Flotsam and Jetsam Returns

We arrived home from Hawaii, after two days of flying (Maui to LA on Wednesday, LA to Balmer on Thursday). A pretty nice trip, but very busy. So did I miss anything? 

I see the Schumer Schutdown is still in force. Did any one notice the difference? Jeff Charles at TownHall, Trump's Latest Shutdown Threat Is Making Democrats' Skin Crawl. News Wax, Trump: Only Cutting Dem Programs, 'Taste of Their Medicine'. 

And we have peace plan in Gaza agreed to by all sides? Althouse, "After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a long-awaited breakthrough..." ""... that could point toward an end to the two-year war in Gaza. 'This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,' Mr. Trump said on Truth Social." The NYT reports." and Fetterman praises Trump: "We can have true peace in the region now." I'm not counting this chicken just yet, there's still plenty of opportunity for Hamas to fuck things up, but it's certainly a great step forward. The Nobel committee, of course, bypassed Trump this year, choosing instead to give the Nobel Peace prize to a virtually unknown Venezuelan opposition leader. Althouse says Now, we can keep talking about it for another year. "Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Not Trump won."

President Trump revealed plans to put National Guard troops into both Portland and Chicago, both cities where civil authorities have forbidden to the police to assist ICE when threatened by Antifa black-shirts, effectively declaring insurrection against the Federal government. Both cities found friendly federal judges willing to go out on a limb and forbid Trump from doing so. Althouse, "Untethered from reality." "I'm reading "Live Updates: Ninth Circuit Questions Why President Can’t Send National Guard Into Portland/A judge in Chicago is still hearing arguments on the Trump administration’s plans to send troops there. Both cases center on the legal limits of a president’s power to order troops into American cities against the will of state and local authorities" (NYT): The federal case in Oregon turns, in part, on the amount of deference the courts must give to the president’s decisions about when and where to deploy the National Guard. The federal government is arguing that the courts cannot review those deployment decisions at all. Stacy Chaffin, who is representing Oregon before the appeals court, the Ninth Circuit, told the panel of judges on Thursday that the usual policy of deference did not apply if the president’s assessment of the situation in Portland was “untethered from reality.” ADDED: It might seem crazy to have a legal test premised on connection to reality, but I think we are that crazy. The "rational basis" test is used all the time. It's important to see that the President is asking for even less scrutiny than that. He's arguing that his decision is unreviewable." Jonathan Turley roasts Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for the Arrest of ICE Officers.

Trump's bête noire Letitia James, Attorney General of New York, has been indicted in Virginia for claiming residence on mortgage applications for houses she clearly did not intend to reside in. She is, of course, ironically whining about how unfair it is for a politician to go after another politician. NYPo, NY AG Letitia James indicted on federal bank fraud, false claims charges. John Sexton at Hat Hair, Letitia James Indicted for Mortgage Fraud. Meanwhile, the Peacock reports Ex-FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty after Trump called for his prosecution. The Biden FBI investigated several Republican Senators in the course of it's J6 investigation, examining their phone records. Politico whines Sen. Josh Hawley falsely says FBI ‘tapped’ senators’ phones during Jack Smith probe, "The Missouri Republican referenced FBI documents which revealed the time and duration of calls made and received by lawmakers." Atop Da Hill, FBI fires 2 special agents who worked on Jack Smith probe: Reports "FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Wednesday that agents involved in “Arctic Frost” had been fired, but he did not specify how many. NBC News also reported the FBI took action against a third agent involved in the investigation. . . . Patel added that the subpoenas of the phone records were placed in a “lockbox” and classified as prohibited access, a move that would have required the approval of former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Christopher Wray."

A judge gave would be assassin of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh a lighter sentence because it claimed to be trans. At City Journal, Impeach Judge Boardman, "Her lenient sentencing of Justice Kavanaugh’s would-be assassin has shaken public confidence in the courts."

At Da Caller, Republican Buys Dominion Voting Systems, Forces Them To Drop Lawsuits Against Conservatives. "Dominion Voting systems has been acquired by founder and chairman of Liberty Vote Scott Leiendecker, in a deal which included dropping lawsuits against conservatives. Leiendecker, former GOP election reform advocate, has officially become the sole owner of Dominion after making the deal contingent on dropping several remaining lawsuits against prominent conservatives and One America News Network (OANN)."

The arsonist who allegedly set the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles has been identified, and arrested, and turns out to be a Biden donating, Trump hating environazi. At Breitbart, a Report: Palisades Arson Suspect Ranted About Trump, Climate Change. From Ace, The Pallisades Arsonist, Murderer of 12 and Destroyer of $150 Billion in Proparty, Donated to Biden and Threatened to Burn Down His Sister's House (When the Kids Were Inside It), "Whatever we do, we must never send criminals to prison or lunatics to the asylum. That would be Letting Trump Win. Pallisades inferno arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht donated to Biden:"

Jay Jones, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General of Virginia, was revealed to have said his former Republican rival, then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert deserved two bullets in his head, and his wife deserved to see her daughter die in her arms. USA Today, 'Two bullets to the head'? Virginia Democrat's texts should end his AG campaign. He sort of apologized eventually saying “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics.” It certainly doesn't seem that way. His running mate for Virginia Governor, continues to support him, Insty, THAT’S AN ENDORSEMENT, THEN: Abigail Spanberger Refuses to Withdraw Jay Jones Endorsement amid Text Scandal. Wesley Yang @wesyang, "If the Democrats don't change their position on gender (which is that forbidding girls to draw a boundary between themselves and any boy who says he is a girl is the Civil Rights Movement of the 21st Century) and only try to change their messaging to get around the fact that their position is unpopular today while seeking to win the power to keep brainwashing little girls from the earliest age that they must accept boys who say they are girls as real girls or be ostracized and punished by the state, they end up sounding like Abigail Spanberger does in this clip -- like a wheedling, evasive, dishonest, inhuman, bureaucratic non-entity." Quote YoungkinWins @YoungkinWins, "WATCH: @SpanbergerforVA repeatedly REFUSES to say if men should be allowed to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms/bathrooms:"  Althouse, "If your li'l girl comes home and said she was forced to undress in a locker room with a biological boy, what would you say? She's crying!" "Why wasn't the Democrat, Abigail Spanberger, sharp enough to come up with something to say?"

Stacy McCain, on how a Typical Democratic Voter Inadvertently Explains the Great Mystery of Our Time. Did you ever wonder how the Democratic Party got so crazy? For example, how is it that the governor of Illinois is inciting violent mobs against federal immigration authorities and meanwhile, in Virginia, every Democrat is rallying to the defense of Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, who openly fantasized about murdering political opponents? To summarize briefly: Bad causes attract bad people."

