There’s something really odd about the latest reports from South Korea about a test of three missiles the South has corrected to describe as “projectiles”. The odd part is there’s zero mention in North Korea state media about it. Fox News picked up on that aspect in a brief sentence inside their report:
[…] South Korean officials were monitoring the situation and were sharing information with their American counterparts. North Korea did not report on Saturday’s firings. Seoul’s intelligence agency said it thinks the projectiles were not missiles given their short travel distances and low altitude.
Amid a tremendous amount of recent geopolitical background moves; and given the history of China using the DPRK as a geopolitical proxy province; there’s a possibility Beijing ordered the action.
Out of caution, please note our CTH perspective is entirely outside the mainstream view on the dynamic within the DPRK and the network around Kim Jong-un. Quite simply all of the moves, counter-moves, and specifically the timing of them, align with the U.S. and China confrontation far more than most mainstream observers seem to notice.
Through the years of our research, and specifically as it relates to overlaying timing of events as they unfold, it still seems as though China controls the influence agents in/around North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un. I have gone so far as to say there appears to be more of a captive scenario surrounding Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping and his authoritarian alignment with Chairman Kim.
In the past two-and-a-half years every time North Korea presents a hostile action it has been simultaneous to a background event where the U.S. and China are confronting each-other. The coincidences; and there have been dozens of unique examples; are far too common not to be connected.
My hunch is that Chairman Kim has little to no control over the activity within the top-tier of his military. I highly suspect China directly controls the upper-tier of DPRK military leadership. If that very strong suspicion is correct; the launch of these ‘projectiles’ would be aligned with a series of three background events:
♦One: A very serious stage in the U.S-China trade negotiations where Secretary Mnuchin and USTR Robert Lighthizer just left Beijing. Remember, this recent meeting was going to be the key meeting for Mnuchin and Lighthizer’s recommendations to President Trump as to whether an actual trade agreement with communist China was possible.
♦Event Two: Chairman Kim Jong-un just returned from meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. Kim doesn’t travel much at all. Chairman Xi (China) and Vladimir Putin (Russia) are strategically very close partners. [Emphasize “very”]
♦Event Three: President Trump has an hour long phone call with President Putin; literally in the same 24-hr period where Pyongyang decides to test their missilesprojectiles again.
As with events in 2017 and 2018, these events seem more connected; especially against the completely opposite nature of words to deeds in the Trump/Kim Hanoi summit. Again, something happened in the hour inside that summit after Kim stunningly said he was at the summit to discuss denuclearization – and an hour later reversed course.
Again, the sequencing is key. President Trump and Chairman Kim set up Hanoi summitdate. President Trump and Chairman Xi meet in Argentina (G20); and the outcome was an agreement to delay round-2 tariffs on China. Trump and Kim then meet in Hanoi and Chairman Kim has a 180° reversal in position. Trump walks away.
Individually Xi and Putin have been losing to Trump’s strategy. Their mutual interests in Iran, Pakistan and Central America (Venezuela) have been blunted by Trump. Economically Trump has used energy as a policy to weaken Russia; and Trump has constructed an alliance of trade interests to weaken China.
Who woulda thought. Almost as if there’s a geopolitical strategy behind the Trump administration term “Indo-Pacific”
TheLastRefuge@TheLastRefuge2
It also helps when you think about how BRIC’s economic network was fractured by Trump. Brazil, Russia, India and China make up the BRIC’s network. Trump has already carved out Brazil and India, leaving Russia and China alone.
At the 30k ft level it looks like Chairman Xi and President Putin are working in concert now to leverage a fall-back defensive position around Chairman Kim. With Xi controlling the majority elements of the DPRK as a proxy province, renewed missile tests are once again focused on weakening President Trump.
So far China and Russia have been defeated by Trump’s use of economics as a geopolitical weapon. To retain their interests China and Russia are bleeding out cash to their strategic allies; but Trump keeps moving quickly and cutting them off (see Iran). Their economies can only bleed out cash for so long…. So it would stand to reason they would shift tactics and try to get more confrontational militarily… yet, they don’t want the visibility of military confrontation. That’s where North Korea comes in.
Last point, if you look at President Trump’s tweets from the perspective that Chairman Kim is somewhat a of a captive to his circumstances, they seem to make more sense:
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump
Anything in this very interesting world is possible, but I believe that Kim Jong Un fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea, & will do nothing to interfere or end it. He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me. Deal will happen!
One of China’s greatest fears is the threat of blockade from the United States and its allies in the event of a conflict or crisis, according to senior Chinese and Western military officials.
mobile.reuters.com
TheLastRefuge@TheLastRefuge2
U.S. planned for sea port blockade of DPRK in 2017.
