Some updates in the Michael Flynn case. As requested the DOJ has filed a response to Judge Sullivan’s order. The DC judge wanted to know what the status of the prosecution position was now that Michael Flynn is no longer a cooperating witness for the DOJ in the EDVA case, against his former business partner.
Strange position considering the backstory. The government wants to delay sentencing until after a case where Flynn is no longer involved is completed?
Additionally, Jessie K Liu added yet another lawyer to the Flynn prosecution today. SEE HERE. Suspicious cat is suspicious.
Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks about an important executive order initiative to fight kidney disease. [Video and Transcript]
.
[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Secretary Azar. And thank you for everyone being here. Please sit down. Let’s enjoy it. It’s much better. You’d rather sit, right?
But today we’re taking groundbreaking action to bring new hope to millions of Americans suffering from kidney disease. It’s a big deal.
I want to express my gratitude to Secretary Alex Azar, Secretary Robert Wilkie — who’s here. Thank you, Robert. Thank you. Secretary Eric Hargan. Thank you, Eric. Thank you. Nice to see you. Administrator Seema Verma, who’s so outstanding. Done such an incredible job. And Director Adam Boehler. Thanks also to Senator Todd Young. Where’s Todd? A young, great senator. And Representatives Michael Burgess and Matt Cartwright. Thank you. Thank you, fellas. Thank you very much.
As part of our commitment to ensuring great healthcare for every American, my administration has already launched many bold initiatives to battle major diseases and save American lives.
We are aggressively confronting the opioid, fentanyl, and drug addiction epidemic. And that’s what it is. It’s an epidemic. But we’re making tremendous strides. I think you’re probably hearing about it. We’ll be talking about it very soon. It’s hard to believe we’re making tremendous strides. Very tough situation.
We’re working with Congress to develop a 500-million-dollar investment in new treatments and cures for childhood cancers. And we’ve launched a campaign to end HIV/AIDS epidemic throughout America. We think that within a fairly short number of years, like 10, we will have that epidemic totally under control. And if you would’ve said that two years ago, people would’ve said, “There’s no possible way.”
(Baby coos.)
THE PRESIDENT: Hi. (Laughter.) He’s even happy. (Laughter.)
To give critically ill patients access to lifesaving cures, we passed Right to Try — something I’m so proud of — where people that are terminally ill, or very, very ill, can go and see their doctor. And when we have something in our pipeline — and nobody has a pipeline like the United States of America; we have the greatest technicians, doctors, labs in the world by far, and medical research — we can get them a possible cure.
We give them hope. It’s really hope. It’s “Right to Try.” I love the name. But it’s hope. So instead of going to Asia, instead of going to Europe, or wherever they may go in the world — they go all over the world. They go to places you’ve never heard of, if they have money. If they don’t have money, they go home with no hope and they die.
And we now have the Right to Try so that if we have something that’s five years off, but it’s looking good, they sign a piece of paper and we give it to them. And you have no idea how incredible some of the results are. We’ve had some people — one young woman, in particular. It’s so — so incredible the results. People that were expecting to die are living.
And, Alex and Seema, it’s been — that’s been a tremendous thing, the results. Not only is it a wonderful thing in terms of knowing how a certain medicine or possible cure works, but it’s incredible to see the results. We’ve had incredible results.
So we’re very proud of Right to Try. They’ve been trying to get it for 44 years. More complicated than you think to get it. A lot of people didn’t want to have it. But we got it, and it’s just something we’re very proud of.
Now, with today’s action, we’re making crucial progress on another core national priority — and that’s the fight against kidney disease.
In 2017 — (applause) — in 2017, kidney disease was the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Kidney health affects families throughout America, and those who suffer from kidney disease experience a significant toll on their daily lives. I’ve spoken to people. They say the work is so intense. The time is so enormous that you spend. And it’s — it’s like a full-time job for people. Sometimes the work itself — I was speaking to Alex; he said the work itself is so intense, the work kills people. It literally kills. You have to work so hard.
For these patients, their loved ones, and for the impacted — all those impacted by kidney disease — I’m here to say: We are fighting by your side, and we’re determined to get you the best treatment anywhere in the world. And we’ve made a lot of progress. We are with you every step of the way.
In a few moments, I’ll sign an executive order taking vital steps to increase the supply of kidney-available transplants. (Applause.) This action will also dramatically improve prevention and treatment of this life-threatening illness, while making life better and longer for millions of Americans. It’s a tremendous thing that’s happening.
Roughly 100,000 Americans are currently awaiting a kidney donation. Every day, 10 of our fellow citizens die waiting. Many, many people are dying while they wait.
We’ll do everything we can to increase the supply. And we’ll be able to do that, and very substantially, in terms of the available kidneys and getting Americans off these waitlists so they can lead a full and healthy and happy life. That’s the best answer of all.
