Donald Trump 1 - Deep State 0
In a highly anticipated decision, on Monday evening the House Intelligence Committee voted to make public the memo alleging what some Republicans say are “shocking” surveillance abuses at the Department of Justice regarding the Trump presidential campaign.
In immediate response to the vote, the Committee's top democrat Adam Schiff said that "we've crossed a deeply regrettable line", adding that the "committee voted to put the president's interest above the interest of the country."
We’ve crossed a “deeply regrettable line,” @AdamSchiffCA says of Intel Co meeting https://t.co/WlCsSWb9pv
— lesley clark (@lesleyclark) January 29, 2018
Today this committee voted to put the president’s interest above the interest of the country, @RepAdamSchiff says of R vote to release memo https://t.co/jHLS2Jkt45
— lesley clark (@lesleyclark) January 29, 2018
Adam Schiff's full post-memo release press conference is below:
The decision weeks of speculation over whether the memo, which was drafted by staff for committee chairman Devin Nunes (R- Calif) would be made public. At the same time, it intensifies the dispute over what Democrats say is an all-out assault by Republicans to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Now the fate of the 4-page FISA memo is in the hands of Donald Trump: as we discussed earlier, the document will not be immediately released as under the House rule Republicans used to override the classification of the four-page memo, President Trump now has five days to review and reject its publication.
But, as per Bloomberg's reporting earlier, the White House has signaled support for the document’s release and is widely expected to defy the DOJ in allowing the publication to go forward. The DOJ has opposed the release of the document, reportedly infuriating President Trump.
While Nunes has described the memo as “facts,” Democrats have slammed it as a collection of misleading talking points they are unable to correct without exposing the highly classified information underpinning the document.
As Bloomberg disclosed earlier on Monday, releasing the memo without allowing them to review it on those grounds, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote to Nunes, would be “extraordinarily reckless.”
Of course, the reason for the DOJ - and the Democrats' fury - is well-known: Republicans who have read the memo have hinted heavily that it contains information that could unravel the entire Mueller investigation, long described by the president as a “witch hunt.”
In an amusing twist, now that transparency appears to be the watchword, the Republican controlled House Intel Committee also plans to release the transcript of the business meeting dealing with releasing the FISA memo.
Hse Intel Cmte plans to release transcript of business mtg dealing with releasing the FISA memo
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 29, 2018
While the precise contents of the memo remain unknown, it’s believed to contain allegations that the FBI did not adequately explain to a clandestine court that some of the information it used in a surveillance warrant application for Trump adviser Carter Page came from opposition research funded by the Clinton campaign, now known as the “Steele dossier.”
As Bloomberg reported earlier, citing three House lawmakers who have read the memo, the memo claims FBI officials didn’t provide a complete set of facts in requests made to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to obtain a warrant or warrants on Carter Page, a Trump campaign associate.
Furthermore, the memo claims important details were left out that might have kept a judge from issuing a surveillance warrant, or possibly two, targeting Page. Those include its claims that investigators were relying partly on an unverified dossier put together by an opposition research firm that hired a former British spy, Christopher Steele -- work that was funded by Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and Democrats.
The memo also spotlights Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein’s role in approving the warrant application, according to the New York Times. Rosenstein appointed Mueller and has become a recent target on the right — as well as reportedly garnering the frustration of the president.
* * *
According to The Hill, it’s unclear how much input the DOJ will have prior to the publication of the memo. Typically, when sensitive documents are declassified, the agencies with equities in the intelligence weigh in to assess whether its release would damage national security. But the committee initially stonewalled the DOJ from viewing the document because, as one committee member put it last week, “They’re the ones that have the problem.”
On Monday morning, deputy press secretary Raj Shah hinted on CNN that the DOJ would also not have an opportunity to review the document during the White House pre-release review. “The Department of Justice doesn’t have a role in this process," he told CNN.
FBI Director Christopher Wray was reportedly allowed to view the document in the committee’s secure spaces over the weekend. A committee spokesperson declined to comment on Monday, as did the FBI.
Another unanswered question revolves around the highly-classified intelligence that underpins the memo, which came from documents provided to the committee by the DOJ as part of an agreement brokered by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). The DOJ has said that the release of the memo would be an abrogation of the terms of that agreement, an assertion that spokesmen for both Ryan and Nunes reject.
Lawmakers say the underlying intelligence justifying the memo’s allegations is so sensitive that only eight members of Congress are able to view it. Nunes and ranking member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are two of the eight figures, but the other members of the Intelligence Committee are not. The top two lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee are also part of the so-called Gang of Eight, but while they have access to the underlying intelligence, Nunes has denied committee requests to see the memo.
