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  • Except of course Nunes made it perfectly clear none of the recorded and disseminated information had anything to do with the Russians. Just whatever could be found from Trumps team on whatever subject.
    again, INCIDENTAL and LEGAL collection, and the reason behind the unmasking is unknown-- so we can't determine if that is illegal or not. same thing with the dissemination.

    which is a different issue from -leaking-, a la the Flynn episode.
    There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

    Comment


    • Originally posted by astralis View Post
      again, INCIDENTAL and LEGAL collection, and the reason behind the unmasking is unknown-- so we can't determine if that is illegal or not. same thing with the dissemination.

      which is a different issue from -leaking-, a la the Flynn episode.
      And again, the DISSEMINATION was NOT legal.
      I'm afraid YELLING doesn't work any better as a tool of argument than strawmen. Try name calling next. ;-)
      In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

      Leibniz

      Comment


      • pari,

        And again, the DISSEMINATION was NOT legal.
        the severity of that would depend on the intelligence value of the reporting itself. regardless, it would be improper handling of classified data, which is not a particularly severe crime. for instance, Nunes opened himself up to that very charge by making this public.

        that's why he's focusing on the unmasking, not the dissemination.

        oh, and i don't really need to name-call. i mentioned earlier in my post #129:

        and what the FBI is now looking into is whether or not those same associates were working in league with the Russians during the election.
        and look what came up tonight. the noose tightens.

        http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politi...ans/index.html

        US Officials: Info suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians

        Washington (CNN)

        The FBI has information that indicates associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign, US officials told CNN.

        This is partly what FBI Director James Comey was referring to when he made a bombshell announcement Monday before Congress that the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, according to one source.

        The FBI is now reviewing that information, which includes human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings, according to those U.S. officials. The information is raising the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence investigators that the coordination may have taken place, though officials cautioned that the information was not conclusive and that the investigation is ongoing.

        In his statement on Monday Comey said the FBI began looking into possible coordination between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives because the bureau had gathered "a credible allegation of wrongdoing or reasonable basis to believe an American may be acting as an agent of a foreign power."

        The White House did not comment and the FBI declined to comment.

        White House press secretary Sean Spicer maintained Monday after Comey's testimony that there was no evidence to suggest any collusion took place.

        "Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things," Spicer said.

        One law enforcement official said the information in hand suggests "people connected to the campaign were in contact and it appeared they were giving the thumbs up to release information when it was ready." But other U.S. officials who spoke to CNN say it's premature to draw that inference from the information gathered so far since it's largely circumstantial.

        The FBI cannot yet prove that collusion took place, but the information suggesting collusion is now a large focus of the investigation, the officials said.

        The FBI has already been investigating four former Trump campaign associates -- Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Carter Page -- for contacts with Russians known to US intelligence. All four have denied improper contacts and CNN has not confirmed any of them are the subjects of the information the FBI is reviewing.

        One of the obstacles the sources say the FBI now faces in finding conclusive intelligence is that communications between Trump's associates and Russians have ceased in recent months given the public focus on Russia's alleged ties to the Trump campaign. Some Russian officials have also changed their methods of communications, making monitoring more difficult, the officials said.

        Last July, Russian intelligence agencies began orchestrating the release of hacked emails stolen in a breach of the Democratic National Committee and associated organizations, as well as email accounts belonging to Clinton campaign officials, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.
        The Russian operation was also in part focused on the publication of so-called "fake news" stories aimed at undermining Hillary Clinton's campaign. But FBI investigators say they are less focused on the coordination and publication of those "fake news" stories, in part because those publications are generally protected free speech.

        The release of the stolen emails, meanwhile, transformed an ordinary cyber-intrusion investigation into a much bigger case handled by the FBI's counterintelligence division.
        FBI counterintelligence investigations are notoriously lengthy and often involve some of the U.S. government's most highly classified programs, such as those focused on intelligence-gathering, which can make it difficult for investigators to bring criminal charges without exposing those programs.

        Investigators continue to analyze the material and information from multiple sources for any possible indications of coordination, according to US officials. Director Comey in Monday's hearing refused to reveal what specifically the FBI was looking for or who they're focusing on.
        US officials said the information was not drawn from the leaked dossier of unverified information compiled by a former British intelligence official compiled for Trump's political opponents, though the dossier also suggested coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russian operatives.

