Footnotes in watchdog report indicate FBI knew of risk of Russian disinformation in Steele dossier

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Quote

The FBI was warned sections of the controversial Steele dossier could have been part of a "Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate U.S. foreign relations," according to newly declassified footnotes from a government watchdog report. 

Quote

 

"The (redacted) stated that it did not have high confidence in this subset of Steele's reporting and assessed that the referenced subset was part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate US foreign relations."

Footnote 302 relates to the FBI's efforts to verify information contained in the Steele dossier, commissioned by the DNC through opposition research firm Fusion GPS. 

"According to a document circulated among Crossfire Hurricane team members and supervisors in early October 2016, Person 1 had historical contact with persons and entities suspected of being linked to RIS (Russian Intel)......In addition, in late December 2016, Department Attorney Bruce Ohr told SSA 1 that he had met with Glenn Simpson (Fusion GPS)  and that Simpson had assessed that Person 1 was a RIS (Russian intel) officer who was central in connecting Trump to Russia."

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/footnotes-in-watchdog-report-indicate-fbi-knew-of-risk-of-russian-disinformation-in-the-steele-dossier/

 

As noted, the only "Russian" connections here were of those involved in the Steele dossier itself. They coordinated with Russian intelligence to harm American elections, to do serious harm to American society and inflict destabilization (which they succeeded at, and the damage cannot be undone). 

 

Naturally, when Strzok spoke of an "insurance policy", that policy manifested in using this known Russian disinformation for FISA abuses/omissions, getting the special counsel, and further attempts to try and rid of and undermine the President. This rises beyond sedition and becomes treason when attempting to overthrow an elected President and take control of a country through turning it into a securocracy. Even if those attempts initially began beforehand, it clearly continued. Strzok, Page, Brennan, Comey, and several others deserve a fair trial, but they need to be charged, and executed if found guilty. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds

[Dashinka 24,743]

I would add this.

 

Papadopoulos Denied that Trump Campaign Hacked DNC in Conversation with FBI Source in October 2016: ‘It’s Illegal’

 

Former Trump-campaign adviser George Papadopoulos in October 2016 denied the campaign was involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee earlier that year, in a conversation with a confidential FBI source.

The conversation has already been referenced in Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report of FBI abuses of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance act. The conversation was not included in the FBI’s application for a FISA warrant against former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page, and Horowitz wrote that the omission was one of several instances in which the FBI failed to include evidence contradicting the need for a warrant.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/papadopoulos-denied-that-trump-campaign-hacked-dnc-in-conversation-with-fbi-source-in-october-2016-its-illegal/

[TBoneTX 45,963]

7 hours ago, Burnt Reynolds said:

This rises beyond sedition and becomes treason when attempting to overthrow an elected President and take control of a country

I talked briefly with a lawyer awhile back, and he said that treason is firmly defined in Art. 3 Sec. 3 and that sedition has a lot of judgment surrounding it, making it hard to prove.  The more likely charges would be perjury, and tampering with government documents (the "written" form of perjury).  That's as much as I got.

 

Kind of a shame that the above are garden-variety felonies, but maybe everyone will get multiple charges.

Finally, Lock Her Up.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Just now, TBoneTX said:

I talked briefly with a lawyer awhile back, and he said that treason is firmly defined in Art. 3 Sec. 3 and that sedition has a lot of judgment surrounding it, making it hard to prove.  The more likely charges would be perjury, and tampering with government documents (the "written" form of perjury).  That's as much as I got.

 

Kind of a shame that the above are garden-variety felonies, but maybe everyone will get multiple charges.

Finally, Lock Her Up.

Indeed, and well put. I would then pursue other remedies.. other courts, or make an emergency judgment call Presidents are owed in emergent circumstances to deal with treason. I prefer the initial idea with the presumption that all are working for the best interests of the Republic, but I'm also aware that some of these institutions are also increasingly working against the Republic as well, e.g. the 9th circuit (as one of the more recognizable examples), the FBI, FISA court, and so on.

[TBoneTX 45,963]

The President has almost turned the 9th Circuit into a neutral entity.

 

Will add that the lawyer did say that perjury and tampering are cut & dried -- either you did lie/falsify or you didn't.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Of course, seeing people charged and guilty, those in key positions of power, is actual proof that these laws have any meaning. As we've seen for decades, they have none. I was convinced after seeing no one but Scooter Libby go down in the first decade of this century, then pardoned, that the government was clearly beyond accountability. So it really isn't a surprise over a decade later you see bureau employees seeking to run the country by dictating who wins elections, who is President, etc. Even though Trump's election is a bump in the road, without convictions, without a serious response to place power back in the hands of people, there'll be more Comey's, more Strzok's, and so on, and America will be all the worse off for it. A very strong message needs to be sent to these government people that they had better respect the will of the people, and the people run this country, not them. In the end, I doubt anything happens to them. I think Barr is an okay guy, but he's also a neocon. He's not going to bite the hand that's fed him. People have more loyalty to their corrupt institutions than to the right thing.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds