[PJ] I liked what the great Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch had to say about the heavily redacted 400-page DOJ document dump regarding the FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page. It is, he said, a "self-licking ice cream cone." The image is appropriately surreal.
But the more I think about it, the more I think it is only partially applicable to the whole RussiaGate melodrama we’ve been witnessing for the last year and a half.
Wikipedia defines this autogleipsimous activity as "a self-perpetuating system that has no purpose other than to sustain itself."
The Mueller investigation and its attendant pseudo-pods in the media and "intelligence community" are indeed self-perpetuating.
But they exhibit a purpose that goes far beyond their own self-perpetuation.
No, in this safari, big game is the object, the end, the purpose, to wit the destruction of the president of the United States. Emphasis added.
#1
Anyone notice that the rabid calls from the Deep State and 'Nattering Nabobs' for POTUS to meet with Mueller have tapered off significantly ?
Could it be that President Trump now has them by the nads, with a mid-term election nearing he's simply permitting the "investigation" to collapse under it's own weight and corruption ?
#2
he's (Trump) simply permitting the "investigation" to collapse under it's own weight and corruption ?
Besoeker: From your lips to God's ears. Everyday the investigation continues, we learn more about the corruption of this Deep State self-enrichment system. It is a small wonder the left and the DS went into "Defcon 1 mode" against Trump.
[American Thinker] It is a huge scandal that the vast, frightening surveillance powers of our intelligence agencies, normally forbidden from snooping on American citizens, were used to spy on a presidential campaign antagonistic to the sitting president. Far too slowly, the underlying documents that permitted this are coming to light. Last night, 412 pages of heavily redacted versions of the original FISA warrant and subsequent renewals used to spy on Carter Page (and others ‐ see below) were released.
Ten hard hitting "problems" or issues follow. I would reckon #5 (below) captures the essence of the FISA warrant:
Five: Surveilling Page is a classic "camel’s nose under the tent maneuver," meaning that other people of much greater interest to people spying on a rival campaign could also be targeted. The warrants use the expression "incidentally acquire foreign intelligence information as defined by other subsections of 50 U.S.C. 1801(e)" no fewer than 8 times. My emphasis added.
#1
Surveilling Page is a classic "camel’s nose under the tent maneuver," meaning that other people of much greater interest to people spying on a rival campaign could also be targeted.
As has been said previously, Page was either a witting or unwitting tool of the Deep State. As far as I am concerned, his past association with the intelligence community, somewhat cavalier attitude regarding recent events, and lack of charges, put him in the 'witting' or accessory camp.
It is entirely likely that the FISA warrant, Mr. Page and the alleged Russian connection, were little more than vehicles. The real targets (US Persons) of the investigation remain redacted.
If Mr. Page was indeed a witting source, other redacted portions of the released data could contain his actual 'source reporting' which would be quite damaging to the FBI and intelligence community.
The entire FISA process has been corrupted and should be immediately terminated. A thorough review of previous criminal convictions gained through the FISA process should also be initiated.
#2
Will anyone go to jail for falsifying the FISA application? Will the judge who granted it and looked over it so casually ever chime in on how he was duped/used?
#3
I downloaded the Carter Page FISA material (I think from Judicial Watch). I took one look at it and said "What and why are they (DOJ and FBI) keeping things from the American people. They must be covering something up." Just about everything is redacted. Some Feeb must be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome after all this redacting.
#4
They must be covering something up." Just about everything is redacted. Some Feeb must be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome after all this redacting.
My guess (and only a guess) is that they've redacted contact reports, names, events, dates from Page or other well placed sources within the Trump campaign. It's not bloody Channel weather reporting from Dover's Manston Sta.
Got to be contact reporting. WTF else could it be ?
#5
There is a call to issue an unredacted copy to the public. Goodlatte has seen the unredacted version and is saying most of the info could be easily issued unredacted. Trump could declassify it but there would be another extended round of teeth gnashing and self-righteous indignation clamor from the Dems.
#6
Besoeker, if you are correct they should use a copy/paste to replace phone number digits with and names with so that the intent of everything is clear.
[American Greatness] There was no honeymoon for the unlikely winner of the 2016 election. Progressives have in succession tried to sue to overturn Trump’s victory using several different approaches. First on the bogus claim of fraudulent voting machines. Then they sought to subvert the Electoral College by bullying electors into renouncing their respective states’ votes.
Massive protests and boycotts marked the inauguration. Then there were articles of impeachment introduced in the House. Some sued to remove Trump on a warped interpretation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Others brought in psychiatrists to testify that Trump was ill, disabled, or insane and should be removed in accordance with the 25th Amendment. The former FBI director, CIA director, and director of the Office of National Intelligence have variously smeared the president as a coward, a traitor, and a Russian mole.
The Mueller Investigation
We are about 430 days into Robert Mueller’s investigation; the special prosecutor whose team of lawyers and investigators has in a large part been made up either of Clinton donors, clear Clinton partisans, lawyers who have in the past represented Clinton interests or employees, or partisans already removed for expressing clear Trump hatred. The media grew ecstatic over its creation, dubbing it an "all-star" or "dream" team, as leaks assured the public that next week, next month, or "soon" there would be a sensational indictment proving that Trump colluded with the Russians to win the presidency.
#7
I'm guessing the left is already polling to replace the term Progressive/Liberal/Socialist/Communist as they'd fouled their name pretty badly already.
#9
GMI! Why? What, are you high?
Dude, you're gettin' GMI! "Dude."
Fam, you're gettin' GMI! "G! Am I?"
Hey, drooler! Even you are gettin' GMI... GMI till ya die! "Gee, am I?"