        CNN's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
        There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

        Comment


        • Originally posted by astralis View Post
          pari,



          the severity of that would depend on the intelligence value of the reporting itself.
          Nope, the severity of the punishment. A crime is a crime is a crime, punishable by up to ten years imprisonment.



          and look what came up tonight. the noose tightens.

          http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politi...ans/index.html

          US Officials: Info suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians

          Washington (CNN)

          The FBI has information that indicates associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign, US officials told CNN.

          This is partly what FBI Director James Comey was referring to when he made a bombshell announcement Monday before Congress that the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, according to one source.

          The FBI is now reviewing that information, which includes human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings, according to those U.S. officials. The information is raising the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence investigators that the coordination may have taken place, though officials cautioned that the information was not conclusive and that the investigation is ongoing.

          In his statement on Monday Comey said the FBI began looking into possible coordination between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives because the bureau had gathered "a credible allegation of wrongdoing or reasonable basis to believe an American may be acting as an agent of a foreign power."

          The White House did not comment and the FBI declined to comment.

          White House press secretary Sean Spicer maintained Monday after Comey's testimony that there was no evidence to suggest any collusion took place.

          "Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things," Spicer said.

          One law enforcement official said the information in hand suggests "people connected to the campaign were in contact and it appeared they were giving the thumbs up to release information when it was ready." But other U.S. officials who spoke to CNN say it's premature to draw that inference from the information gathered so far since it's largely circumstantial.

          The FBI cannot yet prove that collusion took place, but the information suggesting collusion is now a large focus of the investigation, the officials said.

          The FBI has already been investigating four former Trump campaign associates -- Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Carter Page -- for contacts with Russians known to US intelligence. All four have denied improper contacts and CNN has not confirmed any of them are the subjects of the information the FBI is reviewing.

          One of the obstacles the sources say the FBI now faces in finding conclusive intelligence is that communications between Trump's associates and Russians have ceased in recent months given the public focus on Russia's alleged ties to the Trump campaign. Some Russian officials have also changed their methods of communications, making monitoring more difficult, the officials said.

          Last July, Russian intelligence agencies began orchestrating the release of hacked emails stolen in a breach of the Democratic National Committee and associated organizations, as well as email accounts belonging to Clinton campaign officials, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.
          The Russian operation was also in part focused on the publication of so-called "fake news" stories aimed at undermining Hillary Clinton's campaign. But FBI investigators say they are less focused on the coordination and publication of those "fake news" stories, in part because those publications are generally protected free speech.

          The release of the stolen emails, meanwhile, transformed an ordinary cyber-intrusion investigation into a much bigger case handled by the FBI's counterintelligence division.
          FBI counterintelligence investigations are notoriously lengthy and often involve some of the U.S. government's most highly classified programs, such as those focused on intelligence-gathering, which can make it difficult for investigators to bring criminal charges without exposing those programs.

          Investigators continue to analyze the material and information from multiple sources for any possible indications of coordination, according to US officials. Director Comey in Monday's hearing refused to reveal what specifically the FBI was looking for or who they're focusing on.
          US officials said the information was not drawn from the leaked dossier of unverified information compiled by a former British intelligence official compiled for Trump's political opponents, though the dossier also suggested coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russian operatives.

          CNN's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
          LOL, the same "officials" who leaked the rest of the intelligence data sans doute. Same old recycled crap as the original stories, presented as though new.

          As I pointed out to Snapper and will reiterate for your benefit

          Former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell, who endorsed Hillary Clinton and called Donald Trump a dupe of Russia, cast doubt Wednesday night on allegations that members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

          Morell, who was in line to become CIA director if Clinton won, said he had seen no evidence that Trump associates cooperated with Russians. He also raised questions about the dossier written by a former British intelligence officer, which alleged a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

          His comments were in sharp contrast to those of many Clinton partisans — such as former communications director Jennifer Palmieri — who have stated publicly they believe the Trump campaign cooperated with Russia's efforts to interfere in the election against Clinton.

          Morell said he had learned that the former officer, Christopher Steele, paid his key Russian sources, and interviewed them through intermediaries.

          "On the question of the Trump campaign conspiring with the Russians here, there is smoke, but there is no fire, at all," Morell said at an event sponsored by the Cipher Brief, an intelligence web site.

