Jun 16 2019

Reminder: John Durham Questioning CIA Officials About Intelligence Community Assessment…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on June 15, 2019 by 

Against the backdrop of the DOJ admitting FBI investigators never had access to the DNC servers to verify a Russian hack; and with new information about the FBI receiving partial and redacted analysis from Crowdstrike; the review by U.S. Attorney John Durham toward the downstream assessment/claims of the CIA takes on new meaning.

CTH has previously outlined how the December 29th, 2016, Joint Analysis Report (JAR) on Russia Cyber Activity was a quickly compiled bunch of nonsense about Russian hacking.

The JAR was followed a week later by the January 7th, 2017, Intelligence Community Assessment.   The ICA took the ridiculous construct of the JAR and then overlaid a political narrative that Russia was trying to help Donald Trump.

The ICA was the brain-trust of John Brennan, James Clapper and James Comey. NSA Director Mike Rogers would not sign up to the “high confidence” claims, likely because he saw through the political motives of the report.

(New York Times) […] Mr. Barr wants to know more about the C.I.A. sources who helped inform its understanding of the details of the Russian interference campaign, an official has said. He also wants to better understand the intelligence that flowed from the C.I.A. to the F.B.I. in the summer of 2016.

During the final weeks of the Obama administration, the intelligence community released a declassified assessment that concluded that Mr. Putin ordered an influence campaign that “aspired to help” Mr. Trump’s electoral chances by damaging Mrs. Clinton’s. The C.I.A. and the F.B.I. reported they had high confidence in the conclusion. The National Security Agency, which conducts electronic surveillance, had a moderate degree of confidence. (read more)

Questioning the construct of the ICA is a smart direction to take for a review or investigation. By looking at the intelligence community work-product, it’s likely Durham will cut through a lot of the chatter and get to the heart of the intelligence motives.

Apparently John Durham is looking into just this aspect:  Was the ICA document a politically engineered report stemming from within a corrupt intelligence network?

The importance of that question is rather large.  All of the downstream claims about Russian activity, including the Russian indictments promoted by Rosenstein and the Mueller team, are centered around origination claims of illicit Russian activity outlined in the ICA.

If the ICA is a false political document…. then guess what?

Yep, the entire narrative from the JAR and ICA is part of a big fraud. [Which it is]

Information available as of 29 December 2016 was used in the preparation of this product.

Scope: This report includes an analytic assessment drafted and coordinated among The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and The National Security Agency (NSA), which draws on intelligence information collected and disseminated by those three agencies. It covers the motivation and scope of Moscow’s intentions regarding US elections and Moscow’s use of cyber tools and media campaigns to influence US public opinion. The assessment focuses on activities aimed at the 2016 US presidential election and draws on our understanding of previous Russian influence operations. When we use the term “we” it refers to an assessment by all three agencies.

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Jun 16 2019

DOJ Admits FBI Never Saw Crowdstrike Report on DNC Russian Hacking Claim…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on June 15, 2019 by 

The foundation for the Russian election interference narrative is built on the claim of Russians hacking the servers of the Democrat National Committee (DNC), and subsequently releasing damaging emails that showed the DNC worked to help Hillary Clinton and eliminate Bernie Sanders.

Despite the Russian ‘hacking’ claim the DOJ previously admitted the DNC would not let FBI investigators review the DNC server.  Instead the DNC provided the FBI with analysis of a technical review done through a cyber-security contract with Crowdstrike.

The narrative around the DNC hack claim was always sketchy; many people believe the DNC email data was downloaded onto a flash drive and leaked.  In a court filing (full pdf below) the scale of sketchy has increased exponentially.

Suspecting they could prove the Russian hacking claim was false, lawyers representing Roger Stone requested the full Crowdstrike report on the DNC hack.  When the DOJ responded to the Stone motion they made a rather significant admission.  Not only did the FBI not review the DNC server, the FBI/DOJ never even saw the Crowdstrike report.

Yes, that is correct.  The FBI and DOJ were only allowed to see a “draft” report prepared by Crowdstrike, and that report was redacted… and that redacted draft is the “last version of the report produced”; meaning, there are no unredacted & final versions.

Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot!

