With the stark, albeit predictable, reversals and unavoidable admissions regarding an orchestrated effort from the Obama DOJ and FBI to conduct opposition research on the Trump campaign –via spy networks and surveillance– the larger conspiracy is laid bare.

Unsurprisingly the professional media proletariat shift strategies from denial to justification.  All of the questions previously posed -and dismissed- about funding for the dossier, campaign surveillance, wiretaps and political spy operations are no longer conspiracy theory. That’s the pesky problem with truth; it exists regardless of media’s unidirectional opinion of it, or their efforts to hide its location.

However, with more people paying attention, perhaps now is a good time to revisit another simply set of truthful facts; something entirely forgotten amid the past six months of slowly emerging evidence.  Amid months of DOJ and FBI sunlight avoidance strategies, there was actually a time not long ago when a flood of sunlight appeared for apparently no reason whatsoever.

Those of us who have followed the internal battle amid two very obviously waring factions within the U.S. intelligence apparatus have been watching this play out so long we have forgotten the timing of a critical turning point.  Set against the backdrop of an intelligence apparatus, an administrative state per se’, desperate to retain survivability, it is worth remembering December 2nd, 2017.

On December 1st, 2017, the Praetorian media were gleefully celebrating a guilty plea for General Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Adviser. It was less than 24 hours later, December 2nd, when one-side of the battle struck back.

On December 2nd, 2017, three names surfaced:  Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Bruce Ohr.  Along with the names came hundreds of pages of documents containing tens-of-thousands of text messages.

Why?

On December 2nd, 2017, Congress was unaware of the Page/Strzok text messages.  No-one was making inquiries about them.  Devin Nunes, along with every other elected chair-person, was oblivious to the existence of them.  No-one knew to ask for them, or to ask about anything contained within them, because no-one even knew about them.

So how did they surface?

Why did they surface?

Heck, expanding: how and why did we discover Pete, Lisa and Bruce?

Now, a sidebar; not a puzzle… just thoughtful stimulation and refresh.

Did you read the 39-page Inspector General report on Andrew McCabe?  You know, the one that ended with a referral to the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility; the released IG report that was an outcome of one component within the IG origination mandate;  the part about investigating leaks to the media; that’s the component that led to the IG Report on Andrew McCabe.  Do you remember it?

The Oversight and Review Division, IG report on McCabe, was published April 13th, 2018. The IG report was written in February of 2018, two months prior to publication.

However, the detail missed by all media inquiry – is that all of the evidence within the IG report on McCabe; all of the interviews; all of the INSD investigation documents; everything needed to assemble the report; happened before December, 2017.  The final McCabe interview, under oath, was November 29th, 2017.

Why does this matter?

Everything within that IG report on McCabe happened prior to the December 2nd mysterious release of information on Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Bruce Ohr.

On December 2nd 2017 the Andrew McCabe investigation was complete, except for assembling the evidence and outlining the material in a report.  On December 2nd we get a mysterious release of unrequested information on Pete, Lisa and Bruce.  And no-one is curious about why the text messaging information appeared out of no-where?

Within the current story of admissions by the Obama intelligence apparatus, there is a transparent inability -amid an incurious media- to pause, reflect and ask themselves if something deeper on the investigative side has been happening all along; much longer than discussed.

Again, why, out of no-where, did the DOJ-IG tell the world about Pete, Lisa and Bruce on December 2nd, 2017, and then release batches of text messages no-one even knew enough to ask about?

I have an idea…

Huber approved, and redacted them.

The White House has released a “Joint Statement of the United States and China Regarding Trade Consultations“:

“At the direction of President Donald J. Trump and President Xi Jinping, on May 17 and 18, 2018, the United States and China engaged in constructive consultations regarding trade in Washington, D.C. The United States delegation included Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, and United States Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer. The Chinese delegation was led by State Council Vice Premier Liu He, Special Envoy of President Xi.”

“There was a consensus on taking effective measures to substantially reduce the United States trade deficit in goods with China. To meet the growing consumption needs of the Chinese people and the need for high-quality economic development, China will significantly increase purchases of United States goods and services. This will help support growth and employment in the United States.”

“Both sides agreed on meaningful increases in United States agriculture and energy exports. The United States will send a team to China to work out the details.

The delegations also discussed expanding trade in manufactured goods and services. There was consensus on the need to create favorable conditions to increase trade in these areas.

Both sides attach paramount importance to intellectual property protections, and agreed to strengthen cooperation. China will advance relevant amendments to its laws and regulations in this area, including the Patent Law.

Both sides agreed to encourage two-way investment and to strive to create a fair, level playing field for competition.

Both sides agreed to continue to engage at high levels on these issues and to seek to resolve their economic and trade concerns in a proactive manner.”

[Statement Link]

National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow appeared on Fox Business earlier Thursday to talk about the ongoing U.S. China trade negotiations. Those who follow the Dragon -vs- Panda strategies of China saw earlier yesterday how Chairman Xi Jinping was positioning N-Korea as leverage for the current trade negotiations.

The DPRK dragon-play didn’t work because President Trump knows the dragon’s moves, and predicted their approach from the outset. Remember, POTUS Trump began executing a geopolitical economic strategy toward both North Korea and China well over a year ago. [During the first meeting with Chairman Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago (Feb, 2017)]

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After over a year of discussions and structured way-points, China came into the current round of U.S. trade talks with outstretched steel fists. The line-up they sent to the negotiating table are some of the most loyal and die-hard communist leadership within their economic team.

It is obvious China is in dragon-mode knowing they are dealing with an entirely different administration than they faced before.

According to Reuters China presented an initial offer of $200 billion year-one trade deficit reduction. That’s just flat out narrative nonsense. Apparently the Chinese have spent too much time interpreting Trump through Western media who always focus on “deficit reduction” aspects. That type of approach pitches into Larry Kudlow’s wheelhouse but misses the actual substantive sector-based focus of Trump, Ross, Mnuchin and Lighthizer.

POTUS Trump uses the point of “deficits” because it has a familiar catch with the U.S. audience; however, President Trump knows the real issue is the amount of domestic production -vs- the amount of imported foreign goods. If the Chinese team frame their analytic offers from deficit reduction pitches, the actual deals will never materialize.

President Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer, and Trade Adviser Peter Navarro are looking at sector by sector trade issues. It is  not simply an import-export equation; it’s about a longer outlook and more balanced and stable manufacturing base.

President Trump is not focused on enhancing interdependency models (deficits), he is looking at expanding independence models sector by sector. Can this sector thrive independent of a need for imported material (raw good, part, service or intellectual property)?

The U.S. goal is for each individual sector (goods or services) not to be necessarily dependent or co-dependent on international import. This America-first approach reduces risk exposure and enhances investment perspectives favorably toward the U.S. by creating long-term economic stability.

Meanwhile, in front of the White House, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue is riding his bicycle in slow circles and glaring in the windows…