          "There's no little campfire, there's no little candle, there's no spark. And there's a lot of people looking for it."

          Related: CIA Concludes Russia Mounted Operation To Help Trump Win

          Morell pointed out that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Meet the Press on March 5 that he had seen no evidence of a conspiracy when he left office January 20.

          "That's a pretty strong statement by General Clapper," Morell said
          In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

          Leibniz

          Comment


          • Having now seen Nunes remarks in full I find them quite incredible. Is he not 'leaking' himself? Doing precisely what Trumpians moan about? Moreover is he not chair of committee undertaking an investigation into these matters? Are there not ongoing FBI investigations which he may have compromised by his public announcement? Moreover are not the investigations precisely into Trump and his people's contacts and 'coordination' with Moscow? If so why was he running off to brief Trump rather than his committee when Trump is precisely the one under investigation? This guy is clearly not fit to lead an investigation and I must agree with McCain an independent investigation is now needed.

            Comment


            • Investigators face the suspects more often than you think
              No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

              To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by Doktor View Post
                Investigators face the suspects more often than you think
                Indeed; their story is relevant to any investigation. However they do not brief the suspect on the information gathered before the investigation ends.

                Comment


                • Erm, they actually do.

                  Just yesterday over here the DA equivalent called one of the parties leader to present them the evidence over an investigation they are running against him and the party he leads over financial issues with their last campaign.
                  No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                  To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

                  Comment


                  • snapper,

                    Having now seen Nunes remarks in full I find them quite incredible. Is he not 'leaking' himself? Doing precisely what Trumpians moan about? Moreover is he not chair of committee undertaking an investigation into these matters? Are there not ongoing FBI investigations which he may have compromised by his public announcement? Moreover are not the investigations precisely into Trump and his people's contacts and 'coordination' with Moscow? If so why was he running off to brief Trump rather than his committee when Trump is precisely the one under investigation? This guy is clearly not fit to lead an investigation and I must agree with McCain an independent investigation is now needed.
                    looks like Nunes just realized he just badly undercut the Republican argument that an independent investigation wasn't necessary.

                    House Intelligence Chair Nunes apologizes for how he handled revelations surrounding Trump and his aides
                    There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

                    Comment


                    • Something to add?

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                      No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                      To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

                      Comment


                      • ...Click image for larger version

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                        In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                        Leibniz

                        Comment


                        • Seems Nunes, who was on the Trump 'transition team' would not deny that his 'new information' had come from the Administration itself! He still has not told his committee what this 'new information' is or how he came by it. In other words this, like the whole "Obama wiretapped me" tweets, is just another self created smoke screen from Trump and his people. Obscure and confuse and above all get the Moscow connections off the headlines. Why hide if there is there nothing to it? I would have a court order him to reveal all his tax returns which he seems very shy about.

                          Comment


                          • A chronology of sorts. Oddly, it's beginning to look as if this isn't fake news, that Obama did spy on the Trump campaign, and did disseminate the information to the media. Quite the banana republic really.
                            It's the Daily Wire and I know you're hardwired to avoid contaminating your computers so I'll post it in full.

                            What I am about to present to you is what really happened. All the proof is linked below, but what I'm about to do is what I call "Revealing the Matrix," showing you the truth backed by incontrovertible fact and the media's own words. Not my words. Not President Trump's words. The media's words.

                            We're gunna cut through all the code, all the spin, all the fog, all the lies, and all the Coordinated Narratives used by our media to obscure Truth.

                            And we will begin with the beguine …


                            Our national media has known for months that the Obama administration spied on Team Trump. This was not only common knowledge within the media community, it was no secret. In fact, as you'll see below, for two big reasons, the media was overjoyed that this spying had occurred: (1) they got scoops damaging to Trump, and (2) in their provincial and cultish minds, the very fact that the oh-so pure Obama administration felt the need to spy, could only mean Trump was in bed with Putin.

                            In fact, the media was actually having a big public party using Obama's spying. Hoo-hah here's a scoop! Whee-hee Flynn said this! Woo-woo palace intrigue! Ha-haaah here's what so-and-so said! Tra-la-la here's what so-and-so did!