Find even more links at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 10.08.25 The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Opening Day 1974 up on time and under budget.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Musk Jettisons Hunter Laptop Files

Flotsam and Jetsam - Flotsam (also known as "flotsan") refers to goods from a sunken vessel that have floated to the surface of the sea, or any floating cargo that is cast overboard. In maritime law, flotsam pertains to goods that are floating on the surface of the water as the result of a wreck or accident. One who discovers flotsam is allowed to claim it unless someone else establishes their ownership of it. Jetsam designates any cargo that is intentionally discarded from a ship or wreckage. Legally jetsam also floats, although floating is not part of the etymological meaning. Generally, "jettisoning" connotes the action of throwing goods overboard to lighten the load of the ship if it is in danger of sinking. Per maritime law, one who discovers these artifacts is not required to return them to their rightful owner except in the case where the latter makes a legally abiding claim. However, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "flotsam may be claimed by the original owner, whereas jetsam may be claimed as property of whoever discovers it."

Yesterday, Elon Musk threw a bunch of Twitter files over the transom, specifically, files related to the treatment of the Hunter Biden laptop story, which twitter banned, and censored people who attempted to retweet it. He did this by handing the files to Matt Taibbi, a pro-free speech liberal, for publication and commentary on Twitter. The files show that Twitter did take suggestions for banning from government officials and politician, mostly, but not exclusively Democrats, Ace, "The Twitter Files" Is Being Tweeted Out One Tweet at a Time by Matt Taibbi. "Elon's offer to have me work all Friday night is declined. But here's the link." Twitchy, via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22, does the best job of simply laying out the Tweets, Elon Musk (and Matt Taibbi) help explain ‘what really happened with the Hunter Biden story suppression’ (WOW); Updated, also, Glenn Greenwald’s Take On The “Twitter Files” Does Not Disappoint and Mark Ruffalo Gets Repeatedly Dragged After Calling For Nationalization Of Twitter, also from the Wombat, Da Tech Guy: Good News, Bad News about the Twitter Files -Truth and Consequences edition. Other coverage at Haut Hair by John Sexton, Elon Musk releases info on Twitter's suppression of the NY Post's Hunter Biden story. Spence Brown at Town Hall, Full Bombshell Thread on Twitter's Censorship of the Hunter Biden Laptop Story. Politico whines ‘This will be awesome’: Musk leaks Twitter's Hunter Biden files "The tech billionaire's latest move will likely ingratiate him further with conservatives — and plunge the social media platform deeper into political controversy." It's not a "leak" when you own it. At the Right Scoop, THE TWITTER FILES: Tucker Carlson breaks down the EXPLOSIVE Taibbi Twitter exposé

Alhouse whines about How elite media is covering Elon Musk's dumping of information about how Twitter helped the Democratic Party in the 2020 election. "First, let me say, I would like a well-written, organized, comprehensive piece of writing explaining this material. Alternatively, show me everything — all the raw material. Instead, Elon Musk directed us to the Twitter account of Matt Taibbi, and we were expected to receive a long series of tweets and to puzzle through it. Was that to drive massive traffic to Twitter? Was it supposed to be better all fragmented like that? And Musk adds support to my hypothesis. "Me, in the previous post: Hypothesis: He didn't really have the story he wanted, so he went all out to churn traffic on Twitter." John Hinderacker at Power Line, How Twitter Helped Elect Joe Biden  At CTH, sundance hosts Tucker Carlson Discusses the Twitter Political Censorship and Targeting with James Woods. I won't embed it but it's worth the time. Nick Arama at Red State, James Woods Blows the Doors Off Dem Effort to Shut Him Down on Twitter. At Insty, IT’S NOW OBVIOUS WHY THEY DIDN’T WANT ELON MUSK TO HAVE CONTROL OF TWITTER, AND OF THE EVIDENCE OF WHAT THEY DID

Liz Brown at Reason worries Kanye's Suspension Shows Musk Twitter Might Look a Lot Like…Old Twitter. Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Twitter: So long Kanye, we knew Ye too well. Bobby Miller at NRO, cited at Haut Hair, Musk was right to kick Kanye off Twitter. "Musk should stay the course. He hasn’t been perfect, but he seems to be taking “the bird” in the right direction." I think it was an act of compassion towards Ye. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22, Louder With Crowder, Journalismer reveals the most offensive detail about Elon Musk yet. "The media is running out of excuses to attack Elon Musk, so Axios is trying something new. Declaring that Musk is totes a Republican now." Also Don Surber: NYT fights free speech, "The New York Times did a hit piece on the First Amendment today with a story, "Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find."

At Da Wire, Apple CEO Tim Cook Hides Behind Staffers As He’s Grilled For Enabling Communist China’s Human Rights Abuses. Spence Brown at Town Hall says Tim Cook's Silence Just Said, Everything. Dan Greenfield at Front Page observes Apple Crushes Dissent in America and China "Suppressing protests in China and censoring Twitter in America." At Ace's Morning Rant Buck Throckmorton wonders  What Can We Do To Counter the Power of Billionaire Philanthropaths?. You know, the guy (and gals) who want you to freeze at home in the dark eating bugs while they fly private jets to the tropics for Global Warming conferenced to sunbathe and eat Wagyu beef. 

Jazz Shaw reveals The Ministry of Truth was far more sinister than we were told "newly revealed documents presented by Senator Josh Hawley and others strongly suggest that the board had progressed far further than Mayorkas testified and he seemingly lied under oath about some of the details. (Yahoo News)"

The Peacock screeches Biden signs legislation to avert rail strike "The president defended the deal after an amendment to add seven days of paid sick leave for rail workers failed because of opposition from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin." At Da Wire, Hawley Tears Into Biden Admin, Democrats, Establishment GOP After Senate Imposes Labor Deal On Railroad Workers. At Twitchy, As Democrats vilify Republicans over rail worker sick leave, thread explains what’s REALLY happening. "You know, the bill evil Republicans voted against … is what the workers actually rejected. But Democrats, along with the media and their Lefty Twitter trolls, are framing this as BIG MEAN REPUBLICANS don’t want rail workers to have sick time." At CNS News, Biden Uses the Phrase 'Indian Country' 9 Times After Telling Tribes He Was Chided for Saying That. Da Caller, Tara Reade Calls GOP-Majority House To Investigate Alleged Sexual Assault By Joe Biden. I&I reports Interrogated By Cruz, Diplomat Gives False Testimony About Biden’s Billion Dollar Bribe.

At Da Wire, DeSantis Explains Why Republicans Failed To Deliver Red Wave During Midterms. From Hollywood in Toto, Disney Blinks, DeSantis Snags First Huge Win of 2024 Campaign "Florida governor follows Trump playbook in possible White House prelude." Capt. Ed, DeSantis: We will not undo repeal of Disney's tax district, keeping the squeeze on. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22, Eric Lendrum at Am Great reports Florida Divests $2 Billion from BlackRock over ESG Policies.