That’s why my order supports the selfless individuals who donate kidneys by granting them reimbursement for extra expenses associated with organ donation, such as lost wages and childcare. (Applause.) And those people, I have to say, have never gotten enough credit. What they do is so incredible. They have never, ever gotten enough credit.
Secondly, we are revising the rules of governing organ procurement organizations. So the organ procurement organizations are going to have rules which really ensure available kidneys and that they reach waiting patients as quickly as possible, because oftentimes they just don’t make it in time. There are cases where they have to be there immediately; they have a certain period of time. They don’t make it in time. We are going to make it so that it gets there in time.
We’ll establish more transparent, enforceable, and objective metrics for identifying potential kidneys for transplant. The result will be more and faster transplants for those in need.
By streamlining rules to help patients and by incentivizing the supply of kidneys — very substantially incentivizing, I have to add — an estimated 17,000 additional Americans could receive kidneys that they desperately need. We think that’s going to happen. We think that number is very doable, and it could even be higher than that.
In addition, up to 11,000 more Americans could receive heart, lung, and liver transplants annually. So, heart, lung, and liver. That would be up to 28,000 American lives saved every year, and that number could be quite a bit higher if it works the way we anticipate it to work. (Applause.) Thank you.
Because a kidney transplant costs much less than prolonged dialysis — which is an incredible thing — the ultimate is the kidney transplant, and the cost is far less when you think about it. It makes a lot of sense in so many ways. Our policies will save up to $4.2 billion a year for patients, families, and taxpayers. That’s an incredible thing.
Today, we’re also taking important steps to improve kidney disease treatment and prevention. We will be changing the way that we reimburse Medicare providers, encouraging them to diagnose and treat patients earlier — very important, the word “earlier” — allow for home care; and increase the rate of transplants.
Crucially, our new system will ensure that more patients undergoing dialysis can do so from the comfort of their own home. (Applause.) And doing this from the home is a dramatic, long-overdue reform — something that people have been asking for for many, many years. It sometimes amazes me that it never got done. So many things don’t get done in government, but now we’re getting them done. (Applause.) Right, Todd? Right? We’re getting them done. You better believe it.
Right now, only 12 percent of patients on dialysis receive care at home. My executive order will change that and reduce cost, transform care, and greatly improve the quality of life for kidney patients all across the nation.
Finally, this executive order — such an important executive order — encourages private enterprises to partner with government to achieve incredible medical breakthroughs. We are going to prioritize a truly transformative goal: the development of an artificial kidney. (Applause.) And it’ll happen. It’ll happen.
Here with us are a group of very strong and brave Americans who will tell us about the urgency of improving kidney health.
I’d like to start by introducing Jamie and Andrew Nash to come up and tell us about their one-year-old, beautiful son, Hudson. Please. (Applause.)
MS. NASH: Good morning everyone, and thank you, Mr. President, for welcoming us here today.
Kidney care is very dear to our hearts, as our son, Hudson, one year ago was born with significant damage to both his kidneys. He spent two months in the NICU. And since then, to keep him going, he takes numerous medicines, receives multiple shots, blood draws, and more doctors’ visits than I can count.
Hudson will go on peritoneal dialysis until he is big enough to receive a living donor kidney transplant, we are hopeful, within the next year. This is a disease Hudson will have to deal with his entire life — never going more than three months without a blood draw and multiple medicines twice a day forever.
Our family is hopeful that today’s executive order will raise awareness, drive kidney care innovation, increase access to transplantation, and provide much better care and treatment for Hudson and the millions and millions of Americans living with kidney disease.
Mr. President, thank you for your commitment you have made today to improve the lives of everyone affected by kidney disease, including our Hudson. Thank you. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: So beautiful. Thank you, Hudson. Get better soon, Hudson. You’re going to be good. By the time it comes, by the time he’s a little bit older, I think you’re going to have a lot of answers that we’re not even thinking about right now. You really believe that, right?
MS. NASH: I think so too. Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: I really believe it. Beautiful baby.
Nancy Scott is a retired nurse and an ordained minister who was afflicted with kidney disease for more than a decade.
Nancy, please come up and tell us your story. It’s some story. (Applause.) Thank you.
MS. SCOTT: Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning. As he said, my name is Nancy Scott. I am an ordained minister, retired nurse, president of Dialysis Patient Citizens Education Center, and currently slowly working on a doctorate in industrial organizational psychology. But most of all, I am a patient.
In March of 2004, I woke up on a Saturday morning and I could not see nor could I stand up. I went to the emergency room, and by Monday I was a full-fledged dialysis patient.
My daughter said, “Mom, you can’t be hooked up to a machine three times a week. I’m going to give you a kidney.”