                            And then on March 4, in a series of tweets that had the exact same effect as political nukes, Trump himself confirmed what the media had already told us, that the Obama administration had spied on him and his team. Trump's brilliance was focusing on the sleazy and illegal act of the actual spying. And this is when the media realized that all their ha-has and tra-la-las were about to backfire. Their Precious Barry was now at risk, and so the shameless cover up and lying began …

                            Suddenly, right around 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, the conventional wisdom and public knowledge that the Obama administration had spied on Trump, was surrounded by the media's semantic wagons which were manned by lying journalists armed with hair-splitting. I don't want to go through all that again, so you can read why Trump told the 100% truth in the first section of this piece. The bottom line, though, is this …


                            Trump accused Obama of spying on him.

                            Obama did spy on Trump.

                            The media knew Obama spied on Trump.

                            The media lied and covered up the fact that Obama spied on Trump.

                            We know this with absolute certainty because the media itself told us so. And here is all the proof you will ever need to make that case … [emphasis mine throughout]

                            1. Heat Street - November 7, 2016

                            EXCLUSIVE: FBI ‘Granted FISA Warrant’ Covering Trump Camp’s Ties To Russia

                            Two separate sources with links to the counter-intelligence community have confirmed to Heat Street that the FBI sought, and was granted, a FISA court warrant in October, giving counter-intelligence permission to examine the activities of ‘U.S. persons’ in Donald Trump’s campaign with ties to Russia.

                            So let's stop for a moment to make a couple of things clear. The FBI reports to the Department of Justice, which at the time was run by Obama's highly politicized Attorney General, Loretta Lynch. The author of this piece, Louise Mensch, despises Trump, and if you'll look at the publication date, she dropped this supposed bombshell the night before the election, and did so for reasons I should not have to explain.

                            You are now asking yourselves: Who the hell is Heat Street and how does this prove anything? That's a fair question, let me answer it this way: As you'll see below, this report of the Obama administration asking for and receiving a surveillance warrant to monitor Team Trump is confirmed by a number of other MSM sources.

                            Moreover, no less than The New York Times re-published this information as recently as last weekend.

                            2. The Guardian – January 11, 2017


                            The Guardian has learned that the FBI applied for a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court over the summer in order to monitor four members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials. The Fisa court turned down the application asking FBI counter-intelligence investigators to narrow its focus. According to one report, the FBI was finally granted a warrant in October, but that has not been confirmed, and it is not clear whether any warrant led to a full investigation.

                            The left-wing Guardian not only reported that the Obama administration sought a surveillance warrant, but that it was specifically requested to "monitor four members of the Trump team." This was the summer request, as reported by Heat Street, that was turned down.

                            3. The New York Times – January 12, 2017

                            In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections.

                            The new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws. These include collecting satellite transmissions, phone calls and emails that cross network switches abroad, and messages between people abroad that cross domestic network switches.

                            The change means that far more officials will be searching through raw data. Essentially, the government is reducing the risk that the N.S.A. will fail to recognize that a piece of information would be valuable to another agency, but increasing the risk that officials will see private information about innocent people.


                            This is the most important piece of the puzzle, because it explains how the media was getting all of its scoops via leaks via surveillance. Moreover, it explains how the media knew it was getting all these scoops via leaks via surveillance.

                            If you are not the target of the surveillance, if your name is not on the FISA warrant, if you are "incidentally" picked up in surveillance, in order to protect your privacy as guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, the government is required by law to mask or blackout your name in its reports.

                            Just before running out the door, the Obama administration unilaterally changed the law in a way that allowed surveillance intel to be disseminated throughout all 16 national security agencies "before applying privacy protections" – and this includes surveillance picked up by the NSA, which is "largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws[.]"

                            Let me explain what happens ...

                            Hoo-ha, lookie-lookie at what we "incidentally" picked up at Trump Tower. But thanks to Precious Barry, I don't have to black out this "incidental juiciness" before I send it out to 16 whole agencies. Golly gee, now that we can spread this far and wide without masking all the "incidental juiciness," I sure hope it doesn’t end up in the hands of someone Obama appointee who likes all those tweets Jake Tapper sends out kissing the Intelligence Community's ass.

                            Hey, if anyone has another theory for why the Obama administration would make such a change just as the Trump administration was coming in, I'm all ears.

                            But you don't. Because there is no other theory. The only reason to authorize the spreading far and wide of these "incidental" names is to better the chances of Trump-related leaks to the hostile media.