Xi talks w/ Kim (x4) post Hanoi.
Kim Jong-un visits Putin.
India embraces mfr. shift from China.
Now… China worried about blockade/embargo.
Around 200 US companies looking to shift manufacturing base from China to India, says USISPF
The US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum’s (USISPF) President Mukesh Aghi said that the companies are talking to them about how to set up an alternative to China by investing in India.
financialexpress.com
TheLastRefuge@TheLastRefuge2
Who woulda thought. Almost as if there’s a geopolitical strategy behind the Trump administration term “Indo-Pacific” pic.twitter.com/kYrSp47jv9
Rep. Devin Nunes appears on Fox News to discuss his letter raising questions about academic center of origin of Russia probe. Nunes says if Joseph Misfud is a Russian agent, it would be one of the biggest intelligence scandals in history.
This is interesting…. because it strikes at the heart of the CIA/FBI construct around George Papadopoulos. The impetus for the early 2016 CIA/FBI investigation motive of George Papadopoulos surrounds Joseph Mifsud as a Russian asset; who supposedly told Papadopoulos that Russia had ‘dirt’ in Hillary Clinton.
Professor Mifsud being a Russian asset underpins all of their subsequent activity. If Mifsud is not a Russian intelligence asset, the FBI and CIA have a problem within their narrative. If Mifsud is a Western asset, well, that proves Papadopouls was being set up.
(Fox News) House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is scrutinizing the findings in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report about Joseph Mifsud — the mysterious professor from Malta who helped ignite the Russia probe in 2016 – and wants to know exactly who he was working for when he spoke with former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos.
It has long been suggested that Mifsud was connected to Russian intelligence. But Nunes, in a Friday letter obtained by Fox News, questions that assumption, saying Mueller’s report “omits any mention of a wide range of contacts Mifsud had with Western political institutions and individuals.”
Mifsud is a crucial figure in the report: Mueller’s report states that Mifsud was the one who told Papadopoulos in April 2016 that the Russians had “dirt” in the form of emails that could damage Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
As the story goes, Papadopoulos then told Australian diplomat Alexander Downer about his conversations with Mifsud. Downer then informed U.S. officials, leading the FBI to open its investigation into whether Trump associates were coordinating with Russia during the 2016 election.
Nunes also is seeking information about the FBI’s contacts with Mifsud – asking how the bureau knew to question Papadopoulos specifically about Clinton’s emails if it hadn’t already spoken to Mifsud. The congressman said, “it’s still a mystery how the FBI knew to ask Papadopoulos specifically about Hillary Clinton’s emails…”
Nunes’ letter is addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel, National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone and FBI Director Chris Wray. It asks them to hand over all information they have on Mifsud by May 10.
In his letter, Nunes presents photographic evidence of Mifsud in close proximity to influential Western political and government officials.
“If Mifsud has extensive, suspicious contacts among Russian officials as portrayed in the special counsel’s report, then an incredibly wide range of Western institutions and individuals may have been compromised by him, including our own State Department,” Nunes wrote. (read more)
Earlier today President Trump met with Slovakia Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini in the White House. Prior to bilateral meetings they held a press availability in the oval office and President Trump took questions from the media. [Video and Transcript]
.
[Transcript] – Oval Office – 1:55 P.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. It’s my honor to have the Prime Minister of Slovakia with us today in the Oval Office. We have a lot of talking to do. We’re dealing on trade. We have a very big trade arrangement and deal. They’re buying quite a few of the F-16 planes from us. And a very big order, actually. I’m very impressed. And it’s — I have to say, it’s a great plane. It’s a great, great plane.
But we do a lot of trade. And NATO partner. And our relationship has been very good. And this is the Prime Minister’s first time in the Oval Office, and I think he’s impressed with it.
PRIME MINISTER PELLEGRINI: Yeah, I am.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much for being with us.
PRIME MINISTER PELLEGRINI: Mr. President, I’m really very glad to meet Mr. President today here in the White House. And I think the timing is really perfect because this year we are celebrating 30 years of freedom of Slovakia.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s right.
PRIME MINISTER PELLEGRINI: And the United States played a key role in our struggle for democracy, and it helped us to transform our country. And I’m very happy that today I can say that the United States and Slovakia are strategic partners and allies.
And, as the Prime Minister, I can say today that Slovakia is really a success story. And I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, because, in Slovakia, we are able now to create thousands of new jobs and we have the lowest unemployment rate in our history. And I would like to congratulate you on the amazing numbers, which were published today, and about the jobs which were created thanks to you policies. I think it’s a huge success.
