You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Democratic Party’ tag.
President Donald Trump’s Weekly Address of April 7, 2018, took aim at California’s legislature and at Democrats:
This is what he said (emphases mine, H/T to 8chan for the transcript):
My fellow Americans, the Federal Government is charged with the sacred duties of protecting our Nation, supporting our Constitution, and defending our borders. We also have to ensure the equal application of our laws in all 50 states. Last year politicians in California violated the Constitution by nullifying federal law and declaring their state to be a sanctuary from federal immigration enforcement, a border-free zone where thousands of criminal aliens can roam free, a very, very dangerous situation unacceptable to everyone.
Their actions not only imperil the security of the people of California, but the security of the entire Nation. California’s sanctuary bill should be called the Jail Break Bill, because that’s exactly what it is. They force the release of criminal aliens from prisons and jails, including drug traffickers and dealers responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. It’s gotten totally out of control. We can’t allow it to go on.
California’s law also increases our vulnerability to terrorism by keeping life-saving information from federal authorities. The relationship is ridiculous. It forces law enforcement not to work together. Last week, citizens of Orange County, California bravely resisted the open borders politicians in Sacramento. The Orange County Board of Supervisors courageously voted to join the Administration’s lawsuit to stop these dangerous and unconstitutional actions. All across California and all over America everyday citizens are taking a stand to protect their families, protect their borders, and protect their country.
Every citizen has the right to be protected by federal law, and when politicians in California break those laws, they violate the Constitutional Rights of their citizens. My message to communities under siege from drugs and gangs and violence is, you can stop this. And you can stop it cold. Partner with the federal government so we can help to remove these threats from your communities, and restore peace to our streets. I’m also calling on Congress to immediately close the deadly border security loopholes that endanger our country. All over our country, we’re living with laws that don’t work. Congress has to change them. Democrats in Congress are doing everything in their power to undermine immigration enforcement and encourage illegal immigration. Their policies are putting all of America at risk. It is so bad, it’s hard to believe what they’re doing and why they are doing it. We can’t let it continue. The Democrats are not doing what’s right for our country. I will not rest until we have secured our borders and restored the rule of law. We will win, and we will win soon. It’s happening.
Whoa!
Are there laws that apply in this situation? Yes, there are. Here are two of them:
I learned about these in history class. Schools probably don’t teach this anymore.
Fortunately, Californians are speaking out and voting against the state-wide sanctuary policy:
In related news, President Trump has signed a presidential memorandum to end catch and release:
BizPacReview has an excellent article on this policy which has been in force for years:
The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide “a detailed list of all existing facilities, including military facilities, that could be used, modified, or repurposed to detain aliens for violations of immigration law at or near the borders of the United States.”
“Catch and release” has been a de facto policy followed by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for years because the department lacked enough resources to detain illegal immigrants.
The policy has been widely slammed because it allows illegal aliens to stay in the United States until their immigration trial date, which most do not show up for.
Meanwhile, in Mexico:
Ironically, Mexico (and most other countries) immediately expel illegal aliens, but expect American taxpayers to pay for their housing, education, and healthcare costs.
Also:
… the Mexican government issued a 31-page pamphlet, “Guide for the Mexican Migrant,” that instructs Mexican illegals to the United States on how to avoid deportation. Critics say the Mexican government actively encourages illegal immigration to the U.S. because they want to export poor, uneducated Mexicans out of their country.
Note that Dems are preoccupied with the cost of Trump’s wall, however:
While Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Maxine Waters have blocked funding for a border wall claiming it’s too expensive, they blithely ignore that illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers more than $113 billion every year. By comparison, President Trump’s border wall would cost about $21.6 billion.
Thank goodness that Trump spoke out so forcefully. Millions will be watching to see what happens next.
Advertisements
Scott Presler is a pro-Trump activist and Vice Chairman of the Virginia Beach Young Republicans.
If the Republicans had more like him, the coming mid-terms would be less of a worry.
Presler might be atypical of the standard GOP supporter but not unusual for a Trump supporter: he’s young and gay.
Last November, he gave an interview to CNN’s Don Lemon about immigration and terrorism. He said that the average American family is concerned about putting food on the table and paying their bills. They do not need more things to worry about:
Although Presler wants voters to elect Republicans this year, he is unhappy with the GOP leadership both in the House …
… and the Senate:
Presler is fearless in his quest to be out and about for the MAGA agenda:
Sometimes, a friend joins him:
People honk in support of the messages. One man even dropped off a bag of soft drinks and snacks as a thank you.
Unfortunately, he gets threats from the Left. Fortunately, he knows how to defend himself should that day ever come. I pray that God keeps him safe.
When he’s at home, he can be found writing thank you notes to Trump voters:
He is a firm believer in putting America first:
He teaches other Republicans useful Democrat tactics:
It’s easy enough to do. Visit the website of Scott’s employer.
Fortunately, people are catching on in the Midwest …
… and further west:
As the Democrats move further left, Republican activism is essential, particularly this year. (By the way, the top tweet is a response to Presler about a threat he received):
Scott Presler agrees with Dr Trump’s assessment. On March 29, he gave an AMA — Ask Me Anything — interview to The_Donald. Excerpts follow, taken in order, emphases mine.
He wrote:
Conservatives are too nice. We have to be ruthless & relentless.
Yes, indeed!
A minority veteran wrote that he wanted to empower poorer neighbourhoods in New York City, saying that the Democrats’ policies ruined them. Scott replied:
We need your voice, especially as a Hispanic American. Minorities in the Republican party must speak up. People need to hear from you. I go out with a sign that says, “Democrats choose illegal aliens over American citizens,” and I arm myself with facts, like 3.6 Million black children are in poverty. Where are the democrats for these children?
Raise your voice. Be vocal and visible. Talk to people and share your story. Be vulnerable. People need to hear you.
Getting out the vote in 2018 requires a lot of Republicans and Scott’s employer is the place to go to enrol:
If you want to get involved and make a difference, then become an activist at actforamerica.org/activist.
Voter registration, voter registration, voter registration.
Follow @ScottPresler for information on elections and volunteering.
Also:
… you can help me with phone calls, and call into other states to win elections.
Someone said it felt as if only President Trump listens to the American people. Do GOP politicians pay attention?
Trust me when I say this: They pay attention. Make the phone calls, write the emails, and make sure they know who you are. You do matter and you are important, and they need to hear from you. If they never hear dissent, they will figure that no matter how bad things get, that Republicans won’t care.
Raise your voice loud and proud.
Someone asked how Presler became an activist:
President Obama inspired me.
I started my Twitter account the day he was reelected. I told myself, “You can sit at home and explain, or go make a difference in the world.” I started volunteering, fell in love, and the rest is history.
I’ll be doing this until the day I die.
A reader complimented him on sending handwritten thank you notes:
Thank you. I’ve proudly handwritten 1,400 thank you letters. I love connecting with each of you.
I recently wrote one to a 103-year-old woman.
Who comes after President Trump?
I’m not sure anyone has the spine, courage, or bravery of President Trump. That worries me.
In the meantime, what about the Democrats pushing for a repeal of the Second Amendment?
The democrats are 100% coming after our guns. Not voting, or abstaining from voting, is a vote for the repeal of the 2nd Amendment.
Now is the time to get involved:
I say we give the democrats a run for their money. To be honest, we aren’t working hard enough. Where are our protests? Where is our organizing? … Unless we want to get crushed in November, we better start getting prepared now.
We have a country to save & I will not resign myself to watching it fail.
The GOP might have to take stances that go against traditional policy positions:
I think it’s a stroke of sheer genius for [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell to be pushing the decriminalization of industrial hemp.
Look, folks: The fact of the matter is that the next generation is going to be pro-marijuana. You want those votes, or do you want the democrats to get them?
We have to think strategically.
Hmm.
But — on voting in the primaries:
Be smart and strategic. We have to be cognizant that EVERY district is different. In swing districts, we can’t put far-right people. We have to know when and where to be strategic and put a more “moderate” candidate. The fact of the matter is that the Republican Party is still diverse. The big picture is we have to win: In order to win … we simply have to be calculating and strategic.
Someone complimented him on boldly sitting in a Starbucks window with a big message on his PC earlier this year.
Presler warned readers that the Democrats are fired up:
The democrats are fired up. I’m waiting to see the fire, passion, and energy from our side.
Prove me wrong.
Also, for those living in left-wing states:
Mind over matter. Just because you live in a blue state doesn’t mean you can’t effect chance. In fact, you have more power than you think. Imagine: the democrats are organizing in Texas, a red state. We need to be organizing everywhere.
Focus on voter registration: Grow the Republican party one voter at a time. If you are looking for other avenues, you can call into other states to get out the vote!