We went for a workup, and they found out that I also had breast cancer. So I was on dialysis for seven years. I received chemo and radiation. I had to wait three years before I went on a transplant because, in the state of Delaware, you have to wait three years.
I am transplanted now for eight years, and I’m living proof — (applause) — don’t make me cry. Don’t make cry. (Laughs.) I’m living proof, as I said, that dialysis does not mean the end of your life. I did dialysis. I did not let it do me.
Mr. President, thank you for this executive order that thousands of us had been working for, focusing on these issues. And I’m glad to see, in my lifetime, that some of it will come to fruition. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Wow. That’s an incredible story. That’s hard work, Nancy. Huh? That was hard — that was hard work.
MS. SCOTT: Yes, it was.
THE PRESIDENT: You just say that — that the regimen of what she had to do and go through, incredible. Great story.
At age 25, Tunisia Bullock was blindsided by kidney failure while she was being treated for another disease. Tunisia, please come up and tell the story. (Applause.)
MS. BULLOCK: Thank you, Mr. President. As a young woman, just graduating college with a degree in flute performance, the world was at my fingertips. I was so excited to start my life as a graduate student at the University of New Mexico.
Little did I know that on the morning of July 1st, 2006, my world would change. The total trajectory of my life would change. Four months later, I was diagnosed with lupus. And a year after that, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.
On June 13th, 2008, I woke up in the hospital attached to a dialysis machine. I had no idea what was happening to me. Would I live, or would I die? It was in this moment that I knew I was in the fight of my life.
As I journeyed through dialysis care, I learned that I had to take my care into my own hands. It was through my own curiosity and research that I found what treatment mode would best be suited for me.
As I reflect back, I now realize that my healthcare providers failed me at the beginning of the dialysis continuum.
Mr. President, I am optimistically hopeful that the policies being proposed will help dialysis patients and families navigate the renal care system with less confusion and more ease.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
MS. BULLOCK: Thank you. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Do you still play the flute?
MS. BULLOCK: I still play the flute.
THE PRESIDENT: Good.
I just asked Tunisia, “Do you still play the flute?” She said, “I still play the flute.” I’ll bet you play it well, too, right? (Laughter.) I’ll bet you’re good.
Thank you very much, Tunisia.
With today’s order, my administration is taking one more vital step in a series of actions to deliver great healthcare for the American people.
We’ve launched a bold initiative to lower the cost of prescription drugs. That’s a big thing, and we’re working very hard on it. And we have some very big moments coming up, I think, over the next week, having to do with that — Seema and Alex and everybody. I think we have some very big moments coming up very shortly. That will be something very special.
Last year, we saw the first drop in prescription drug prices in over 46 years. We’re expanding affordable insurance options for millions of American workers through association health plans, short-term plans, and health reimbursement arrangements. Some of the options are 60 percent less expensive than what you have today, or, I should say, probably a year or two ago.
And we will always protect patients with preexisting conditions. It’s an absolute fact. It’s done. The Republican Party will protect patients with preexisting conditions. (Applause.)
We’re working with Congress to stop surprise medical billing because no American should be blindsided by medical bills to services that they never agreed to in advance. They go home; they get a bill that’s more money than they have in the bank. They don’t know what to do. And we have stopped that, and we’ve made tremendous progress in that. That was a tremendous problem and continues to be until people find out what the new system is.
To give patients the ability to choose the best doctor at the best price, we’re giving you the right to know the price and quality of healthcare services before you purchase care — something that you were not able to do.
We’re giving you transparency. And that is something that some people think will be, in many ways, bigger than healthcare. It’s going to be an enormous thing. We signed the bill a month ago, and the regulations are being worked out right now. And I assume you’re going to have them done quickly.
I know Alex and Seema, they’ll have them done probably within a couple of days. (Laughter.)
SECRETARY AZAR: On your desk.
THE PRESIDENT: How long it will be — how long will it be? Pretty —
SECRETARY AZAR: Really fast. (Laughs.)
THE PRESIDENT: It will be really fast. Okay. He’s very smart. (Laughter.) He’s a very smart guy.
So that’s a big thing: transparency. It will be bigger than most people understand. One of the bigger things that we’ve done from the medical and healthcare standpoint.
Finally and most significantly, we’re creating millions of new jobs, each one with the means to help families afford better healthcare.
We will not rest until Americans have the healthcare system that they need and deserve: a system that finally puts American patients first. We say, “America first. America patients first.”
Thank you very much for being here. I just do want to thank some of the people, because Seema and Alex and so many of the people — senator, congressman — you’ve worked so hard on these things. You’ve worked so hard on the kidney. Very special — the kidney has a very special place in the heart. It’s an incredible thing. People that have to go this — people that have loved ones that are working so hard to stay alive. They have to work so hard. There’s an esprit de corps. There’s a spirit like you see rarely on anything.
