Trump Meeting On Spying Concludes: Congress To See All "Highly Classified" Information

a reply to: bastion

Sounds just what Russia wanted to me, US-European relations at an all time low, get the US to squabble over fake news, remove European defence, Russia takes over Europe.

Guess you shouldn't throw mud in your allies eye?

www.theguardian.com...

Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told. GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added.

Hmm 2015....these dates are really not matching up .....

According to one account, GCHQ’s then head, Robert Hannigan, passed material in summer 2016 to the CIA chief, John Brennan. The matter was deemed so sensitive it was handled at “director level”. After an initially slow start, Brennan used GCHQ information and intelligence from other partners to launch a major inter-agency investigation.

All this spying and all to show for it are process crimes of lying to the fbi.......

www.theguardian.com...

His sudden resignation – he informed staff just hours before making this decision public – prompted speculation that it might be related to British concerns over shared intelligence with the US in the wake of Donald Trump becoming president.

Interesting the subjects of this story are no longer employed by their previous employers, but trump is still in office.

a reply to: Irishhaf

The claims have been refuted by GCHQ,MI6,MI5, I was paraphrasing them. Decent write up here: www.theguardian.com...

------
GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added.

Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians, sources said.


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The European countries that passed on electronic intelligence – known as sigint – included Germany, Estonia and Poland. Australia, a member of the “Five Eyes” spying alliance that also includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, also relayed material, one source said.

Another source suggested the Dutch and the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security or DGSE, were contributors.

It is understood that GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information. The alleged conversations were picked up by chance as part of routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets. Over several months, different agencies targeting the same people began to see a pattern of connections that were flagged to intelligence officials in the US.

The issue of GCHQ’s role in the FBI’s ongoing investigation into possible cooperation between the Trump campaign and Moscow is highly sensitive. In March Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower.

The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed the “British spying agency” GCHQ had carried out the bugging. Spicer cited an unsubstantiated report on Fox News. Fox later distanced itself from the report.

The claims prompted an extremely unusual rebuke from GCHQ, which generally refrains from commenting on all intelligence matters. The agency described the allegations first made by a former judge turned media commentator, Andrew Napolitano, as “nonsense”.

“They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,” a spokesperson for GCHQ said.

Instead both US and UK intelligence sources acknowledge that GCHQ played an early, prominent role in kickstarting the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, which began in late July 2016.

One source called the British eavesdropping agency the “principal whistleblower”.
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How is it working against a President? They monitored Russian agents, intercepted calls from Team Trump to them and under the Patroit Act handed it over to the US. There's no evidence they were pursuing or had anything on Trump, they never made anything public leaks were by the US.

Should we have let that slide and not alert the US as we're legally required to do under US law just because Trumps Team was aparently involved?

Other nations have finished their reports. Those were the comments from the ex head of MI6 Richard Dearlove saying Trump was making an idiot of himself claiming GCHQ had spied on him and that he needs to read how GCHQ and NSA operate before embarassing himself again when he claimed it had occured last year.

There were at least two meetings with Russian operatives, one was the lawyer informant which turned out to be not much of anything other than failed attempt by Russia to infiltrate the campaign, dealings in two Moscow based banks which were intercepted by members of Trump's team in Estonia which the hasn't been released yet but it only ever refers to contact by his campaign team and associates, Trump himself was not an active part of it as far as they're concerned.

Agreed on media/DNC comments - from the UK where investigations can't be reported on, innocent until proven guilty, person has their day in court, it's 'not cricket' to use a slight potential of an impending case against someone in public or politics, you can be put in jail for doing so due to contempt of court.

The sources are the phonelines they're monitoring of Russian agents and suspected Russian agents, there were multiple hits (sounds like at least 100) where Team Trump were found in contact with said agents/assumed agents. Even just showing raw information will reveal what/who the West is spying on in regards to Russia, it'd hand them a massive intel advantage as they can shelve any detected agents destroying decades of work and creating a huge black hole in intelligence. Names and anything pertaining to identity need to be redacted.

Dearlove retired in 2004.

a reply to: bastion

So the spying on the trump campaign began in 2015......
Where are the charges for crimes committed? If the spying was international by our allies and continued with the cia/fbi/nsa and all there is are charges for lying to the fbi then there is a LARGE problem. TWO years of abuse of powers and for nothing.

Oh also if trump is such an idiot why is the head of gchq out and trump is not?

a reply to: pavil

Right. We'll just ignore the fact that every appearance so far he's been late to.
If it's checkable. But he's late or the press conference is late.
It's a run by the seat of your pants type organization actually.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: Grambler

Wow doesn't sound like the FBI or DOJ are worried about what they have been doing or the procedures they are following if they're willing to share everything.

Now what?

Trump tries to find another way to shut down Mueller.

You still don't understand the the differences between the FBI under the last administration and the FBI under the current administration.

