Senator Ron Johnson, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has been investigating FBI activity surrounding the Clinton email investigation.
Tonight during an appearance on Fox News, Senator Johnson claimed to have an FBI informant who has information about secret ‘off-site’ meetings between high-level FBI and DOJ officials. WATCH:

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Earlier today Senator Johnson released copies of text messages (full pdf below) between DOJ/FBI attorney Lisa Page and FBI Lead Investigator Peter Strzok which indicated the FBI agent saw no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion and was reluctant to join the Special Counsel Robert Mueller team because “there’s no big there there.”
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President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer held an open-press Oval Office event to announce trade action, tariffs, against China (solar) and S-Korea (washing machines) for product dumping. [Details Here]
The backdrop of this executive action happens on the first day of NAFTA round six talks beginning in Canada.  Ambassador Lighthizer will be traveling to Canada shortly.  It is increasingly likely that President Trump will exit NAFTA as part of the larger initiative to draw manufacturing jobs back into the U.S.   In this round, we are hearing from those close to the work that Mexico and Canada are panicked and ready to concede in an effort to keep access to the U.S. market they are dependent on.
President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer are now in the process of leveraging the U.S. business tax policy changes to hammer bilateral trade deals.  This is where the teeth of Team wolverine become visible.  All future action builds on all preceding action.

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The economic shift in 2018 will be a very visible Ambassador Lighthizer. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross built the larger foundation for U.S. trade policy and USTR action in 2017. Now that a smooth policy foundation is established, Robert Lightizer shifts into gear and becomes the trade-deal closer in 2018.
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James Rybicki [Hi, Jim] was former FBI Director James Comey’s chief-of-staff and retained that position under current FBI Director Christopher Wray (more on that later).
Rybicki was the key figure in circulating and coordinating the “Clinton Exoneration Statement” read by Director Comey.  For Clinton endeavor Rybicki was the hub collecting and dispatching communication as the ‘talking points’ were constructed, edited, refined and ultimately finalized.
Additionally, Rybicki was the communication hub surrounding the Clinton-Lynch ‘Tarmac Meeting’ discussion points that led to public statements therein by the FBI and ultimately Loretta Lynch’s public statements about distancing herself from the investigation.
Also, James Rybicki was listed as one of the key witnesses requested by Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes as outlined in the letter of agreement between Nunes and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.   James Rybicki was/is being questioned by Nunes et al.
So today, James Rybicki quits.

WASHINGTON DC – FBI Director Chris Wray announced Tuesday that his chief of staff, James Rybicki, is leaving the bureau.

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the White House press briefing for Tuesday January 23rd, 2018. Anticipated start time 3:30pm EST
UPDATE: Video Added

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer followed through on the trade commission study from last year showing evidence of dumping in the U.S. market.  Samsung anticipated this final outcome and is almost finished with their plans to manufacture washing machines in South Carolina.

Washington, DC – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced today that President Trump has approved recommendations to impose safeguard tariffs on imported large residential washing machines and imported solar cells and modules.
USTR made the recommendations to the President based on consultations with the interagency Trade Policy Committee (TPC) in response to findings by the independent, bipartisan U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that increased foreign imports of washers and solar cells and modules are a substantial cause of serious injury to domestic manufacturers.
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Representative Trey Gowdy (U-DC), and Representative John Ratcliff (R-TX) appeared on Fox News with Martha MacCallum to discuss the five months of missing FBI text messages between FBI Agent Peter Strzok and DOJ/FBI Attorney Lisa Page.

[05:12] “It makes it harder and harder for Chairman Gowdy and I to explain away one strange coincidence after another”.

Hmmm?  Now, why would Roosterhead want to “explain away“?  LOLOL. These UniParty knuckleheads are so transparent.  THIS is why they are not part of the current team.
Moving on…  Timing of missing Strzok-Page texts:
♦Start date: 12/14/16: same date WaPo cites unnamed intel officials stating… wait for it… Russians tried to hack election for Trump.
♦End date: 5/17/17: same date Mueller is named Special Counsel. (Timeline)
Also, the mention of a DOJ “Secret Society” reminds me of: …”One small group calls itself “Dumbledore’s Army,” according to two of the people who were familiar with their discussions. The name is a reference to a secret resistance force in the “Harry Potter” books.”… from the CFPB crew.
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Representative Ron DeSantis (R-FL), House Judiciary Committee (Team Goodlatte) member, appears with Lou Dobbs to discuss “missing” FBI texts:

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Note:  Keep pounding the drums (it’s fun), but remember, there’s no rush to a Special Counsel because we want the “small group” to testify (to Nunes) first.  Nunes, Goodlatte, Grassley and Horowitz are burying those who are due to be questioned with complex considerations of self-preservation prior to their appearances.

Get them locked-in to a specific point, and keep them off balance.  Allow them to think their communication may or may not be discovered, prior to -and during- testimony.  Then unleash the investigative power of the SC armed with all the previous IG evidence.  It’s solid strategery.
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Remember, Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is first up; closely coordinating with House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte; closely coordinating with Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley; and all of them coordinating with the DOJ Office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz.  This is a long developed plan.
In order to carry out the entire reform operation, communication is made through public letters. Sunlight is part of the strategy.  Questioning each other publicly and answering each other publicly is part of the strategy… the media is not used to this. Deception needs whispers. Deception doesn’t like transparency….  Brilliant strategery, by golly.
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