This means the FBI and DOJ, and all of the downstream claims by the intelligence apparatus; including the December 2016 Joint Analysis Report and January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, all the way to the Weissmann/Mueller report and the continued claims therein; were based on the official intelligence agencies of the U.S. government and the U.S. Department of Justice taking the word of a hired contractor for the Democrat party….. despite their inability to examine the server and/or actually see an unredacted technical forensic report from the investigating contractor.

The entire apparatus of the U.S. government just took their word for it…

…and used the claim therein as an official position….

…which led to a subsequent government claim, in court, of absolute certainty that Russia hacked the DNC.

Think about that for a few minutes.

The full intelligence apparatus of the United States government is relying on a report they have never even been allowed to see or confirm; that was created by a paid contractor for a political victim that would not allow the FBI to investigate their claim.

The DNC server issue is foundation, and cornerstone, of the U.S. government’s position on “Russia hacking” and the election interference narrative; and that narrative is based on zero factual evidence to affirm the U.S. government’s position.

…”the government does not need to prove at the defendant’s trial that the Russians hacked the DNC”… (pg 3)

Ridiculous.

You couldn’t make this nonsense up if you tried…

Here’s the full filing (h/t Techno Fog) :

.

 

Jun 15 2019

Revenge of the Right: Why Break Up YouTube, Google and Facebook


Uploaded on Jun 14, 2019

Bill Whittle finds three reasons to break up Google, YouTube, Facebook and other social media companies that use algorithms to suppress free speech. This is not merely the revenge of the Right over demonetization. Bias without consent, practical monopoly status, and the distinction between carriers and publishers all lead to the conclusion that even conservatives should cheer the dissolution of these “private” businesses. The power of social media to suppress our messages has squeezed ad revenues to a trickle, and stopped many thousands of people from even seeing these videos. To survive and to advance the cause of common sense and decency, the Members at BillWhittle.com have taken up the challenge to fund this enterprise, and to share these videos with their networks of friends. Members have created a refuge for free thought, reason, civility and a lot of humor. Join them today at https://BillWhittle.com/register/

 

Jun 15 2019

Why Can’t Progressive Media Make a Profit Trying to Destroy Capitalism?


Published on Jun 15, 2019

Salon, ThinkProgress, Vox and other Progressive media outlets struggle to stay out of bankruptcy despite the growing popularity of socialism in the United States. Is this proof that free enterprise is a failed economic model when a good-hearted Progressive can’t make a profit trying to destroy capitalism? As we say in this video, the Members at BillWhittle.com believe in free market economics, and you can vote with your dollars to support this enterprise at https://BillWhittle.com/register/

 

Jun 15 2019

If Russia Has Oppo Research “Dirt,” Trump Still Wants to Hear It


Published on Jun 14, 2019

President Trump tells George Stephanopoulos at ABC News that he still wants to hear oppo research “dirt” on his political rivals…even if it comes from Russia. Did he learn nothing from the Mueller Probe? Or is he laying a trap for Hillary Clinton? This show was inspired by a post on the exclusive Member Blog at BillWhittle.com We’re grateful for the Members who make this show possible, and we invite you to join them now at https://BillWhittle.com/register/

 

Jun 15 2019

The Deep State Target Interview – Part I


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Jun 15, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

 

Jun 15 2019

Iran v USA – Oil Tanker Attacks


Armstrong Economics Blog/Middle East

Re-Posted Jun 14, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

There are many people claiming this is Tonkin Gulf 2.0 claiming it is a false flag of the USA attacking the oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and using it as an excuse for war with Iran. While the theory may seem to have lived in the conspiracy world, there is so much tension and many moving parts, it is unlikely that such a simplistic account has any validity. True, the U.S. blamed Iran for suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying this is a campaign of “escalating tensions” in a region crucial to global energy supplies.

What we must understand is this is not the traditional war of conquest as was the case with Hitler and Napoleon. Nobody is into empire building anymore. This is religious dogma based as laid out in The War  Cycle Report. This falls more into the category of a religious war akin to the Protestant v Catholic conflicts that culminated in the English Civil War. This is a religious conflict where Iran believe the region should run the state and Saudi, UAE, for example, believes in the separation of powers.