                            Not to get too far off track, but welcome to a banana republic where secret and unlawful surveillance is leaked to the public for partisan purposes.

                            4. The BBC – January 17, 2017


                            Lawyers from the National Security Division in the Department of Justice then drew up an application. They took it to the secret US court that deals with intelligence, the Fisa court, named after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They wanted permission to intercept the electronic records from two Russian banks.

                            Their first application, in June, was rejected outright by the judge. They returned with a more narrowly drawn order in July and were rejected again. Finally, before a new judge, the order was granted, on 15 October, three weeks before election day.

                            Neither Mr Trump nor his associates are named in the Fisa order, which would only cover foreign citizens or foreign entities – in this case the Russian banks. But ultimately, the investigation is looking for transfers of money from Russia to the United States, each one, if proved, a felony offence.

                            A lawyer – outside the Department of Justice but familiar with the case – told me that three of Mr. Trump's associates were the subject of the inquiry. "But it's clear this is about Trump," he said.

                            The left-wing BBC not only backs up the Heat Street reporting but publishes the news that "three of Trump's associates" were part of this surveillance operation.

                            5. McClatchy - January 18, 2017


                            The agencies involved in the inquiry are the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and representatives of the director of national intelligence, the sources said. …

                            A key mission of the six-agency group has been to examine who financed the email hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The London-based transparency group WikiLeaks released the emails last summer and in October.

                            The working group is scrutinizing the activities of a few Americans who were affiliated with Trump’s campaign or his business empire and of multiple individuals from Russia and other former Soviet nations.

                            The BBC reported that the FBI had obtained a warrant on Oct. 15 from the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court allowing investigators access to bank records and other documents about potential payments and money transfers related to Russia. One of McClatchy’s sources confirmed the report.

                            Surveillance warrant.

                            "Americans associated with Trump[.]"

                            Even after eight years of Obama, two plus two still equals four.

                            6. The New York Times - Jan 19, 2017

                            Print headline: "Wiretapped Data Used In Inquiry of Trump Aides" …

                            The F.B.I. is leading the investigations, aided by the National Security Agency, the C.I.A. and the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit. The investigators have accelerated their efforts in recent weeks but have found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing, the officials said. One official said intelligence reports based on some of the wiretapped communications had been provided to the White House.

                            The Obama administration is investigating Trump.

                            The White House is looking at intelligence based on "wiretapped communications."

                            This is The New York Times, y'all. This is the secular media's Bible, their Gaia, their Sacrament of all that is Right and True, and that Bible laid it all out in the exact same language used by Trump.

                            7. The Washington Post - February 9, 2017


                            Headline: "National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say"

                            National security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said.

                            Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were interpreted by some senior U.S. officials as an inappropriate and potentially illegal signal to the Kremlin that it could expect a reprieve from sanctions that were being imposed by the Obama administration in late December to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 election.

                            The Washington Post says it loud and says it proud that the month prior to Trump taking office, the Obama administration listened to Flynn's phone calls. It should be added that the report also says that Flynn said nothing unethical or wrong.

                            Maybe the FISA warrant targeted the Russian ambassador. Nevertheless, once Flynn's name was unmasked, disseminated and publicly leaked, at least two felonies had occurred – and incidental (yeah, right) or not, once all that happened, what the Obama administration did is called SPYING.

                            Let's also add to the mix the juicy fact that several members of the Obama administration had access to this unmasked information about Flynn.

                            8. CNN - February 14, 2017

                            Washington Post columnist David Ignatius cited a single "senior U.S. government official" while reporting that "Flynn phoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak several times on Dec. 29, the day the Obama administration announced the expulsion of 35 Russian officials as well as other measures in retaliation for the hacking." …

                            Last Thursday, The Post cited "nine current and former officials" in a story headlined "National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say."

                            The New York Times quickly matched the story and said there was a transcript of the discussions.

                            The chronology suggests that some officials in the government sought to alert the public to Flynn's contacts by leaking to the press.


                            This is CNN, the same network that for three weeks now has smeared Trump as a liar over his claim Obama spied on him – and yet, this very same CNN is seen here celebrating the fact that Mike Flynn was taken down by – read closely now – the Obama administration intercepting Flynn's phone calls, including a possible TRANSCRIPT.

                            Riddle me this, CNN: How did the Obama administration get a transcript of a phone call from a member of Trump's team, a team that was working out of Trump Tower? I mean, other than a wiretap?