Slowly happening is a transformation and purge.

The DOJ has more than 100,000 people. 35,000 are FBI.

Even full strength Round-up takes time to soak up all the weeds.

🔐💥🚬

originally posted by: pavil

originally posted by: Butterfinger
Ha! Trump just buried himself, exposing all documents that hold evidence against him and his boss Putin!

Hes so crooked and racist, you cant even prove hes crooked or racist!

Now THATS crooked and rascist!

Awwwwwwww, look at them. They are so cute when they try to be tough.

Here's a Snickers Butterfinger, you look like you could use it.

I was trying to be sarcastic, jokes on me

originally posted by: Zanti Misfit
a reply to: Butterfinger

" and his boss Putin! "


Ah Yeah , Miss your Med's today ?

I forgot the /Sarcasm switch at the end of the post, there goes that joke!

originally posted by: Tempter

originally posted by: Butterfinger

originally posted by: toysforadults
They should be asking the question, "what exactly was it thay made them so confident they were going to win that they broke the law and commit treason in order to win"

The delusions of grandeur is what made them confident.

See Strozk's romantic texts, they thought he was anointed by Moloch to stop trump.

shut up.

Are you telling me the term "moloch" appears in texts between the two?

Or are you yanking my chain?

LOL I was completely joking.

Although, they did talk about his position being one of fate to stop Trump, adding in the Moloch from a Hillary email where she was being facetious

a reply to: xuenchen

You're a riot. When ever was the last administration shown to be corrupt. Where are the investigations that showed that? When during Obama's administration was he ever under investigation? When was it he was ordering a political based investigation against his own dept of justice?
Oh yeah never.

Your false confidence is evident.
I call it whistling past the boneyard.

a reply to: Grambler

You're good for many.

When ever was the last administration shown to be corrupt.

www.washingtonpost.com...
A House panel voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to cooperate with a congressional inquiry into Operation “Fast and Furious,” hours after President Obama asserted executive privilege over related documents.

On a party-line decision, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23 to 17 to hold Holder in contempt for failing to share documents related to the operation run out of the Phoenix division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives between 2009 and 2011, with the backing of the U.S. attorney in Phoenix.

a reply to: pavil

This isn't CNN.

You got that right.
It's Info Wars

originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: bastion

So the spying on the trump campaign began in 2015......
Where are the charges for crimes committed? If the spying was international by our allies and continued with the cia/fbi/nsa and all there is are charges for lying to the fbi then there is a LARGE problem. TWO years of abuse of powers and for nothing.

Oh also if trump is such an idiot why is the head of gchq out and trump is not?

Charges are the US's business, not other countries, they just issue routine evaluations of relations and risks post every election, regime change etc for national security purposes.

No as the article shows, they never targeted Trump or his team, they first intercepted calls between his team and Russian agents/suspected agents in Nov 2015 whose phones were monitored/under surveilance, they alerted FBI/CIA to this which they didn't pay much attention too, other countries found the same during the next six months and the raw data was finally presented to the US officials once they understood the gravity of the situation.

Who are you claiming lied to the FBI? Kushner or intel?

The GCHQ head moved to being advisor to 30+ different major companies raking in 100 times his salary for no work, it was an odd departure at the time though, the 'family issues' line generally means alcoholic - if you look at pictures of him at the time he looks completely off his face. MI5 head was promoted to his position. This was a prank call to David Cameron by someone pretending to be the GCHQ head after they managed to get past the Downing Street switchboard.

---
Prank caller: Is that you, Dave?

Prime minister: Good to hear from you, Robert. How can I help?

Prank caller: Thing is, Dave. I’m a bit off my head. I had a few bevvies down the pub and then got completely smashed on weed.

Prime minister: Lucky you, Robert. I’ve just had to spend the whole weekend in Saudi Arabia paying my respects to King Abdullah. There wasn’t so much as a glass of wine let alone some spliff. Anyway, how can I help?

Prank caller: Thing is, Dave. All these terror stories. They’ve got me #-scared …

Prime minister: Me too, Robert. The world is a very dangerous place.

Prank caller: I mean, what can you do about it? That’s what I want to know.

Prime minister: I would point out, Robert, that that is precisely what you are meant to know.

Prank caller: I’m sorry, Dave. You’re right. It won’t happen again.

Prime minister: That’s OK. It happens to the best of us. Why don’t you have a lie down and call me back when you’ve sobered up a bit.

Prank caller: I love you, Dave.

Prime minister: I love you too, Robert.
-----------

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: xuenchen

You're a riot. When ever was the last administration shown to be corrupt. Where are the investigations that showed that? When during Obama's administration was he ever under investigation? When was it he was ordering a political based investigation against his own dept of justice?
Oh yeah never.

Your false confidence is evident.
I call it whistling past the boneyard.

