It’s not like anyone would have told Plugs Biden about any of this, since it required discretion and a modicum of intelligence.
[The Federalist] Following months of angry claims by journalists and Democratic operatives that the Obama administration never spied on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, The New York Times admitted Thursday that multiple overseas intelligence assets were deployed against associates of the Republican nominee. It is not the first time the Times has revealed widespread spying operations against the campaign.
In addition to noting that long-time informant Stefan Halper was tasked with collecting intelligence on the Trump campaign, the Times story details how a woman was sent overseas under a fake name and occupation to oversee the spy operation. The woman’s real name is not mentioned in the article, though the Times says she went by "Azra Turk" and has a relationship with an unidentified federal intelligence agency.
Halper was handpicked by a seasoned FBI counterintelligence agent out of the New York office, according to the article. While the Times does not identify the agent by name, the paper says the FBI agent spoke at a conference organized by Halper about a 2010 case involving Russians posing as Americans. The public schedule for a 2011 conference hosted by Halper about the exact same case shows that three FBI counterintelligence agents were invited to speak on the topic.
The three agents publicly identified as speaking at that conference on the topic are George J. Ennis, Jr., Alan E. Kohler, Jr., and Stephen M. Somma. Ennis currently serves as the special agent in charge in the FBI’s New York office, according to his LinkedIn profile, and worked closely with Preet Bharara, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, a virulent anti-Trump activist whom the president fired in 2017.
The public schedule for a 2014 conference led by Halper shows that Kohler also spoke to the same group about the same Russian case on May 9, 2014.
"Alan Kohler the FBI representative at the United States Embassy in London will talk about the challenges of modern counter espionage: including the case of Anna Chapman and other Russian illegals," the schedule noted.
A representative for the FBI’s office in Norfolk, where Kohler worked as of March 2017, said he is no longer with that office. The representative, who refused to provide her name, did not say when or why Kohler left that office or whether he was still employed by the FBI. The FBI’s New York office did not respond to queries about the current employment status of Kohler, Ennis, or Somma.
#2
"FBI's 'Case Agent 1' Stephen Somma 'primarily responsible' for FISA failures," by Daniel Chaitin & Jerry Dunleavy, February 24, 2020.
The DOJ watchdog referred FBI agent Stephen Somma for disciplinary review after an investigation into alleged Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuses. Somma, a counterintelligence investigator in the FBI's New York field office, was identified only as "Case Agent 1" in Inspector General Horowitz's report, released in December. Sources told the NY Times that Somma is that official. The FBI did not comment for the report. Somma was “primarily responsible for some of the most significant errors and omissions" during the process of obtaining FISA warrants to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in 2016 and 2017, according to Horowitz.
#2
I remember a scifi movie where the fad was to catch the same virus that a celebrity had suffered through. there was an entire industry built around cultivating said viruses and selling them to the masses
Looks like we aren't far off from that.
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
04/24/2020 7:45 Comments ||
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#3
I would still recommend she donate heart, lungs, and kidneys to her sister sometime this week, or early next.
#2
I don't think the Orange Man would want to debate someone as mentally disabled and helpless as Biden. It would be unseemly, but perhaps that fits the DNC purposes.
"We cannot let this, we’ve never allowed any crisis from the Civil War straight through to the pandemic of 17, all the way around, 16, we have never, never let our democracy sakes second fiddle, way they, we can both have a democracy and … correct the public health.”
= Ukrainian code for
OP. SOB COMPLETE. POTU NEUTRALIZD. SAFE: NO PROSECN. PLS TRANSFER IMMEDY $17M USD FROM BURISMA TO UBS ACCT 64632854-08. Б. ЛАСКА, Дж.
#13
...Given the Democrats' uncanny ability to accuse others of exactly what they have in mind (accepting election results, for instance) can anyone else here imagine them starting to call for a delay if Sleepy Joe starts behind Trump, with them claiming that 'it's not fair' because of the COVID mess?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/24/2020 11:12 Comments ||
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#14
Nothing would surprise me, Mike, in this borderline Banana Republic.
