There is an interesting dynamic unfolding with White Hats and Black Hats amid the story of how political forces within the DOJ and FBI conspired with Clinton allies in the 2016 presidential election, ie. “The Trump Operation”. [Hi Glenn, Jim, Andy]
Back-story – There are two central components:
♦First, corruption within the DOJ and FBI that included their use of unlawful use of FISA-702 exploits; and ♦second, how that intelligence information was extracted, passed along to those outside government, repackaged, and reconstituted into the “Steele Dossier”. The finished, albeit sketchy, intelligence was later returned to the FBI to request lawful FISA court surveillance authority. It is a circle of “intelligence laundering”.
We know the DOJ (National Security Division), and FBI (Counterintelligence Division), worked together on the enterprise. This collaboration is where the insider “small group” participants assemble, intersect and ultimately redistribute themselves into the Mueller investigation with the help of Mueller’s adviser, FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker.
The Players, “Insiders”:
DOJ side: Asst. Attorney General Sally Yates, Asst. AG Head of National Security Division John P Carlin; Deputy Attorney Bruce Ohr; and legal liaison between Main Justice and FBI, Attorney Lisa Page.
FBI side: FBI Director Jim Comey; Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe; Director of Counterintelligence W.H. “Bill Priestap”; FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker; and lead FBI Counterintelligence Agent Peter Strzok.
Outsiders (The Dossier Crew):
Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson; the wife of Simpson, Mary B. Jacoby; a hired private contractor, familiar with CIA operations, Nellie Ohr (also wife of DOJ team insider Bruce Ohr); contracted former British MI6 Agent and head of Russia House, Christopher Steele (also attributed authorship of ‘Dossier’).
♦The basic enterprise seems pretty straightforward albeit corrupt as hell. During a period of November 2015 through April 18th 2016, Justice Department political insiders and outside political contractors, including Fusion-GPS, accessed the NSA and FBI database using FISA-702(17) “About Queries”. They gathered information on candidate Hillary Clinton’s political opposition including Donald Trump campaign officials and affiliates.
This was essentially deep state political opposition research being conducted inside government for a considerable period of time. The information, gathered on Clinton’s political opposition, was then weaponized against the candidacy of Donald Trump.
After being instructed by NSA Director Mike Rogers to conduct a full FISA audit, the NSA compliance officer began querying DOJ and FBI activity. As the compliance investigation closed in on the operation, FBI officials grew nervous. Eventually contractor access to ongoing FISA intelligence was blocked effective April 18th, 2016.
We discover this activity from testimony given by Director Rogers, and from Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats releasing a partially redacted FISC ruling in April 2017.
The FISC ruling details the events throughout 2016. When the full story is finally out, I think many people will understand why DNI Dan Coats made that decision. The unprecedented 2017 FISC transparency appears to have been part of a well developed anti-corruption strategy leading all the way to today.
Always pulling for the Underdog.
So, as far back as November, 2015, the Democrats have been conducting illegal surveillance to try and find dirt on Hillary’s potential opponents. Obviously, they’ve found nothing.
However, now this group of spooks has to conduct an expensive “investigation” to “find” whatever they found illegally so it can be presented as discovered legally. Already, though, the illegal activities, directed by none other than Obama, is unraveling and that will ultimately be good for America.
The Democrats are going to be caught in their own snare.