Russia Gate! Spy Gate! Oh me! Oh my!

In Less Than 2 Minutes On MSNBC Susan Rice Exposed The Entire Obama “Russian” Motive…

This is the important detail. Susan Rice was requesting unmasking of U.S. person’s names, which she moments later describes as “U.S. official[s]”, to understand the context and importance for the intelligence being given within the PDB.

In other words, right there Susan Rice stated that she was doing it for the president to add "context and important" to his Presidential Daily Briefing. Oh what tangled webs we weave...
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GOP senators call for probe into Susan Rice ‘unmasking’ reports

I don't like this. Not at all. It seems to me that the call for a new probe is simply to take over the already-in-progress investigation which is finding out too much. Especially because it's the Never Trumper Lindsey Graham calling for the new "probe" while trying to undermine the House Intel Committee's investigation/hearing, and I've said from the gitgo that Republican Never Trumpers were part and parcel of this from the beginning. And I feel the same way about the following:

Report: FBI Creating Special Unit to Coordinate Russia Investigation

I'm betting dollars to donuts that this is all about controlling the narrative and the evidence... and hiding the truth.

ETA: And now the slimy weaselly congress critter Mitch McConnell is joining the call for a Senate Hearing:

McConnell Supports Senate Intelligence Committee Investigation of Susan Rice
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This one may be about changing the focus and narrative as well:

Complaint: Firm behind Dossier & Former Russian Intel Officer Joined Lobbying Effort to Kill Pro-Whistleblower Sanctions for Kremlin

I don't know what to think about Grassley's efforts, but I'll be keeping an eye on him.

a reply to: butcherguy

I didn't notice the double negative thing before.
Interesting.

Interesting indeed! I had noticed the double-negative and just dismissed it as very poor grammar... but this made me think again. It is hard to believe that an educated and otherwise well spoken woman would revert to such poor expression. Gotta wonder about that.

One more -- the most important one (at least for now):

WSJ: Susan Rice Was Not Alone In "Unmasking" Team Trump

As part of its daily wrap of the Susan Rice newsflow, which focused on her first media appearance since she was "outed" as the persona responsible for "unmasking" members of team Trump, the WSJ provides two new pieces of incremental information:

i) in addition to Michael Flynn, at least one more member of the Trump transition team was "unmasked" in intelligence reports due to multiple foreign conversations that weren't related to Russia; and

ii) Rice wasn't the administration official who instigated Mr. Flynn’s unmasking, confirming there is at least one more high-level official giving "unmasking" orders.

WSJ has a paywall, so I cannot access the original article. This is all I've got. Hopefully we'll learn more soon.

Another red herring? That's what my gut is telling me.

Napolitano: ‘Three intelligence sources’ say Obama used British intel service to spy on Trump

“Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command. He didn’t use the NSA, he didn’t use the CIA, he didn’t use the FBI and he didn’t use the Department of Justice,” Napolitano said. “He used GCHQ.”

The above is from March 14 -- so about 10 days after Trumps first "wiretapping" tweet, and about a week before the whistleblower Dennis Montgomery went public, which was about the same time Nunes viewed the whistleblower material and all hell broke loose.

Napolitano cites three sources; was Napolitano passing on disinfo unknowingly? Or knowingly??? I once had respect for Napolitano, but not so much anymore. He's gone stupid just like Gary Johnson did, saying stupid things when I know they know better.

Or is the "incidental collection" story the false one to protect their (British) "methods and sources" like Farkas said?

Or could they ALL BE TRUE???

The bias media is now using the race card to defend Rice,

After MSNBC commentator Simon Marks said Tuesday on “Hardball” with host Chris Matthews that Republicans “looking for a pinata” “found one in Susan Rice,” Matthews interjected, saying, “notice it’s always a female. Just a thought.”

“That’s also true,” Marks agreed. “But I do think she slightly played into their hand.”

“I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with [the unmasking]. I think unfortunately for Rice, she’s given two contradictory interviews,” Marks said.

Later during the same interview, David Corn, editor-in-chief of the liberal blog Mother Jones, disputed the existence of any evidence to suggest Rice did anything improper or illegal. Corn went on to speculate that maybe Republicans are accusing her of the acts because she’s a black woman.

www.theblaze.com...

a reply to: marg6043

The bias media is now using the race card to defend Rice

Well of course! We knew that was coming... maybe we should be more surprised that it took this long, eh?