[DailyCaller] 1. Christopher Steele told a British court last month that he no longer has key documents related to his infamous dossier.
2. The ex-spy said in a deposition that his email accounts were wiped clean of any correspondence related to the dossier. It is not clear if Steele deleted the accounts himself.
3. He also claimed he no does not have information related to debriefings he had in 2016 with his lone source of information for the dossier.
4. Steele suggested in a statement late last year that he meticulously documented and recorded; his meetings with the source.
Christopher Steele told a British court last month that he no longer has documents and other information from his meetings with the main source for his Trump dossier, suggesting that the former British spy has no way of backing up his side in a dispute with the Justice Department's inspector general (IG), according to a deposition transcript obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Steele also told the court that his communications regarding the dossier, including with Fusion GPS, were "wiped" Thanks for the tip Hillary!
in December 2016 and January 2017, the transcript shows.
The former MI6 officer made the disclosures during a March 17-18 deposition in a defamation case related to the dossier. The DCNF obtained a transcript of the deposition.
Steele suggested in a Dec. 10 statement that he had evidence that would shed light on what his main dossier source told him back in 2016, when Steele was working for the firm Fusion GPS to investigate frame the Trump campaign. Remembering when the Burg didn't know Steele's name but knew he went into hiding after being exposed.
#5
Spoliation of Evidence, Obstruction of Justice, Perjury (lying under oath). Extradite him and arrest him. "Protective" custody since he could be a threat to the Clintons.
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
04/24/2020 5:22 Comments ||
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#6
Actually, IMO, Steele have done nothing wrong.
He wrote a spy thriller. It's the people who used it as valid, factual information, who are the criminals.
#1
OK, so not a "please don't throw me in the briar patch" move...might have the same effect tho if the Donks are contemplating putting JoJo out to pasture.
[NY Post] Michigan lawmakers plan to strip Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of some of her powers on Friday, with her decision to extend the state's stay-at-home order until May 15 sparking armed protests outside her home.
Whitmer signed an executive order on Friday morning extending Michigan's existing stay-at-home order for two weeks beyond its April 30 expiration as the state continues to battle a large coronavirus outbreak which has killed 3,000 Michiganders.
The Wolverine State has been rocked by protests and unrest for weeks over the restrictive measures, with state Republican lawmakers calling a special legislative session on Friday where they will consider bills that would strip Whitmer of some of her powers.
Lawmakers will create an oversight committee to investigate how Whitmer has handled the pandemic, while the Senate will consider bills stripping the state leader of her ability to declare a state of emergency, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Whitmer said she will veto the bills if they reach her desk, Democrats also furious they were being dragged to work after at least one member of the House died from suspected coronavirus.
Armed protesters descended on the governor's home on Thursday after news of the extended order broke in a demonstration dubbed "Operation Queen's Castle."
The small group waved American flags and Trump signs and said they were concerned small businesses were being bankrupt by the strict social distancing orders.
"We wanted to send Gretchen Whitmer a message, we didn't want to surrender our liberties just for a little temporary safety," one protester told Fox 2 Detroit.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2020 12:13 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11131 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
The fact that the people of Michigan haven't run her out of town on a rail shows how far we have come from the founding of the Republic days.
#2
Leg probably doesn't have that power any more than Congress can strip the Prez of executive authority. The only way to contain her would be via recall. Which raises the question - Why the hell isn't there a recall initiative ?
We've been busy: The Wolverine State has been rocked by protests and unrest for weeks over the restrictive measures,
It seems to be having an effect. The most recent stay-at-home order walks back some of the sillier restrictions like bans on selling flooring and seeds, or playing golf.
[PJMedia] Dr. Rick Bright, an official leading the administration's efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine because he questioned hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Other outlets also pushed the narrative. In truth, Bright championed the use of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus — and he hired the lawyers who represented Brett Kavanaugh's sexual assault accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
It appears Bright was fired for other reasons that have nothing to do with hydroxychloroquine — which has proven effective against COVID-19 in many cases when administered in conjunction with other drugs that minimize side-effects — but that Ford's lawyers crafted this narrative as the perfect foil to attack Trump for firing him.
Dr. Bright, who served as director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), specifically asked the FDA to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the emergency use of "oral formulations of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate for the treatment of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19)."
One staffer who spoke to Politico's Dan Diamond said Bright was fired for completely different reasons: "incompetence and insubordination."
None of this prevented Bright from hiring Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, Ford's lawyers in the Kavanaugh hearings.
Bright has announced he will file a whistleblower complaint. Apparently he and his lawyers think their narrative will prevail.
Bright has been transferred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Yet it appears many media outlets are rushing to champion Bright's claims because they are a convenient cudgel with which to attack Trump.
#1
Why is it, as soon as you see the Joe Friday haircut, you just know that person is probably not suited to be in an administrative position outside law enforcement?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/24/2020 13:13 Comments ||
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[DailyCaller] Former CIA officer and National Security Council Chief of Staff Fred Fleitz
...that was the second time he was John Bolton’s chief of staff...
said Wednesday that former CIA Director John Brennan ignored intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin actually wanted Hillary Clinton to win the the 2016 presidential election.
Fleitz called Brennan “the most politicized intelligence chief in American history” in a Fox News op ed that addressed a report released Tuesday from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. That document supports the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election to promote the victory of then-candidate Donald Trump.
#1
Of course. Why would Putin support an unknown, wildcard, totally unpredictable candidate like an orange-visaged reality-show host? The Soviets always went with a known foreign quantity over an unknown quantity.
Putin was right to do so: despite his weird habit of personal flattery, OrangeMan withdrew from the nuclear treaty w Russia, doubled down on sanctions and closed consulates around the US, sold advanced weaponry to Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, and withdrew from the INF Treaty.
He's not Putin's puppet; he's Putin's worst nightmare.
[POLITICO] Stacey Abrams ...sour grapes lo-o-o-o-o-ser (Loser! Loser! Loser!) of the 2018 Georgia governor's race. Now she wants to be somebody's vice president so she can sour grape about that too... said Wednesday that former Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... should pick a woman of color to be his running mate in November.
Last month during the final Democratic primary debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders ...The only first openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords. He ran for the 2016 nomination for president, to be cheated out of it by Hillary Clinton, then went back to being an Independent socialist, waiting for 2020 to roll around... , Biden committed to selecting a female running mate. The former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee has further indicated he might seek out a woman of color to join his ticket.
In an interview on ABC’s "The View," host Sunny Hostin asked Abrams, the former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee, if Biden not picking a woman of color would amount to "a slap in the face" to black voters who made up the backbone of his primary support and were critical to his come-from-behind victory in the primary.
Abrams, who is black, initially sidestepped that charge, telling Hostin that "I think Vice President Biden is going to make a smart choice, and I appreciate the fact that he has lifted up women as being a necessary partner in this."
Still, she continued, "I would share your concern about not picking a woman of color because women of color — particularly black women — are the strongest part of the Democratic Party, the most loyal, but that loyalty isn't simply how we vote. It's how we work, and if we want to signal that that work will continue, that we're going to reach not just to certain segments of our community, but to the entire country, then we need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
You just can't make this up. But, let's talk "diversity":
Lizzy Warren: over 70 (years of age)
Joey Biden: over 70
Bernie Sanders (I) (LOL): looks like over 83
Mike (Michael) Bloomberg: over 70
Hillary (just 'cuz): over 70
Tusli Gabbard: need not apply
(FNU) Buttegeig (sp?): need not apply
Asian-American debater (name UNK): need not apply
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
04/24/2020 7:41 Comments ||
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#8
I suspect very few people go to Vegas to lose and leave empty handed. Other than the 'Boxcar' it's Going to be difficult for Biden to find a willing running mate.