RNC Research@RNCResearch "BIDEN: "I can't think of anything [Raphael Warnock] hasn't voted for with us.” “They’re running against him saying he votes 98% of the time with Joe Biden. I wouldn’t tell [Georgia voters] that on the phone.” From the Free Bacon, Chairwoman of Warnock’s Church Sits on Board of Firm Accused of ‘Shamelessly Profiting’ Off Low-Income Tenants, "Ebenezer Baptist Church under fire for evicting tenants from low-income apartment complex" At the Victory Girls, Obama Stumps For Slumlord Warnock In Georgia.

Guy Benson at Town Hall sees McConnell needle the Democrats, By the Way, House Democrats Have Chosen a Conspiratorial Election Denier As Their New Leader. David Strom at Haut Hair catches Time magazine making excuses for Hakeem Jeffries, Denying election results legit is not election denying. It seems to depend on whose ox is being gored.  From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22, at Am Think David Fried thinks he has Advice for Kari, Blake, and Mark, "#1 Request an independent signature test of a sample of mail-in ballot envelopes." Also, Jack Gleason thinks Our Republican Leaders Have Failed Us, but we're used to that. Jim Geraghty at NRO (cited at Haut Hair) wonders What exactly was the point of the Cochise County stunt?  "It didn’t change any election results, embarrassed the county, and may well cost the county’s taxpayers more in legal fees." Well, Cochise lost his war, but does anybody remember the name of who beat him? At JTN, Georgia man receives 25-year sentence for voter fraud in 2021 Senate runoff election. "Resident forged a signature after receiving ballot by mistake."

At Insty, SAY ANYTHING: Janet Yellen blames Americans’ ‘splurging’ for record-high inflation. "In other words, “Don’t blame us for conjuring trillions of dollars out of thin air and then giving it away. It’s your fault for spending it.”" At Da Wire, Top Commodities Regulator Tells Senators He Met With Sam Bankman-Fried 10 Times, and didn't smell something fishy? Grabien, hosted at Haut Hair has a fun Flashback supercut: CNBC used to be pretty stoked about Bankman-Fried. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22,Transterrestrial Musings: The Media Treats The Fraudster With Kid Gloves,

The redoubtable Julie Kelly at Am Great calls the Oath Keepers Verdict A Dangerous Escalation in Criminalizing Dissent "New ground is set with every egregious indictment and conviction with dire consequences for the future of political speech and activity."

The indictment was preposterous on its face, something only a grand jury seated in the most Democratic city in the country could countenance. None faced a weapons charge, raising the natural question of how a group of military veterans, most suffering various degrees of service-related disabilities, planned to overtake the government “by force” without a single firearm or explosive device. Despite constant talk in the media about the Oath Keepers’ quick reaction force, individuals who brought weapons with them on the drive to Washington left them behind in a Virginia hotel—legally—so as to not violate the city’s strict gun control laws. . . .Some militia.

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.02.22, The Lid, McCarthy Tells J6 Committee He’s Coming After Them When GOP Takes Over.  At the College Fix, Juvenile bomb-threat caller never posed credible danger to HBCUs, but FBI refused to say so until after midterms. 

Ace notes Another Hoax: Treasury Finds No Evidence of Political Retribution in Audits of James Comey and Andrew McCabe "They were chosen for audits by random selection by a computer, as is normal, and as people told them and the various Democrat conspiracy theorists of BlueAnon."

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

DIY Politics Thursday

My natural laziness, and the need to go places and do things means I'll have to do this DIY style again. 

First, Electoral Politics:

In The Mailbox: 07.06.22 : The Other McCain
30%: Slidin' Biden hits new approval low in Civiqs poll – HotAirSHOCK POLL: Majority of Americans Think Joe Biden Should Have a Note Pinned to His Sweater and Be Sent Home to Delaware – PJ Media
Joe Biden and the circular firing squad – HotAir
Democrats -- and the media -- are giving up on Biden – HotAir
Democrats Cutting Ties to President Biden - National Review
Behind the Desperate Democrat Drive to Dump Joe Biden – RedState
Has the generic-ballot question lost its predictive power?
Yet another hypocritical Newsom faceplant: Vacation in Montana despite Newsom-ordered travel bar on official business – HotAir
The Mother of All Ads Drops After Gavin Newsom Burns Money Attacking Ron DeSantis – RedState
Kellyanne Conway previews 2024 attack line: DeSantis is untested – HotAir
Ohio Dems to Biden: Don't stand so close to us – HotAir
Could John Fetterman sh*tpost his way to the Senate? – HotAir
Who is Lanhee Chen, the California Republican candidate for controller? - Vox
EBL: Jerone Davidson (R-AZ District 4) for Congress : Make Rifles Great Again 🤯🤗
Instapundit  IS THE NEW YORK TIMES A LIBERAL NEWSPAPER? OF COURSE IT IS: Nervous NYT takes a closer look at Mayr…
DOJ Challenging Arizona's Citizenship Requirement for Voting – PJ Media
Biden Administration Sues Arizona Over Law Requiring Voters Prove They’re US Citizens
Today’s blacklisted American: Google blacklists Republican Party fund-raising emails – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

Then, the Culture War: 

One Thing You Have To Remember About all the Left’s “I Hate America” July 4th Events, Tweets, and the Apologies that Follow… - Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog
Calls to 'Defund NPR' Ring out After Network Absurdly Goes 'Woke' on Independence Day – RedState
NY Times 'forgot' to print Declaration of Independence
Marine aviator refuses to wear American Flag apparel : This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here
Queer-owned business shut down by employees for not being woke enough
Woke Coffee Shop Closes Down After Insane Demands From Even-More-Woke Employees | The Daily Wire
Bette Midler Begs 'Woke' Mob Not to Cancel Her over Thought Crime - Slay News
Justice Department Paying $1.5 Million to Develop Transgender-Specific Program in Federal Prisons
REPORT: Whistleblower Demands Investigation Into Biden's Nuclear Drag Queen Hiring Process, Alleging ‘Substantial Irregularities’.
Ace of Spades HQ Incredible: The Shooter Was Dressed As a Woman Today But The Police and Media Kept Telling The Public to Be On the Lookout for a "Man" With "Long Black Hair"
Ace of Spades HQEzra Miller's Victims Begin Talking
Woke Wednesday: Libs Happily Teaching 'Sex Pleasure' Classes to Kids. Wait Until You See the Curriculum. – PJ Media
Sad Hasbeen Mopes Crosby Stills and the Other One Slink Back to Spotify
Jerry Dunleavy busts failed Disinformation Czar Nina Jankowicz for lying about NYT puff piece she claims ‘isn’t about me’ – twitchy.com
‘I Love That’: Natalie Portman Boasts New ‘Thor’ Film Is The ‘Gayest’ Marvel Movie Yet - The Daily Wire
Red-Pilled YouTuber Talks Leaving the Left and Exposes an Interesting Fact About Political Division – RedState

 

Even hormones and surgery are not enough! – THE FIRST STREET JOURNAL.