So I just want to thank all of you folks for being here. It’s really fantastic. And it’s truly an exciting day for advancing kidney health in our country.
I just want to end by saying, on behalf of every American with kidney disease, I will now sign this historic executive order.
This is a first, second, and third step; it’s more than just a first step. But we’re going to come up with solutions that, over a period of 5 years and 10 years — I think most people, even in this room — experts in this room — won’t even believe. From what I hear, there are signs and potential out there that’s just incredible.
Thank you very much for being here. And let’s sign the executive order. Let’s get going. (Applause.)
I think we’ll give this pen to Hudson. (Laughter.) We’ll give this one to Hudson.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced a media availability today at 2:30 p.m. EST to make a statement and possibly answer questions regarding the Jeffrey Epstein arrest and prosecution in Washington, DC.
Acosta was the former U.S. Attorney in Miami during a prior plea agreement. Democrats are calling for him to resign. It’s possible this presser may provide answers.
Lots of things going on in/around the two legal cases involving Michael Flynn today. The origination of the DOJ shift in position involves the indirect case (EDVA) where Flynn is/was a witness in the FARA (Foreign Agent Registration Act) case against Bijan Rafiekian and the Flynn Intel Group.
Hat Tip to Techno-Fog for a litany of legal filings assembled today [132 pages here]. This is somewhat complex to explain.
The direct case against Flynn (Judge Sullivan court – Washington DC), where Flynn copped a guilty plea for lying to FBI investigators, has a sentencing predicated on Flynn’s ongoing cooperation in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) case against Bijan Rafiekian and FIG (Flynn Intel Group). However, in a stunning move today the DOJ prosecuting Rafiekian now says it will not call Flynn as a witness; and further the DOJ state they now consider Flynn an “unindicted co-conspirator”.
From court filings (on behalf of Flynn) we find the reason. Michael Flynn refused a demand by the DOJ to testify that the Flynn Group FARA filing was completed with knowingly false information and contained “false statements”.
Michael Flynn refused to testify to this DOJ construct because the claim was not true.
Michael Flynn and his lawyers say there was no intentional filing of false information in the Flynn Group FARA submissions; and the FARA forms were submitted based on legal advice provided for their completion. If there were mistakes in the FARA filing, they were not falsehoods and/or mistakes made purposefully or with purposeful intent.
When Flynn agreed to the plea for lying, he was agreeing with hindsight and accepting the government position that some of the material in the FARA submission was false. However, Flynn did not admit that anything was intentionally false, but rather an outcome of mistakes made within a process that relied on legal advice.
It is worth noting here that Flynn lawyers call out former DOJ-NSD Official David Laufman for pressuring Flynn to sign the FARA submission; a FARA submission the DOJ would later claim contained false information.
The DOJ prosecutors wanted Flynn to say that he, the group and Bijan Rafiekian, knew the information on the FARA submissions was false. Flynn refused; and would not testify to that falsehood in the case. As a result the DOJ retaliated against Flynn by changing his position to a “co-conspirator” and cancelling his testimony.
The DOJ prosecutors don’t want Flynn to testify (no longer want his cooperation) because his testimony would undercut the foundation of their case against Bijan Rafiekian.
So with Flynn’s cooperation now at issue in the secondary EDVA case, in the primary case against Flynn himself, Judge Sullivan (Washington, DC) wants some answers:
BACK TO EDVA – The lawyers for Bijan Rafiekian, also filed motions to dismiss the DOJ indictment based on the prosecutors inability to prove the Flynn Intel Group knowingly acted on behalf of the Turkish government.
Essentially Rafiekian is arguing the Flynn group were hired and advocating for private interests and they had no reason to belief the Turkish government was behind the contract. This is the essential underpin for the FARA registration. If the Flynn Group didn’t know they were contracted by a foreign government, they wouldn’t know how to fill out the FARA forms.
Here’s where it gets interesting and a picture starts to emerge. It is possible, very possible, the DOJ-NSD using their legally authorized database and surveillance access, knew the background principals behind the Flynn Group contract were members of the Turkish Government. [DOJ-NSD head David Laufman knew] However, Flynn, Rafiekian and their lawyers did not know; and therefore signed a FARA submission that was later shown to be false.
Yes, Laufman -representing the DOJ- knowingly pressured Flynn to sign a FARA submission while withholding evidence the DOJ would later use to prove the FARA submission contained materially false information. That’s how it looks.
The same David Laufman who sat in on the Clinton email interview. The same David Laufman who was FBI official Monica McLean’s lawyer when things got sketchy about her work with “beach friend” Christine Blasey-Ford…
♦ In a late breaking development, Judge Anthony Trenga (EDVA) ruled the DOJ has not presented evidence sufficient to establish “evidence of a conspiracy” for the purposes of admitting the hearsay statements of alleged co-conspirator (Flynn).
