is that the dossier origins began with an unknown GOP entity within the primary.  This narrative is entirely false.
The “Russian Dossier” did not begin assembly until after it was commissioned by Hillary Clinton and the DNC (June 2016).  Prior to that Fusion GPS was simply doing opposition research on behalf of a Trump opponent (stopped April 2016).

We likely know, with great confidence, exactly who that 2016 originating Trump opponent was. Thanks to: the timing, the originating entities, the associations and the player networks behind the 2015 GOP road map splitter strategy.  I’ll get to that aspect later.
First it’s important to frame a correct baseline.  Fusion GPS was doing commissioned opposition research.  AFTER April 2016, the Clinton Campaign and DNC then began financing Fusion GPS to create the “Russian Dossier”.  Christopher Steele began in June 2016 – The “Russian dossier” did not start assembly until commissioned by Clinton and the DNC.  This distinction is important.

(Via WaPo) … [Marc E.] Elias and his law firm, Perkins Coie, retained the firm [GPS Fusion] in April 2016 on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC. Before that agreement, Fusion GPS’s research into Trump was funded by a still unknown Republican client during the GOP primary.
The Clinton campaign and the DNC, through the law firm, continued to fund Fusion GPS’s research through the end of October 2016, days before Election Day.

It should be noted that the New York Times had this story (the DNC/Clinton’s funding the dossier) a year prior and did not report on it because the DNC attorney, Marc E. Elias, outright denied it.
(more…)

There’s a myriad of angles within this that must be reviewed prior to absorbing content.

First, do not think the Washington Post is ever going to frame a damaging article against the Clinton’s or DNC; it is beyond their inherent ideology to do so.  Therefore the motive of any media expose’ must be kept in mind.
Second, while the article itself states the Clinton Campaign and the DNC paid Fusion GPS to contract Christopher Steele, the researcher and dossier author, the article also tries to lend some credibility toward the content therein.  This is another possible angle.

Third, the judge in case of the congressional subpoena into Fusion GPS bank records -to discover the funding of the dossier- gave Fusion GPS until Friday of this week to work out an agreement with congress that would eliminate the need for a judicial decision.  It is entirely possible this WaPo article was advanced by a risk averse Fusion GPS in order to dilute the need for the bank record inquiry.  No doubt the bank records would contain far more information than just the Clinton Campaign and DNC.
Fourth, with #3 in mind, and considering this report is from within the Washington Post, there is a strong possibility the other finance mechanisms for the dossier might include the U.S. government (FBI and CIA).  Additionally likely – knowing the WaPo has a history of defending, and working on behalf of, the intelligence community.
Fifth, the sourcing within the Washington Post article is weak, vague and disingenuous with verbiage such as: “people familiar with the matter”, “according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity”, “people involved in the matter“, etc.  Notice how the term “matter” repeats.  That familiar term is frequent throughout the article.
As to the substance:
(more…)

Less than nine months after taking the oath of office – today President Donald Trump announces the defeat of Islamic State fighters in their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa is “a critical breakthrough” in a worldwide campaign against the militants.

October 21, 2017 – Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Defeat of ISIS in Raqqah
I am pleased to announce that the Syrian Democratic Forces, our partners in the fight against ISIS in Syria, have successfully recaptured Raqqah the terrorist groups self-proclaimed capital city. Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control.
The defeat of ISIS in Raqqah represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.

(more…)

President Trump begins to question Fusion GPS, the company behind the widely debunked Steele Dossier, a day after the company filed legal motions to quash a subpoena and hide their financial backing.
The dossier was reported to have been used by the FBI as a justification to get a FISA warrant against Trump campaign officials. Warrants that later became the tools underlying the road map narrative for the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the election.

(Via Breitbart) Fusion GPS — the firm behind the Trump dossier — filed for an injunction in a D.C. court on Friday to quash a subpoena for its financial records, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The House intelligence Committee earlier this month subpoenaed TD Bank for Fusion GPS’s financial records, and an injunction would be to prevent those records from being handed over.

(more…)

Panda Reacts To Finding Lion Tracks Amid Shrinking Bamboo Forest !

A Chinese central planner, Zhang Yong, the vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made a statement today (during the communist party congress) that carries much more significance than most people recognize.

The statement was made on behalf of communist China’s central planners and is directed toward what sectors of their economy they will focus investment (emphasis mine).

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will introduce measures aimed at guiding private investment into areas that have a higher growth potential, a senior official with the state planning agency said on Saturday.
China also would take steps to lower the investment threshold for private investors, said Zhang Yong, the vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), during a briefing on the sidelines of China’s Communist Party Congress.
The manufacturing industry as well as the property market, which have been driving private investment, are now quite weak, Zhang said.
“Now we want to attract investment in sectors with growth potential such as subway projects.” (link)

Notice two key points: #1 forecast growth in manufacturing is seen as “quite weak”, and #2 they are shifting toward building their own domestic transportation infrastructure.
(more…)

Fox News host Sean Hannity reveals the stunningly explosive scandal he has been hinting toward for weeks and weeks. Joined once again by fellow explosive story seller Sara Carter, Hannity outlines the most incredible, scandalous, explosive, controversy, in history.

.
The thing is… It really is a scandal; and it really is a big deal; but when pitched by the same team that claim every scandal is the biggest deal in the history of big deals, well, the ‘chicken little factor’ comes into play.  Thus we accept the historic modus operandi behind controlled opposition leaks, stories and narratives from inside the swamp.
When everything is sold as a big deal, then nothing is a big deal.  As such the UniParty swamp shrugs with a subtle sneer and says:… yeah, so? …And your point?
(more…)