And congratulations, Mr. President, because I know how difficult it is to reach such numbers and to boost the economy. And Slovakia has, in this moment, really a robust growth — even one of the highest in European Union and Eurozone. And we are lucky that also your economy is doing very well, because if the United States is going well, also Slovakia —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s right.
PRIME MINISTER PELLEGRINI: — is going well.
And I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, that Mr. President is really a leader, which is very clear that we have to do even much more when it comes to defense. And as Mr. President mentioned, Slovakia is delivering. It’s spending more. We are modernizing our armed forces. We are buying, also, U.S. military equipment. And I can say that the 2 percent of GDP, we will reach earlier, as was our plan. And in 2022, we will be on that number.
And, once again, it’s a great honor for me, great honor for our country, to be here in the White House with you, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s really nice.
I just want to add a little bit further that — and it’s very nice what you said — but we are aligned with you and it has helped your economy, and that’s been good. And that makes me very happy because those are incredible people. And the relationship has never been stronger than it is now. And you’ve been with us all the way.
And what you said is true: Slovakia is very close to being up to the benchmark number — the 2 percent number — and maybe even go beyond it, because they understand the value — the tremendous value — from the United States. Some countries aren’t.
But NATO — as your Secretary General has said — they’ve, over the last short period of time, picked up over a hundred billion dollars of additional money since I’m President because of the fact that I said you have to pay for your defense. I mean, you have to help us because the United States pays for a really disproportionate share of NATO.
So, over $100 million — over $100 billion has been paid by the various members of NATO. Some are doing fantastically. You are doing really well. You’re almost up to the number, and others aren’t doing as well, but they will be, we predict.
And I think — I also just want to mention that the economy is unbelievable. We’re at 3.6 percent unemployment. That’s the lowest number since 1969. We have tremendous backing. The companies are doing really well. We have the lowest unemployment rates for different groups of people, whether it’s African American, Asian, Hispanic. Hispanic just set another all-time record for low unemployment.
The household income is the highest it’s ever been. Our country is doing well. Never, probably, has done as well as it’s doing right now, economically. And so we’re very proud of that fact.
We’re dealing on China right now. We’re doing fine. We’re taking in billions of dollars from China in the form of tariffs, as you know. We’re charging China tariffs. We’ve never taken in 10 cents from China, and now we’re taking in billions and billions of dollars. That’s had a very positive effect on things.
But the deal itself is going along pretty well. I would even say very well. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. But we’re getting close to a very historic, monumental deal. And if it doesn’t happen, we’ll be fine too. Maybe even better.
So I just want to thank you. It’s a great honor to be with you. I’ve heard tremendous things. And you’re a very popular man in your country. And I’ve had my best poll numbers too, so I feel very good.
But it’s — our economy is raging. And when we have an economy that maybe is the best economy we’ve ever had, people tend to like you.
So, we’re both doing well in that regard.
PRIME MINISTER PELLEGRINI: (Inaudible.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much for being here.
Steve, go ahead.
Q Mr. President, you spoke with Vladimir Putin earlier today.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes, I did.
Q What options are you looking at to get humanitarian assistance to Venezuela?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, I had a very good talk with President Putin — probably over an hour. And we talked about many things. Venezuela was one of the topics. And he is not looking at all to get involved in Venezuela other than he’d like to see something positive happen for Venezuela.
And I feel the same way. We want to get some humanitarian aid. Right now, people are starving. They have no water, they have no food. This is, Mr. Prime Minister, one of the richest countries in the world 20 years ago, and now it’s — they don’t have food and they don’t have water for their people. So we want to help on a humanitarian basis.
And I thought it was a very positive conversation I had with President Putin on Venezuela.
Q Are you talking about extending the New START Treaty or adding China to it? Or what, exactly?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We’re talking about a nuclear agreement where we make less and they make less, and maybe even where we get rid of some of the tremendous firepower that we have right now.
We’re spending billions of dollars on nuclear weapons, numbers like we’ve never spent before. We need that, but they are also — and China is, frankly, also — we discussed the possibility of a three-way deal instead of a two-way deal. And China — I’ve already spoken to them; they very much would like to be a part of that deal.
In fact, during the trade talks, we started talking about that. They were excited about that. Maybe even more excited than about trade. But they felt very strongly about it.
So I think we’re going to probably start up something very shortly between Russia and ourselves, maybe to start off. And I think China will be added down the road. We’ll be talking about nonproliferation. We’ll be talking about a nuclear deal of some kind. And I think it will be a very comprehensive one.
Q Mr. President, did you address the election meddling issues that came up in the Mueller Report with Mr. Putin today?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We discussed it. He actually sort of smiled when he said something to the effect that it started off as a mountain and it ended up being a mouse. But he knew that because he knew there was no collusion whatsoever.