Anyone remember how Comey stated last month that there were no FISA warrants issued in July?

We know now that he either lied, or the surveillance that was happening was illegal.

originally posted by: butcherguy
Anyone remember how Comey stated last month that there were no FISA warrants issued in July?

We know now that he either lied, or the surveillance that was happening was illegal.

I do remember that. I also remember him saying something to the effect that he "now has the authorization" to say there is an ongoing FBI investigation into the Russian collusion allegation. There have also been lots of unsourced contradictory reports about Comey this and Comey that. I don't know what to make of Comey. I don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy or playing both sides against the middle or what.

But we have to keep in mind that Comey -- and everyone -- are legally bound from telling the whole truth. Secret courts, secret court orders, secret gag orders, confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure clauses. It goes on and on. We have no idea what laws or regs or contracts are keeping him from talking -- assuming that he wants to talk. At the very least, we know that he's not supposed to talk about ongoing investigations. That alone could keep a fruitless investigation open and keep his mouth shut.

But that leaves us with the question: Who has that authority over the Director of the FBI???

ETA: I did some checking, and it would seem that only two people have authority over the Director of the FBI, and that's the president and the attorney general at the DOJ. So that would have been Obama and Loretta Lynch under Obama, and Trump and Sessions under Trump.

Who is the boss of the Director of the FBI?

Can FBI Director James Comey Be Fired? 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Another anonymous report, though the article does specify members of both the House and the Senate Intelligence Committees:

Lawmakers say intel agencies stonewalling on surveillance probe

...multiple lawmakers and investigators for the panel told Fox News the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency - all agencies in position to aid the probe – are not cooperating.

I won't waste time posting the obligatory denials by the relevant agencies, but here are a few more interesting tidbits:

“Our requests are simply not being answered,” said one House Intelligence committee source about the lack of responsiveness.

"The agencies are not really helping at all and there is truly a massive web for us to try and wade through.”

A Senate Intelligence Committee source said the upper chamber had the same experience.

Sources within the NSA said they are watching the investigation closely, with one telling Fox News, “A number of people saw a lot of very questionable stuff. [The Obama administration was] using national assets and intelligence for politics.”

It was not clear if the alleged lack of cooperation was from top brass or agency holdovers resisting the new administration.

Nunes said during a March 22 press conference that he was “troubled” because the reports he’d seen were not connected to Russia or any foreign intelligence.

Rice isn’t the only Obama official implicated in the Trump team surveillance scandal. Multiple sources insist she was part of a group involved at the highest levels and was not calling the shots.

“A lot of us are upset. We believe this group of people were using national assets for politics and misappropriating them,” said one NSA source. “Don’t forget as the national security advisor, Susan Rice is supposed to ingest and digest. Despite what you are hearing, it is not normal to investigate especially in the broad manner that was being done. She [was] a White House staffer, not a member of an intelligence agency."

I was rather surprised by this --

Both are holdovers from the Obama administration. Last month, both men declined to appear at a private closed door House Intelligence Committee briefing and have not met with the committee members since.

-- because that's not how it happened. Both men were scheduled to appear, but the Dems refused to sign off on the appropriate paperwork to allow them to testify. But even if they had "declined" to appear, then SUBPOENA THEM!!! Enough lame ass excuses. Just get the job done!

This one is sourced -- Peter King is saying it loud and proud:

Reports in unmasking controversy were detailed, had info about 'everyday lives'

The intelligence reports at the center of the Susan Rice unmasking controversy were detailed, and almost resembled a private investigator’s file, according to a Republican congressman familiar with the documents.

"This is information about their everyday lives," Rep. Peter King of New York, a member of the House Intelligence committee said. "Sort of like in a divorce case where lawyers are hired, investigators are hired just to find out what the other person is doing from morning until night and then you try to piece it together later on.”

On the House Intelligence Committee, only the Republican chairman, Devin Nunes of California, and the ranking Democrat Adam Schiff, also of California, have personally reviewed the intelligence reports. Some members were given broad outlines.