                            Two more questions: Was Flynn's name on the FISA warrant? And if not, why didn’t the Obama administration mask his name, as required by law?

                            Either way, what we have here is CNN not only reporting that the Obama administration spied on Team Trump, but GLOATING over the fact that Obama's spying resulted in a scalp.

                            And then, just three weeks later, CNN would call Trump a liar for believing what? … CNN's reporting!

                            9. NBC News - February 10, 2017

                            A U.S. intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed to NBC News that National Security Advisor Mike Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Flynn took office[.]

                            The official said he was told there was no quid pro quo and that there has been no finding inside the government that Flynn did anything illegal. …

                            Flynn spoke to Kislyak on Dec. 29, the same day the sanctions were announced.

                            NBC News obviously knew the Obama administration was listening to Team Trump phone calls.

                            10. The Associated Press - February 13, 2017


                            Two people familiar with the situation say the Justice Department warned the Trump administration about Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia.

                            One of the people says the Justice Department told the administration there was a discrepancy between what the White House was saying publicly about Flynn's contacts and the facts of what occurred.

                            The Associated Press knew the Obama administration had listened to Flynn's calls.

                            11. ABC News - February 13, 2017

                            Embattled National Security Adviser Michael Flynn called Vice President Mike Pence Friday to apologize for misleading him about a conversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, according to a senior White House official.

                            ABC News knew the Obama administration had listened to Flynn's calls.

                            12. CBS News - February 10, 2017

                            Investigators believe that President Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia in a phone call with a Russian official, law enforcement sources told CBS News on Friday.

                            Multiple sources told CBS News’ Jeff Pegues and Pat Milton that the conversation occurred before Mr. Trump took office and, if true, could be a violation of protocol and could be viewed as a violation of the law.

                            CBS News knew the Obama administrations had listened to Flynn's calls.

                            ––

                            I could go on and on – so I hope I've made my point and closed my case. The evidence is so overwhelming that by now your eyes are probably glazed over and you mind is screaming Enough already!

                            SUMMATION:

                            Way back in January, Heat Street, The Guardian, The BBC, and McClatchy all confirmed that he Obama administration sought and/or received surveillance warrants aimed at Team Trump.

                            Way back in January, The New York Times reported that the Obama White House was looking at wiretap intelligence related to Trump.

                            Way back in February, The Washington Post, CNN, the Associated Press, NBC News, CBS News, and ABC News all gleefully reported on private telephone calls that were surveilled by the Obama administration and then illegally made public to the media.


                            Then, In March, just weeks after all of this reporting on the awesomeness of Obama-era surveillance warrants and intercepted phone calls …

                            Despite their own knowledge, despite their own reporting, despite the words they publicly printed and the words they publicly spoke, every single one of these news outlets declared Trump a liar for the sin of what …?

                            For the sin of believing the same people now smearing him as a liar.

                            Last edited by Parihaka; 25 Mar 17,, 23:23. Reason: add link
                            In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                            Leibniz

                            Comment


                            • The Wall Street Journal weighs in

                              Then there's Mr. Comey's testimony that the FBI had been investigating Trump staff for eight months. It almost certainly included surveillance; an investigation without surveillance would approach farcical.

                              Adm. Rogers told the House Intelligence Committee that there are strict controls in place for masking and unmasking the identities of people caught up in the inadvertent collection of information and the distribution of this kind of material. It now appears he either misled the committee or doesn't know what's happening inside his own agency. If Mr. Nunes is right, the rules either weren't followed or were much less stringent than Adm. Rogers let on.

                              Last, and rather damningly, I believe that Mr. Comey and Adm. Rogers would have to have known that raw transcripts of captured conversations that included members of the Trump team were at the White House. It is inconceivable that people in those positions of power would not know. While this may not be criminal, it is at least a cause for them to be fired.
                              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                              Leibniz

                              Comment


                              • herp derp derp

                                http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...itored-n738151

                                Rep. Devin Nunes told reporters Friday he can't be sure whether conversations among Trump or his aides were captured in the surveillance that has become a source of controversy since Nunes made it public in two news conferences this week.

                                "He said he'll have to get all the documents he requested from the (intelligence community) about this before he knows for sure," his spokesman, Jack Langer, said earlier.
                                There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

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