So, pretty much, that’s what it was. It started off —
Q Did you tell him not to meddle, Mr. President? Did you tell him not to meddle in the next election?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Excuse me. I’m talking. I’m answering this question. You are very rude.
So we had a good conversation about many different things. Okay?
Q Did you ask him not to meddle?
Q Did you tell him not to meddle in the next election?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We didn’t discuss that. Really, we didn’t discuss it. We discussed five or six things. We also — we went into detail on various things, especially, I would say, the nuclear. Especially, maybe, Venezuela. We talked about North Korea at great length, and pretty much that’s it.
Also discussed trade. We intend to do a lot of trade with Russia. We do some right now. It’s up a little bit. But he’d like to do trade and we’d like to do trade.
And getting along with Russia and China, getting along with all of them is very good thing, not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. It’s a positive thing. Getting along with other countries — including your country, by the way — but getting along with countries is a good thing. And we want to have good relationships with every country.
Q Mr. President, should Mueller testify? Would you like to see him testify before Congress?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I don’t know. That’s up to our Attorney General, who I think has done a fantastic job.
Q And why shouldn’t the Congress have the same right to hear from the Attorney General —
Q Mr. President —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, go ahead. Yes, please.
Q Mr. President, (inaudible) visit in Slovakia? Because —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I’d like to. I know people from Slovakia, and they’re incredible people. I would love to. It’s a beautiful country and it’s doing very well. It’s doing very well.
Yeah. Yeah, please.
Q Do you want to introduce tariffs on the cars? Because the car industry is very important.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, the tariffs have been a necessary thing for me to do because in the case of the European Union, they have not treated us right. We’re losing $181 billion a year. We have been for many years. And the European Union has not treated us properly. But we’ll see what happens with regard to tariffs on cars with the European Union. We haven’t made a decision on that.
Q Mr. President, are you going to nominate a Defense Secretary? Shanahan. Are you going to make it official?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’ll be discussed next week.
Q Mr. President, it’s World Press Freedom Day. Can you say anything? We’ve heard a lot about your grievances to us, but can you say —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Say it again. Say it again.
Q It’s World Press Freedom Day. We’ve heard a lot about your grievances about us, but can you say something that you can improve to improve communication and relationship with the press?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I think I have a very good relationship with some of the press. And, unfortunately, some of the press doesn’t cover me accurately. In fact, they go out of their way to cover me inaccurately, so I don’t think that’s a free press. I think that’s a dishonest press. And I want to see a free press.
I mean, today I was happy to see on the front page of the New York Times — for the first time — where they were talking about spying and they were talking about spying on my campaign. That’s a big difference between the way they’ve been covering, but that’s a big story. That’s a story bigger than Watergate, as far as I’m concerned.
So, I want to see freedom of the press. And I get treated fairly by some press, but I get treated very unfairly by other press. And, frankly, I think that’s very dishonest. And I don’t consider that. When you have stories that are purposely written badly — in many cases, very much on purpose — I mean, you look at it — that’s not free press, that’s the opposite of free press.
Q Mr. President, have you decided whether you’ll invoke executive privilege as it relates to Don McGahn?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’ll all be determined over the next week or so.
Q But you said it was done, so are you going block him?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: But, you know, I will say this: There has been no President in history that has given what I’ve given in terms of looking at just a total witch hunt. I call it the “Russian hoax.” It turned out to be no collusion, no obstruction. It was a total hoax.
And, yet, I was transparent. We gave 1.4 million documents. We gave hundreds of people. I let him interview the lawyer — the White House lawyer — for 30 hours. Think of that: thirty hours. I let him interview other people. I didn’t have to let him interview anybody. I didn’t have to give any documents. I was totally transparent because I knew I did nothing wrong.
It turned out I did nothing wrong. No collusion with Russia. Think of it: Thirty-five million dollars they spent, they wasted, over a period of two years. No collusion, no obstruction.
Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
Q Are you going to run on the economy?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah. Yeah. I’ll be running on the economy. Sure.
Joint Statement – […] Our countries also affirm that energy security is fundamental to national security. We reiterate our opposition to the use of energy projects as geopolitical weapons, including Nord Stream 2. We commit to deepening our cooperation in cybersecurity and to working to develop and implement telecommunications security principles. (more)
This approach is so typically Trump it should be changed to a verb. President Trump tweets about a phone call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin:
Note: “and even the “Russian Hoax”“; yeah, that part. Intentionally directed to send the DC democrats and media bananas. He’s not trolling them, he’s toying with them. This dispatch is profoundly Trump; it’s like Andrew Breitbart saying “yeah, so?…”
The perfect blend of professionalism and back-handed antagonism. He’s toying with his opposition. This is why Donald J Trump, the businessman, the disruptor, is effectively independent and uncontrollable by customs and norms. He’s provoking…. and laughing…. and annoying….. and winning.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the April 2019 jobs report and the results are excellent. It’s a home run for MAGAnomics as the trifecta continues: Job gains +263,000, Wage growth +3.2%, Inflation low at 1.4%.