There is far more incentive for someone in the Middle East to try to start a war than USA. Trump is not really interested in sending in troops as was Dick Cheney with Iraq. If they could get rid of Trump, there would be a puppet in place to pump up the military sending which many would love.

Do not count on this being just Tonkin Gulf 2.0 just yet. There are a lot of moving parts.

Jun 15 2019

Mexico Threatens Tariff Retaliation…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on June 15, 2019 by 

Too funny…. apparently Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez didn’t watch what happened to China (or Canada) when they made similar threats of retaliation against President Trump’s tariffs.  Seriously.

President Trump wants the border secure, yes. However, President Trump would also welcome a trade tariff battle with Mexico (they can’t win); so this isn’t a technically a threat from the position of POTUS:

(Reuters) – Mexico will be ready to retaliate in kind if the U.S. government imposes tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States, Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez said on Friday.

Speaking in Congress, Marquez said Mexico’s government would also initiate bilateral and multilateral procedures to defend its trade interests if the United States were to introduce tariffs. (link)

Now, if Mexico intended to fulfill its end of the recent border and immigration agreement, the tariffs would be a moot point.  So why are Mexican officials even contemplating a tariff war?

Here’s the specific and expanded Mexican promise on border and migration control:

That’s the letter POTUS Trump had in his pocket:

Essentially: keep your word, or in 45 days things will get ugly…. and 45 days from then, the 20% rate tariffs will begin.  Choose wisely.

Jun 15 2019

23 House Republicans Suspect DOJ Cover-up in Progress? – Request “Prompt” Declassification from President Trump…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on June 14, 2019 by 

Twenty-three House republicans request declassification of documents directly from President Trump as soon as possible.  Despite the executive office directive to AG Bill Barr, the republican group seemingly do not trust the DOJ and FBI institutional interests.

It’s a smart move to keep the pressure on.

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Two weeks ago Judiciary Committee member John Ratcliffe outlined his view of U.S. Attorney John Durham as a benefactor of the declassification insofar as Durham could gain information for his “review”.

Rep. Ratcliffe noted Durham was essentially a ‘special counsel’ and could use access to documents as a tool toward a grand jury review [ergo DOJ declassification would be needed].  However, along with noting a possibility of John Durham’s intent, Ratcliffe was direct in tempering expectations of any upcoming public declassification.

The possibility of Durham exploiting/using documents declassified by his boss, AG Bill Barr, could suggest some of the material may not be made public; indeed that’s the inference from Ratcliffe two weeks ago as he outlined to Maria Bartiromo.

If accurate, it is worthwhile considering what *could be* publicly declassified by AG Barr, and yet not run afoul of any investigative value for Durham.   Example: the declassification of the Rosenstein scope memos to Robert Mueller (no longer a reason to be hidden) would not seem to materially affect the investigative intents of Durham.

So considering investigative value, what documents could be purposefully made publicthat would not impede Durham?

Here’s the list of material possible for declassification. This was the original list as outlined in 2018:

  • All versions of the Carter Page FISA applications (DOJ) (FBI) (ODNI).
  • All of the Bruce Ohr 302’s filled out by the FBI. (FBI) (ODNI)
  • All of Bruce Ohr’s emails (FBI) (DOJ) (CIA) (ODNI). All supportive documents and material provided by Bruce Ohr to the FBI. (FBI)
  • All relevant documents pertaining to the supportive material within the FISA application. (FBI) (DOJ-NSD ) (DoS) (CIA) (DNI) (NSA) (ODNI);
  • All intelligence documents that were presented to the Gang of Eight in 2016 that pertain to the FISA application used against U.S. person Carter Page; including all intelligence documents that may not have been presented to the FISA Court. (CIA) (FBI) (DOJ) (ODNI) (DoS) (NSA)  Presumably this would include the recently revealed State Dept Kavalac email; and the FBI transcripts from wiretaps of George Papadopoulos (also listed in Carter Page FISA). [AKA ‘Bucket Five’]
  • All unredacted text messages and email content between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok on all devices. (FBI) (DOJ) (DOJ-NSD) (ODNI)
  • The originating CIA “EC” or two-page electronic communication from former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director James Comey that started Operation Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. (CIA) (FBI) (ODNI)