The report said "NSA is allowed to unmask the identity for the specific requesting recipient only under certain conditions and where specific additional controls are in place" and those conditions were met for "654 U.S. person identities" in 2015.

Rice told Mitchell, "Fulfilling the president's request for such a report, they went back and scrubbed more reports. They began to provide more such reports to American officials, including myself."

Uh oh! Is Rice admitting this was done for Obama and at Obama's specific request??? Me thinks maybe so...

Nunez just step down from the intelligence committee, temporarily, somebody filed a complain against him to stop him to go forward with the investigation on the surveillance with the ethics committee.

This not new, anybody can file a complain to stop anybody from the intelligence committee from investigating something that somebody doesn't want investigated.

He said that as soon the complain is refute he will be back.

interesting.

a reply to: marg6043

Wow! Thanks, Marg

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes will temporarily step away from Russia probe

Last week, watchdog groups asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether Nunes potentially broke House ethics rules and revealed classified information related to the probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Nunes said he will temporarily step back from the investigation as the allegations are resolved. The House Ethics Committee confirmed in a statement Thursday that it is looking into "public allegations" that Nunes "may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information."

So... just to put this in perspective... progressive "watchdog groups" think Nunes is baaaaaaaaaaad for telling we the people that he has seen evidence of unauthorized disclosures of classified information because... wait for it... that was an unauthorized disclosure of classified information!!! Seriously???

Rep. Mike Conaway will take control of the probe, with "assistance" from Reps. Trey Gowdy and Tom Rooney, the California Republican said in a statement Thursday. Nunes will still serve as the committee's chairman and carry out his other responsibilities in the position.

Trey Gowdy? Awesome!!!

Me thinks these "watchdog groups" should have been more careful what they wished for... now that they've got it, I think Trey Gowdy is going to make them very very sorry. But we'll see what happens.

a reply to: Boadicea

Yes, I am sure that Democrats were getting desperate to call their advocacy groups to do the deed.

But is ok, I am sure that things will keep moving smoothly regardless.

The collusion is still a no show, we all know where all this inquiry and intelligence witch hunt is going.

Let them celebrate for now that Nunez is gone.

I believe in karma.

a reply to: marg6043

I believe in karma.

Me too!!!

We knew this was coming -- of course the guilty critters were going to do anything they could to disrupt and obstruct the truth being told. They won't go down without a fight.

I just keep telling myself we gotta "live for the fight" cause it's all that we've got

From Larry Klayman's Twitter:

Freedom Watch Files Ethics Complaint vs Rep. Adam Schiff Minority Member of House Intel Cmte

Larry Klayman is the attorney for NSA/CIA Whistleblower Dennis Montgomery, who promised/threatened to go public with Montgomery's information if it wasn't appropriately addressed in the House Intelligence Committee's hearings.

And from the Freedom Watch website:

It is now clear that as Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff has been fully aware of and sought to cover up widespread crimes, multitudes of felonies, of warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens within the domestic United States for partisan political purposes and partisan advantage, invasion of privacy, and illegal disclosure of classified information. These multiple felonies have occured under the presidential adinistrations of both Barack Jussein Obama and before him George W. Bush in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Kind of interesting after Nunes stepping aside after a complaint, eh? I think Schiff might like recusing himself and getting the spotlight of him!

a reply to: Boadicea

LOL

This gets better by the minute !

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: Boadicea

LOL

This gets better by the minute !

Right???

And it's just getting rolling... but that's okay! My seatbelt's tightened!!!

a reply to: Boadicea

In the interest of keeping our friends close and our enemies closer so to speak: The totally phony Susan Rice story, explained The former national security advisor’s surveillance activity is neither illegal or unethical.
Youth is the best excuse... that's all I can say here.

Sorry, I tried to read that story but it was making my brain hurt. My synapses just don't fire that way, but as you observe---youth---educated by a series of experiments by the bureaucracies of government and education. A system whereby the resistors to indoctrination are legally drugged into submission.

I'm just glad someone has the patience to weed through this. It is far more tedious that all those weeds springing up in my gardens at an alarming rate! Kudos for keeping us informed.

We have a disfunctional government. I don't think Washington should have authority over our military. It's been that way for at least twelve years.

a reply to: Boadicea

Cue up Wolfgang from Laugh-In: Very interesting.