Someone rightly pointed out that Presler should be running voter outreach for the White House. He replied:
I wish. I want to meet President Trump so badly.
Someone asked him if he had ever received a reply to this tweet to Ronna Romney McDaniel:
He replied:
No response. The offer still stands. I want, more than anything, to help.
Presler urged Trump supporters to be active, especially this year. He agreed with someone who lamented weak willed Republicans:
EXACTLY! We control the House, Senate, and the White House. I will never understand why Republicans still don’t have a spine after a historic victory.
Not everyone can do what Scott Presler is doing, but every Trump supporter spending time online can a) tweet if they’re on Twitter or b) start a WordPress blog and post one item daily. It can even be copying a tweet, accompanied by a one sentence comment.
That’s all it takes: one short, powerful post per day.
Trump supporters need to become a GOP army, because the GOP establishment, including — nay, especially — Ronna Romney McDaniel — sure isn’t going to do anything.
This post is not for the sensitive.
Here are some truths to think about.
First, this is an interesting historical graphic about Democrats. It isn’t mine, by the way, and it would be nice to give credit, but I don’t have a source:
Secondly, on Thursday, March 1, 2018, Townhall featured an article by Kurt Schlichter, ‘They Don’t Hate The NRA. They Hate You.’ Excerpts follow, emphases mine.
The Left is waging a war of sorts on normal Americans:
The progressives are cranking things up to 11 on the Stupid/Psycho Scale, which is good for us in the short term – some of us Normals were growing complacent and the midterms are coming. But we also need to open our eyes and accept the bitter reality we face. We can’t just pretend the truth is not the truth because we wish it were otherwise. The left’s dropping of its mask has demonstrated once again the undeniable fact. The left hates you.
Just give them a listen. Those carefully selected moppet puppets are out there on TV telling Normals “We are going to outlive you.” When leftists tell you that you are going to die first, you should believe they mean it. They have a track record of making that happen.
Schlichter talks about the Left’s anger at the NRA and warns Second Amendment supporters:
just believing in the Second Amendment makes you a non-human. Those of us who know something about history know that the people leftists regard as non-human always tend to end up non-living.
Also:
Understand that the left doesn’t hate the NRA. The NRA stuff is a distraction. Leftists are dumb, but they understand the power of the NRA is really the power of millions of Normal Americans coming together to defend their right to protect themselves, their families, their communities and their Constitution. That’s why they fear it. That’s why they can’t abide it. They want your voices silenced.
And the left doesn’t hate guns either. In fact, the progressives fully intend to be the only group left with any guns. That should turn out great for us.
People should not be misled about personal firearms, beginning with historical reasons:
There are 100 million reasons never to be disarmed and at the mercy of leftists.
Your life means nothing to them, just as the lost lives in Chicago mean nothing to them. There are several Parklands a month in the Windy City, but the Democrats who run it don’t care. They know where the bad guys are. They won’t act. Instead, they feign concern over the children because faking outrage will help them do what they really want done. That’s why you had them arguing that the idea of a cop actually doing his job was crazy.
They want you disarmed and disempowered, not the nuts, not the criminals, not the terrorist, not the illegal aliens. You. Why?
Because they hate you.
They hate that you won’t submit.
They hate that you won’t obey.
And they hate that you refuse to give up your only means of protecting yourself and preserving your rights.
They hate you.
This is the harsh reality the United States is living through today:
You understand and accept the truth, which many allegedly on our side refuse to do because the truth is too harsh and painful. America is divided not between groups with differing political views held in good faith, but between Normals and a left that hates us. That’s not a pleasant notion, but to pretend that this is business as usual, that we are just friends with a slight disagreement, or that there is some reasonable compromise to be had, is delusional.
Schlicter comes up with three suggestions to fight back.
1/ Political activism for mid-term elections:
Volunteer. Donate. Activate. Yeah, it’s a hassle. We’d all like a pause to this constant cold warfare. That is not happening.
2/ Defence of American values in the culture war:
If they want to declare a cultural war on us, let’s give them one. It’s not how you or I want it to be, but it is how it is. Maybe pain will motivate them to re-adopt the old rules. Surrender sure won’t.
3/ (Not sure I agree with this one.) Joining the NRA and buying firearms. (If you do that, you will have to get trained, then practice at regular intervals at the range.)
It’s that serious and, yes, it has come to this:
Yes, it’s ugly.
Yes, perhaps it’s even frightening.
But it is how it is, with leftists who makes no bones about what they think of you. They hate you. And you need to act accordingly.
This is no joke.
When I posted on the FISA memo last week, two of my readers asked questions about Christopher Steele, particularly why he is so anti-Trump.
I held off posting on this until now in the hopes that new information would surface about that. Unfortunately, it has not.
Christopher Steele
It is hard to say why Christopher Steele is so opposed to President Donald Trump.
It could be that is his mindset, given his work for and international involvement with security agencies.
In December 2017, Yoichi Shimatsu, a forensic journalist who was also an editor at The Japan Times for ten years, wrote an exclusive for Rense, ‘How A CIA-DOJ-FBI Team Forged The Trump-Russia Dossier’. It is worth reading. I haven’t included some of it, as there seems to be some questionable information about Steele. It is possible that parts that mention ‘Steele’ might be better worded as ‘people working for him’.
What follows is the story of how Steele ended up getting involved in the Russian dossier.
In 2006, Steele headed the MI-6 Russia desk. He retired in 2009 to co-found (emphases mine):
a for-hire investigative firm called Orbis Business Intelligence, which produced a series of 100 reports on the Ukraine-Russia crisis, which erupted in 2014, on contract with the U.S. State Department. In other words, the main author of the Trump-Russia Dossier had a lucrative contract under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before her presidential campaign.
Shimatsu tells us that Steele might well have met Bruce Ohr, another player in the Trump surveillance scheme, in 2010, when investigating the FIFA scandal. (More about Ohr below.) The FBI went to London for an Orbis briefing on the scandal:
As chief of the DOJ international organized crime bureau, Bruce Ohr likely attended the London briefing, where he would have been first introduced to veteran spy Christopher Steele.
Shimatsu claims that Ohr and Steele met again in 2013. At that time, Ohr was Assistant Deputy Director at DOJ and presented a paper at the third St. Petersburg International Legal Forum:
The Korean-American Ohr presented a paper titled “Criminal Matters and Allegations of Crimes in International Arbitration”, a choice of topic timed to undermine Russian counter-claims in the Magnitsky affair. In hindsight it’s ironic that his lecture synopsis included an apt description of the yet to-be drafted Russia Dossier: “a party (in a dispute) may introduce false testimony or forged documents.”
Moscow and Washington were butting heads over the Magnitsky affair when the conference, sponsored by the Russian Federation’s Justice Ministry:
the Kremlin was locked in a controversy over U.S. congressional retaliation for the 2009 prison death of Russian-Jewish accountant Sergei Magnitsky.
(The Magnitsky Act was signed into US law in 2012.)
Before he was imprisoned, Magnitsky worked for Hermitage Capital, which Bill Browder co-owns. Magnitsky worked as an auditor for the firm:
investigating dozens of Russian tycoons allied with President Vladimir Putin as to their links with organized crime figures.
Ohr had a similar interest, as chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, in shady businessmen suspected of money laundering. His job also involved tracking international drug trafficking.
Shimatsu says that Steele was in Russia for the conference in St Petersburg, but is there any corroboration for that? See Glenn Simpson’s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee at the end of this post. According to Simpson, Steele had not been in Russia for 17 years. That would tie in with citizen journalists researching when he worked in Moscow: between 1990 and 1992. It is unclear whether he travelled there or was even allowed to enter the country at some point during that time and/or afterwards.
This brings in another Trump surveillance person into the mix, Carter Page. Ohr’s:
cyber-surveillance network would later focus, outside of its authority, on the activities of Trump adviser Carter Page in Russia and Croatia.
The next event, also in 2013, was the Miss Universe Pageant. Donald Trump was the head of the pageant at that time. As US intelligence agencies cannot spy on American citizens abroad, Steele’s — or was it his company’s? — assignment was to make sure the Russian mafia was not involved in skewing the results:
As it turned out, Miss Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe 2013, meaning Ohr had wasted a lot of American taxpayer money on a wild goose chase.
However, something more significant resulted:
That dated information from 2013 was recycled three years later into the Russia Dossier.
In 2016, Steele became involved in compiling the Russian dossier. Before getting to that part, let’s look at Bruce and Nellie Ohr.