With a gain of 263,000 new jobs in April, the overall unemployment rate dropped to 3.6%. There are more jobs available than people looking for work. Additionally, the prior two months jobs results were revised upward by 16,000 more than previous reported.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in April, compared with an average monthly gain of 213,000 over the prior 12 months.
Professional and business services added 76,000 jobs in April. Over the past 12 months, professional and business services has added 535,000 jobs
In April, construction employment rose by 33,000. Construction has added 256,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
Employment in health care grew by 27,000 in April and 404,000 over the past 12 months.
In April, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 6 cents to $27.77. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.2 percent.
MAGAnomics:Low unemployment (3.6%); wages growing (+3.2%); inflation stable(1.4%). These measures all have a cumulative impact on paycheck-to-paycheck Americans. Prices for durable goods are stable and wage growth is exceeding inflation. That means more disposable income in the middle-class. Which, when combined with the increased pay from lower middle-class tax rates, is exactly the intended outcome of MAGAnomics.
Last week’s consumer spending results for the first quarter defied expectations. Consumer spending on goods increases 1.7%. Overall spending +.09 in March, reaches highest gain in ten years. The deplorables are spending their higher wages. Meanwhile core inflation drops to 1.4%. The pundits are shocked. This is Main Street growth and economic stability; this is not, repeat NOT, Wall Street growth.
We are in the period where exporting U.S. wealth (globalist policies) has been slowed/halted. We are confronting protectionist tariffs abroad which impede our exports, and simultaneously applying reciprocal tariffs toward those who want access to our U.S. market. As a consequence, capital investment is returning to Main Street USA (nationalist policy). This is the heart of MAGAnomic policy.
Low unemployment; rising wages; stable inflation and resurging U.S. blue-collar manufacturing is the key (steel/aluminum tariffs assisting).
This internal dynamic means the U.S. consumer can fuel the the U.S. economy while President Trump, Secretary Ross, Secretary Mnuchin and Ambassador Robert Lighthizer utilize the leverage of tariffs, to negotiate better America-First trade deals.
We have not had the benefit of this blue-collar economic success in the past 30+ years because corrupt multinational interests were paying and bribing -via lobbyists- politicians and public officials within DC for policies that primarily benefited Wall Street. Those policies blocked Main Street growth and U.S. wealth; and exported jobs and incomes to foreign nations. President Donald J Trump has stopped this process.
Considering how Joe Biden exploited China for personal financial gain, this position by a democrat presidential candidate is likely not going to age well.
I’ve met virtually every major world leader in my role as Vice President, as Foreign Relations Chairman over the last 30 years. That’s not hyperbole. Virtually every one. I don’t know a single solitary one who would not change places with the problems the President of the United States has versus the problems they have. China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man.
They can’t even figure out how to deal with the fact that they have this great division between the China Sea and the mountains in the east, I mean in the west. They can’t figure out how they are going to deal with the corruption that exists within the system. I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what, they’re not competition for us.”
Bernie Sanders
✔@BernieSanders
Since the China trade deal I voted against, America has lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs.
It’s wrong to pretend that China isn’t one of our major economic competitors.
When we are in the White House we will win that competition by fixing our trade policies.
Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos appears on Fox with Tucker Carlson to discuss the revelations of the FBI/CIA running spy operations against him during the 2016 election. Papadopoulos says the FBI spy wanted him to slip up and say something; however, he had no information.
The admissions within the New York Times story today -outlining how President Obama’s intelligence apparatus ran simultaneous intelligence operations against the Trump campaign- are starting to merge the FBI and CIA operations. CTH anticipated this.
With new information about the “U.K. operation” using Stefan Halper (CIA asset and FBI informant); and the details of the contacts by U.S. intelligence operative Azra Turk; we can overlay the timeline and see a clear picture.
On August 15th, 2016, Lisa Page and Peter Strzok discussed the “insurance policy“:
Two weeks later, September 2nd, 2016, CIA operative Stefan Halper reaches out to George Papadopoulos and introduces him to CIA/FBI asset Azra Turk.
This alignment between the CIA and FBI is not a surprise to anyone who has followed the story behind the 2015/2016 political surveillance issues. However, there’s a specific connection here many are missing.
