Devin Nunes just released a statement following a discussion with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.  According to the statement, Nunes will get all the requested documents and be given a schedule for the interviews with FBI Agent Peter Strzok, FBI Attorney Lisa Page and DOJ Deputy Attorney Bruce Ohr.  Whoot. Giddy up.

It appears the meeting earlier today between FBI Director Chris Wray and DOJ Asst. AG Rosenstein with House Speaker Paul Ryan was, as we suspected, a matter of briefing Ryan on production content and following the political protocols in advance of formal release.

The most dangerous time for a rescue swimmer is the moment he reaches a desperate drowning man…

Former FBI Director James Comey is sending out signals for anyone to back him up. He’s desperate.  The sunlight is too intense now.  Note the inherent elitist perspective he openly transmits toward being “independent”, or put another way: “above the law”.

The mindset here is the same he carried while in office. That mindset claims the FBI is above scrutiny, a system of law unto itself, and we must blindly owe it respect. THAT is exactly the view that fertilizes the seeds of politicization of offices.  His arrogant and condescending viewpoint is exactly what allowed FBI gross misconduct to happen.
Contrast that perspective with Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, one of the two representative committees that hold oversight over the FBI and DOJ.
Years of being held hostage to the ‘James Comey view’ (Obama, Jarrett, Holder, Yates) has crushed many people under the weight of ‘Battered Electorate Syndrome’.  However, though we might not yet want to admit it, we are winning now.  Righteousness is rising.  Deception is on its heels… there are more of us than them.
Solidarity !  The Potemkin Village is collapsing. Toto Trump has pulled back the curtain. Accept the winning…. My God, you -above all others- deserve these moments to enjoy.
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Against today being the deadline from House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to turn over responsive documents to the committee, Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray head to Speaker Paul Ryan’s office for an unscheduled meeting.
It’s important to remember, though it might not be pertinent to this meeting, that Nunes and Ryan are both Go8 members. As such they are both allowed to receive and discuss the most confidential intelligence information from any intelligence agency.  They, along with six others are at the top of the intelligence oversight pyramid.

FBI Director Christopher Wray attending the meeting with Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein represents to top of both the FBI and DOJ side of the intelligence gathering system within the Department of Justice.  Presumably the meeting is Rosenstein instead of Sessions because the subject matter surrounds something Sessions has recused himself from.
Accepting the recused Sessions angle, the meeting between Speaker Paul Ryan, Wray and Rosenstein is then almost guaranteed to be about the Devin Nunes demand for the material that led the National Security Division of the DOJ to assemble a FISA request; ie. the application content, and did it hold information surrounding the Steele Dossier etc.
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Look, two things: First, despite the temptation, CTH is not going to say “we toldya so“; it’s irrelevant, combative and unnecessary. Second, I’m not going to go through the repository of all the times there have been harsh words upon this site criticizing CTH previous warnings about this day; again, irrelevant, combative and unnecessary.
CTH views our place, our responsibility for tone and presentation amid the ongoing struggle against the larger political left, as a foxhole discussion during consequential combat. What is the most valuable spirit within that foxhole?

MAGA cannot win without each other. MAGA cannot win without a positive outlook. MAGA cannot win, without a confidence in ourselves and our ability, and MAGA does not deserve to win if the end result of that winning is not ultimately our ability to provide the benefit of winning to the entire country, including the ‘other side’.
Understanding the bigger picture, CTH does not drive purpose with hot anger; energy is too valuable. CTH drives purpose with cold resolve, deliberate. As such, the larger CTH perspective is not disappointment in Steve Bannon, because CTH fully researched, understood and anticipated these moments with Steve Bannon – hence the prior warnings. However, CTH also accepts we cannot force anyone to understand the larger reasons for those warnings.
The goal of walking to discover truth is not to convince. If convincing is the goal, the amount of energy expended is exhausting. The truth of situations, circumstances and ultimately motives, exists regardless of our opinions of it. It just is. Our goal is to simply enjoy the complex conversation as we discover the location.  Deep, friendly, walking.
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O’boy, things are fun now. We’ve gone from a small peep hole in the rat-filled barn wall letting in the sunlight, to rapid cannon-fire knocking holes the size of bowling balls.  Whoo doggies… look at em’ scatter.
A few days ago CTH advised of a few good people to keep an eye on.  Yes, there are a few people inside the Swamp with a laser painting the target.
Ohio Representative Jim Jordan flying through the chaff and countermeasures while carrying a MOAB of truth. Head’s up, he’s quickly approaching the target:

1) Did the FBI pay Christopher Steele, author of the dossier?
2) Was the dossier the basis for securing FISA warrants to spy on Americans? And why won’t the FBI show Congress the FISA application?
3) When did the FBI get the complete dossier and who gave it to them?

•Dossier author Christopher Steele?
•Fusion GPS?
•Clinton campaign/DNC?
•Sen. McCain’s staffer?

4) Did the FBI validate and corroborate the dossier?
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White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders delivers the press briefing for Wednesday January 3rd, 2018.  Anticipated start time 3:00pm EST.
UPDATE: Video Added

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It’s every man and woman for themselves as the collective groups of architects behind the entire FBI Counterintelligence Operation, that brought us the 18-month-long ‘vast Russian conspiracy’ narrative, now attempt to back-track from all previous assertions.
Two days ago we shared very strong confidence the joint FBI (counterintelligence) and DOJ (National Security Division) scheme was going to come out.  The reason is simple, they left too big a trail of factual and provable evidence of their activity.

It is not coincidental that just as scrutiny over the 2016 FBI FISA court application gains traction in congress and media, the insider intelligence community started leaking to the New York Times about the insignificance of the Steele Dossier as it relates to the FISA court application.  Look, over there, it was George Papadopoulos; not the DOJ FISA construct that was used by the FBI to launch surveillance upon candidate Trump. Swear.
Laughable.
Predictable.
For more than a year the Steele Dossier was the most valuable evidence to the Russian narrative; then, poof, in the blink-of-an-eye, not so much – it became a risk.  Funny that.  The transparency of motive is brutally obvious, too many FBI and DOJ people at risk now. The trail is too easy to follow.
It was only a matter of time before Fusion-GPS spoke up toward the same goal of track-covering.  Yesterday Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch [Hi Glenn] posted an Op-Ed in the New York Times attempting further distance.
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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 †

The intelligence community, specific momentary example: James Clapper (ODNI), is attempting to find their safest retreat. If you’ve walked this story through the deep weeds this will make sense to you.  It’s becoming funny.  Yesterday we shared:

Right now they are spending 90% (or more) of their time discussing damage control and how to sell their way out of this mess. The energy they are now spending trying to show a “Russian Conspiracy” is smaller than nil. Some team members are still trying to give angles of “if we do this”, and “if we do that”, etc. You know the routine, a good defense is a good offense. However, even in their offensive exit proposals, their time is constructing a plausible escape. We know that; he knows that; and he knows we know that.

What are they left with?

Positioning.

That’s it.

Positioning for the best exit, doing the least amount of damage to themselves and other professional swamp dwellers in the process. That’s their current energy expenditure; figuring out the exit strategy.

Cue the audio visual today from James Clapper.  WATCH THE END: George who?

.
Again, this admission by Clapper entirely undercuts the ridiculous NYT prior defense where they attempt to put George Papadopoulos as the centerpiece to the origin of the FBI counterintelligence operation.
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