Bruce Ohr
Until recently, Bruce Genesoke Ohr was unknown to the American public, including the media. He worked in the inner sanctum of the Robert F. Kennedy Building, the DOJ headquarters:
on the executive 4th floor, just four doors down from the suite of then Deputy Director Sally Quillian Yates, and since late April her replacement Rod Rosenstein … Ohr served as the assistant to Rosenstein, following the latter’s transfer from the Maryland DOJ office, showing the newcomer the ropes and keeping watch on him on behalf of Yates, Loretta Lynch, Holder and, ultimately, Barack Obama and the Clintons.
He lost his associate deputy attorney general title on December 7, 2017.
Also note:
Ohr, in short, is a partisan watchdog for the Democratic establishment, who’s shown absolutely no respect for the Constitution.
Even worse, Shimatsu asserts that Ohr was partly responsible for the corruption at the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), because that agency was under the authority of the International Organized Crime Drug office, which he was still in charge of until January 8, 2018:
The DOJ has also ignored nearly the entire CIA-run Afghan drug importation, at least since the Eric Holder years. Cocaine, of course, is being targeted by the DEA/DOJ, but that elite-status drug was never in style with the millennial generation, which prefers depressants like heroin mixed with synthetic opioids, on the path to Nirvana.
In July 2001, Ohr testified to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, downplaying the infiltration of Indian reservation casinos by organised crime:
What Ohr completely failed to mention is how Indian casinos along the U.S.-Mexico border were becoming money-laundering centers for the Mexican mafia, lucrative enough for the Caesar’s team of Drexel Lambert junk-bond dealer to build a Harrah’s casino resort at Rincon reservation. Caesar’s Entertainment Group spectacularly collapsed two years ago, amid angry charges by institutional investors of fraud, financial crimes on a much greater scale than small-time gangster scams.
Ultimately:
The politically correct attitudes toward ethnic minorities, here again, has enabled massive expansion of the organized crime, which is ultimately detrimental to the minority groups to achieve genuine economic development and security from violence. The DOJ/FBI, run by front-men for crime, is [a] big part of the problem and not the solution.
Also:
That exactly is why and how the DOJ/FBI and CIA are enabling Chinese triads, the Taiwanese mob, Vietnamese mafia, Japanese yakuza and Korean gangsters to run heroin smuggling, prostitution rings and counterfeits products unimpeded into the United States. The fix is in with the Democratic Party, and the bad guys every hour of every day are winning the battle against the industrial economy and ethical principles of the USA.
Now to the 2016 campaign. Shimatsu tells us:
the DNC and Hillary campaign generously forked over up to a half-million dollars for the Trump-Russia fabrication.
Shimatsu explains something interesting about southeast Asians and the Democrats and why big donations are kept quiet:
… the Democratic Party relies so heavily on large unreported donations of cash from the urban Chinese and Korean business communities, suspect Asia-based businessmen and major crime groups. This tradition since the end of the Chinese Exclusion era is a feudal tribute legacy, by which Asian “leaders” (triad or organized crime figures) pay protection money (aka bribery) to Democrat politicians to enable illegal immigration of underpaid laborers, exemption from minimum wage laws and mandatory benefits for employees, unhealthy tenant crowding of buildings, and police neglect of the illicit trade in contraband, including methamphetamines, heroin and more recently synthetic opioids.
Asians, of course, are not alone in groveling before the powers that be, since most immigrants have had to pay their dues to Tammany Hall and dirty cops, from the Irish to the current wave of Arabs. Despite their strong academic performance, East Asians are perpetually under the Democratic Party heel due to the substandard status of the small-business economy. That is changing, for all the wrong reasons, with the pay-for residency by super-wealthy “businessmen” from East Asia, many of them wanted for economic crimes at home, including illicit capital flight. The United States is a sanctuary for Asian fraudsters and gangsters …
Nellie Ohr
As for Bruce’s wife Nellie, Shimatsu says nothing about her father. Her mother, Kathleen Armstrong Hauke, was active in leftist causes in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Hauke taught English in Nairobi, Kenya. She died in 2004.
Nellie has a ham radio licence, which Shimatsu says isn’t that unusual:
Shortwave radio hearkens back to the late Cold War era, when Nellie would have monitored Russian signals for the CIA. Since that Stone Age for telecommunications, Nellie Ohr became part of the CIA cyber-intelligence program known as Open Source Works (OSW), discussed below, which explains her intelligence role inside Fusion GPS, the private investigation group that hired Orbis and Christopher Steele to draft the Trump-Russia Dossier.
Until late 2017, she and her husband shared the same office, indicating that the Ohrs were:
part of a high-level inter-agency intelligence team.
The Ohrs, Steele and the dossier
Shimatsu winds the clock back to 2013 to the St Petersburg conference. However, was it Steele himself or an Orbis representative who attended? Donald Trump arrived in Russia one month later in advance of the beauty pageant:
What a tangled web they weave! The Ohr-Steele encounter in St. Petersburg turned out to be the very seed from which sprang the Trump-Russia Dossier … Just a month later, in June 2013, Donald Trump arrived with his advance team to make the arrangements for the Miss Universe pageant, scheduled for November 2013 at the Crocus hall in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk.
Fast forward to 2016 and Fusion GPS:
the private investigation firm led by three former Wall Street Journal reporters …
… in mid-2016, the Seattle law firm Perkins Coie, representing the Hillary Clinton Foundation and Democratic National Committee, hired Fusion GPS to probe the Russian relationships of Trump and his associates with the aim of discrediting and defeating his presidential campaign …
Fusion GPS, therefore, was hired as a “cut out”, spy terminology for a neutral go-between created to shield the actual perpetrators in an exchange of stolen information. A psychological operation aimed at political intervention at this level required the direct involvement of and authorization from CIA director John Brennan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and this was to interfere in the elections in favor of their former colleague at State, Hillary Clinton, and not a matter of national security. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper should have been aware of these illicit activities and was responsible for shutting down political subversion, meaning that he, too, bears some degree of responsibility for the bureaucratic assault on democracy.
Do readers notice how anti-Trump Brennan and Clapper are whenever they are interviewed on television? YouTube has various videos of them on news programmes and at conferences.
With regard to the dossier, Shimatsu says that Steele provided little of the content. Most of the content:
strongly appears to be based on CIA and NSA intercepts of phone calls and emails, along with human intelligence from informants. There is also an equally strong possibility that many, perhaps most, of the claims in the dossier are fabrications, lies. Nellie Hauke Ohr and her husband at DOJ reviewed and copied from classified files for the dossier in blatant violation of intelligence regulations. The method of direct translation, for example, “Russian regime” without the article “the”, indicates the CIA protocol followed by Nellie Ohr in radio intercepts. The tiny lapse shows that source is not Moscow but Langley, Virginia.
Shimatsu explains the role of Steele and his company, Orbis:
The notes from CIA and DOJ/FBI classified files, which Nellie Ohr compiled during her several months, during summer and autumn 2016, on the payroll of Fusion GPS while in Washington D.C.. Those materials were then “laundered” through Orbis for plausible deniability at the CIA. Fusion GPS paid the London-based firm more than $160,000, meaning the total budget for consultants, services, travel and communication was probably about a half-million dollars from the original source of funding (prior to DNC-Hillary, which was probably provided by a slush fund at the Clinton Foundation. To the heisted CIA material and forged information, Christopher Steele added his recollections from Donald Trump’s Miss Universe visits in 2013, supplemented by whatever hearsay picked up immediately after the contest. Examination of the dossier is similar to the findings from a forensic autopsy on Frankenstein’s monster: A lot of body parts that don’t fit together, laced together and patched with putty.
Nellie Ohr’s inchoate and disorganized editing, in contrast to the minimal standards at any daily newspaper, reveals the sloppiness that’s the norm at her post inside the CIA bureau known as Open Source Works, which itself is highly classified and anything but open …
In summary:
Open Source is now the major enterprise of the CIA in its effort to intimidate world leaders, corporate executives, military officers and media personalities. The Trump-Russia Dossier is an end-product of illicit CIA privacy violations, enhanced by selective editing and outright fabrication to incriminate the victim, in this case the President of the United States. The Frank Church amendments need to be upgraded to deal with terror by fake media, so that the offending bureaucrats and their political patrons can be locked away without access to cyberspace.
Present day
On January 22, 2018, just over a month after Shimatsu’s article was published, the New York Post had a report about the testimony to the House Intelligence Committee from Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS:
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) asked Steele’s Clinton-paid handler Glenn Simpson, during the House Intelligence Committee’s Nov. 14 closed-door hearing, if Steele had gone “to Russia as part of this project,” to which Simpson replied, “No, sir.” Steele, at the time he compiled the dossier, hadn’t been back to Russia in 17 years.
If true, that clearly contradicts what Shimatsu alleges.
Simpson told the House Intelligence Committee that Steele:
ran a “network of subsources or subcontractors” who traveled around Russia and gathered information for him.