Additionally, since the 2018 list was developed, more information has surfaced about underlying material.  This added to the possibility of documents for declassification:

♦ President Trump can prove the July 31st, 2016, Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation originated from a scheme within the intelligence apparatus by exposing the preceding CIA operation that created the originating “Electronic Communication” memo. Declassify that two-page “EC” document that Brennan gave to Comey.  [The trail is found within the Weissmann report and the use of Alexander Downer – SEE HERE]

♦ Release and declassify all of the Comey memos that document the investigative steps taken by the FBI as an outcome of the operation coordinated by CIA Director John Brennan in early 2016.  [The trail was memorialized by James Comey – SEE HERE]

♦ Reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse by declassifying the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Show the FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries. [Crowdstrike? Fusion-GPS? Nellie Ohr? Daniel Richman?]  This was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation. [The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer – SEE HERE]

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♦ Subpoena former DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) head John Carlin, or haul him in front of a grand jury, and get his testimony about why he hid the abuse from the FISA court in October 2016; why the DOJ-NSD rushed the Carter Page application to beat NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to the FISA court; and why Carlin quit immediately thereafter.

♦ Prove the Carter Page FISA application (October 2016) was fraudulent and based on deceptions to the FISA Court. Declassify the entire document, and release the transcripts of those who signed the application(s); and/or depose those who have not yet testified. The creation of the Steele Dossier was the cover-up operation. [SEE HERE]

♦ Release all of the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages without redactions. Let sunlight pour in on the actual conversation(s) that were taking place when Crossfire Hurricane (July ’16) and the FISA Application (Oct ’16) were taking place.  The current redactions were made by the people who weaponized the intelligence system for political surveillance and spy operation.  This is why Page and Strzok texts are redacted!

♦ Release all of Bruce Ohr 302’s, FBI notes from interviews and debriefing sessions, and other relevant documents associated with the interviews of Bruce Ohr and his internal communications. Including exculpatory evidence that Bruce Ohr may have shared with FBI Agent Joseph Pientka. [And get a deposition from this Pientka fella] Bruce Ohr is the courier, carrying information from those outside to those on the inside.

♦ Release the August 2nd, 2017, two-page scope memo provided by DAG Rod Rosenstein to special counsel Robert Mueller to advance the fraudulent Trump investigation, and initiate the more purposeful obstruction of justice investigation. Also Release the October 20th, 2017, second scope memo recently discovered.  The Scope Memos are keys to unlocking the underlying spy/surveillance cover-up. [SEE HERE and SEE HERE]

It would appear the Rosenstein scope memos, Kavalec memo about contact with Chris Steele, original FISA application of Carter Page and transcript of Papadopoulos conversation with Halper etc, could be released without impeding a grand jury review.

The Inspector General report on FISA abuse has been delayed due to the new angle of interviewing Christopher Steele.  Given the nature of this new aspect; and considering the process for a report assembly after investigation all the way to release (a minimum of a month); it is highly unlikely we will see the IG report until the end of July or August 2019… which triggers suspicions of the proverbial DC can-kicking process.

It is interesting how Special Counsel Robert Mueller could efficiently move from investigations to indictments, to court cases and pleadings, through to jury trials and convictions within a year….  Yet the full weight of the DOJ can’t complete an investigation of corrupt internal behavior in multiple years.

Perhaps the inefficiency is an institutional feature, not a flaw.

Jun 15 2019

Dying to Visit The Dominican Republic?….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on June 14, 2019 by 

No-one seems to know why Americans are dying of ‘heart attacks’ during vacations in the Dominican Republic, but many people are beginning to suspect intentional poisoning by hotel workers.   Another mysterious death today:

(Dominican Republic) The son of a New York hospital technician who died suddenly in her room at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana says Dominican authorities are resisting doing toxicology tests and pressuring him to have her body cremated or embalmed before its return to the U.S.

Will Cox, 25, told Fox News on Friday that his mother, Leyla, who died Monday evening at the Excellence resort, was on a solo trip to celebrate her 53rd birthday and was in good health.

A Dominican police report, which Cox showed to Fox News, listed the cause of death as a heart attack. (read more)

Suspicious Cat is suspicious…