“Seeking Committee approval of public release would require [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] committee members to vote on a staff-drafted memorandum that purports to be based on classified source materials that neither you nor most of them have seen,” Boyd told Nunes.
Nunes has brushed aside the notion that the memo wouldn’t be persuasive without the underlying intelligence to substantiate its claims, calling the argument Democratic obstruction of his investigation into DOJ misconduct. The memo is a committee work product and the responsibility for releasing it, or not releasing it, rests with Congress.
The underlying intelligence, however, belongs to the executive branch, and Trump could unilaterally make it public if he wished.
For now, however, the decision whether the FISA memo will be made public - an event which is supposed to help Trump greatly in his ongoing battle against Special Counsel Mueller - is entirely in Trump's hands, which will be a welcome change for the president.
And incidentally, Trump will be delighted to learn that, in addition to blocking the Democrat memo, House Intel Committee member Adam Schiff admitted that the committee was also probing the DOJ and FBI, i.e., the "deep state" itself.
Hse Intel Cmte votes along party lines to release GOP FISA memo. Cmte votes to block Dem memo. Cmte says it is probing DoJ/FBI.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 29, 2018
Comments
Fasten your seatbelts, everyone. Shit is about to get real.
YES!!!!!...Loading up on popcorn...
This reminds me of when Sammy The Bull agreed to talk to the Feds...
In reply to Fasten your seatbelts,… by Dun_Dulind
Your move Trump
In reply to Loading up on popcorn... by sixsigma cygnu…
Pull the plug and drain the swamp....we are all behind you.
In reply to Your move Trump by zorba THE GREEK
What a joke! Donald Trump IS PART of the swamp. The SWAMP put him there.
In reply to Pull the plug and drain the… by zorba THE GREEK
This will make Watergate look like a kindergarten prank.
In reply to What a joke! Donald Trump IS… by stizazz
I hope so because this is a big build up.
#ReleaseTheMemo # HangTheTraitors
In reply to This will make Watergate… by wee-weed up
ziohedge strikes again...
In reply to I hope so because this is a… by JimmyJones
What if the memo suggests that the FBI has bugged places it had no business being?
In reply to ziohedge strikes again... by BullyBearish
where is my "COVFEFE" t-shirt?
(edit)..... AND WATCH THE AIRPORTS !!!
In reply to What if the memo suggests… by asteroids
Dude get me one too!
In reply to where is my "COVFEFE" t… by Automatic Choke
The State of the Union speech is just around the corner, I hear opportunity knocking ;-)
In reply to Dude get me one too! by IridiumRebel
That would of been the way I would have worked it
In reply to The State of the Union… by nmewn
Slap Brock in the head for me.
He is standing right behind you.
In reply to That would of been the way I… by Smack
Im not getting why everybody is so worked up. Havent you seen this movie before?
Anything important will be redacted. Nothing will change at the alphabets except a loyalty shift and they wont be as blatant in the future. Hint: The loyalty wont be shifting to the people. Just like 2008, just like the nsa spying, just like Hillary's server NOBODY will go to jail. Side bet anyone a buck nobody will even lose their benefits.
Sure sure this time. I wish I could buy a put on you optimism. Id fucking ship it
In reply to Slap Brock in the head for… by Arnold
Oh no, Adam Schiff feels violated.....
That's a win right there.
In reply to Im not getting why everybody… by overbet
Looking at Adam Schiff I'm willing to bet he is a big fan of pizza & hot dogs.
In reply to Oh no, Adam Schiff feels… by jcaz
Release the evidence of California Rep. Adam Schiff's involvement in the PEDOGATE ring along with ALL investigation files!
In reply to Looking at Adam Schiff I'm… by bobbbny
Are we hallucinating, or is "Use Rear Entrance" tattooed on Schiff's forehead?
In reply to Release the California Rep… by MagicHandPuppet
Please tell me some heads are gonna roll.
In reply to Are we hallucinating, or is … by TeamDepends
The cognitive dissonance here is deafening. IF THE FUCKING DEEP STATE VOTED TO PUBLISH THE FUCKING DOCUMENT THE DEEP STATE WANTS IT FUCKING PUBLISHED.
In reply to Please tell me some heads… by The_Juggernaut
Ahhh, love me some Judas Priest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJT-K8p8ufI
In reply to Please tell me some heads… by The_Juggernaut
~"Democrats have slammed it as a collection of misleading talking points they are unable to correct without exposing the highly classified information underpinning the document."~
Well then, the dems will be able to "correct" away once the memo's released, won't they? It makes you wonder just how friggin' ignorant they think we are that we cannot handle finding out that John Brennan tried to get a FISA surveillance order on Trump, but knowing that only the FBI can do that had McCabe run the errand in front of Judge Contreras's FISA court, not once but twice. He and McCabe wanted to frame Carter Page as a Russian spy. It didn't work.