As for the framework of the dossier:
… it turns out the primary subcontractor worked not for Steele but for Simpson at Washington-based Fusion GPS, and he contributed key material for the investigation of Trump underwritten by the Clinton campaign.
Steele’s reputation preceded him:
Simpson says he completely deferred to Steele’s expertise and did not question his findings because of his “sterling reputation.” Simpson has pumped this guy up to be the real-life 007 so deep inside the Kremlin, he didn’t have to corroborate his information, yet Steele was so far out of the hunt, his tradecraft so rusty, he apparently had to rely on a Russian translator who flacked for Putin to gather his so-called intelligence.
These latest revelations make it all the more baffling that the FBI took Steele so seriously. They also suggest the public should not make that mistake.
Since then, a redacted version of Senator Charles Grassley’s memo on the dossier has been made public. More on that next week.
This post is part of a series about expected news items in 2018. Readers who have not seen the first two posts might find them of interest:
Part 2: Hillary WAS supposed to win (The 16 Year Plan to Destroy America)
Part 4: ‘secret society’ and more on missing FBI texts
Today’s post is related to all of the above. It concerns the release of the Devin Nunes FISA memo on February 2, 2018.
Representative Devin Nunes (R-California) is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
His four-page memo concerns FISA warrants allowing surveillance of President Donald Trump and several others.
Democrats and media want one-party state
Before going into the content of the memo, what everyone around the world heard this weekend on media outlets has been an onslaught of anti-Republican and anti-Trump thought.
This is because — as I said in Part 2 — Donald Trump was patently not supposed to have won the 2016 election:
A firestorm of protests and objections to Trump ran from the day after the election to the present. Even former attorney general Loretta Lynch got involved early in 2017:
The blurb for the video reads:
The Obama administration’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has made an impassioned video plea for more “blood” and “death” on the streets – a video that was later posted on the Facebook page of Senate Democrats as “words of inspiration.”
There are some big players behind the move for the one-party state, and many people who ally themselves with the Democrats have been persuaded that this is for the common good. However, based on this memo — and the Democrats’ clear disdain for the American people as seen at the State of the Union address — that might not play out:
Tucker Carlson (Fox News) interviewed Representative Eric Swalwell (D-California) the evening of the memo’s release. Swalwell suggested that Carlson, in defending the memo’s release, was doing Vladimir Putin’s work. Absurd:
The Nunes — FISA — memo
The Nunes — or FISA — memo is four pages long and has no footnotes. A two-page letter from the White House states the president approves of its release. Both are on Scribd and PDF.
Here is a big picture overview of the background to the memo (courtesy of The_Donald):
This image from 8chan has additional information, equally important:
Tom Fitton from Judicial Watch describes the scenario in a nutshell:
This graphic is helpful in understanding what happened when:
Also involved is a man named Carter Page, who was briefly and peripherally involved with the Trump campaign. He was the gateway for the surveillance. Anyone he spoke to on the campaign was automatically surveilled.
The Federalist has a short, concise summary of what is in the memo. Excerpts follow from ‘The 7 Biggest Bombshells In The House Intel Memo On FISA Abuses’, emphases mine outside of the headings:
1. FBI Used News Articled Sourced By Steele To Corroborate His Dossier
The memo, which President Trump agreed to declassify Friday, states that the FBI did not tell the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) a lot of crucial information about the dossier it was citing as evidence when the bureau sought a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to monitor Page.
In September 2016, ex-British spy Christopher Steele–who compiled an infamous dossier filled with unfounded claims about President Trump–told Yahoo News about Page’s visit to Moscow. Yahoo News subsequently published a story about this trip. The FBI then cited this Yahoo News report, sourced entirely by Steele, as evidence in its initial FISA warrant application to corroborate information the ex-British spy compiled in his dossier. The FBI incorrectly asserted to the court in its application that Steele did not provide information to Yahoo News about Page’s Moscow trip. British court filings, however, show Steele admitted he met with Yahoo News in September 2016, two months before the FBI got its initial warrant, to discuss the trip at the direction of Fusion GPS.
Think of it — using a Yahoo News article to obtain a FISA warrant. You could not make this up. The journalist who wrote the article is stunned:
2. FBI Knew Steele Was Being Paid By DNC, Hillary Clinton, Chose Not To Tell The Court
The FBI did not tell the court that information cited in its warrant application was gathered by an individual who was being paid by Trump’s political opponents.
The bureau was aware that Steele was working for Fusion GPS, a research firm that was hired by Perkins Coie, a law firm Hillary Clinton and the DNC were making payments to. The DNC and Clinton campaign paid Steele $160,000 …
In December 2017 FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Steele testified that if the dossier hadn’t existed, the FBI would not have sought a warrant (Bombshell 3).
4. FBI Spied On Trump’s Associate For Nearly a Year
The FBI obtained the initial FISA warrant to surveil Page on October 21, 2016 after he visited Moscow and reportedly spoke to a Russian official who had expressed support for Trump in July 2016. The warrant was renewed three times for the full extent allowed of 90 days each, totaling 360 days under surveillance …
With each of these renewals, the FBI choose not to disclose to the court that it had relied on information funded by Trump’s political opponents in its quest to surveil a Trump campaign member.
Signatories included then-FBI director James Comey, then-deputy director Andrew McCabe, then-deputy attorney general Sally Yates, then-acting-deputy attorney general Dana Boente, and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
What this means is that Trump was under surveillance even after he became president:
Steele began playing up his role in the operation and gave an interview to David Corn of Mother Jones on October 30, 2016, only several days after the first FISA warrant was approved. The FBI dismissed him as an ongoing source, as he violated bureau protocol (Bombshell 5). However, the FBI never told FISC — the FISA court — when seeking warrant renewals (Bombshell 6).
7. DOJ Official’s Wife Was Getting Paid By Fusion GPS
Throughout the process of obtaining the initial warrant, then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr’s wife worked for Fusion GPS, the firm that hired Steele to dig up dirt on Trump. At the firm, she helped conduct opposition research on Trump and his associates. The FBI did not disclose this to the court.
Ohr was demoted within the DOJ in December 2017 after it was discovered he had concealed meetings with Steele and Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson. During these meetings, Steele confided in Ohr that he was “desperate that Donald Trump not get elected.” The FBI knew about Steele’s political bias against Trump, but did not make this known to the court.
Why this matters — constitutional crisis?
Exposing this — what many Trump supporters knew or suspected — is a very big deal and could cause a constitutional crisis:
From The_Donald:
This congressman takes it even further:
Ultimately:
What’s coming soon
On February 2, Gateway Pundit reported that Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) are busy attempting to get a Senate Judiciary Committee memo declassified.
The HPSCI will also vote to make supporting documents to the FISA memo discussed here available to the public.
Expected in March is the inspector general’s — Michael Horowitz’s — report which is likely to cover this and much more.
2018 will be quite the year for news. Stay tuned.
(Forbidden Bible Verses will appear on Sunday, February 4.)
On January 31, I posted on President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address.
If you haven’t read that and haven’t followed the SOTU, especially the Democrats’ non-reaction, please do, as this post is a follow up looking at reactions from both sides of the aisle.
White House
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sent out gracious tweets following the SOTU:
Democrats in trouble
During the SOTU, the Democrats — bar one or two — sat in silence. There was only one time when a number of them stood and applauded.
No one expects them to applaud Trump’s policies, but when a president praises Americans, the custom is to stand and applaud.
The Democrats did not do that. My aforementioned post has several photos of them, especially Representative Nancy Pelosi (California). She was unrepentant:
Not every Democrat sees it her way:
When you look at Trump’s address, note how many times he said ‘we’ and ‘together’.
He listed all of his administration’s huge achievements made in just one year.
Pelosi is laughable.
But there are others:
However, the next Democrat, from Chicago, had to have been the worst. After the North Korean defector lifted his crutches triumphantly, guests on the Republican side began chanting ‘USA! USA! USA!’ This was Luis Gutierrez’s reaction:
Watch the video and see that this was the one time a large number of Democrats stood and applauded. Ironically, that’s when Gutierrez made his exit.
He later issued this statement:
Words fail me, so I’ll move on.
Media reaction
The media’s reaction was just as unhinged as the Democrats’.
Some took issue with Trump for wanting to fully eradicate MS-13, saying we cannot even be sure if this horrific gang actually exists!
Immigration was another issue.
So were American values:
Unbelievable! Yet, people still tune in to this rubbish!
Mark Dice has a short, humorous — yet factual — take on the media’s reactions, complete with clips. You’ll also see more Democrats. Chuckles guaranteed:
At least Matt Drudge’s headline said the president has ‘shows heart’.
Public’s reaction to Democrats
Hey, Dems, take a look at yourselves.
