FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe faced about eight hours of questioning behind closed doors during the House Intelligence Committee yesterday. Unlike prior HPSCI closed hearings remarkably there were no leaks; which would generally indicate the content was adverse to the interests of Democrat party investigators within the hearing.

From scant reporting it appears the questioning surrounded potential conflicts of interest and anti-Trump bias amid the entire cabal of FBI officials. Fox News James Rosen provides some overall information from congressional investigators.
According to Rosen’s reporting Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, bringing a full contingent of FBI/DOJ lawyers, has apparently lost much of his memory surrounding how the Steele Dossier was financed, constructed and later utilized by the FBI Counterintelligence unit (Bill Priestap, Peter Strzok) in their quest for 2016 surveillance and wiretaps against candidate Donald Trump within their FISA applications.

James Rosen – Congressional investigators tell Fox News that Tuesday’s seven-hour interrogation of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe contained numerous conflicts with the testimony of previous witnesses, prompting the Republican majority staff of the House Intelligence Committee to decide to issue fresh subpoenas next week on Justice Department and FBI personnel.
While HPSCI staff would not confirm who will be summoned for testimony, all indications point to demoted DOJ official Bruce G. Ohr and FBI General Counsel James A. Baker, who accompanied McCabe, along with other lawyers, to Tuesday’s HPSCI session.

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Justice-time for Christmas !!  Against revelations of egregious prosecutorial misconduct, and withholding Brady evidence from the defense, Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro has declared a mistrial in the federal case against Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy.

NEVADA – A federal judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a Nevada rancher accused of leading an armed standoff against the government in 2014, blaming prosecutors for withholding key evidence from defense lawyers, including records about the conduct of FBI and Bureau of Land Management agents.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas dismissed a jury seated last month for the long-awaited trial of Cliven Bundy, his sons Ryan and Ammon Bundy and self-styled Montana militia leader Ryan Payne.

The decision is the latest in a string of failed prosecutions in Nevada and Oregon against those who have opposed federal control of vast swaths of land in Western states.

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Congressional senators and House members from the republican party are traveling to the White House for a 3:00pm presidential speech following passage of their historic Tax Reform bill.   The celebratory remarks from the president are anticipated at 3:00pm EST
UPDATE: Video Added

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President Trump delivers remarks during a full cabinet meeting earlier today. (fourth full cabinet meeting in December) While celebrating passage of the historic tax reform bill, the President asked HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson to lead the cabinet in prayer.

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[Transcript] 11:37 A.M. EST – THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate everybody being here — Cabinet meeting. And this looks like it will probably be our last Cabinet meeting until the new year. But who knows, you never know what happens with Cabinet meetings. We’ve had some really great and productive ones, and this will be one of celebration because of what took place last night.
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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 †

Former Asst. FBI Director James Kallstrom appeared on Fox Business News to discuss the details behind the increasingly transparent 2016 and 2017 Joint FBI and DOJ Counterintelligence Operation to target the candidacy -and block the presidency- of Donald J Trump.
Toward the end of the interview Mr. Kallstrom shares his view, based on current FBI contacts, that FBI insiders (white hats) are on the cusp of removing the cloud of mystery behind all of the obvious politicized shenanigans. When asked about his knowledge of the current morale within the FBI:

…”but I think recent events, that I’m aware of, are going to improve that, because there’s going to be something actually something that’s going to happen; in my view.” … “Well, I think there’s a lot of patriots that have just had it up to here, with what’s going on. And they’re to step forward and tell people what the shenanigans have been; how they shut down the Clinton Foundation investigation; how other things, you know, were done that are so anti what the FBI and United States is all about”…

Watch:

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This would easily align with the years-long Office of Inspector General report by Michael Horowitz that is soon to be released.  The FBI ‘insiders’ would be the primary target audience for the questions from the Inspector General.  Similarly the IG would be the primary and statutory office where FBI white hats would go to become whistle-blowers.
As they say….  Stay frosty, but prepare the ‘tar and feathers’ just in case.
#ColdAnger
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The Senate is voting on the final Tax Reform Bill tonight. According to Democrats as soon as the votes are cast people will begin to die (we await confirmation). Unfortunately due to a Parliamentary Rule the Senate Bill will then need to be voted upon by the House tomorrow.  UPDATE: Bill Passes 51-48

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T-Rex and Twinkles

Against the backdrop of NAFTA renegotiation that appears headed for certain doom, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears contrast against the overly familiar Canadian Foreign Minister Mrs. Twinkles and Rainbows Chrystia Freeland.  I doubt you could find two individual personalities more divergent (watch you’ll see “Rex”?):

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[Transcript] FOREIGN MINISTER FREELAND: Okay. Hi, everybody. Great to see everyone here. Before I begin, I’d like to extend Canada’s thoughts and condolences to our American guests in light of the terrible train derailment in Washington state. We extend our sympathies to those who lost loved ones and wish a full and swift recovery to the injured.
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Almost two weeks ago it was announced that U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras was mysteriously recused from the Special Counsel case against General Mike Flynn, five days after Judge Contreras accepting the initial pleading. No explanation as to ‘why’?

(Reuters) The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia judge presiding over the criminal case for President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been recused from handling the case, a court spokeswoman said on Thursday. (read more)

One might think the media apparatus, or pundit proletariat writ large, might be curious about why a U.S. District Court Judge would be recused. Alas One would be wrong. The recusal angle is transparently missing from any follow-up by media; and apparently the judicial cat also has stolen the tongue of congressional curiosity. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
The story has been memory holed into the concentric whirlpool of nothingness.
We have speculated that U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras was recused, either by himself or by challenge, because he is also a FISA Court Judge and could have signed off on the October FISA warrant that led to the wiretapping and surveillance of General Flynn. However, we have received information that it wasn’t ‘by challenge’, leaving the preponderance of the motive for recusal directly upon Judge Contreras personal decision.
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