That's what they do not want the folks back home to know.
In reply to Looking at Adam Schiff I'm… by bobbbny
Schiff has his own table at Comet Pizza.
In reply to Looking at Adam Schiff I'm… by bobbbny
Schiff's mouth is the DNC's cock holster
In reply to Oh no, Adam Schiff feels… by jcaz
I liked your reference.
In reply to Schiff's mouth is the DNC's… by pc_babe
Of course you're right, but this place is stacked with fools who think the issues here are fixable rather than systemic.
In reply to Im not getting why everybody… by overbet
This will change nothing. Vote for the next candidate and you will still find that you have voted for more government. Funny how that works.
In reply to Im not getting why everybody… by overbet
I’ll take anything that humiliates corrupt demoturds.
cheers!
In reply to This will change nothing… by Al Gophilia
That's the danger. That's the slippery slope. Will you be merely satisfied with the public humiliation of some corrupted bit player or will you not be satisfied until the NSA, IRS, FED, BLM, TSA, MIC, ETC. are all abolished or restricted to next to oblivion?
In reply to I’ll take anything that… by Richard Chesler
The MEMO won't be redacted. Maybe some of the supporting data, but not the memo.
In reply to Im not getting why everybody… by overbet
"Just touch me one more time, just one more time." - Harding in One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest
No one in D.C. will give us our country back.
In reply to Im not getting why everybody… by overbet
"They" will put Hillary, Comey etc. in jail if that's what it takes to get us fooled again.
In reply to "Just touch me one more time… by pissonmefico
It was taken in 1913.
In reply to "Just touch me one more time… by pissonmefico
Nunes is playing this for maximum effect. Pencil-neck is even more smarmy than I'd remembered.
In reply to That would of been the way I… by Smack
Considering the likelihood of criminal indictments (Lynch, Comey, et.al.), this is likely a great week for a false flag. Maybe they'll put the 9/11 team on it.
In reply to Nunes is playing this for… by New_Meat
False flag in 3....2....1
In reply to That would of been the way I… by Smack
That would really leave the chattering class a chatterin'! Make it so and with no heads up to the opposition traitors.
In reply to The State of the Union… by nmewn
Thats the main thing...no warning...just...BAM!
Then shove a mic in their face for a comment ;-)
In reply to That would really leave the… by Gardentoolnumber5
Maxine's rebuttal should, will, be something for the ages; a priceless compendium of rayciss!!!
In reply to Thats the main thing...no… by nmewn
Putin's on the peninsula! He's on the outskirts of Seoul!...lmao!
Speaking flaming moonbat race whores...Corrine Brown started her stint at Coleman Correctional Institution today, its just like Christmas morning, everyday.
Sigh ;-)
In reply to Maxine's rebuttal should,… by TeamDepends
This is embarrassing but, that damned schadenboner has reared his ugly head......
In reply to Putin's on the peninsula! He… by nmewn
...mine just split the skin, I think I'm gonna need some stitches ;-)
In reply to This is embarrassing but,… by TeamDepends
Brother, consult the Oracle of Whisky, or Whiskey, but quick!
(Oooh, apparently "split the skin" triggered somebody)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiS58JJGht4
In reply to ...mine just split the skin,… by nmewn
That piece of racist cunt should stay in for life.
Chump change keeping that wig wearing baboon locked up vs. the graft and utter corruption.
In reply to Putin's on the peninsula! He… by nmewn
Notice what she was convicted for?
She defrauded a charity for..."the chillrun"...so she could go to a Beyonce concert, the Bahamas and shopp-iiing!
Wheee!
Then, had the gall to show up outside the gates of her new home (prison) in a...black (is dat razzzist?) Mercedes.
And yes, the taxpayers will fund her fucking government pension, for some "lawful" reason designed by "lawmakers", for "lawmakers", until the day she dies.
The final slap in the face.
In reply to That piece of racist cunt… by BabaLooey
truly, the Donald is not PC, and not afraid of the swamp creatures
this should be good
In reply to The State of the Union… by nmewn
And the funniest thing was Schiff saying...basically...
"The republicans even refused to allow those who under suspicion/investigation to exert veto power or even read the evidence compiled against them! This is an affront to our very democracy!"...LMAO!
In reply to truly, the Donald is not PC,… by lex parsimoniae
anyone get an angle of jackie speier wearing her freedom boot?
andre fidgit was as shifty as schifft.
In reply to And the funniest thing was… by nmewn
Capitalize!
In reply to The State of the Union… by nmewn
Pagination