Then take a look around you.
You showed your true colours and all of America could see it:
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted:
This couple were special guests at the SOTU:
The_Donald, which continues to increase its subscribers daily, had several posts about the SOTU. One thread covered that tweet. Representative comment (emphases mine):
I wish I could tell her how much good company she has in being red pilled. So many black Americans stay on the Dem plantation because they fear their community will abandon them. Alone and adrift in a world where they were taught that all are turned against them, especially whites. Once people like this lady figure out they’ve been lied to and used and want to leave, they end up going up against the “social enforcers” who use their power within the black communities to isolate those who think differently.
To repeat, I wish I could tell her what wonderful company she has here.
Also:
Trump’s black support has already doubled in a year. It’s my belief that a lot of blacks are actually open to him, and all they need is a reason to switch over. This image could be broadcast strategically for a few weeks during the election and probably win over tons of black voters.
I don’t doubt Trump’s increased MAGA support in the black community. This photo was taken before the SOTU. This chap is even wearing a GOP badge:
On another thread praising the fine — and highly moving — address Trump gave, someone wrote:
I’m doing a lot of laughing at the Dems these days. They are circling the toilet bowl and they know it. Bitter clingers to very bad ideas.
All of these Dem photos and film clips can be put together in a powerful campaign ad this year for mid-terms and again in 2020!
Another thread said that the SOTU has finished the Democrat Party. I refuse to say ‘Democratic’ — the proper name — because their members are too radical to live up to it.
Another thread said that Trump is snatching the rug from underneath the Dems:
For years the DNC has always communicated good intentions… the infrastructure programs, the social programs and other typical DNC related topics – Trump is dismantling and taking these topics from them. It is really clear…
It is clear that the Democrats are on the wrong side right now:
best SOTU speech in my lifetime was awesome then awesome then better great g[rea]t great AMERICANS and FAMILIES and dems just sat like toads on a log headed down river
Not even rigged voting machines can save these desperate individuals now. For years, I have longed to write that sentence. Now I’ve finally been able to do so.
This image comes courtesy of The_Donald. Can’t you see this being used to great effect?
This is the background story to the image:
Trump touted the patriotism of a young boy named Preston who planted flags for veterans.
“Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. Preston’s reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
Republican side stands and applauds. Dems do nothing. Nancy Pelosi looks round to make sure.
Official polling
Several days before the SOTU, this poll came out showing that most Americans are on Trump’s side of the issues:
Here are the results of the CBS poll taken after the SOTU:
Now Trump’s approval rating has gone up:
It is no doubt higher than that, but polling companies don’t care to get the correct weighting for Republicans and Independents.
One thing is certain: 2018 will be exciting, especially when the mid-term campaigning starts.
President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
Last year, he gave a presidential address to both houses of Congress on February 28. The format was very similar to the State of the Union address.
Here is his address in full:
The White House site has a transcript. Stephen Miller, his speechwriter, did a formidable job once again. Miller is highly inspirational.
Most of President Trump’s speech follows. I have interspersed it with tweets of text and reactions, especially from Democrats.
Special guests
Beforehand, Trump welcomed his special guests privately in the Oval Office. He mentioned all of them in his address. They were ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Supervisory Special Agent Celestino Martinez, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert for her work during Hurricane Harvey, Staff Sergeant Justin Peck who rushed to save an officer stricken by an IED blast in the Middle East, police officer Ryan Holets and his wife Rebecca for adopting a baby born to a drug addict, three employees from Staub Manufacturing to highlight the new tax plan, two sets of parents who lost children to gang violence, Otto Warmbier’s parents who suffered deeply after their son needlessly died shortly after returning from North Korea, Ji Seong-ho who also suffered at the hands of the North Koreans, firefighter David Dahlberg who rescued 60 children from a California wildfire and 12-year-old Preston Sharp who has organised the decoration of 40,000 veterans’ graves with American flags and red carnations.
The guests sat with First Lady Melania Trump:
The address
Early in his address, President Trump set the tone for his review of 2017:
He said (emphases mine below):
Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected, and others we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. We endured floods and fires and storms. But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America’s soul, and the steel in America’s spine.
Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are, and show us what we can be.
We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the Las Vegas strip.
We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live power lines and deep water, to help save more than 40 lives. Thank you, Ashlee.
We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. He is here with us too. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 children trapped at a California summer camp threatened by wildfires.
To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, California, and everywhere else — we are with you, we love you, and we will pull through together.
Some trials over the past year touched this chamber very personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this House — a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work three and a half months later: the legend from Louisiana, Congressman Steve Scalise.
We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol Police Officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who saved his life, and the lives of many others in this room.
In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve.
Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, we cross it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If there is an opportunity, we seize it.
So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong.
And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America.
Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.
Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion in value. That is great news for Americans’ 401k, retirement, pension, and college savings accounts.
And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.
Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.
To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a married couple is completely tax-free. We also doubled the child tax credit.
A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill reduced by $2,000 — slashing their tax bill in half.
This April will be the last time you ever file under the old broken system — and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month.
We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year — forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health plans. We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare — the individual mandate is now gone.
We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone in the world. These changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than $4,000.
Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut, and can now deduct 20 percent of their business income.
Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub Manufacturing — a small business in Ohio. They have just finished the best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding into the building next door.
One of Staub’s employees, Corey Adams, is also with us tonight. Corey is an all-American worker. He supported himself through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession, and was later hired by Staub, where he trained to become a welder. Like many hardworking Americans, Corey plans to invest his tax‑cut raise into his new home and his two daughters’ education. Please join me in congratulating Corey.
Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses — many of them thousands of dollars per worker. Apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America, and hire another 20,000 workers.
So to every citizen watching at home tonight — no matter where you have been, or where you come from, this is your time.
Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to have, and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All of us, together, as one team, one people, and one American family.
We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great American flag.
Together, we are rediscovering the American way.
In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto is “in God we trust.”
And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.
Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding, California, who noticed that veterans’ graves were not marked with flags on Veterans Day. He decided to change that, and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes.
Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. Preston’s reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why …
For the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their Government.
Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court Justice, and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country.
We are defending our Second Amendment, and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty.
And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our veterans choice in their healthcare decisions. Last year, the Congress passed, and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its passage, my Administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve — and we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do.
I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey.
All Americans deserve accountability and respect — and that is what we are giving them. So tonight, I call on the Congress to empower every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers — and to remove Federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people.
In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in history.
In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled America’s autoworkers — so we can get the Motor City revving its engines once again.
Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the United States — something we have not seen for decades. Chrysler is moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan; Toyota and Mazda are opening up a plant in Alabama. Soon, plants will be opening up all over the country. This is all news Americans are unaccustomed to hearing — for many years, companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are coming back.
Exciting progress is happening every day.
Trump then spoke about healthcare:
He then spoke about the importance of getting trade deals that are fair to the United States, ending with:
He outlined his plan for infrastructure:
Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.
Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector investment — to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit.
Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process — getting it down to no more than two years, and perhaps even one.
Together, we can reclaim our building heritage. We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land. And we will do it with American heart, American hands, and American grit.
The next topic was safety, security and gangs:
Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their two teenage daughters — Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens — were close friends on Long Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa’s 16th Birthday, neither of them came home. These two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown. Six members of the savage gang MS-13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa’s murders. Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors ‑- and wound up in Kayla and Nisa’s high school.
Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for you. And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine the depth of your sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure this pain.
Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws, and support our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, so that this cannot ever happen again …
He spoke of America being compassionate:
Then came the sentence everyone will remember:
Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country: Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino Martinez — he goes by CJ. CJ served 15 years in the Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous criminals off our streets. At one point, MS-13 leaders ordered CJ’s murder. But he did not cave to threats or fear. Last May, he commanded an operation to track down gang members on Long Island. His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 220 from MS-13.
CJ: Great work. Now let us get the Congress to send you some reinforcements.
The next topic was immigration. Trump explained that his plan has four pillars: 1) an amnesty for 1.8 illegals whose parents took them to the US at a young age, 2) the wall and more border agents, 3) an end to the visa lottery and 4) an end to chain migration.
These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system.
For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.
Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to only sign a bill that puts America first. So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.
These reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction.
As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the best in America.
We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the Holets family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, and an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here tonight with his wife Rebecca. Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she did not know where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby.
In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: “You will do it — because you can.” He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope.
Then it was on to defence:
As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression. Perhaps someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet.
Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near Raqqa last November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosives so that civilians could return to the city.
Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the booby-trapped building and found Kenton in bad shape. He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. He then performed CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2 hours of emergency surgery.
Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin’s selfless love for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a “V” for “Valor.” Staff Sergeant Peck: All of America salutes you.