Remember, everything AFTER March 9th, 2016, is a cover-story. Everything after March 9th, 2016, are operations from both the CIA and FBI to hide the political surveillance that was going on before March 9th, 2016. The surveillance was happening through exploitation of the NSA database through unauthorized FISA search queries; and involved both the CIA and FBI.
This is the point that has not been emphasized enough. However, FISA Judge Rosemary Collyer outlined the connection, albeit with mandatory redactions. The connective evidence is in a footnote on page #87 of Collyer’s report that few are paying attention to:
Read that carefully and you’ll see an agreement between the CIA and FBI to allow contractors. Note:
“[CIA] access to FBI systems was the subject of an interagency memorandum of understanding enter into [in ????])”
CTH believes that redacted date is 2012 as a result of another section of the report and the emphasis that Collyer is placing on the time-frame throughout her full report. Notice also:
“Despite the existence of an interagency memorandum of understanding (presumably prepared or reviewed by FBI lawyers) no notice of this practice was given to the FISC until 2016.”
So there was a secret agreement between the CIA and the FBI that was kept hidden from the FISA court until 2016 when Director Mike Rogers exposed and reported it.
The agreement centered around “access to FBI systems“; and, THIS IS IMPORTANT, we know the overarching issue was “deliberate decisionmaking” that led to “contractor access to the NSA database”, and the fact those contractors were searching “U.S. persons”.
Can you see the process now?
Can you see the potentially layered illegality of the process now?
CIA operatives (contractors) were using FBI portal access (per the secret agreement) to exploit the NSA database and extract search results. Remember, the CIA is not supposed to be conducting surveillance, aka “spying”, inside the U.S. on American citizens.
In essence the secret agreement, unknown to the court, was the CIA hiding their extraction of U.S. person information by using FBI database access. [Through the DOJ-NSD (National Security Division)] Now does it make sense why the DOJ would not allow Inspector General oversight?
In 2015 the Office of Inspector General requested oversight and it was Deputy AG Sally Yates who responded with a lengthy 58-page legal explanation saying, essentially, ‘nope – not allowed.’ (PDF HERE) All of the DOJ is subject to oversight, except the NSD.
The secret MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the CIA and FBI was the reason why the DOJ-NSD could never allow inspector general oversight.
In the Obama-era political surveillance programs the lines between the CIA and FBI were blurred. They were working together through contractors. This is why you are noticing blurred lines between the CIA and FBI in the construct of the cover-up.
This is the parallel tracks we previously described, copied below for reference:
Everything after March 9th, 2016, is a function of two intelligence units, the CIA and FBI, operating together to coverup prior political surveillance and spy operations.
Prior to March 9th, 2016, the surveillance and spy operation was using the NSA database to track and monitor their political opposition. However, once the NSA compliance officer began initiating an internal review of who was accessing the system, the CIA and FBI moved to create ex post facto justification for their endeavors. [Full Backstory]
The evidence for this is found in the documents attached to both operations; and bolsters the original statements by Congressman Devin Nunes as highlighted below.
♦The CIA track took place between March and July 2016, and consisted of using foreign intelligence allies in Italy, the U.K and Australia to create a background illusion of Russian involvement with the Trump campaign. This operation was based on earlier -more innocuous- contacts from various countries, weaponized and redeployed in what everyone calls “spygate”. This track successfully culminated in Operation Crossfire Hurricane.
♦The FBI track was domestic-centric, albeit sub-contracted to Fusion GPS and later a former British intelligence officer, and took place between April and October 2016; also to create the illusion of Russian involvement. This operation is best known around the Steele Dossier and FISA warrant against U.S. person Carter Page. The FBI track continued with the Mueller investigation into 2017, 2018 and 2019.
[Transcript] “So it took us a long time to actually get this, what’s called the electronic communication, as we know it now for your viewers, what it is it’s the original intelligence, original reasons that the counterintelligence was started.
Now this is really important to us because the counterintelligence investigation uses the tools of our intelligence services that are not supposed to be used on American citizens. And we’ve long wanted to know: what intelligence did you have that actually led to this investigation? So what we’ve found now, after the investigators have reviewed it, is that in fact there was no intelligence.
So we have a traditional partnership with what’s called the Five Eyes Agreement. Five Eyes Agreement involves our friends in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and of course, us. So long time processes and procedures in place where we move intelligence across.
We are not supposed to spy on each others’ citizens. And it’s worked well. And it continues to work well. And we know it’s working well because there was no intelligence that passed through the Five Eyes channels to our government.