Jan 6 and other Political Violence:

Ex-Trump WH counsel Cipollone to testify before Jan. 6 panel: report
Fulton County, Georgia DA subpoenaed Giuliani, Lindsey Graham, and others in Trump's inner circle – HotAir
Attorneys Claim Government Manufacturing Evidence to Charge, Incarcerate Jan. 6 Prisoners
Rep. Kinzinger Shares Audio Of Death Threat | Off The Press
Still no peace at the justices' homes – HotAir
Virginia, Maryland officials push back on Supreme Court request to curb protests at justices' homes - Washington Examiner
NY Times: Both Comey and McCabe were 'randomly' audited by the IRS – HotAir

The Stupid Biden Economy, Stupid:

Are We Already in a Recession 2022? Businesses and Workers Say Yes - Bloomberg
Biden Admin Denies That We're In a Recession - bongino.com
Inflation May Get Much Worse This Summer, and Could Linger ‘Many Years’, Experts Warn - The Foreign Desk - by Lisa Daftari
Student Debt Forgiveness Is Already Happening Because of the Payment "Freeze" - Foundation for Economic Education
No Longer Blaming 'Putin's Price Hike' for High Gas Prices, Biden Has a New Scapegoat

The Wombat has Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Hailey Outland and FMJRA 2.0: Shamanic Tales up and gathering clicks at The Other McCain.

Durham Delivers - Danchenko Indicted

Igor Danchenko, you may recall is the Russian national, sometimes employed by the ultra-liberal Brookings Institution, who provided most of the evidence in the Steele Dossier given to the FBI, which was released to the press and widely touted by liberal media outlets and politicians as proof that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to get elected and was compromised by some scurrilous information in the hands of the Russians and used by the FBI/DOJ to obtain a FISA warrant on Carter Page to spy on the Trump campaign and administration. The dossier itself has been completely discredited, and Danchenko has told the FBI that the stories were largely without merit, being the result of stories Russian friends drinking. 

Now, Special Counsel John Durham's grand jury has indicted him on charges of lying to the FBI, asserting that stories Danchenko attributed to Russian drinking buddies, were in, in fact, fed to him by a Clinton factotum, Charles Dolan. 

WaPoo reluctantly admits Igor Danchenko arrested, charged with lying to FBI about information in Steele dossier. 

A 2019 report by the Justice Department inspector general found major problems with the accuracy of Danchenko’s information. But the 39-page indictment unveiled Thursday paints a more detailed picture of claims that were allegedly built on exaggerations, rumors and outright lies. The indictment is likely to buttress Republican charges that Democrats and FBI agents intentionally or accidentally turned cheap partisan smears into a high-stakes national security investigation of a sitting president.

The indictment also suggests Danchenko may have lied to Steele and others about where he was getting his information. Some of the material came from a Democratic Party operative with long-standing ties to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to the charges, rather than well-connected Russians with insight into the Kremlin.

From NR, Main Steele Dossier Researcher Arrested in Durham Probe. Vicky Taft at PJ Media,  Durham Indictment: Trump 'Dossier' Starts With Hillary PR Guy Who Worked With Man He Thought Was Russian FSB Agent.  John Solomon at JTN, New court documents detail alleged web of lies used to fabricate Steele Dossier, frame Trump, "Civil, criminal case records create portrait of how Igor Danchenko allegedly misled America as primary source for Christopher Steele dossier." Sundance at CTH, Steele Dossier Primary Subsource, Igor Danchenko, Arrested on Five Counts of Lying to FBI – Danchenko Was Working With Democrat Campaign Official. Ace, in all red caps and with a flaming skull, GOVERNMENT ARRESTS IGOR DANSCHENKO, "PRIMARY SUB-SOURCE" FOR CHRISTOPHER STEELE'S FAKE "DOSSIER", and with three flaming skulls, Danchenko Indictment: Source For Steele "Dossier" Claims Was Not Russian Officials. It Was... A HILLARY CLINTON POLITICAL OPERATIVE 

Did Hillary Clinton know about these rumors and direct the operative to pass them to Danchenko, so they could be laundered as "Russian tips"?

It seems bizarre to even suggest she didn't know. She loved conspiracy theories. She paid Sidney Blumenthal to spin conspiracy theories for her.

Twitchy,  WaPo fact-checker says Durham’s ‘stunning indictment’ means ‘Christopher Steele’s sources were really bad’ (then it gets awkward). Also from Vicky Taft, Woman Who Testified Against Trump Also Introduced Authors of Fake Russian 'Dossier' to Each Other. Gee, What Are the Odds ... ?. Fiona Hill. Andrea Widburg at Am Think thinks The latest Durham indictment is a big one. Maybe. John Sexton at Haut Hair cites Eli Lake: The Danchenko indictment shows the Democratic Party manipulated the FBI, but we knew that. Dan Chaitin at WaEx, Trump White House aide says Durham indictment puts 'deep state' plot on Hillary Clinton's doorstep. Of course she knew; but it will get hard to find people to testify to that. Nobody wants to shoot themselves twice in the head. George Parry at Am Spec, 

But these are only the latest developments. Since the last time I summarize Russiagate, Matt Margolis at PJ Media was wondering, Are More Obamagate Charges Coming? Clearly, the answer was yes. Dan Chaitin reported that Attorney general: John Durham remains empowered. "Let me just say first about the money," Garland replied. "We’re now in a new fiscal year, and as everyone knows, Mr. Durham is continuing. So I think you can readily assume that his budget has been approved." Yep. Also, Devin Nunes warns 'future of this country' hinges on Durham indictments and Ratcliffe says 1,000 intel documents given to Durham support more charges.

Regarding Durham's indictment of DNC/Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussman, George Parry  at Am Spec calls it John Durham’s Salad Shooter "Knowingingly (sic) concocting a fake narrative to fool the FBI and CIA is going to affect many Hillary Clinton campaign players, special counsel John Durham has let it be known in discovery." Also,  John Durham and the Amazing Disappearing DNC Hack, "Evidence grows that the alleged Russian hacking of the DNC server in 2016 was an inside job"  and John Durham and the Steele Dossier, "Indicted Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann shrewdly set in motion the use of Christopher Steele of dossier infamy to spread word of supposed Trump–Russia collusion." From Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Durham unloads thousands of documents to Sussmann defense, and  Strzok attacks Durham indictment against Sussmann and 'chilling effect' on FISAs. Taking flak, that's how you know you're over the target. Paul Sperry at Da Fed says  Durham Investigates Pentagon Contractors Who Helped Clinton Campaign Plot Russia Hoax,  "Prosecutors are investigating whether cybersecurity contractors abused security clearances to feed the FBI false information linking Donald Trump to Russia." George Parry again, from ET, Exclusive: Poll Shows Independent Voters Want Durham to Probe Biden Aide, Jake Sullivan, who has been in it all up to his neck. But sundance singles out another target, John Durham Needs to Look Toward Mary McCord, who is now working for the Jan. 6 kangaroo committee. 