Also:
So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay.
And:
I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests, and only go to America’s friends.
As we strengthen friendships around the world, we are also restoring clarity about our adversaries.
When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.
I am asking the Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible Iran nuclear deal.
Then, Trump discussed North Korea:
We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and our allies.
Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University of Virginia. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to America last June — horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed away just days after his return.
Otto’s Parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are with us tonight — along with Otto’s brother and sister, Austin and Greta. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength inspires us all.
Here is a photo of Otto Warmbier before he left North Korea. (Background: Warmbier’s parents had contacted the Obama administration, which claimed to have been trying to do something to get him released. Mr Warmbier rightly thought that much more could have been done.)
Trump had one more North Korean story. This, too, is incredible:
Finally, we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Seong-ho.
In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain. His brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves — permanently stunting their own growth. Later, he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any Christians. He had — and he resolved to be free.
Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches across China and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was caught trying to escape, and was tortured to death.
Today he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most ‑- the truth.
Seong-ho’s story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom.
It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. But it was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could rule themselves. That they could chart their own destiny. And that, together, they could light up the world.
That is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done.
Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of Freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her …
And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. This Capitol. This living monument to the American people.
They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. They are strong moms and brave kids. They are firefighters, police officers, border agents, medics, and Marines.
But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, this city, and this Nation, belong to them.
Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them, and to always be worthy of them …
It is hard to see what people object to in that speech. I will have reactions from both sides of the aisle and the media on Friday. Here’s an interesting fact:
For now, it is easy to see why Trump won the 2016 election.
He really does care about Americans and America.
It makes no sense other than to people who are sick in the head. More on the Democrats on Friday.
On Monday, January 29, 2018, the US House of Representatives voted to make the Devin Nunes memo on FISA abuse public.
Representative Devin Nunes (R-California) is the House Intelligence Committee chairman.
His memo will probably appear within the next few days.
Representative Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina) says this is the same memo that the House has seen:
President Donald Trump will have no objections to making it public, along with relevant documents:
Author and journalist Paul Sperry says it will go public after the State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 30. Pictured below is Nunes’s adversary, Adam Schiff (D-California), and fellow Democrats. Adam Schiff and other Democrats do not want this memo released:
We will also be able to read the background to the vote:
The Nunes memo will be a watershed moment, as Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) explains. The content is tied to texts exchanged between FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page:
According to him, it will also implicate President Trump’s opponent in 2016:
Remember how Trump looked at Hillary at the 2016 Al Smith Catholic Charities dinner?
As Representative Louis Gohmert (R-New York) said:
Former Secret Serviceman Dan Bongino says:
Interestingly, the FBI’s deputy director, Andrew McCabe, who recently announced his retirement also left on January 29, weeks earlier than announced:
So:
The Conservative Treehouse has more (emphases mine):
On Sunday night the Justice Department was granted access to view the House Intelligence Committee memo known as the ‘Nunes Memo’. In unusual timing, last night FBI Director Christopher Wray went to the secure facility (SCIF) in the basement of the House of Representatives to view the content of the House Intel Committee memo.
Today, the FBI releases an announcement saying Deputy FBI Director Andrew “Andy” McCabe has stepped down (been removed) from his position effective immediately.
The Conservative Treehouse article has the history to the story, going back one year.
There is also a leaker at the DOJ:
Think about it. The Nunes memo was available to congress for over a week, and not a single -substantive- material leak came out. Yet, within HOURS of the Justice Department having access to the memo, the New York Times is writing about specific details contained within the memo …
The House Judiciary Committee chair, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), has written to FBI Director Wray requesting that McCabe’s communications be retained:
Back now to the Nunes memo. What is it likely to say?
The Conservative Treehouse has more, including a synopsis of an interview the aforementioned Dan Bongino gave to Fox News. Excerpts follow:
Former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino appeared on Tucker Carlson TV show tonight to discuss the release of Chairman Devin Nunes intelligence memo.
During the segment Mr. Bongino highlighted his theory that Chairman Nunes memo not only holds references to the DOJ and FBI use of fraudulent FISA702 application evidence, but that the memo also contains compartmented intelligence exclusive to former President Obama’s Presidential Daily Briefings (PDB’s).
If true, this exclusive Bongino revelation could be explosive.
As for the expected memo content:
From all indications it is an outline written by senior intelligence committee staff, with major input from Devin Nunes describing evidence, people and events who conspired back in 2016 and 2017. In essence it is a summary of facts, that Chairman Nunes knows to exist.
No-one actually knows what the underlying supportive material is, because no-one, other than Chairman Devin Nunes, has seen the full material in the context of his reference.
People are *assuming* the memo is heavily written around FISA-702 issues and documents (FISA application, Steele Dossier, wiretaps, surveillance, intercepts etc.), but no-one actually knows what is behind the memo, other than Devin Nunes.
The article has background information on Nunes, whom the Democrats had temporarily removed from his chairmanship for several months in 2017 on a trumped-up ethics violation. The matter came to nothing.
The article also says that prominent Obama cabinet members could be implicated in the memo.
Here is an interesting Obama video clip:
Keep this in mind:
The Democrats are on the attack:
Here’s Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York), responsible for the recent government shutdown:
This is a great retort from the former Milwaukee sheriff to Eric Holder’s comment on McCabe:
Former CIA director says Mueller’s investigation should be protected by law:
The media will spin this all sorts of ways.
Anyone opposing release of this memo or criticising it is a) guilty, b) loathes the American public or c) both.
President Donald Trump continues his winning streak, despite so many people’s concerted efforts to bring him down.
Shutdown
Last week at this time, the Senate was about to vote for a government shutdown.
No one suffered, outside of the media:
Trump’s base was supportive. Someone in Ohio bought advertising space:
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) thought the shutdown was a great way to put Trump in his place and make him look like a failure. I do not quite understand the logic of that, but, then, I am not a Democrat.
On Monday, January 22, 2018, the government reopened.
Even Trump’s detractors saw it as a win for him:
Yes, even Trump’s arch media enemy:
DACA
The shutdown held an unexpected result for Schumer.
The DACA people — whom Obama called ‘dreamers’ — went to protest at his house in New York City. Remember that they were similarly angry with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) last year.
Quite a crowd showed up to chant, with musical accompaniment:
It will be interesting to see if DACA becomes legislation:
The Supreme Court is now involved. Trump rolled DACA back last year and declared a moratorium until March 5, 2018:
The Washington Times article says:
The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will speed up a case involving the Trump administration’s request to cancel the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty, moving to grab a piece of the unfolding immigration debate.
In a brief order, the justices said they have granted the administration’s request to hear the case even before a ruling by a lower appeals court. Such requests are rarely granted.
A district judge issued a controversial ruling earlier this month that found the 2012 DACA program legal, and found the Homeland Security secretary’s decision to undo the program illegal …
The Justice Department, in asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, called the six-month phaseout a “humane choice” that was better than having the courts rule it illegal and cancel it immediately.
This is how one Twitter user analyses Trump’s position:
1. For a couple weeks now, I’ve been saying that DACA is not a bargaining chip, it’s a bait. In fact, you just saw who Trump used it to bait the Dems into a Banzai Charge on his most heavily fortified position.
2. Having been humiliated by Trump, the smarter Dems in congress, especially in the Senate are going to be hella wary of doing that again.
3. It’s not just that Trump humiliated them, it’s also that the thought DACA was a certain winner politically, because all of their slanted Big Media polls have been telling them that for years.
But when it came time to actually act, the public melted their phones with anger.
4. So, now what?
Now, DACA is not a bargaining chip, it’s a wedge.
5. Again, DACA is not a bargaining chip, it’s now a wedge.
And Dr. President Trump is going to put it on the fault line between sensible Congressional Dems and their bitter, idiotic, lunatic voters and hit it as many times as he can with a sledgehammer.
6. Trump is going to use DACA to split Dems from their hardest-of-hardcore base: the ethnic agitators, the SJWs, the cat ladies, and the whole rest of that ranting crew
7. Trump is going to do this by making the terms of any potential DACA deal so hard for Dems to swallow that they’re either be a) forced to abandon the Dreamers, or give Trump so much of what he wants that the Dem base will have an epic meltdown.
8. The Dems in Congress find themselves in yet another no win situation. They have to give Trump the moon or throw the Dreamers overboard.
There is no other viable option for Democrats. None …
15. Part of Trump’s strategy is to demoralize the Dem base early, with a series of giant defeats/humiliations of Dem leaders. He wants Dem voters to crash hard before the summer. He’s got to make it clear that #RedTideRising is inevitable, so as to keep the Dem base at home.