And that’s why we had to see that original communication. So now we’re trying to figure out, as you know, we are investigating the State Department, we think there’s some major irregularities in the State Department, and we’re trying to figure out how this information about Mr. Papadopoulos of all people who was supposedly meeting with some folks in London, how that made it over across into the FBI’s hands.” (video link)
The direct evidence for what Devin Nunes is describing is found in two specific documents. Each of the documents is unique to their track. One track is the CIA the other track is the FBI. The merging point that binds them is the U.S. State Department.
♦ First, we review the CIA track.
The evidence for the CIA track is found in the Weissmann-Mueller report. More specifically, it is found in the intentional way the report tries to conflate two contact points.
This track is CIA Director John Brennan’s work, with enlisted help from the FBI counterintelligence unit (Peter Strzok and Bill Priestap) as they travel to the U.K.
After western intelligence asset Joseph Mifsud (posed as a Russian) plants a story on George Papadopoulos about Russia having “emails of Clinton”, the operation then needs Papadopoulos to share the information. That’s where a joint network comes in. The network is the U.S. embassy in London; the Australian embassy in London; the Australian Ambassador to the U.K. Alexander Downer; and his top aide Erika Thompson.
Notice page #89 of the report; but read carefully and specifically notice the date Weissmann and Mueller use to frame the Russia story extraction from Papadopoulos:
The meeting on May 6th, was NOT a meeting with Australian Ambassador Alexander Downer. That meeting did not happen until May 10th. The recent release of documentsfrom Australia confirm this timeline.
The meeting on May 6th was between George Papadopoulos and Downer’s aide, Erika Thompson: …”that the Trump campaign had received information from the Russian government that it could assist the campaign through the anonymous release of information that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton.”
So, if the U.S. used the information from the May 6, 2016, meeting as conveyed on July 26th, 2016, it was the conversation with Erika Thompson that opened Crossfire Hurricane; not the meeting with Alexander Downer on May 10th. {Go Deep}
This subtle but important distinction in contact and communication reconciles the statement by Devin Nunes; because Thompson is also a reported intelligence operative (spy) and information from her would not be passing through “Five Eyes” official channels. However, for their intents and purposes, the U.S. operation needed to give the appearance of official channels, so the *inference* between the claim and the footnote *implies* Ambassador Downer. But you can see that’s not actually what happened.
This is an example of Weissmann/Mueller disguising the actual origin in their report. They are giving cover to the reality that unofficial intelligence was the actual basis for the originating “EC” or two-page electronic communication from CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director James Comey. It was that 2-page EC, likely written by FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok, that initiated “Crossfire Hurricane”.
The page in the Weissmann/Mueller report is factually true but the inference is false. It is written in the way they intended, to give a false impression. It is quite subtle and sneaky.
What is outlined on Page #89 is also the CIA track that ran from March to July 31st, 2016.
The operation positioned Joseph Mifsud as a Russian spy; has him plant information on George Papadopoulos; then uses U.S. and AU operatives to withdraw the information; thereby giving the appearance that a Trump campaign official, Papadopoulos, was receiving and passing-on Russian intelligence. This is the CIA justification for creating the EC. This is the CIA cover story.
Now let’s review the evidence of the FBI track and how it also connects to the U.S. State Department. This one is more brutally obvious because the document had to be less ambiguous in construct. This involves the FISA application on U.S. Person Carter Page.
♦ The FBI Track – The Steele Dossier, FISA Warrant and Carter Page.
The second page of the FISA application used to gain a Title-1 surveillance warrant against U.S. Carter Page identifies where the material came from. Notice the direct attribution is to the State Department; not the DOJ or FBI, and certainly not Christopher Steele.
Applying hindsight to the backstory of the Clinton Campaign hiring Fusion GPS, and Fusion hiring Christopher Steele for the Dossier; and the dossier being passed on to the FBI and DOJ via various channels… Question: why would the DOJ be citing the State Department for their claim?
The answer is simple. Carter Page was a known person to the FBI and DOJ. Carter Page was a subject witness from 2012 to 2016 in the Evgeny Buryakov case [DOJ March 2016]. How could the FBI claim Carter Page was “an agent of a foreign power” to the FISA court in October 2016, when they only finished using him as a cooperating subject witness in May of 2016? [DOJ May 2016]
The short answers are: (1) they couldn’t; (2) they were in a big hurry; there was a sense of urgency; they needed the FISA and Steele Dossier as insurance policy; and (3) it wasn’t safe for the DOJ/FBI to make the ‘foreign agent‘ claim against their own prior witness if things went sideways.
Remember, this is all a coverup. Their efforts are about gaining position and appearances to justify a preceding action. Their efforts are not focused on an actual investigation. So they told the FISC the information came from the State Department and [Redacted]. Whichever source could give them the best legal justification to gain the FISA warrant was the leading point in the thought process.
