There are multiple stories today about the declassification of three footnotes from within the DOJ IG report on the Carter Page FISA application. Many voices are calling the declassification of those three footnotes “bombshells”, and “the beginning of the great reveal“; however, that’s not accurate. [Neither Is This From Congress] Exactly the opposite is true… the release today is purposeful misdirection.
Everyone seems to be overlooking the obvious… Why were these footnotes classified four months ago when the report came out? Who classified them? There are no protected “sources or methods”; and the only reason for the redactions was to protect the corrupt interests of the DOJ.
With that said, I find no reason to celebrate the un-redaction of redacted information that should never have been classified in the first place. Factually, the information revealed by the footnote declassification was already well known. Worse still, the interpretation of the information within the footnotes is propaganda, purposeful ‘misinformation’.
Additionally, if these declassified footnotes are an example of a new DOJ shift to allow sunlight; as in: some newly discovered interest in truthfulness; then why are the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages still redacted? Why is the Susan Rice memo on inauguration day still redacted? And, more importantly, more tellingly, why is the DOJ still hiding the ‘scope memos’ that authorized Mueller’s investigation?
Nope. What was released today was an example of the state moving in a very specific way to protect itself. I’ll explain after we first review what happened today: [h/t Catherine Herridge]
Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson wanted four footnotes declassified (unredacted) from the IG report on FISA: fn-302, fn-334, fn-342* and fn-350.
Footnote 342 is still fully redacted; however the others were mostly unredacted today.
♦Footnote 302 Before
Footnote 302 After
♦Footnote 334 Before
Footnote 334 After
♦Footnote 350 Before
Footnote 350 After
As a result of the declassification, the media and congressional takeaway is this:
The “central and essential” evidence used to justify invasive surveillance of an American citizen in the FBI’s probe into Russian interference was, itself, an example of Russian interference, according to once-secret footnotes declassified at the urging of two U.S. Senators. (link)
According to these interpretations, which are fully supported by the DOJ and FBI, the former administration officials were duped, tricked, into believing Russian disinformation that was seeded into the Chris Steele dossier.
That interpretation is the official U.S. Government position.
That interpretation is also pure nonsense. Here it is again:
[…] The footnotes reveal that, beginning early on and continuing throughout the FBI’s Russia investigation, FBI officials learned critical information streams that flowed to the dossier were likely tainted with Russian Intelligence disinformation. But the FBI aggressively advanced the probe anyway, ignoring internal oversight mechanisms and neglecting to flag the material credibility concerns for a secret court. Despite later intelligence reports that key elements of the FBI’s evidence were the result of Russian infiltration to undermine U.S. foreign relations, the FBI still pushed forward with its probe. (more)
That is not just a wrong interpretation; it is an intentionally wrong interpretation.
That interpretation comes from interests of the U.S. government, all sides; and it is intended to help protect and insulate the institutions of U.S. government.
The truth is the CIA and FBI worked to plant disinformation in the Steele dossier. The CIA/FBI did not get duped by Russian Disinformation. The CIA/FBI knowingly and willfully solicited Russian disinformation to be channeled to Chris Steele.
The current DOJ, current FBI, and current political class (both parties), do not want to reveal that U.S. intelligence agencies worked with Russian actors to seed disinformation into the Steele Dossier that could then be laundered and returned to the U.S. intelligence apparatus for exploitation – via political surveillance – using FISA.
♦ FACTS – In addition to working in collaboration with Fusion-GPS and Nellie Ohr (CIA), Christopher Steele was simultaneously employed by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. Our current DOJ and FBI are well aware of this; so too is congress.
Oleg had hired Christopher Steele at the same time Steele was working with Nellie Ohr and Fusion GPS to write the Trump dossier. [LINK] Also WATCH:
In September of 2016 Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, and two FBI agents approached Deripaska in New York – again asking for his help. This time the FBI request was for Deripaska to provide dirt on Paul Manafort and the Trump campaign.
Later the New York Times tried to spin that request, by saying the FBI was trying to “flip” Deripaska to be a source for them. [LINK]
And then there was Anastasia Vashukevich, Oleg’s female companion, who was traveling with Deripaska at the time, and coincidentally talked about overhearing conversations about Trump, Moscow, hookers and Pee tapes between Oleg and ?? [Likely Steele] Funny how those same claims were in the debunked dossier.
And lets not forget our coup-plotter pal, Senator Mark Warner, and his “would rather not have a paper trail” conversations with Oleg’s lawyer (Adam Waldman) [LINK]…
So no, the FBI didn’t “ignore likely Russian disinformation.” The entire CIA/FBI network was based around CREATING Russian disinformation [or at least the impression therein].
The reality is that Christopher Steele was working for Oleg Deripaska, and Deripaska provided material, ridiculous material like hookers, pee-tapes etc, that Steele -while working in collaboration with Bruce Ohr’s wife Nellie Ohr (CIA)- put into his silly dossier and gave to the FBI….. who then used that nonsense to gain a surveillance warrant against the Trump campaign. That’s Oleg’s REAL STORY.
Christopher Steele, working for Deripaska and Fusion-GPS, was simply the tool to get the CIA/FBI constructed intelligence products into useful position/channels. It was an intelligence laundry operation…. all feeding into Chris Steele and then coming out in his dossier. There was no “ignoring” it, because the CIA/FBI was manufacturing it.
The FBI used the dossier as evidence for the FISA warrant against the campaign. Some of the information used in the dossier was from U.S. intelligence to Chris Steele. The FBI knew all along the Russia intelligence part was bullshit; that is the reason the FBI ignored any warnings about the validity or provenance of the dossier.
The FBI knew the dossier was junk, they were not duped. That’s why the FBI “ignored” warnings…. They were only ignoring what they already knew.
They were ignoring all of this because the goal changed after the November 8, 2016, election. In January 2017 the goal to get rid of Trump was now centered around creating the special counsel.
The special counsel would then use the pre-existing FISA surveillance authority to conduct intelligence operations against the administration. The DOJ/FBI needed to hand Mueller the tools to investigate Trump; that’s why they kept renewing the FISA warrant despite the collapse in provenance. This was all by design.
No-one participating was unaware of the background of their participation. No-one was duped; no-one was a victim of Russian disinformation. Everyone knew the operational goals and objectives to target Trump. Everything was done purposefully and with specific intent, including Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein…
…And that’s why we cannot see the expanded scope memos.
The current DOJ and FBI are protecting themselves and their institutions.