TECHNO: “Notably absent” from the DOJ’s proffer is “any evidence… that Flynn… has admitted that he made certain false statements in the FARA filing” that was part of the alleged conspiracy.
TECHNO: “the FARA statement and related filings do not reflect the existence of the alleged conspiracy to act as undisclosed Turkish agents”
TECHNO: Turkey funding – the US didn’t have the evidence. “the US may not argue or state to the jury that Turkey … funded the work by Flynn Intel Group under the contractual agreement”
Here’s what I THINK is going on…. Keep in mind we saw this in 2016, and we warned about something weird going on in the background, but we did not know what it was.
Now we have hindsight to overlay with our CTH warnings in late 2016 (Oct/Nov).
I suspect the DOJ-NSD knew Flynn was lobbying for clients closely related to the Turkish government. I suspect Flynn was already under Title-3 surveillance (confirmed by Mueller report) and this lobbying issue likely became the legal predicate for a Flynn Title-1 FISA warrant. [Go Deep To See] That 2016 FISA warrant, likely approved by FISA Judge Rudy Contreras, allowed the DOJ-NSD -via FBI (Strzok)- to launch a counterintelligence investigation into the people who hired Flynn as a lobbyist.
If my suspicion is correct, in addition to the larger surveillance issues upon Flynn, the DOJ-NSD knew the people who contracted Flynn and Rafiekian were a ‘front‘ for senior Turkish officials (not withstanding possible WH coordination).
So when Flynn was confronted by DOJ-NSD head David Laufman, he was being *interviewed* by a DOJ official who knew more about the contract initiator than Flynn did. The DOJ-NSD and David Laufman was involved because manipulating FARA violations was the method to conduct surveillance (SEE HERE).
David Laufman then pressured Flynn in January 2017 to sign the FARA submission, knowing it contained material that was false, but unbeknownst to Flynn. This later became the predicate for the FARA case against Flynn and Rafiekian.
The DOJ (Laufman first) knew the background of the FARA filing was false because they had conducted a FISA Title-1 investigation prior to the Flynn FARA submission; and the DOJ (Mueller team now in 2017) knew the Turkish government was behind the lobbying contract…..
….But the DOJ cannot tell the court how they knew the lobbying contract was from the Turkish government, because they didn’t want to reveal the FISA surveillance; AND the DOJ may have an additional interest in hiding their knowledge of their origination of the lobbying contract by the Turkish government,… because it might have been somewhat coordinated by the Obama White House (pro-brotherhood, and pro-Erdogan).
Comey FBI apologist, Fusion GPS co-conspirator and Lawfare Alliance media narrative engineer, Natasha Bertrand, has an outline published today on the background interview of dossier author Christopher Steele.
From within the article, beyond the sympathetic propaganda, some overarching details are interesting:
♦(1) As expected Mr. Steele would only talk to OIG investigators from Horowitz’s office; Steele would not speak to speak to U.S. Attorney John Durham.
♦(2) The interview took place at the same time President Trump traveled to the U.K (June 3rd-5th) for a state visit. Likely coordinated so FBI officials could travel innocuously without media scrutiny (lots of security officials traveled on behalf of U.S. interests at the time); likely the preferred timing of Steele himself.
♦(3) The interview(s) took place over two days for a total of sixteen hours of conversation. The recent reports of IG delay and follow-up interviews are almost certainly related to the outcome of the investigative findings (ie. Kathleen Kavalec cooperation etc.).
♦(4) Current officials within the DOJ/FBI; with obvious interests related to the corrupt activity surrounding the FBI and DOJ use of Steele (ie. McCabe and Comey apologists); are leaking the content of the investigative interviews to their notorious Lawfare Alliance media cohorts, ie. Natasha Bertrand.
WASHINGTON DC – Christopher Steele, the former British spy behind the infamous “dossier” on President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, was interviewed for 16 hours in June by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The interview is part of an ongoing investigation that the Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, has been conducting for the past year. Specifically, Horowitz has been examining the FBI’s efforts to surveil a one-time Trump campaign adviser based in part on information from Steele, an ex-British MI6 agent who had worked with the bureau as a confidential source since 2010.
The extensive, two-day interview took place in London while Trump was in Britain for a state visit, the sources said, and delved into Steele’s extensive work on Russian interference efforts globally, his intelligence-collection methods and his findings about Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who the FBI ultimately surveilled. The FBI’s decision to seek a surveillance warrant against Page — a warrant they applied for and obtained after Page had already left the campaign — is the chief focus of the probe by Horowitz.
