After Eight Hours Of Testimony And More Scheduled For Thursday, Congressional investigators tell Fox News that Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe dodged questions on the “Trump-Russia” dossier, and his testimony “contained numerous conflicts with the testimony of previous witnesses” so much that the House Intelligence Committee is planning to issue new subpoenas next week to Justice Department and FBI Personnel.
While HPSCI staff would not confirm who will be summoned for testimony, all indications point to demoted DOJ official Bruce G. Ohr and FBI General Counsel James A. Baker, who accompanied McCabe, along with other lawyers, to Tuesday’s HPSCI session. –Fox News
“It’s hard to know who’s telling us the truth,” said one House investigator after McCabe’s questioning – which was reportedly spearheaded by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC).
Individuals thought to be on the new subpoena list include demoted DOJ official Bruce Orr and FBI General Counsel James A. Baker. Notably absent, however, is Peter Strzok – the veteran counterintelligence agent in charge of both the Hillary Clinton email “matter” and the early Trump-Russia investigation who sent anti-Trump text messages to his mistress.
When asked about how hard the FBI worked to verify the anti-Trump “dossier,” McCabe stood by its credibility – despite the FBI’s unwillingness to pay former MI6 spy Christopher Steele an agreed upon $50,000 if he could verify the claims in the document which relied on senior Kremlin officials.
Per the New York Times
The agent said that if Mr. Steele could get solid corroboration of his reports, the F.B.I. would pay him $50,000 for his efforts, according to two people familiar with the offer.
Ultimately, he was not paid.
When asked about funding for the dossier, McCabe claimed he could not recall whether or not the Clinton campaign and the DNC funded the report – despite the alleged existence of documents which McCabe signed establishing his knowledge of its financing and provenance.
Curiously, ahead of McCabe’s Thursday appearance in front of the House Judiciary Committee for a “transcribed interview,” the DOJ has announced that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe “will not be in a position to discuss matters that are within the scope of the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III.”Â
Dep FBI Dir McCabe to appear before Hse Judiciary Cmte Thursday in classified setting for a “transcribed interview.” DoJ tells cmte “McCabe will not be in a position to discuss matters that are within the scope of the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III.”
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 20, 2017
The news comes a week after McCabe canceled a previously scheduled testimony after a Fox News report that the wife of Senior DOJ official Bruce Ohr worked for Fusion GPS, the company which created the Trump-Russia dossier.
Perhaps McCabe revealed too much to the House Intelligence Committee – because it appears the Judiciary Committee won’t be able to ask McCabe questions such as whether or not the FBI launched their Russia investigation based on the unverified Fusion GPS “Trump-Russia” dossier, which was funded in part by Hillary Clinton and the DNC and was created with the cooperation of high level Kremlin officials.
If McCabe can’t talk about the genesis of the Trump-Russia investigation, it likely also means there will be no discussion of the anti-Trump text messages sent by the lead FBI investigator on both the Clinton email probe and the Trump-Russia investigation to his mistress – which includes the infamous “Insurance Policy” text.
The wolves become the lambs.
$50,000 for solid corroboration that clearly established the truth of the matter? That would have been a bargain.
@Greg: Note, however, that corroboration never materialized. Yet, this dossier was used as the basis of proof of the need to conduct surveillance on Trump’s team.