Russiagate Anonymous

I can quit any time I want. Now, shall we check in for our daily meeting?

A couple from Chuck Ross at Da Caller, first Former CIA Moscow Chief Not Surprised By Evidence Of Russian Disinformation In Steele Dossier. Were any of us?

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA chief of station for Moscow, was not surprised by revelations earlier in April that Kremlin operatives might have fed disinformation to dossier author Christopher Steele.

Hoffman in early 2018 was a lone voice among former intelligence community veterans when he floated the theory that Russians fed disinformation to Steele, a former MI6 officer who investigated Donald Trump on behalf of the DNC and the Clinton campaign.

“The Steele dossier fits the Kremlin playbook,” was the title of a Jan. 28, 2018, opinion piece Hoffman wrote for The Wall Street Journal.

“The dossier was part of a Russian espionage disinformation plot targeting both parties and America’s political process,” the former clandestine services officer wrote.

and  FBI Informant Bragged About Links To Russian Spies In Secret Recording Of Trump Aide, Good old Stefan Halper. From 357 Magnum. The FBI Behaving Badly, Again

Because they are not in the business of upholding the law. They punish people they don’t like. Judge calls alleged investigator misconduct in Lori Loughlin case ‘serious and disturbing’.

A federal judge Friday called allegations of law enforcement misconduct in the nation’s college admissions scandal headlined by actress Lori Loughlin “serious and disturbing” as he ordered prosecutors to provide more information in the blockbuster case.

The Federal Bureau of Injustice Agents of the FBI convinced a “cooperating witness” to suborn a crime. Or that is certainly what it looks like to the judge in this case.

Until FBI agents start going to jail instead of being rewarded with promotions for behavior like this, it will continue. Dan Chaitin, WaEx,  Trump shares post saying John Durham indictments could come 'this week'. "Could" covers a lot of ground; I'll be more excited when if it actually happens.

News Thud, Coup: Schiff And DNI Head Secretly Concealed Evidence In Russian Probe, ‘Under No Circumstances Shall ODNI Share Any…’ Gosh, I wonder why. Could it be they didn't serve his interests?

Not long after the 2018 mid-erm election after the House was lost to the Democrat, Schiff took over the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), in early 2019 he sent a letter to then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

The letter was obtained by conservative reporter John Solomon’s website “Just The News” and it revealed that Schiff ordered witness transcripts – some that showed President Trump’s team was not guilty of collusion – not be shared with White House staff.

“Under no circumstances shall ODNI, or any other element of the Intelligence Community (IC), share any HPSCI transcripts with the White House, President Trump or any persons associated with the White House or the President,” Schiff wrote in a March 26, 2019 letter to then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.
“Such transcripts remain the sole property of HPSCI, and were transmitted to ODNI for the limited purpose of enabling a classification review by IC elements and the Department of Justice,” Schiff added.

US intelligence official claim that it was Schiff’s request that prevented them from declassifying 10 transcripts blocking them from the President.

However, 43 of the transcripts were declassified, cleared for public release, and given to Schiff’s team however, they were never made public despite the committee voting to release them.

Nice Deb at AmGreat, Schiff and Nadler Call on DOJ IG to Investigate Attorney General Barr’s Remarks Regarding ICIG’s Firing. How can you "investigate" remarks? Remarks just are.Even the AG has the right to speak his mind. Roger L. Simon at ET, Vaccine Needed as Schiff–Nadler Investigation Disease Returns! We need a campaign to eliminate the source of the infection.

And finally, word comes up from down low, (the WaPoo) that Senate committee unanimously endorses spy agencies’ finding that Russia interfered in 2016 presidential race in bid to help Trump

The Senate Intelligence Committee has unanimously endorsed the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia conducted a sweeping and unprecedented campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

The heavily-redacted report, based on a three-year investigation, builds on a committee finding nearly two years ago that the January 2017 intelligence community assessment (ICA) on Russia was sound. The spy agencies also found that Russia sought to shake faith in American democracy, denigrate then-candidate Hillary Clinton and boost her rival Donald Trump.

Read the redacted report on the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment

The report, while not unexpected, is nonetheless a milestone — the first extensive bipartisan congressional affirmation of the intelligence agencies’ conclusion, which continues to be at odds with President Trump’s oft-stated doubts about Russia’s role in the 2016 race.

“The committee found no reason to dispute the intelligence community’s conclusions,” Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said in a statement.

“The ICA summarizing intelligence concerning the 2016 election represented the kind of unbiased and professional work we expect and require” from the agencies, Vice-Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) said. “The ICA correctly found the Russians interfered in our 2016 election to hurt Secretary Clinton and help the candidacy of Donald Trump. Our review of the highly classified ICA and underlying intelligence found that this and other conclusions were well-supported.”

The committee said the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI — coordinated by the Director of National Intelligence — presented a “coherent and well-constructed” case for their assessment, supported by intelligence from human and electronic sources.

Significantly, the committee said, “interviews with those who drafted and prepared the ICA affirmed that analysts were under no political pressure to reach specific conclusions.”

All of which seems increasingly unlikely given Russia/Putins role in promoting the Steele Dossier. Mollie Hemingway is skeptical too, Senate Intel Committee Still Running Interference For Russia Collusion Nonsense

In practice, the committee has largely been run by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. The committee’s major and perhaps only contribution to the Russia collusion storyline was to employ a high-level staffer tasked with handling classified information who was convicted of lying to the FBI about leaks of classified information to reporters he was having affairs with. Both Burr and Warner begged a judge to be lenient with their former employee. The judge sentenced him to two months in prison.

Tuesday’s committee report is at odds with the findings of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (at least when it was under the leadership of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.), which revealed significant malfeasance in how the intelligence community conducted its Russia collusion investigation beginning in 2016.

A sprawling year-and-a-half investigation by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General corroborated all the major findings of the HPSCI report, including that intelligence community officials lied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court, fabricated and doctored evidence in support of applications to spy on American citizens who volunteered for the Trump campaign, and even colluded with agents of sanctioned Russian oligarchs in their attempt to take down Trump. Here are those HPSCI reports on Russian active measures and the DOJ’s abuse of the FISA process.

Sundance at CTH has had Enough Already – A Legally Conflicted Senate Intel Committee Presents Another Defense of Intelligence Corruption… A long, detailed one, but worth the read, also, Devin Nunes Responds to the Insufferably Political SSCI Report Justifying a Political Intelligence Community Assessment…