Of course, with Durham taking aim at the Steele Dossier, it's no shock that Democrats and the media (but I redund) are trying to rehabilitate Christopher Steele and his notorious dossier. Spectator World, The name’s Steele, Chris Steele, "The discredited British spy is set to be interviewed Monday by George Stephanopoulos."  ABC, Confronting his critics, Christopher Steele defends controversial dossier in first major interview. John Sexton at Haut Hair, Christopher Steele still defending the accuracy of his dossier, even the pee tape.  Dr, John at Flopping Aces, The Steele interview timing is no coincidence.  Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Christopher Steele comes ‘out of the shadows’ for Stephanopoulos interview and Christopher Steele stands by discredited anti-Trump dossier claims about Michael Cohen in Prague and 'pee tape.' Tristan Justice at Da Fed, ABC News Documentary Fails To Rehab Debunked Steele Dossier At Center Of Russian Collusion Hoax. John Solomon at JTN, Steele's defense of dossier collides with an avalanche of evidence to the contrary. "Even statements by Steele's lawyers, his main source and his friends undercut his claim about the "professionalism" of his now-infamous dossier." Sundance, Chris Steele Clings to Fabricated Stories of Cohen in Prague and Trump-Russia Pee Tapes. Debra Saunders at AM Spec, Steele Dossier: The Lie Told Around the World, Again, "Christopher Steele’s bogus smear of Donald Trump served its purposes and it continues to." George Neumayr at Am Spec, Christopher Steele, the Foreigner Who Interfered in Our Election "He is one threat to democracy that the ruling class can overlook." JTN, Soros-tied group met with FBI during Russia collusion probe, hired Christopher Steele "Democracy Integrity Project founder Dan Jones testifies about extensive contacts with Clinton campaign-tied figures, including Michael Sussmann and Glenn Simpson."

On the Alfa Bank hoax, in which John Durham has already indicted Clinton layer  John Sussman, Margot Cleveland thinks Special Counsel Filing Reveals More About Alfa Bank Conspiracy Theory and Paul Sperry at RCI, Clinton Campaign Spread Alfa Bank Ruse Throughout Obama Admin to Press Trump-Russia Probe “The Clinton machine flooded the FBI with pressure from a number of angles until investigations of Trump were opened and reopened,” said one of the briefed sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive law enforcement matter. "The deception was wide-ranging." and Aaron Mate at RCI, Coming Into Focus: Hillary's Secretive, Russiagate-Flogging Pair of Super-Lawyers. Reagan Reese at Da Fed reports Anti-Corruption Group Seeks Senate Ethics Probe Of Debunked Alfa Bank-Trump Server Research. Good luck. Vicky Taft at PJ Media claims It Gets Worse: Look Who Worked Together to Frame Donald Trump With Fake Russia Hoax, George Soros and John McCain, to name two. 

WaPoo reports Ex-FBI leader Andrew McCabe wins back pension in Justice Dept. settlement after he was fired under Trump. A fine example of sue and settle. Jordan Davidson at Da Fed, Biden Administration Awards Disgraced Russia Collusion Hoaxer Andrew McCabe With $200K Pension. John Sexton at Haut Hair, Andrew McCabe gets his pension back despite IG finding that he 'lacked candor' under oath, the crime of lying to the FBI, when someone other than a Democrat does it. Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Merrick Garland says DOJ stands by conclusion Andrew McCabe lied despite reversing his firing and Byron York's Daily Memo: DOJ memory holes Andrew McCabe wrongdoing.

BPR, Longtime Clinton Global Initiative co-chair arrested for securities fraud and felony theft and WJ, Longtime Clinton Operative Charged with Felonies, Arrest Warrant Issued. The Clinton Crime family. 

Elder abuse identified. Fox, Schiff 'heartbroken' by Mueller's decline during Russia probe: 'This was not the Bob Mueller I knew', "'I would not have pursued his testimony with such vigor,' Schiff wrote in new book." Dan Chaitin at WaEx, Schiff 'can't answer' whether cognitive decline disqualified Mueller from leading Russia investigation. Well, if it doesn't disqualify Joe Biden. . . . Althouse, "By all rights, Russiagate should be dead as a serious news story. But as the Real Time episode showed, 'collusion' is still alive for some..." "... and the bulk of the case essentially rests now upon the characterization of one person from the above passage as a Russian agent: a former aide to Paul Manafort named Konstantin Kilimnik...."

Dan Chaitin, Schiff reveals assurance from FBI director under Trump "FBI Director Christopher Wray assured Rep. Adam Schiff he would resign before being pressured into "something that wasn't right" under former President Donald Trump, the congressman claims in a new book." Wray didn't resign, ergo everything was right under Trump. QED. From Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN. Ethics watchdog wants probe of possible improper gift to Senate panel chasing Trump-Russia hoax "The request concerns an almost 700-page report provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee at no cost by an outside group." Sundance, The Modern Weaponization of Our National Security System Is The Lasting Legacy of Barack Obama and Eric Holder. Matt Taibbi, Yes, Virginia, There is a Deep State, "A major untold story of the Trump era has been the political comeback of the CIA, NSA, and FBI, who thanks to an ingenious marketing campaign now enjoy widespread support among young liberals."  Theodore Roosevelt Malloch at Am Great claims to know How to End the Deep State: 

First, restrict all government employees to five-year contracts, renewable only twice. For the military this should be 20 years and out, no exceptions. Then put measures into place that all these bureaucrats, appointees, and congressional staffers are not allowed to lobby or ever work for any government contractor or firm that has such contracts.

Second, impose term limits on Congress. Five two-year terms in the House; and, two six-year terms in the Senate. Likewise, no elected officials can ever lobby Congress or serve on the board or as an employee of any firm that does business with the government. Ironclad. The U.S. Congress, like the New Hampshire Legislature, should only be allowed to sit 45 days a year. This will make it a less than full-time assignment and allow all politicians to be part-time and return to their respective Mount Vernons. It will be a people’s republic.

And finally, the budget of the CIA and all other intelligence agencies, including most importantly, the FBI and NSA, should be cut over three years by 20 percent a year. This would work to rein in their excesses and limit their ability to thwart the democratic process.

Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx reports FBI raids DC home of Putin-allied Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Sundance, FBI Raids DC Home of Oleg Deripaska, Chris Steele’s Former Employer and Central Player in Corrupt FBI Operation Against Donald Trump. Margot Cleveland at Da Fed explains why she thinks the FBI Raid On Oleg Deripaska Is Bad For Russia Collusion Hoaxers, Not Trump, "Deripaska may well be the player that proves the downfall of Steele."

And some miscellaneous: sundance, The Fourth Branch of U.S. Government Targeted Julian Assange For Kidnapping or Assassination in 2017, A Transparently Obvious Motive Being Overlooked. A little tinfoily. 