GMI! Your piece of the pie! It's guaranteed!
Paid for by... some guy
h/t Instapundit
...The anti-Trump-and-Russia crusade represents a fundamental change in Democratic Party foreign policy. Roger Simon has aptly termed it a political sex change transformation, since the Democrats have long called for closer cooperation with Moscow. Indeed, during the Reagan years, Senator Ted Kennedy, the de facto head of the Democratic establishment, secretly approached Soviet dictator Yuri Andropov to take an active role in American politics.
Why are the Democrats and the spooks suddenly so ferociously anti-Putin? What can account for such an enormous sea change?
It’s a hard question to answer, because we do not know if it is based on new intelligence, or if it is primarily motivated by politics. So far as we know, there is considerable information tying Democrats to the Russians, and relatively less showing Russian links to Republicans, including the Trump crowd. We can document substantial Russian and Russia-linked involvement with the Clinton Foundation, some of it directly linked to U.S. policy decisions such as the one giving Russia effective control over the U.S. company Uranium One. We know that Bill Clinton received a huge payday for a speech in Moscow, orders of magnitude greater than what General Flynn was paid. Yet there is virtually unanimous Democratic condemnation of Trump’s failure to denounce Russian "meddling" in our politics, claiming it was in support for Trump.
It seems to me that the Democrats are accusing Trump of doing what they actually did.
#5
Democrats rail against their buddy Putin, does he care? His grand goal is to undercut trust in the electoral system in the US and the Democrats are doing the work for him.
#9
Because what they did with CHINA and SELLING OUT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA makes what they did with RUSSIA look like buying 3 joints for 5 bucks on a street corner!
Posted by: Jack Chaiter7913 ||
07/23/2018 13:33 Comments ||
Top||
#10
The Norks were used by China. I wonder who else was using the Norks? I'm curious to see how Trump's efforts with China and North Korea will work out--hopefully good for all.
[WSJ via Breitbart] Despite a week of constant criticism by the media, Democrats, and certain members of the Republican party for his meeting with Vladamir Putin in Helsinki, Donald Trump’s approval ratings increased to the highest level of his presidency according to a Wall Street Journal/ NBC poll.
Michael C. Bender writes at the Wall Street Journal:
WASHINGTON‐President Donald Trump’s approval rating edged higher during a week in which he faced withering criticism following a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling that he is positioned to weather the latest controversy sparked by his unusual brand of politics.
Mr. Trump’s job approval rating rose to 45% in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, the highest mark of his presidency and up 1 percentage point from June. The survey was taken over a four-day period that started July 15, a day before Mr. Trump’s news conference with Mr. Putin in which he questioned the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
Underpinning Mr. Trump’s job approval was support from 88% of Republican voters. Of the four previous White House occupants, only George W. Bush, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, had a higher approval rating within his own party at the same point in his presidency.
The survey found Democrats leading by 6 percentage points on the question of which party should control the next Congress, down from a 10-point advantage in June and 7 points in April. Some 49% of voters in the new survey said Democrats should lead the next Congress, while 43% favored the GOP.
#3
Actually his ratings might not be so high if they treated him like Obama. I wouldn't be surprised if someone cross-indexed trust in media with #NeverTrump and got a solid overlap.
#4
88% of Republicans support him. So we are finally circling the wagons after 2 years of nonstop screeching attacks? This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/23/2018 11:56 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Once you leave the Beltway™ and the shared Academie/Coastal Cocktail Party Circuit™ then you discover that the rest of the country: Just. Doesn't. Give. A. Damn.
We are not better than that, and this is who we are. We’re fighting back, no matter how much and how shrilly the Fredocons complain. We’re Normal Americans and we’re done being the guests of honor at the liberals’ witch burnings.
Case in point, one James Gunn. He’s a tiresome lefty jerk who jumped on Twitter to cheer Rosanne’s recent defenestration by the SJW mob. Except it turns out he had a whole bunch of icky tweets from a decade ago lurking on the Interwebs, and some conservatives dug them up. Oops. He just had his pointy head stuck on a figurative pike and I just don’t care.
...Cultural war is hell, and I propose it be hell first and foremost on the liberals who started it.
I want people to be able to say what they want. I think it’s an awful idea to persecute folks for saying controversial stuff. I want people to not do that. But here’s the catch ‐ I want all people not to do that, not just us conservatives.
Except I’ve been outvoted by people like the aforementioned James Gunn. He likes the idea of persecuting people for what they say. Well, he liked it. Now that he’s no longer directing the next space raccoon movie, he probably likes it a lot less. Weird how that works out. Yeah, the Lottery is loads of fun until you draw the slip of paper with the black spot.
...The New Rules are stupid, but they are the rules, and the only way the Old Rules can come back is if everyone agrees to them. And that requires we deal the pain.
Right now, social justice fascism is just too valuable to them to just abandon. It works. It lets those who rightfully would have no power exploit the stupid and weak elite to exercise unearned authority. These goose-stepping aspiring Red Guards got a taste of power and they like it. And they are bad people. They have to be stopped, here and now.
#3
Here in Treason May's fiefdom we've have no right to self defense and now we have no right to freedom of speech, in fact the political inconvenient are jailed.
#4
I feel for you, BP, and your fellow denizens of the land that gave us English Common Law. The problem with living under an Unwritten Constitution™ is that any would-be totalitarian can destroy Liberty with the stroke of a pen.
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.
[PJ] I liked what the great Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch had to say about the heavily redacted 400-page DOJ document dump regarding the FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page. It is, he said, a "self-licking ice cream cone." The image is appropriately surreal.