Biden is little more than an E-type silhouett. A place holder. I doubt he will ever face the Orange Man in a televised debate.
Joe running for President (even on life support) takes the pressure off Hunter, buying him precious time. We all know how putting off the hand of justice in Washington works. I doubt this is any exception.
#16
It isn't about that, ruprecht. It is all about the virtue signaling and then launching investigation into the winner after you lose while calling them and everyone that supported them racist.
#20
It doesn't make any difference who Joe picks because he isn't going to win. When ValJar revealed that Big Mike won't be on the ticket, that means that nobody thinks Biden has a snowball's chance in hell. Stacy must understand that she will not be vice president but thinks she can parley the name recognition into some future advantage. Joe might as well let her because he is not going to find anyone who can help him win and is willing to try. Think about it. Who was willing to run with McGovern in 1972? Who was willing to run with Mondale in 1984 or with Dukakis in 1988? Nobody wants to be on that kind of a bandwagon when it crashes and burns.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/24/2020 12:43 Comments ||
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#21
I'll take Forgotten Losers for $600, Alex.
Who was willing to run with McGovern in 1972?
A shock therapy survivor
Who was willing to run with Mondale in 1984?
Geraldine (not Flip Wilson's)
The Plantation is Self-Imposed
[PJ Media] Last month, State Rep. Karen Whitsett, a Detroit Democrat, tested positive for the coronavirus. Thanks to President Trump's touting of the hydroxychloroquine, she was prescribed the drug, after which she says she felt relief from her symptoms within two hours. She said she "does not believe she would have thought to ask for it, or her doctor would have prescribed it, had Trump not been touting it as a possible treatment for COVID-19."
After crediting Donald Trump with saving her life, Detroit Democrats are planning to vote on Saturday to censure her and bar her from making any future endorsements, according to a report from The Detroit News.
Whitsett is a first-term state representative from the 9th Michigan House District. She participated in an April 14 meeting of coronavirus survivors at the White House with President Trump and Vice President Pence.
"Thank you for everything that you have done," Whitsett told Trump at the meeting. "I did not know that saying thank you had a political line. ... I’m telling my story and my truth, and this how I feel and these are my words."
Whitsett seems undeterred by the move of her party members. "I'm a Democrat, and I plan on continuing to be a Democrat, but they will change their ways. I have my First Amendment right, and no one will take that away from me."
The resolution Detroit Democrats will vote on Saturday alleges Whitsett "misrepresented the needs and priorities" of the Democratic leadership to the president and the public, and notes that in addition to her participating in the event with President Trump, she also participated in an event with the Republican Women's Federation of Michigan, where she also expressed gratitude to the president. The resolution reads, in part, "State Representative Karen Whitsett has repeatedly and publicly praised the president's delayed and misguided COVID-19 response efforts in contradiction with the scientifically based and action-oriented response from Michigan's duly election [sic] Democratic leadership […] endangering the health, safety and welfare of her constituents, the city of Detroit, and the state of Michigan."
In short, Whitsett is being punished for destroying the false narrative that Democrats want the public to believe about Trump's response to the coronavirus.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11124 views]
Top|| File under: Antifa
#1
You can leave the plantation, but they still own your a$$...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/24/2020 0:09 Comments ||
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#2
"...misrepresented the needs and priorities" of the Democratic leadership..."
Obviously the "needs and priorities" (read: saving of life) of Ms. Whitsett do not matter one scintilla to the Democrats. Another sick/grotesque example of TDS.
#4
Credit the Democrats with much better party discipline than Republicans could ever manage. That's about the only think I'll give them.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/24/2020 12:58 Comments ||
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#5
^ you mean, the Black Caucus. The Dem. Party generally is a complete Shitshow now.
Wild one though he is, OrangeMan's re-election campaign is far more disciplined than anything the SS Party will come up with. Brad Parscale's data-driven campaign operation has been extremely impressive.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.