The interview was contentious at first, the sources added, but investigators ultimately found Steele’s testimony credible and even surprising. The takeaway has irked some U.S. officials interviewed as part of the probe — they argue that it shouldn’t have taken a foreign national to convince the inspector general that the FBI acted properly in 2016. Steele’s American lawyer was present for the conversation. (read more)
Steele’s American lawyer is likely Adam Waldman (far left), the same U.S. lawyer/lobbyist who was working to put Steele in touch with SSCI Vice-Chairman Mark Warner in 2017.
Attorney Waldman has interests in alignment with the Lawfare network and direct connection to Daniel Jones, Dianne Feinstein’s former chief-of-staff who also took millions from resistance operatives (more Lawfare and Fusion-GPS allies) to continue funding Steele’s work afer the Trump inauguration.
Attorney Adam Waldman was also the lawyer representing Oleg Deripaska (pictured above on right); who we now know was paying Christopher Steele for research in 2016 while Steele was writing the dossier.
It’s one big convoluted network of allied interests, mixed with current and former DOJ and FBI officials who have a self-interest in hiding their illicit behavior. Almost all of the people within this network have ideological allies in the media, and depending on the subject issue at hand they are described in relative terms:
“Beach friends” (Christine Blasey Ford); “Lawfare Alliance” (Benjamin Wittes et al); FBI Washington Field Office and Main Justice officials are all part of this group and were also the officials within the Mueller probe. This network is all the same people, running in the same circles, meeting at the same parties, vacationing in the same areas and leaking to the same primary media contacts to project their narrative and defend their interests.
The article in Politico by Natasha Bertrand is a singular example. Quite simply this entire network is confident in their outlook that all of their behavior operates above the law.
Unfortunately, if the tone of the article is generally their position, it would appear they feel remarkably confident the investigation by IG Horowitz is nothing to fear. This overall outlook is bolstered by the historic track record of the OIG with regard to the two most recent investigative summaries: (1) Andrew McCabe leaking to media, and (2) DOJ and FBI conduct in the Hillary Clinton investigation.
In October 2016, Main Justic and the FBI needed the Steele dossier to get the FISA warrant. They needed the 2016 FISA warrant to cover-up for all of the unauthorized and illegal surveillance activity that was already underway throughout 2016.
The Russian election interference narrative; the use of Joseph Mifsud, Stefan Halper, the London and Australian embassy personnel; Erika Thompson, Alexander Downer, U.S. DIA officials; everything around Crossfire Hurricane; and everything after to include the construct of the Steele Dossier; all of it was needed for the creation of an ‘after-the-fact‘ plausible justification to cover-up what Mike Rogers discovered in early 2016, AND the downstream unmasked records that existed in the Obama White House SCIF.
Fusion GPS was not hired in April 2016 to research Donald Trump. The intelligence community was already doing surveillance and spy operations. They already knew everything about the Trump campaign.
The Obama intelligence community needed Fusion GPS to give them a justification for pre-existing surveillance operations. Fusion fulfilled that objective by contracting for the Steele Dossier.
That’s why the FBI, and later the Mueller team, were/are so strongly committed to, and defending, the formation of the Steele Dossier and its dubious content. Once they had the dossier in hand the FBI proceeded forward for an ex post facto FISA warrant.
The goal was surveillance authority.
The FBI used the Carter Page FISA application. The FBI already knew Carter Page; essentially Carter Page was irrelevant, what they needed was the dossier in the system, and the FISA authority as justification to execute the “insurance policy”.
President Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani appears on Fox News with Laura Ingraham to discuss the 2020 democrat candidates; the upcoming appearance by Robert Mueller; the recent arrest of Jeffrey Epstein and the race-baiting of Nancy Pelosi:
Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend and fixer, Ghislaine Maxwell, likely has many of the answers DOJ wants….
As Mueller prepares to testify on July 17th, there is another problem surfacing. Mueller withheld what is known as Brady Material from Manafort’s lawyers. In a real court of law, this would mean that his conviction would be vacated. It turns out that Russian Oligarch Deripaska was interviewed by the FBI and made it clear that because Manafort worked with the Ukrainians against Russia, there was no way that any Russian would have collaborated with Manafort. Mueller withholding evidence that was potentially proof of innocence calls into question Mueller’s ethics and his entire investigation. The story laid out by the Hill is very interesting from a legal perspective.
Real Clear Investigations has a deep dive into the underpinnings of the Mueller report surrounding the sketchy conclusions about Russian interference. What Real Clear outlines parallels our own review where most of the substance claimed by Andrew Weissmann, Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein is essentially baseless.
(RCI) […] The report claims that the interference operation occurred “principally” on two fronts: Russian military intelligence officers hacked and leaked embarrassing Democratic Party documents, and a government-linked troll farm orchestrated a sophisticated and far-reaching social media campaign that denigrated Hillary Clinton and promoted Trump.