16. And the way you make it clear is by hitting the Dems with his strongest and most popular positions. Did you notice that on Friday, literally five minutes after the shut down, Trump released the details of his infrastructure plan? That’s the next stage after the crash.
17. Trump is orchestrating an emotional crash for the Dem voters and the humiliation of Dem congressmen before the summer because he wants to offer the sane ones a chance at emotional redemption through MAGA and the infrastructure plan.
18. Yes, #RedTideRising isn’t just about energizing the Trump base, they’re plenty energized. It’s really about peeling off the regular democratic voters who aren’t lunatics, or who’ve decided to stop being lunatics. This includes a sizable number of blacks and legal hispanics.
19. After the DACA thing is settled one way or another, either of which will be a big win for Trump, Trump is going to pivot to infrastructure and start hammering it hard. Remember, infrastructure is a HUGE bipartisan issue …
25. The bad news is that Trump may actually get a DACA deal. But if he does, what he’ll get in return will be astounding, & it won’t include a path to citizenship, more like a green card. Meaning, if you get a DUI, you’re sent back. The Sword of Damocles insures their behavior.
26. When I say Trump will get the moon, I mean the Wall, end of chain migration, no to DACA parents, more ICE agents, and probably a couple other things I haven’t thought about. Plus, no path to citizenship.
The Dems in Congress are just desperate enough to go for that.
29. In fact, if Trump pulls this off, ending birthright citizenship will be a piece of cake, because the smarter Dems will rush to readjust their platform to include more immigration restriction. Which will allow Trump and MAGA’ian GOP to move even more to the right.
30. So, once again, remember the Three Rules of the Trumpening.
1. Always trust Trump.
2. Never bet against Trump.
3. Don’t get tired of winning …
Davos
With the shutdown situation resolved, President Trump was able to leave Washington DC for Davos:
His anticipated attendance proved to be positive news …
… even to journalists who aren’t known for being Trump supporters:
This is a pretty big deal for the United States and for Davos:
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross fired the opening salvo before Trump arrived. The Conservative Treehouse reported:
Wilbur Ross Shreds Globalists at Davos: “We don’t intend to abrogate leadership, but leadership is different from being a sucker and being a patsy”…
Not surprisingly:
Believe me, the economic globalist attendees were/are entirely freaking out. There’s a panel discussion video at the bottom which will highlight the tenuous position of the multinational corporations, banks and the economic interests of the globalists. Prior to the panel Secretary Ross gave an interview to CNBC.
Brilliant.
Tax cuts
Trump spoke with reporters before he left for Davos. He was upbeat about the American economy and the excellent reaction from corporations to the tax cut legislation signed before Christmas:
JP Morgan Chase is the latest in a long list of companies to raise minimum wages and increase investment:
This is true, no hyperbole:
That comment
Remember that comment Trump supposedly made about certain countries last week?
He got plaudits from one African president …
… possibly partly for this reason?
The Daily Caller recaps an interview President Yoweri Museveni gave to the Associated Press:
“America has got one of the best presidents ever,” Museveni said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “I don’t know whether he was misquoted or whatever. But he talks to Africans frankly. In the world, you cannot survive if you are weak” …
The comments sparked a backlash both domestically and abroad. A group of African ambassadors called Trump’s comments “outrageous, racist and xenophobic” and demanded an apology.
Museveni, however, remains a huge Trump fan.
Wow.
In closing, I don’t know how Trump does it. But he does and wins brilliantly.
This post is part of a series about expected news items in 2018. Readers who have not seen the first two posts might find them of interest:
Part 2: Hillary WAS supposed to win (The 16 Year Plan to Destroy America)
Today’s instalment has more on the missing texts, FBI agent Peter Strzok and another topic, the ‘secret society’ revealed in these messages.
More missing texts
Fox News has discovered that Strzok and then-FBI lawyer Lisa Page were not the only agency employees to have texts go missing:
The Fox News article says, in part:
EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of FBI cellphones were affected by the technical glitch that the DOJ says prevented five months’ worth of text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page from being stored or uploaded into the bureau’s archive system, federal law enforcement officials tell Fox News.
The missing messages have been at the center of a storm of controversy on Capitol Hill, after the DOJ notified congressional committees that there is a gap in records between Dec. 14, 2016, and May 17, 2017. Strzok and Page are under scrutiny after it was revealed that the former members of Robert Mueller’s team exchanged a series of anti-Trump texts during the presidential campaign.
The gap in records covered a crucial period, raising suspicion among GOP lawmakers about how those messages disappeared.
But Fox News is told that the glitch affected the phones of “nearly” 10 percent of the FBI’s 35,000 employees.
Senior Department of Justice officials told Fox News they are “taking steps” to possibly recover the texts from the appropriate cellphone carriers. The same officials told Fox News they are also making every effort to track down the physical cellphones in question so they could be subject to a forensic review.
True Pundit, which looks click-baity but is run by a former FBI employee, has more, possibly based on anonymous FBI tip-offs. Excerpts follow, emphases mine:
A high-ranking FBI official confirms a number of the missing 50,000 FBI text messages — as well as other text and email messages among FBI brass — reportedly discussed initiating physical harm to President Donald Trump …
The FBI official urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which oversees the U.S. Secret Service — to launch an investigation of the Justice Department, the FBI and all text messages missing and otherwise that threatened the President.
“This is dangerous territory and all FBI text messages and personal phones should be examined,” the official said. “It would reveal some frightening conversations.”
Did FBI brass discuss the assassination of President Donald Trump? If not, what was the nature of the threats against the president from inside the alleged premier law enforcement agency in the United States?
“(Director) Wray wants a lid on this,” the FBI official said. “Many know there was talk of harming Trump politically but there is a group here (in D.C. HQ) that understands it goes deeper. We need a special counsel or Homeland Security. Somebody has to clean this up outside of DOJ. It is unacceptable.
This is scary:
As reported yesterday in True Pundit, members of the FBI and Justice Department’s top brass at their Washington D.C.headquarters and other field offices are now using burner phones to stay under the radar of federal investigators and lawmakers, according to FBI insiders.
The shocking revelations come on the heels of news that the FBI deleted thousands of text messages between anti-Trump FBI agents before investigators could review their content.
While that is disturbing on one level, FBI and DOJ hierarchy employing the telecom habits of drug cartel bosses reaches a new low for the once-heralded federal law enforcement agency and the DOJ. And breaks federal laws as well.
The Hill reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the DOJ will investigate the matter and do everything possible to recover the missing texts:
“We will leave no stone unturned to confirm with certainty why these text messages are not now available to be produced and will use every technology available to determine whether the missing messages are recoverable from another source,” Sessions said in a statement.
“I have spoken to the Inspector General and a review is already underway to ascertain what occurred and to determine if these records can be recovered in any other way. If any wrongdoing were to be found to have caused this gap, appropriate legal disciplinary action measures will be taken,” he continued.
As my post of yesterday pointed out, there are several ways these and other ‘missing’ electronic data can be recovered.
In addition, the phones being used were supposed to be Samsung S5 phones, which do not have a bug that deletes texts. Hmm:
However, The Hill‘s article says that a number of Republican legislators are echoing Trump’s claim that the Robert Mueller investigation is a political witch hunt. Strzok and Page were part of Mueller’s team until he found out about the copious text exchanged between these two anti-Trumpers.
The Daily Caller recaps what Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee told a Milwaukee radio host about one of the texts in which Strzok says that they won’t find anything on Trump, insinuating that he only joined the Mueller investigation to depose the president:
In an interview with WISN-Milwaukee radio host Jay Weber, Johnson read aloud a May 19, 2017 text that Strzok sent to Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer and his mistress.
Strzok wrote: “You and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely, I’d be there no question. I hesitate in part because of my gut sense and concern that there’s no big there there” …
As the FBI’s deputy counterintelligence chief, Strzok was picked in July 2016 to oversee the investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government. Prior to that, he was a top investigator on the Clinton email inquiry.
“I think that’s kind of jaw-dropping,” said Johnson, a Republican, said of the Strzok text.
“In other words, Peter Strzok, who was the FBI deputy assistant director of the counterintelligence division, the man who had a plan to do something because he just couldn’t abide Donald Trump being president, is saying that his gut sense is that there’s no big there there when it comes to the Mueller special counsel investigation,” he said.
The text message was included in 400 pages of text messages exchanged between Strzok and Page. Lawmakers have started reviewing the trove of documents for evidence of anti-Trump and pro-Clinton bias.
CBS News has a related article with several of the text messages the two exchanged.
Johnson and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, sent a four-page letter to Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz with a list of questions about these missing messages.
Imperator_Rex thinks there is a strategy behind the news about the missing texts:
5. So while Strzok & Page (or someone else) deleted the texts, I’m not buying the separate conclusion that they no longer exist. Here’s what I think may be happening.
