To recap, the House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines last night to make public a classified memorandum, written by Republicans and drawn from US intelligence, pertaining to some element or elements of the overall Russia matter. The specific subject matter of the document remains unclear, although the surveillance of former Trump aide Carter Page appears to be at least somewhat relevant. Democrats have objected vociferously to publishing the memo, claiming that it paints an inaccurate picture of reality, based on incomplete information. They’ve drafted their own private memo, which the committee voted unanimously to make available to all House members — but not the public — last evening. (For what it’s worth, I’ve come to believe that given the volume and severity of the various charges and counter-charges, both memos should be released, along with as much supporting raw intelligence as possible, with a careful eye toward national security considerations).
Among the criticisms mounted by Democrats in recent days is the accusation that the GOP-authored document isn’t factually accurate. Fox News chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge, who first revealed that FBI Director Christopher Wray viewed the memo on Sunday, is reporting today that several FBI/DOJ sources have now viewed the controversial missive and are not questioning its accuracy:
Two Senior FBI officials have now reviewed the Republican staff memo, alleging abuses of government surveillance programs during the 2016 election, a source familiar with the matter tells Fox News, adding that the officials “could not point to any factual inaccuracies.”
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) January 30, 2018
One of the arguments against publishing the memo was that the FBI and DOJ should be given an opportunity to review its contents and raise concerns on factual or national security grounds. According to Herridge’s sources, a number of officials have now been afforded that courtesy, and they’re not disputing the core facts presented in the memo. That doesn’t mean that the top brass is now unanimously vouching for its in-context accuracy, or endorsing its conclusions — nor does it mean that they don’t maintain serious qualms about the impact of releasing a document that contains sensitive intelligence. Nevertheless, ‘not inaccurate’ is significant. Here’s something else to consider: Are Democrats riled up over the prospect of the Republican memo getting out because it contains objectively embarrassing information about their party’s actions throughout this whole confusing saga? Here’s Congressman Trey Gowdy, who was reportedly instrumental in pressing to allow the FBI access to the memo prior to the vote on its publication:
My Democratic colleagues didn’t want us to find this information. They did everything they could to keep us from finding this information. I think it will be embarrassing to Adam Schiff once people realize the extent to which he went to keep them from learning any of this. That would be the embarrassment.
Hmm. Meanwhile, the sudden departure of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe remains a hot topic in town, and as we relayed last night, it appears as though McCabe was forced out after Wray was made aware of a “concerning” detailuncovered in the course of the nonpartisan Inspector General’s investigation of how the FBI handled its probe of Hillary Clinton’s national security-compromising email scandal. An MSNBC host tweeted that it was difficult to reconcile Wray’s erstwhile passionate defenses of McCabe with his very recent decision to oust McCabe from his position:
Today:
FBI Dir. Wray implies McCabe is out because of internal review of Clinton stuff. (Same initial reason offered for Comey firing)
Last week:
3 "direct" sources said Wray was SO protective of McCabe that Wray threatened to resign over pressure to oust him.
Makes no sense
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) January 30, 2018
This doesn’t seem like a great mystery to me. Either (a) Wray — who has a strong bipartisan reputation as a professional, built up over many years — randomly decided to succumb to Trump’s angry griping and pressure for no apparent reason, after doing the exact opposite in private, or (b) Wray learned a pertinent fact that wasn’t previously in his posession. I know which option seems much more likely, especially given the New York Times’ account of what happened.
Remember the Senate report on enhanced interrogations, headed by Feinstein (that didn’t even bother to question the interrogators) and how they denigrated the counter-report issued by the intelligence community? My, how times have changed.
Or, C), Wray was aware McCabe was involved in these shenanigans but didn’t want a public black eye for the FBI, but had to act because the information was going to be made public.
Actually, the claim that the FBI found no factual inaccuracies in the Nunes memo is total bullshit.
Wednesday, January 31 – FBI warns it has ‘grave concerns’ about omissions in Nunes memo
The claim made in Guy Benson’s story is nothing more than a lie.
@Greg: So using false information to secure a FISA warrant is not a lie? Your comments are becoming more and more hysterical every day. Instead of being wrong 90% of the time, Greg is approaching 100%. Soon he will be perfect!
@Greg:
Baloney.
Why was McCabe “forced to resign” if the memo Wray read was factually inaccurate?
Why doesn’t the FBI simply produce evidence of these alleged inaccuracies? If they were to do so, it would take all the steam out of any claims of wrongdoing by the FBI.
The FBI claims of omissions from the memo is the same sort of deceptive obfuscation as McCabe’s stunt trying to make it look like Priebus was pressuring the FBI on the bogus Russian collusion investigation for asking the FBI to state publicly what McCabe told Priebus in private regarding the fact that there was no evidence of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.
Release the memo.
@Greg: No, they don’t. Who is this person, “the FBI” and “the bureau”? That could be anyone; Strzok for all we know and I bet he has SERIOUS concerns. The only people objecting to the release are those afraid of the secret society being exposed. Like you.
@Pete:
No one says it’s “inaccurate”. They say they are concerned about it’s release, which I am sure a lot of people (Obama, Rice, Hillary, Comey, etc) ARE.
@Randy: and Pete
Doesn’t the Obama regime’s actions of weaponizing government agencies against the political opposition along with the ensuing tactics sound like a certain regime overseas we helped to get rid of on OIF?