But a close examination of the report shows that none of those headline assertions are supported by the report’s evidence or other publicly available sources. They are further undercut by investigative shortcomings and the conflicts of interest of key players involved: (read more)
In a new report Fox News journalist Catherine Herridge outlines a “reluctant witness” who has recently agreed to cooperate with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and his review of potential FISA abuse by the Obama DOJ and FBI.
Fox News – Key witnesses sought for questioning by Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz early in his investigation into alleged government surveillance abuse have come forward at the 11th hour, Fox News has learned.
Sources familiar with the matter said at least one witness outside the Justice Department and FBI started cooperating — a breakthrough that came after Attorney General William Barr ordered U.S. Attorney John Durham to lead a separate investigation into the origins of the bureau’s 2016 Russia case that laid the foundation for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.
[…] Late-breaking information is known to delay such investigations. Horowitz’s office similarly encountered new evidence late in the process of the IG review into law enforcement decisions during the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation.
In this case, additional FISA information came to light late in the process – including October 2016 contact (first reported by The Hill and confirmed by Fox News) between a senior State Department official and a former British spy Christopher Steele, who authored the infamous and salacious anti-Trump dossier. (read more)
While the “reluctant witness” is not specifically identified by Herridge in her reporting, as you can see above there is enough background material to identify it is likely former State Department official KathleenKavalec.
Kathleen Kavalec was the Deputy Assistant Secretary – Department of State, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, serving under Victoria Nuland and covered Russia as part of her State Dept. duties. Kavalec was contacted by Christopher Steele prior to the FISA application on Carter Page being sought by the FBI and DOJ. Kavalic wrote a series of notes and emails to the FBI undercutting the dossier central claims made by Steele.
The original reporting on the Kavalec emails and Steele contact was done by John Solomon. Here’s the basic background that explains why Inspector General Michael Horowitz would be interested in interviewing Kathleen Kavalec.
According to a leak provided to John Solomon, State Department information -deconstructing Chris Steele- was presented to FBI Agent Peter Strzok a week before they used Steele’s sketchy dossier to prop up the FBI FISA application on Carter Page.
John Solomon – […] The officials declined to say what the FBI did with the information about Steele after it reached Strzok’s team, or what the email specifically revealed. A publicly disclosed version of the email has been heavily redacted in the name of national security.
While much remains to be answered, the email exchange means FBI supervisors knew Steele had contact with State and had reason to inquire what he was saying before they sought the warrant. If they had inquired, agents would have learned Steele had admitted to Kavalec he had been leaking to the news media, had a political deadline of Election Day to get his information public and had provided demonstrably false intelligence in one case, as I reported last week. (read more)
It’s almost guaranteed the reason Kavelec’s email to the FBI was redacted is specifically because Ms. Kavelec used her State Dept. portal to check on travel records and noted the “Michael Cohen in Prague” story was false. Kavalec would have easy access to State Dept. travel records.
Chris Steele told Ms. Kavalec about Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen traveling to Prague to communicate/coordinate with the Russians. Kavalec made note of the claim:
Michael Cohen has denied ever traveling to Prague. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has supported Cohen on this issue; passport records show Cohen has never traveled to Prague. It appears Ms. Kavalec checked her State Dept. travel records and confirmed the same.
However, the CURRENT FBI wants to hide Ms. Kavalec’s warning/notification that Steele was delivering false information about Cohen traveling to Prague:
So put it all together. Chris Steele was producing the dossier for the FBI to use. Steele told State Dept. official Kavalec about the same information in his dossier. The State Dept. checked, and found out the information was false. The State Dept. warned the FBI. However, the FBI ignored the warning; and a week later used the dossier in the application for a retroactive Title-1 surveillance warrant against U.S. Person Carter Page.
To cover themselves; and because the claim was so central to the purpose of the Steele Dossier; the FBI then redacted the State Dept. warning about Michael Cohen traveling to Prague in the public email from the State Department.
Worse yet, in the application itself the FBI said the information proving Carter Page was an agent of a foreign power came from the State Dept:
The false claim about Cohen’s travel to Prague has been discussed here for well over a year. [January 2018]
So, the question is: Why is the FBI so damned committed to this Steele Dossier?
That answer is simple. In October 2016, they needed the dossier to get the FISA warrant. They needed the 2016 FISA warrant to cover-up for all of the unauthorized and illegal surveillance activity that was already underway throughout 2016.
The Russian election interference narrative; the use of Joseph Mifsud, Stefan Halper, the London and Australian embassy personnel; Erika Thompson, Alexander Downer, U.S. DIA officials; everything around Crossfire Hurricane; and everything after to include the construct of the Steele Dossier; all of it was needed for the creation of an ‘after-the-fact‘ plausible justification to cover-up what Mike Rogers discovered in early 2016, AND the downstream unmasked records that existed in the Obama White House SCIF.
