Russiagate, Flynn in Flux

Our man Flynn is still generating articles as a result of release of data from the DOJ which suggests that the FBI targeted him for take down late in the Obama era, and continued right on through his brief tenure as Trump's DNI. Fox, Speculation mounts over Flynn case as new DOJ documents turned over. Margot Cleveland at Da Fed, Robert Mueller’s Case Against Michael Flynn Is About To Implode. Keep Mueller in mind as this goes forward. He participated in the witch hunt (or at least his staff did, he was about a present as Joe Biden). Ace, Maria Bartiromo: Sources Tell Me Michael Flynn Will be "Completely Exonerated This Week."

"It was a total fraud. A set up."

Nunes says Flynn was "framed."

Catherine Herridge says that Barr is looking at notes from the Flynn case to determine if exculpatory evidence was illegally withheld:

Sundance at CTH, Tucker Carlson: “Five Pages of Flynn Evidence” Could Be Unsealed Tomorrow…



and Maria Bartiromo Expands on Her Flynn Exoneration Claim – James Baker Notes Highlight FBI Set Up…



and Flynn Defense Attorney Sidney Powell Documents Could Be Unsealed Tuesday or Wednesday…



At NR, former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy has Explosive Revelations in the Flynn Case

This goes to the point I’ve been pressing for years. There was no good-faith basis for an investigation of General Flynn. Under federal law, a false statement made to investigators is not actionable unless it is material. That means it must be pertinent to a matter that is properly under investigation. If the FBI did not have a legitimate investigative basis to interview Flynn, then that fact should have been disclosed as exculpatory information. It would have enabled his counsel to argue that any inaccurate statements he made were immaterial.

He thinks it's not enough to have the judge dismiss the charges, but is enough to allow him to withdraw the guilty plea and get a trial. I would hope the DOJ would decline to prosecute, although the prospect of forcing McCabe, Strzok and Pientka into the witness box is delightful. He has more at Criminalizing Politics: The Investigation of General Flynn

Two things, in any event, should be observed. First, the Flynn investigation was a vindictive farce: Even if there had been a substantive discussion of sanctions, there would have been no law violation. But there was no such discussion, just the mere mention of sanctions, prompting Flynn’s proper response: Don’t escalate. Second, the Flynn–Kislyak communication became the grist for an outrageous classified leak for which, to this day, no one has ever been prosecuted.

Eventually, the FBI and the Justice Department were forced to disclose portions of the House Intelligence Committee Report that they had initially redacted. We thus learned that, for some period of time during 2016, the FBI was conducting a counterintelligence investigation of General Flynn. There are still relevant redactions, so the basis for this investigation remains unclear. It apparently took place during the campaign, but it seems unlikely that it could have been related to Moscow’s cyberespionage activity.

Nice Deb at AmGreat reports: FBI Director Wray Behind Suppression of ‘Stunning’ Exculpatory Evidence in Flynn Case, while "Adam Mill" details the evidence in FBI Director Implausibly Denies Hiding Evidence, but at ET, FBI Denies Wray, Boente Pushed to Withhold Exculpatory Evidence From Flynn. Denial not credible.

And some news regarding the Steele Dossier. From Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Dossier Author Christopher Steele Had Previously Undisclosed Meetings With Lawyers For DNC, Clinton Campaign. Too bad my shocked face is busted. And from Greg Jarrett, Judicial Watch: FBI Knew McCain Leaked Steele Dossier, Now Blames Coronavirus For Not Releasing Documents. McCain was a snake with respect to President Trump. I'll bet that WuFlu excuse comes in handy in the future, though. Chuck Ross at Da Caller Nunes Calls On Alleged Dossier Source To Come Forward and From Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Nunes wants to interview alleged Steele dossier source, Sergei Millian. I bet he does, but will Adam Schiff let him? I doubt it.

Speak of the Devil, via Wes Walker at Da Lid, FCC Commissioner Wants To Know About 1000’s Of Phone Record Pages Received Via Schiff’s Secret Subpoenas. Hmm. And from Nice Deb at AmGreat, Pressure Mounts for Schiff to Release Russia Investigation Witness Transcripts. We want to hear what he doesn't want us to hear.

Adam Schiff is desperately trying to hide these transcripts (including mine) from the American people. Who do you think he’s trying to protect? Me or Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Sally Yates and Andy McCabe?

Schiff’s Secret Transcripts - WSJ https://t.co/wSmVkhLKWx

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 26, 2020

Between the Spygate scandal, the collusion hoax, the Mueller debacle, & the spate of incidents of citizens being arrested for exercising basic Rights, faith in our institutions has been irreparably harmed. This is a genuine tragedy for the greatest country in the history of man.

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) April 26, 2020

And from Jon Solomon at Just The News (JTN) An intelligence community shakeup is returning assets to field, where they are welcomed

With little fanfare, the acting DNI and ambassador to Germany has undertaken a major shakeup of ODNI, shrinking down its size and sending many employees back to spy agencies on the front lines. He’s trying to finish the job before President Trump’s nominee, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), is confirmed.

The heads of the recipient agencies are welcoming the change, including Ellen McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, whose INR office inside the State Department is getting additional resources.

“INR is one of the smallest members of the intelligence community, but it has long had an outsized impact in terms of its contributions to the analysis that informs policymakers,” McCarthy said. “In fact, taking into account the relative size of intelligence agencies, INR contributes more per analyst to the President's Daily Brief than any other IC member, and our work provides a unique perspective for policymakers.

“But INR is under-resourced, and it desperately needs more people and budget,” she added. “ADNI Ric Grenell has recognized this, and I applaud his efforts to reform ODNI to move more personnel to frontline agencies like INR that are doing the hard work of intelligence.”

CIA is another agency set to get resources returned to it after years of chafing as ODNI duplicated some of its responsibilities and borrowed some of its officers.

“ODNI was not intended to collect and analyze intelligence, its function was to coordinate these activities among intelligence agencies,” said a senior U.S. official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the reorganization.

“You don't need thousands of people to do that,” the official said. "ODNI absolutely needs to reassess how it is working with an eye towards shifting officers back to agencies like CIA and FBI."

Daniel Hoffman, the CIA’s former top spy in Moscow, said the reorganization was long overdue after the DNI spent years borrowing assets and duplicating efforts with the very agencies it was supposed to manage.

“The DNI followed a pattern we often see in our bureaucracy, it grew in personnel and budget,” Hoffman told Just the News. “But remember the DNI’s mission is to be a strategic manager of the intelligence community, to ensure the 17 agencies in the IC operate seamlessly together, coordinate effectively, and share intelligence.

At the New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin whines  Did John Bolton Outfox Himself on His Own Tell-All Book? and get stuck in a review trap? That's too bad /sarc. I don't like public officials who kiss ass and tell.

It's about WuFlu, but it could pertain to Trump's election too, from Sundance, Attorney General Bill Barr Issues DOJ Memo: “The Constitution is Not Suspended in Times of Crisis”…