Julian Assange was not a threat to Donald Trump, but he was a threat to those who attempted to stop Donald Trump.  In 2017, the DC system was reacting to a presidency they did not control.  As an outcome, the Office of the President was being managed and influenced by some with ulterior motives.

Also,  Tucker Carlson Interviews General Michael Flynn – The Biggest Target of The Fourth Branch of Government

Dan Chaitin at WaEx Clinton aide Huma Abedin blasts Comey for 'decision to play God' during 2016 election. Shocked, I'm shocked. 

Reclaiming Time for Russiagate

One week seems to be about the right length of time these days, not enough material for daily use, too much if you skip a week.

From Chuck Ross at Da Caller, ‘Adam Schiff Took The Bait’: Top Russiagate Investigator Explains GOP Strategy Behind The ‘Nunes Memo’

“Adam Schiff took the bait and put so much more information in his memo than we did in ours, because we knew we would be able to use that information later and prove how wrong they were. It would just take a little bit of time,” Patel said in an interview for The Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders.”

We saw that interview last week, but it worth pointing out Sleazy Adam's escapades over again. From Greg Piper at JTN, Judge skeptical of Schiff's argument for keeping impeachment phone subpoenas secret

Todd Tatelman, principal deputy general counsel for the House of Representatives, argued that the Constitution's "speech or debate clause" shields the committee from being dragged into court to divulge the scope of its subpoenas.

"What's your authority for what you just said?" Judge Karen Henderson responded. "I have not found any case that upholds the speech or debate clause immunity with regard to the common law right of access" to public records. Tatelman admitted he didn't know of any.

The judge also found it "noteworthy," if not "ironic," that Tatelman justified hiding the subpoenas to protect the privacy of irrelevant individuals whose personal information could be exposed. Judicial Watch's entire case is about the committee claiming an "unlimited" power to invade the privacy of individuals, Henderson said.

Da Caller, Brother, Sister-In-Law Of Michael Flynn Sue CNN Over QAnon Reporting and  Da  Wire, Michael Flynn’s Family Files $75 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against CNN  

Flynn’s brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Leslie Flynn, sued the network in U.S. District Court in New York City for allegedly portraying them and their family as supporters of QAnon, an online conspiracy theory. The Flynns claimed that CNN deceptively edited footage in a Feb. 4 segment on the conspiracy to implicate the Flynn family, according to the Daily Beast. 

Filed under suits I want to see succeed. John Solomon at JTN, FBI had doubts about Russia informant's allegation that helped prompt Mike Flynn probe "Stefan Halper's story of Flynn trip with Russian woman deemed 'not plausible … not accurate.'" If Stefan Halper is not sent to jail, a miscarriage of justice will have occurred. I hope Durham is looking at his efforts on behalf of the Clinton campaign. 

Speaking of Durham, Sundance at CTH, President Trump Asks a Question, Frustrated Trump demands to know if Special Counsel Durham is still 'living' "Where’s Durham? Is he a living, breathing human being? Will there ever be a Durham report?' Trump said" (Fox) and Da Caller, ‘Is He A Living, Breathing Human Being?’: Trump Wants To Know Where John Durham Is . A good question. A better one is whether or not the Harris/Biden administration will allow it to continue, and if it does, will it make any report public?

Also from John Solomon, DOJ 'unlikely' to represent FBI officials sued by Carter Page for misconduct in Russia case "James Comey and a current FBI analyst have already hired their own private lawyers for civil case after DOJ informs them they are on their own."

The Justice Department has informed current and former FBI officials sued by Russia probe target Carter Page that it is unlikely to represent them in the civil case, signaling they will need to get private lawyers, according to new court filings.

At least two defendants — fired FBI Director James Comey and current FBI intelligence analyst Brian Auten — have already hired private counsel and notified the presiding judge in the case of their representation.

Ordinarily, DOJ represents its employees sued by civilians over their official duties. But court records show the Justice Department has not committed to doing so in this case and told the court as recently as last week it "does not currently represent any of the individual capacity defendants" and needs time to sort through complex issues about whether it should assist in their defense.

"The Department of Justice must determine, among other things, whether the employee defendants reasonably appear to have acted in the scope of employment … whether their representation is in the interest of the United States … and whether legal or factual conflicts exist among the various defendants such that representation of all by the same attorney would be inappropriate," Justice lawyers argued in a motion dated March 15.
. . .
"On March 15, 2021, Mr. Auten was informed that it was unlikely that DOJ would be able to represent any of the individual Defendants in this matter, including Mr. Auten," the new court filing. "On the same date, Mr. Auten requested that the undersigned attorneys of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP act as counsel of record on his behalf in this matter."

 At Bongino, Sen. Grassley Demands DOJ File Charges Against Women That Falsely Accused Brett Kavanaugh. I'm sure we can count on Merrick Garland to get right on that. 

Catching Up on Russiagate

I warned that Russiagate was likely to be an almost dead issue after China Joe's inauguration, and that seems to be bearing out. Some revelations since our last chapter.

John Solomon, a Russigate stalwart, at his own site JTN reports Smoking gun: Comey told Clapper FBI unable to 'sufficiently corroborate' Steele — then signed FISA "In January 2017 email to intel chief coughed up under court order, the former FBI director contradicted sworn avowal to FISA court that Steele dossier was verified." So what's the point of having the high muckety mucks sign off on this stuff if there are no sanctions when they ignore the warning signs?  But, I'm not shocked. Also from Solomon, Twenty days of infamy: the January 2017 red flags the FBI blew past on Russia collusion "Declassified memos details evidence that devastated FBI theories on Trump ... but did not stop the probe." Gellar, Comey email reveals FBI, DOJ made ‘premeditated effort to dislodge’ President Trump from office. To be fair, that's Matt Gaetz' conclusion, but it certainly seems to be true.  Comey, in particular, should go to jail for insurrection. But it ain't likely, 

At Am Great, Lloyd Billingsley takes on Chief Justice James Boasberg? who all but left Kevin Clinesmith off the hook for perpetrating a fraud on the FISA Court that he heads.

The FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page, Boasberg explained, would have been approved even without Clinesmith’s “misstatement.” Judge Boasberg ought to know.

In 2014, John Roberts appointed Boasberg to the FISA court, and since January 2020, Boasberg has served as presiding judge of the FISA court. That body holds a distinct advantage over the U.S. Supreme Court, which operates in public, with rulings and opinions endlessly analyzed. None of that for the FISA court, but the Clinesmith case briefly lifted the robes.

Boasberg knew the court would have approved the warrant on CIA asset Carter Page without Clinesmith’s falsification. So Boasberg doubtless signed off on it. He then slipped back into his circuit court robe and let Clinesmith off with a gentle tap on the wrist. This ruling has no parallel on the U.S. Supreme Court.