Gotcha

a reply to: shooterbrody

It is not up to "international intel organizations" what the US does and does not do. 

It kind of is, well not tell us what to do but to have a say in how we treat intelligence because we have agreements to share information with other countries and they with us.
Otherwise they might stop sharing and then what?

Terrorist plots go undetected and another bunch of innocent people die? Maybe a bridge gets blown up this time, maybe Mount Rushmore gets hit by a rocket. Don't you understand the enormity of the web of information we are getting from around the globe?

I know right now it seems that the only thing they ever do is investigate trump but they are doing way more than that. They're watching terrorist groups and war lords, they're watching drug traffickers, they're finding serial killers and pedophiles and human trafficking rings and baby sellers. They're watching every continent to try and stay ahead of the crazies of this world and we need that cooperation today more than ever.

I'm hoping that the people granted access to this information are held to the highest standards of secrecy. While still being able to convey the contents and the urgency of the actions of the agencies to the committee asking for the information.

originally posted by: Sillyolme

I'm hoping that the people granted access to this information are held to the highest standards of secrecy. While still being able to convey the contents and the urgency of the actions of the agencies to the committee asking for the information.

Yeah like sending classified material on private systems all over the internet.


"never could figure THAT out"

a reply to: Sillyolme

Yup, there's point throwing all that away because of Republican Democrat mudslinging and the US media circus. I imagine all diplomatic, trade, intel, confidentiality ties would be severed if it went ahead, leaving the US with Israel and Saudi and a lot of former allies exposing everything they have or at least trickling it until calls for it to happen stop.

Agree it should be handled with strictest secrecy, problem is both sides have got so embroiled in this they'll all be racing to the press to put their spin/defence on it without a care for the consequences.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: Grambler

You're good for many.

Yes but there is a difference.

I am genuinely funny, and people laugh with me.

You on the other hand...

a reply to: Sillyolme

en.wikipedia.org...

Documents leaked by Snowden in 2013 revealed that the FVEY have been spying on one another's citizens and sharing the collected information with each other in order to circumvent restrictive domestic regulations on surveillance of citizens.[7][8][9][10]

Notice the "circumvent restrictive domestic regulations on surveillance of citizens" portion.

It kind of is, well not tell us what to do but to have a say in how we treat intelligence because we have agreements to share information with other countries and they with us. Otherwise they might stop sharing and then what?

uh no
You again broadcast your ignorance, we share with them. Who do you think is primarily responsible for that vast intelligence network?
en.wikipedia.org...

In 2013, documents leaked by the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the existence of numerous surveillance programs jointly operated by the Five Eyes. The following list includes several notable examples reported in the media: PRISM – Operated by the NSA together with the GCHQ and the ASD[53][54]
XKeyscore – Operated by the NSA with contributions from the ASD and the GCSB[55]
Tempora – Operated by the GCHQ with contributions from the NSA[56][57]
MUSCULAR – Operated by the GCHQ and the NSA[58]
STATEROOM – Operated by the ASD, CIA, CSE, GCHQ, and NSA

notice the theme?
NSA is in every one of those programs.

In recent years, documents of the FVEY have shown that they are intentionally spying on one another's citizens and sharing the collected information with each other in order to circumvent restrictive domestic regulations on spying.

The former NSA contractor Edward Snowden described the FVEY as a "supra-national intelligence organisation that doesn't answer to the laws of its own countries"

but hey what did snowden know right???


That practice is highly illegal.

I'm hoping that the people granted access to this information are held to the highest standards of secrecy. While still being able to convey the contents and the urgency of the actions of the agencies to the committee asking for the information.

Well perhaps they should not spy on the person with the ultimate classification authority in the USA, and the balls to use it when illegal activity at the highest levels of the government has been going on since 2015.
It is one of the reasons for this quote....."If that f – – – ing bastard wins we all hang from nooses!"HRC

a reply to: bastion

Charges are the US's business, not other countries, they just issue routine evaluations of relations and risks post every election, regime change etc for national security purposes.

Which is why none have been issued for anything more than process crimes. Lying to the fbi is a crime here, and is the only charge associated with the "russia" event.

TextNo as the article shows, they never targeted Trump or his team, they first intercepted calls between his team and Russian agents/suspected agents in Nov 2015 whose phones were monitored/under surveilance, they alerted FBI/CIA to this which they didn't pay much attention too, other countries found the same during the next six months and the raw data was finally presented to the US officials once they understood the gravity of the situation.

Sure, if you say so.
History shows otherwise.
You think they listen in to all US foreign relations calls?
It would explain a lot of the leaks between trump and other foreign leaders early in his term wouldn't it?

Who are you claiming lied to the FBI?

Those facing charges of such, some have already plead guilty to such.

it was an odd departure at the time though

At least you admit that, especially with all the other things going on at the time......