Despite everything around the Steele Dossier primarily inbound from Fusion-GPS and Chris Steele to the DOJ and FBI, the people creating the FISA illusion needed to use the State Department as a valid reference for fraudulent claims they were making.
From the beginning Fusion-GPS was not hired to research Donald Trump; the intelligence community was already doing surveillance and spy operations. The intelligence community needed Fusion GPS to give them a plausible justification for already existing surveillance and spy operations. Fusion created the dossier for them.
The FBI knew Carter Page. Essentially Carter Page was irrelevant, what they needed was the FISA warrant and the Dossier in the system {Go Deep} as their insurance policy.
So there we see two parallel tracks; one from the CIA, and one from the FBI. Both intended to provide a cover story for political surveillance and spy operations that preceded March 9, 2016. The CIA track created ‘crossfire hurricane’. The FBI track created the Steele Dossier. Both had the same purpose.
Both tracks originated from ‘unofficial channels’ and then transferred into official status through the use of two documents. The CIA generated the two-page “EC”; and the FBI generated the FISA application from the Steele Dossier.
Both tracks held the same coverup purpose; both tracks were insurance policies; and both tracks merged for intelligence exploitation after President Trump won the election. After the election the goal was shifted to remove the risk Trump represented.
Once they had the legal justifications for targeting Trump, albeit fraudulently obtained, the effort could move into phase three: by-the-book processes. The FBI track evolved into the Mueller probe; that’s why the Dossier is so important to the validity of the special counsel.
Everything after March 9th, 2016, through today – is covering for everything that happened before March 9th when “contractors” were allowed by the FBI and DOJ to have weaponized access to the NSA database for political surveillance and spy operations.
This two-track process and ultimate merging is what all of the documentary evidence supports. I suspect when the arc of the story concludes, this is where we will be.
…”many of these non-compliant queries involved the use of the same identifiers over different date ranges.”..
This Page #82 sentence specifically highlights that during the 2016 presidential campaign, those who had access to the NSA database were searching the same phone numbers, email addresses, electronic “identifiers”, or people, repeatedly over different dates.
The U.S. Steel and Aluminum industry has been a key focus of President Trump in an effort to reestablish a critical industry for America. Part of the administration strategy was broad-based tariffs aimed at curbing China’s dumping of government subsidized product globally. The broad global application of the tariffs defeated the Chinese trans-shipment strategy to avoid them.
Despite opposition from Wall Street republicans and democrats purchased by K-Street lobbyists, the administration policy has been exceptionally successful at driving investment into the U.S. manufacturing base. The multinationals are furious.
(U.S. Steel) United States Steel Corporation is investing more than $1 billion in the place where our reputation as a trusted industry leader was first forged more than a century ago: our Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh.
The investment involves the construction of a cutting-edge, sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at Mon Valley’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., – the first of its kind in the United States – and a new cogeneration facility with state-of-the-art emissions control technology at the nearby Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pa. (link)
PITTSBURGH May 2, 2019– United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) announced today it will invest more than $1 billion to construct a new sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at its Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., and a cogeneration facility at its Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pa., both part of the company’s Mon Valley Works.
The cutting-edge endless casting and rolling technology combines thin slab casting and hot rolled band production into one continuous process and will make Mon Valley Works the first facility of this type in the United States, and one of only a handful in the world.
“This is a truly transformational investment for U. S. Steel. We are combining our integrated steelmaking process with industry-leading endless casting and rolling to reinvest in steelmaking and secure the future for a new generation of steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania and the Mon Valley,” said David B. Burritt, President and Chief Executive Officer of U. S. Steel.
“U. S. Steel’s investment in leading technology and advanced manufacturing aligns with our vision to be the industry leader in delivering high-quality, value-added products and innovative solutions that address our customers’ most challenging steel needs for the future. We believe that adding sustainable steel technology to our footprint will create long-term value for our employees, our region, our customers and our investors.” (read more)
Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Congrats to @U_S_Steel for investing $1+ BILLION in America’s most INNOVATIVE steel mill. 232 Tariffs make Pennsylvania and USA more prosperous/secure by bringing Steel and Aluminum industries BACK. Tariffs are working. Pittsburgh is again The Steel City. USA Economy is BOOMING!
U. S. Steel@U_S_Steel
To secure the future of #steelmaking and #mfg in Western #PA, we’re proud to invest in state-of-the-art technology to create an endless casting and rolling facility. This technology will make Mon Valley Works the first facility of this type in the US. https://www.ussteel.com/locations/mon-valley-works-investment …
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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