It's long past time to reform the FISA process, but that is also unlikely to happen with Democrats in charge. More likely they'll go all in with domestic surveillance after the Capitol incursion.

Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Merrick Garland Won’t Promise to Protect Durham Investigation

Garland made the stunning statement in response to questions from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

“If confirmed, will you commit to providing special counsel Durham with the staff, resources, funds, and time needed to thoroughly complete the investigation?” asked Grassley.

“So, senator, I don’t have any information about the investigation as I sit here today, and another one of the very first things I’m going to have to do is speak with Mr. Durham and figure out how his investigation is going,” replied Garland. “I understand that he has been permitted to remain in his position, and sitting here today, I have no reason to think that that was not the correct decision.”

Grassley followed up by asking if Durham would only be removed “for cause.”

“I would have to have an opportunity to talk with him,” Garland responded. “I have not had that opportunity. As I said, I don’t have any reason, from what I know now, which is really very little, to make any determination on that ground. But I don’t have any reason to think that he should not remain in place.”

Garland also refused to commit to releasing the report to the public.

“I am a great believer in transparency. I would, though, have to talk with Mr. Durham and understand the nature of what he’s been doing and the nature of the report. But I am very much committed to transparency and to explaining Justice Department decision-making.”

So, he's hedging. Bill Barr promised to protect Mueller, and did so.

And sometimes, the system works. Da Caller, Paul Manafort Can’t Be Prosecuted In New York Because Of Double Jeopardy, Court Rules

John Sexton at Hot Air reports  Ghislaine Maxwell Confirmed The Existence Of Tapes Of Trump And Clinton, but not what's on them. It seems clear that Epstein was running a black mail/protection racket. And Ghislaine didn't kill herself. Yet. 

Also at Da Caller, Goon On Goon Violence: Michael Avenatti And Michael Cohen Go At It. Can we issue them both poisoned weapons?

Russiagate Still Clinging to Life

Lloyd Billingsley at Front Page would like to introduce you to  the DC Judge Who Let the FBI Criminal Off Light?

Carter Page might expect the judge to lecture Clinesmith about the lawyer about sullying the reputation of the FBI and DOJ, and betraying the federal government that employed him to uphold the law. None of that for District of Columbia judge James Boasberg. He opted for leniency because the allegedly remorseful Clinesmith had suffered by losing his job and “standing in the eye of a media hurricane.” It was a curious choice of words for the Obama appointee.

“Crossfire Hurricane” was the name of the FBI-DOJ covert operation against candidate and President Trump. And as it turns out, according to official sources, since 2014 Boasberg has served as the presiding judge of United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.”

That detail failed to turn up in news reports on Clinesmith’s slap on the wrist, which was much less than three to six month prison sentence sought by special counsel John Durham. After appointment by attorney general William Barr in May, 2019, Durham has failed to bring any criminal charges against major “Crossfire Hurricane” players James Comey, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and others.

With the tap on the wrist for Clinesmith, Boasberg sends the message loud and clear. The DOJ and FBI may conduct covert operations against a duly elected president of the United States, violating federal law and abusing the FISA process, and avoid all prosecution. For 74 million Trump supporters, that is bad news going forward.

Sundance at CTH had Devin Nunes and Kash Patel Discussing Kevin Clinesmith’s Light Sentence For Lying to FISA Court, but Fox News took it down. At Am Great, And They Got Away With It

Clinesmith did not act in a vacuum. As I noted in August, Clinesmith made sure his superiors knew exactly what he was doing before doctoring the false evidence for the consumption of the FISA court. His attorney told us, “Mr. Clinesmith had provided the unchanged C.I.A. email to Crossfire Hurricane agents and the Justice Department lawyer drafting the original wiretap application.”

Rosenstein personally oversaw the application and the team that sought to continue the spying that began in July 2016. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Clinesmith’s leverage over powerful Justice Department co-conspirators coincided with a farcically light non-prison penalty for the most serious and easily proven criminal behavior by the get-Trump deep state.

No wonder he was one of the few Trump appointees who was on Joe's  "keeper" list. Paul Sperry

TOP SECRET: FBI Director Christopher Wray is covering up, er, classifying at top levels, all documents referring to the "Crossfire Hurricane Fusion Center." He won't let Congress know what it was, where it was based or who was assigned to it.

Sundance, Declassification and The DeceptiCon Agenda

A Question presented:

“Why do you think Trump didn’t do much in the last three months including declassifying stuff?“

The answer is simple, yet politically complex. President Trump’s cabinet, specifically those cabinet members feeling a greater responsibility to protect their institutions, would not comply with any executive office requests to declassify material. . . .

 Also Systemic Contingencies – The Need For Bill Barr’s Positioning Revealed, 2018 and Systemic Contingencies – They All Knew – Lessons From Spygate About Severity of DC Corruption

Robert Mueller had two goals as special counsel. Goal #1 was to continue the fraudulent DOJ/FBI “Stop Trump” operation initiated by James Comey, Andrew McCabe and their crew technically named Crossfire Hurricane. Goal #2 was to bury the illegal action; to create the cover-up needed for everything that took place in the “Stop Trump” operation.

It is the second goal that most people never reconciled; however, it is also that second goal that’s the most important. Everyone in DC knew Mueller’s objective. Every person in every branch of government and every federal agency knew Mueller’s real purpose.

Which is definitely not what Robert Mueller himself told Chuck Rosenberg, reported by Dan Chaitin at WaEx, Robert Mueller reveals why he became special counsel

News Max, Prosecution of Comey Reportedly 'Unlikely' After Durham Probe. Too bad. That sends a bad message.

WaPoo, Manhattan district attorney considering prosecuting Stephen Bannon following his pardon by Trump in federal fraud case. Going scorched earth, of course. If Republicans ever get control again, I hope they remember.

PM, WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel says retail investors are 'Russian disruptors' in response to GameStop stock market saga, Ace, Fatass TV Clown Jimmy Kimmel Claims That WallStreetBets Redditors are "Russian Disruptors" "How the Establishment's Gollums and Wormtongues scramble to the defense of their Dark Lords."

An explanation frequently invoked by Eric Swallowell, Woe is he! Media shed light on what Eric Swalwell had to contend with ‘after being unwittingly linked to a Chinese spy’ You might think sleeping with the enemy was a bad thing.

There is a colleague of mine who sent a tweet out just attacking me, and I texted him and I said, “Really?” He called me, and he was like, “Hey bro! How you doing, man?” I’m like, “How am I doing? You just sent out a tweet attacking me. Why are you doing this?” He goes, “I didn’t know I sent a tweet.” I’m like, “What do you mean you don’t know you sent a tweet?” He said, “Oh, let me check on that.” He called me back, “Oh, my staff sent it.”