6. Option #1 -The OIG discovered the texts were deleted during their investigation & recovered them. Working with DOJ, they are now leaking fake news to confuse the perps in this conspiracy and/or hoping to stimulate comms between them (they’d all be under surveillance), or
7. #2 – this is part of the lead up to the memo release & part of a well planned, calibrated campaign to educate the American public for that shock, as well as what follows. Remember,most Americans are only just waking up to what many of us have known for months.
8. #3 – they are ALL lost forever, never to be found again. Remember, even if the SMSs are lost (they aren’t), the signatures of where, who, how & when the deletions occurred will remain. AND they already have more than enough evidence to nail these sob’s to the wall, anyway.
9. May be wrong, but one thing I have learned in the last 12 months is NEVER to accept what’s happening on the surface at face value. ESPECIALLY leaks to the media. We learned this in the ‘leaks are real, news is fake’ campaign that started as soon as Trump was inaugurated.
Transfers, resignations
Strzok has been transferred internally and is now working in the FBI’s HR department.
Page has been transferred from the FBI to the DOJ.
However, more transfers — and resignations — have occurred. This could be because of IG Horowitz’s independent investigation of the FBI:
On Tuesday, January 23, James Rybicki, chief of staff to the Trump-appointed FBI director Christopher Wray, resigned. He was to have appeared before the House Oversight Committee the Thursday before.
to testify as part of the committee’s investigation into the Department of Justice’s probe in Hillary Clinton’s private email server, and the decision by then-FBI Director James Comey to announce there would be no criminal charges against the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
Rybicki will also appear before the House Judiciary Committee, an aide told the Washington Examiner.
He showed up, apparently.
Fox News reported that Rybicki’s departure had been on the cards for months and that he was not fired. He will be moving to the corporate sector.
The Conservative Treehouse has more:
Rybicki was the key figure in circulating and coordinating the “Clinton Exoneration Statement” read by Director Comey. For Clinton endeavor Rybicki was the hub collecting and dispatching communication as the ‘talking points’ were constructed, edited, refined and ultimately finalized.
Additionally, Rybicki was the communication hub surrounding the Clinton-Lynch ‘Tarmac Meeting’ discussion points that led to public statements therein by the FBI and ultimately Loretta Lynch’s public statements about distancing herself from the investigation.
Also, James Rybicki was listed as one of the key witnesses requested by Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes as outlined in the letter of agreement between Nunes and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. James Rybicki was/is being questioned by Nunes et al.
Zachary Harmon is Rybicki’s replacement.
Then, we have this move:
CNN‘s article states:
Dana Boente, the acting head of the Justice Department’s national security division and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, has been picked to become the new FBI general counsel, according to a source familiar with the move.
Boente was first thrust into the spotlight in January 2017 as the acting attorney general after President Donald Trump fired Sally Yates for her refusal to defend the first travel ban. He later moved to the No. 2 spot at the Justice Department as acting deputy attorney general, tasked with overseeing the Russia probe after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself and then delivering the news to a slew of US attorneys left over from the Obama administration that they had been fired.
He will take the place of James Baker, who was reassigned within the FBI late last year.
I highlighted part of the first paragraph, because his move means that leaves a vacancy for a new US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, no doubt a Trump appointee.
Eventually, the FBI — and DOJ — will be cleaned up, but it won’t be any time soon.
TrumpSoldier has a good thread — complete with video clips — on FBI director Christopher Wray, who is waiting for the IG’s report on the bureau so he can do a complete clean up:
‘Secret society’
The Strzok/Page text exchange mentioned a ‘secret society’ intending to remove Trump from office:
Michael Goodwin mentions it in a good article in the New York Post about how politicised the FBI has become:
… each day brings credible reports suggesting there is a massive scandal involving the top ranks of America’s premier law enforcement agency. The reports, which feature talk among agents of a “secret society” and suddenly missing text messages, point to the existence both of a cabal dedicated to defeating Donald Trump in 2016 and of a plan to let Hillary Clinton skate free in the classified email probe.
If either one is true — and I believe both probably are — it would mean FBI leaders betrayed the nation by abusing their powers in a bid to pick the president.
ABC News has an exclusive on the ‘secret society’, which includes this:
Asked Wednesday whether he believes there’s a “secret society” inside the FBI to take down the president, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said, “That’s Strzok and Page’s term.”
“Everything I take with a grain of salt,” he added. “[But] I’ve heard from an individual that … there was a group of managers within the FBI that were holding meetings off site.”
So “when Strzok and Page had described a secret society, that didn’t surprise me because I had corroborating information,” Johnson said.
He declined to describe the “whistleblower” in any way, and he said he did not know what the FBI’s “off-site” meetings might have entailed.
Nevertheless, he said he is “trying to be as transparent as possible.”
Johnson is pictured in the ABC tweet above. He also spoke to Fox News.
Infowars has more, summarising material from True Pundit and its founder who tweets as Thomas Paine:
Paul Joseph Watson tells us:
On Monday, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) revealed that congressional investigators learned from a new batch of text messages between anti-Trump FBI investigators Peter Strzok and Lisa Page that a “secret society” within the DOJ and the FBI had schemed immediately after Trump’s election win to undermine the president …
“They communicate with meetings over cocktails, at homes, via encrypted chat rooms, texting on drug-cartel-inspired burner phones, and even via an email list, according to sources. Others have secured phones in the names of relatives to try to stay under the radar.”
The source of these claims, a Twitter account under the name of Thomas Paine who also runs the intelligence website True Pundit, could be easily dismissed as a crank – if were not for the fact that he exposed the secret society within the FBI a month before it was in the news.
On December 19, 2017 – over a month before it was made public, the Thomas Paine account tweeted, “What is this I hear about a private meeting away from FBI HQ by high-ranking FBI agents trying to get their stories and alibis straight?”
Ross Daniels, writing on Medium, has more:
A source on the inside has informed me of a top secret meeting that is alleged to have taken place between prominent intelligence community officials, both currently serving and retired.
The source details a meeting that took place in Virginia of December 2016 at the The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. Officials met for several hours, there were some very, very prominent intelligence officials there, including Robert Mueller, James Comey, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, John Brennan, James Clapper, Leon Panetta, Phil Mudd, David Petraeus, Michael Hayden & former Attorney General Eric Holder.
My word. If true, that’s an all-star line-up.
There’s more:
They openly joked about the now famous Russian dossier, likely used to obtain the FISA court warrant to spy on the transition team. The source wouldn’t reveal that it was used to obtain the warrant, because of the legal repercussions of declassifying such a revelation, but strongly hinted that was indeed the case …
The source wouldn’t go into too many other details, citing the typical lingo of “can’t compromise sources and methods etc”… this person was also in fear they would be outed for going public about the meeting, a meeting they were told “never took place” upon arriving at the lavish hotel. They tried to take this to more mainstream outlets, but didn’t think anyone would believe the story …
This further proves that the IC was actively working to undermine the President from day one in backroom closed door meetings. I am also told this wasn’t the only meeting.
Former US Attorney Joe diGenova believes this could well be true and, if so, thinks the group still meets. He is none too happy with the current FBI director, Wray, either, for not cleaning house:
Representative Mark Gaetz (R-Florida) gave an interview about the ‘secret society’, calling it a ‘palace coup’:
I do not know how much of this message from another Anon is true — not all of it, one imagines — but it mentions the ‘secret society’ and a plan to kidnap Trump’s grandchildren, suggesting that is why Donald Trump Jr dropped his Secret Service detail for private security.
In closing, here is part of a thread from Representative Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina) about the widespread corruption at the FBI:
Think about how important that is. We have a text from Peter Strzok talking about the pressure to end the Clinton investigation, and then–within 48 hours–documents suggesting Peter Strzok changed Dir. Comey’s letter from criminal charges to just “carelessness.” That’s major.
Folks, this stinks to high heaven. If this is anything what it looks like–the FBI changing course on investigation, putting their thumb on the scale to undermine Donald Trump and essentially help Hillary Clinton–that is as wrong as it gets. This demands further investigation.
And remember, this doesn’t even address a host of other questions! The dossier. The Carter Page FISA application (that they still won’t show us). The 5 months of mysteriously “missing” Page/Strzok texts. The FBI communicating with Fusion GPS/DNC-hired Christopher Steele. Come on.
This is not party politics. This is not partisan bickering. This is an issue that gets at the very heart of who we are as a nation. If any officials at the FBI were engaged in this kind of behavior, we need to know.
Bottom line: tell us the truth. Tell us the truth about what happened with the Clinton investigation, the 2016 election, and leading up to this “collusion” investigation. All of it. Americans deserve the truth.
I will have more on 2018 news next week.