@another vet: I have quit commenting here at FA due to the ignorance of Greg etal My comments would have the same affect on the neighbor’s horse. When I returned to FA yesterday, I was amazed that as the evidence continues to point to the fraudulent actions of the Obama regime, Greg’s comments have continued to become further and further from the truth. He is now at the point where he can not even find any factual information to support his statements.
@Randy:
Which end?
What we all admire about Greg is his ability to hold dearly to his ideology, Point to the sky and say its blue, and its only blue if the Progressive ideology says its blue, and if they said it was blue yesterday but not today, it has still never been blue.
@kitt: We must show a little mercy to poor Greg. Everything Obama worked for, the weaponization of the DOJ, turning the FBI into a Democrat Gestapo, using the IRS to intimidate and harass conservatives, is all coming to an inglorious and disgraced end. He’s sad.
@Randy: Ignore him and the rest.
@Randy, #3:
Why do you think the FISA warrant was issued based on false information? Because the FOX News propaganda network told you so?
The Steele document is being used by Trump lackeys as a stage prop for idiots, the same way Trump and associates stood alongside a pallet of stacked office paper while pitching Tax Reform. In fact, you don’t know what classified information compelled a FISA judge to not only issue a warrant, but subsequently extend it, any more than you know what the Mueller investigation has so far discovered.
Trump is an effing lie. The man’s methodology involves poisoning any meaningful distinction between lies and the truth. He swims in a sea of lies, because he can only function in a cloud of deception and confusion. Truth is not Trump’s friend. It’s Trump’s Kryptonite. He can’t survive exposure. He wants truth itself not to matter.
The clock is ticking. Trump is going down. The closer he gets, the more dangerous he will become, because he’ll do anything to preserve Trump.
@Bill… Deplorable Me, #5:
Someone sure as hell does. The FBI itself says the memo is inaccurate and misleading. The FBI released a public statement on Wednesday to that effect.
Not only have Nunes and his pack of weasels created a deceptive memo they intend to release in an effort to protect Trump; they voted to block Democratic committee members from releasing a dissenting view and the omitted information that backs it up. Republicans are engaging in deliberate deception. They’re part of a cover-up effort. That is want they are doing.
Do you like for your elected officials to conspire together to conceal the truth?
@Greg: Have you ever stopped to wonder “What if its true”
You believe without question the un-named sources of MSNBC and CNN and the russian theme they wove during the run for election, We believe named sources and evidence obtained from the law firms financial documents about the dossier and it being not vetted for truth but used to obtain a warrant. Yes release both memos. In fact the Dems have a copy of the original memo if Nunes re-wrote it as is being floated, release the exact changes.
But what if the very worst is true then what?
@another vet: I think Greg is gulping the same drugs Pelosi is taking. The behavioral resemblance is nearly identical. I know it is not nice to laugh at the disabilities of others, but when someone with a though process like a 2 year old child attempts to evaluate complex issues, one must laugh at the resulting statements.
@kitt, #13:
I will ultimately believe what the evidence ultimately establishes to be true. What I find most disturbing is the blatant use of the power of office to keep that process from working through to its conclusion. This is a very serious abuse. There’s enormous danger to our entire system of Constitutional law and government in allowing it to go unchallenged. It’s how you lose a republican democracy and devolve into something base.
@Randy: Most leftists have the thought process of a two year old and the emotional stability of a four year old. Any wonder why they are so attracted to and dismissive of ANTIFA, Che, Fidel, and Lenin? Very dangerous people.
You should drop the insults and try to think about the issues. It would be a better use of your mental energies.
@Greg:
Never take it personally its a contest who can most creatively chuck an insult its really aimed at ideology, anyone who thinks you will suddenly have a moment and become more centrist is as mentally instable as ________, fill in the blank.
What do you think of the flipflop of the FBI on the “accuracy” of the memo?
If some of the upper special agents became too zealous in their political leanings, I certainly dont blame the entire FBI, but they should answer for it there should be consequences or the Trump admin might try the same thing.
@Greg:
Because it is thought the FISA warrants were based on using the Steele dossier as evidence and, if true, that was false information. Lies. Paid for by Hillary, which should have been the first red flag.
I’ll ask again… who is “the FBI”? Is this every member of the FBI speaking in unison or is it some person… Strzok? Page? Rosenstein? Mueller?… giving their opinion? Representatives of the FBI reviewed the memo and made changes.
Like Comey, some of the FBI leadership want to leak what serves their agenda and bury what doesn’t.
No, that’s why I’m glad Obama and his gang are gone and we can begin to root out the 5th columnists and sleeper cells he left behind.
You haven’t yet and I see no reason to believe you will in the future.
@kitt: You are kind to Greg and likely kind to dumb animals.
@another vet:
Comparing the thought processes of someone to a two year old’s can be considered an insult. What is it is a true fact? Is it still an insult? A two year old listens to a very limited source of information to make decisions. Usually that means the parents. That also means the two year old who has no residual information data base usually repeats what they heard last. There is little or no reasoning and there are very limited sources for input of information. So, when Greg severely limits his sources of information on purpose and uses very little reasoning power to arrive with his conclusions, he usually arrives at the wrong conclusions. Maybe comparing Greg’s reasoning processes to a two year old is an insult, but to two year olds everywhere. They must deal with what facts are provided to them while Greg has access to a wide variety of facts but fails to utilize them.