I said, “Well, take it down. Why don’t you call me if you have questions?” He goes, “Well, I don’t think you did anything wrong. You did exactly what you’re supposed to do.” I said, “Well, then take down the tweet, don’t be a part of this feeding frenzy.” He’s like, “It’s coming down, I swear.” He texts me, “Just talked to them, it’s coming down.” But he didn’t take it down, so I called him again, and he goes, “Hey man, so my staff said that this is the best performing tweet we’ve had. And I’m not going to say anything else. If I’m asked about this publicly, I’m going to say you did the right thing. But if we take it down, it will be so obvious.” I’m like, That’s courage around here?

Russiagate: Forgotten but Not Gone

It's been a few days, so I should clear out the bin. New releases of Peter Strzok emails dig him incrementally deeper into the scandal, but don't cause massive shock. Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, New Strzok text spurs debate about how FBI began Trump-Russia investigations in 2016

Strzok sent a message to then-FBI lawyer Lisa Page, with whom he was having an affair, on July 28, 2016, three days before Crossfire Hurricane was opened, saying that there were “three things I want to talk to you about,” including a yet-redacted matter and “our open CI [counterintelligence] investigations relating to Trump’s Russia connections.”

President Trump tweeted on Friday that “the Russia Hoax becomes an even bigger lie!” in response to the Federalist’s Sean Davis saying, “Surprise! The FBI has been lying for years about when it started investigating Trump in 2016.” Strzok tweeted that the claims were “untrue,” that “the investigation opened July 31,” and that “199 criminal charges followed.”

It was not immediately clear to whom Strzok may have been referring to in his July 2016 message, which was among dozens of FBI communications declassified by the DOJ and released this week by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley in their investigation of the Trump-Russia investigators. Horowitz’s December 2019 report said that “two of the four Crossfire Hurricane subjects” wrapped into the Trump-Russia investigation by the FBI in August 2016 “were already the subjects of other existing federal investigations.”

Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Peter Strzok’s Declassified Messages Give Insider View Of FBI’s Trump Campaign Probe

The declassified documents also show that Strzok was provided with real-time updates as FBI agents or undercover sources were meeting with Trump campaign advisers Carter Page and George Papaodpoulos, who were early targets of the investigation.

Nice Deb at Am Great:  Newly Declassified Texts Messages Reveal that the FBI Spied on Fox News During Crossfire Hurricane Investigation

FBI officials spied on a Fox News executive in early 2017 as part of the corrupt Crossfire Hurricane investigation that targeted President Trump and his associates, newly declassified messages reveal.

Internal FBI messages from fired FBI agent Peter Strzok—released by Senate Republicans on Thursday—reveal that the Bureau surveilled and recorded a phone call between former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and an unnamed vice president at Fox News weeks before President Trump was inaugurated.

Curiously, there never appears to have been a FISA warrant on Papadopoulos, so if he was wire tapped, there must have been a "national security letter" invoked.  Which means James Comey, in this case. 

NSLs typically contain a nondisclosure requirement forbidding the recipient of an NSL from disclosing that the FBI had requested the information. The nondisclosure provision must be authorized by the Director of the FBI, and only after he or she certifies "that otherwise there may result a danger to the national security of the United States; interference with a criminal, counterterrorism, or counterintelligence investigation; interference with diplomatic relations; or danger to the life or physical safety of any person." Moreover, a recipient of the NSL may still challenge the nondisclosure provision in federal court.

Tristan Justice at Da Fed, FBI Spied On Fox News, Recorded Phone Call Between Fox Exec And George Papadopoulos, New Texts Show. Ace, Released Texts Prove Obama Also Used "Russia Collusion" Hoax a Pretext to Spy on... Fox News. To be fair, it doesn't sound like Fox was a target of the spying, just an incidental capture while surveilling Page.

Kimberly Strassel at the paywalled WSJ sat down with AJ William Barr for three hours. William Barr: ‘One Standard of Justice’

He reminds me why he took the job in the first place: “The Department of Justice was being used as a political weapon” by a “willful if small group of people,” who used the claim of collusion with Russia in an attempt to “topple an administration,” he says. “Someone had to make sure that the power of the department stopped being abused and that there was accountability for what had happened.” Mr. Barr largely succeeded, in the process filling a vacuum of political oversight, reimposing norms, and resisting partisan critics on both sides.

Mr. Barr describes an overarching objective of ensuring that there is “one standard of justice.” That, he says, is why he appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the FBI’s 2016 Crossfire Hurricane probe. “Of course the Russians did bad things in the election,” he says. “But the idea that this was done with the collusion of the Trump campaign—there was never any evidence. It was entirely made up.” The country deserved to know how the world’s premier law-enforcement agency came to target and spy on a presidential campaign. . . .

Apparently, one of the things he said was that Durham had cleared the CIA of illegal acts in the Russiagate scandal. To bad, I was looking forward to James Clapper being frog marched to jail. 

Sundance at CTH wants help assembling a list of things to be declassified, We Need A Reckoning – Crowdsourcing Request, What Do You Want To See Declassified. More, rather than less, please.

The Peacock, White House counsel's office warned Trump not to fire Chris Wray "Attorneys have fretted that by firing the FBI director, Trump could be putting himself in jeopardy." What are they going to do, impeach him?

“I wouldn’t take anything off the table in coming weeks,” the senior administration official said of personnel changes, as well as presidential pardons. The official said to expect “some more fairly significant terminations in the national security or intelligence community.”

Breitbart,  Biden’s DOE Pick Jennifer Granholm Spent Years Pushing Russia Conspiracy Theories It might be hard to find a Democrat that didn't.

TNP, Project Veritas Releases Clinton State Dept-Assange Call Recording (with Audio) "In the audio, Assange can be heard warning U.S. authorities about impending classified leaks." I still don't understand the difference between Assange collecting and publishing US secrets, and Woodward and Bernstein or other main-stream journalists. 

PM, Reports that Pentagon puts a sudden stop to Biden transition briefings refuted by Acting Defense Secretary

At the WaPoo, Ken Gormley wants that If Trump pardons himself, Biden should un-pardon him. I think Trump should pardon Hunter, but leave Joe swinging in the breeze.

And then, there's Swallowsall:

House Republicans Call For Swalwell's Removal From Intelligence Committee Over Relations With Chinese Spy

WATCH: Sen. Rand Paul to Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'Just resign' | The Post Millennial

McCarthy gets FBI briefing on Swalwell: 'He should not be on Intel' committee | Fox News

McCarthy: FBI Stonewalling on Briefing on Swalwell's Reported Spy Ties

Rep. McCarthy gets FBI briefing on Rep. Swalwell: 'He should not be on Intel'

Kevin McCarthy Discusses Finally Receiving FBI Briefing on Eric Swalwell Compromise With Chinese Spies - The Last RefugeThe Last Refuge

Daines: Swalwell 'Needs to Get in Front of a Congressional Committee'

Ace of Spades HQ Former DNC Spokesman Brad Woodhouse Says the House Should Give the Congressional Medal of Honor to Eric Swalwell for Adulterously Fucking a Chinese Whore/Spy