Fusion GPS was not hired in April 2016 to research Donald Trump. The intelligence community was already doing surveillance and spy operations. They already knew everything about the Trump campaign.
The Obama intelligence community needed Fusion GPS to give them a justification for pre-existing surveillance operations. Fusion fulfilled that objective by contracting for the Steele Dossier.
That’s why the FBI, and later the Mueller team, were/are so strongly committed to, and defending, the formation of the Steele Dossier and its dubious content. Once they had the dossier in hand the FBI proceeded forward for an ex post facto FISA warrant.
The goal was surveillance authority. The FBI used the Carter Page FISA application. The FBI already knew Carter Page; essentially Carter Page was irrelevant, what they needed was the dossier in the system, and the FISA authority as justification to execute the “insurance policy”.
In our opinion the content of the diary by former FBI Director James Comey, as outlined in what has formally been called “The Comey Memos”, is devastating to the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI. How do we know? Because the FBI is fighting like hell to keep even descriptions of the memo(s) content from becoming public.
Rather complex backstory with citations HERE and HERE and HERE.
In the background of what was The Mueller Investigation, there was a FOIA case where the FBI was fighting to stop the release of the Comey memos. Within that courtroom fight Mueller’s lead FBI agent David Archey wrote a series of declarations to the court describing the content of the memos and arguing why they should be kept classified.
The FOIA fight shifted. The plaintiffs argued for public release of the content of the FBI agent’s descriptions, now known as the “Archey Declarations”.
After a lengthy back-and-forth legal contest, on June 7th Judge James E Boasberg agreed to allow the FBI to keep the Comey memo content hidden, but instructed the DOJ/FBI to release the content of the Archey Declarations.
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice -under Attorney General Bill Barr- while waiting until the last minute (28 days since prior ruling), filed a motion [full pdf below] to block the release of the Archey Declarations, despite the June 7th court order.
Again, if transparency in conduct of the DOJ and FBI during 2016 is the expressed goal of Attorney General Bill Barr, then his current department fighting to keep descriptions of FBI memorandum hidden from public review runs exactly counter to that intent.
This DOJ activity does not bode well for a narrative of Bill Barr is an honest broker. This is an example of how to cover-up material that is damaging to the institution.
To be fair, Attorney General Bill Barr may not be aware the United States Department of Justice Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch, is fighting this court ordered release.
However, the DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division is Jody Hunt. That name might be familiar to you because Jody Hunt was Jeff Sessions former chief-of-staff.
Asst. AG Jody Hunt most certainly knows his office is fighting to keep the FBI descriptions of the Comey memos hidden from the public.
Despite the original media FOIA lawsuit coming from CNN -vs- DOJ, there is no-one in the MSM covering this story. Here is today’ DOJ filing:
Here’s the background on the June 7th, 2019, ruling as we shared at the time:
Judge Boasberg was deciding what could be publicly released, meaning current redactions removed, based on two connected events: (#1) The content of the Comey Memos; and (#2) the declarations of lead FBI agent for Robert Mueller’s special counsel, David Archey, in describing those memos. CNN had filed a lawsuit to gain full access.
[Note: the descriptions of the Comey memos by FBI agent David Archey are known as the “Archey Declarations” – Read Here.]
For those who may not be aware, there are so many memos (dozens) when assembled they seem to make up an actual diary of moment-by-moment events, during the FBI investigation of Donald Trump, as documented by FBI Director James Comey.
♦ In the issue of the redactions within the Comey Memos, the judge doesn’t remove them. Some are ordered to be removed, some are approved to stay in place. The Comey memo aspect, and the redaction decision, is basically a splitting of the baby 50/50. It will be interesting, but meh, maybe not too much detail. – CNN ARTICLE
The issues argued by the FBI lawyers to keep the Comey memos hidden surround sources and methods. The judge generally agreed to the potential for compromise, but also outlined several sections of redactions within the Comey memos where that argument doesn’t hold up. [The judge has read the fully unredacted memo content.]
♦ However, on the issue of the Archey Declarations there’s an opportunity for some very interesting information to surface. Here’s an example of currently existing redactionswithin the Archey Declarations:
And stunningly, yes, STUNNINGLY, Judge Boasberg has ordered the Archey declarations to be fully released to the public WITHOUT REDACTIONS. See pages 34 and 35 of the ruling.
That means all those black boxes in the example above will be removed and CNN will be allowed the fully unredacted content of the declarations by FBI Agent David Archey.
This should be interesting.
Hopefully we don’t have to add Bill Barr’s picture to the graphic of corrupt DOJ and FBI officials; however, time is running out…
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
Centinel2012 