quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
James Comey was never an FBI agent.

In June 2013, President Barack Obama nominated James Comey to succeed Robert Mueller as FBI Director.

Comey is a shit stain and has brought disgrace to the FBI.

My feeling is that President Trump will likely approve the release of the memo tomorrow, when all the talking heads are squawking and screeching about his SOTU address. That'll fuck up the party real good.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
That'll fuck up the party real good.

Sounds like fun.

Two senior FBI officials have now reviewed a controversial Republican staff memo alleging abuses of government surveillance programs during the 2016 presidential campaign, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News – adding that the officials “could not point to any factual inaccuracies.”

The two officials – one from the bureau’s counterintelligence division and the other from the legal division – followed up after an initial review of the memo during a rare Sunday trip to Capitol Hill by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The House Intelligence Committee voted late Monday along party lines to release the memo, prompting a backlash from Democratic lawmakers. Top Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff called it a “very sad day.” President Trump has five working days to review the contents but is widely expected not to block its release.

After the contentious committee vote Monday night, the source confirmed that House staffers physically took the memo over to the White House for the president.

The FBI offered no comment to Fox News regarding bureau officials’ review of the document. Senior DOJ officials also had the opportunity to review the memo at DOJ headquarters on Monday.

The Justice Department, in a Jan. 24 letter from Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd, originally had called the Republican staff memo’s release “unprecedented” and “reckless.” Boyd also stated, “Though we are currently unaware of any wrongdoing relating to the FISA process, we agree that any abuse of that system cannot be tolerated.”

But DOJ officials told Fox News on Tuesday that parts of that memo are now "moot" -- specifically the term "reckless," as DOJ and FBI officials have now had the opportunity to review the document.

Fox News is told the memo was “drafted deliberately to eliminate national security information” that could be damaging if viewed by individuals outside Congress.

House Republicans have indicated the memo speaks to whether the unverified anti-Trump dossier was used to secure or extend surveillance warrants for Americans, including a Trump associate.


“If you’re interested whether or not the dossier was used in court proceedings, whether or not it was funded by political opponents, you’ll want to see the memo,” Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said on “Fox & Friends.”

The source said the FBI and Justice Department had “fought tooth and nail” for close to a year to avoid providing the surveillance-related records to Congress. The source said additional records provided this month, after Republican committee Chairman Devin Nunes threatened to move forward with contempt of Congress citations, backed up investigators’ earlier findings.

The committee is in the process of lining up the remaining FBI and DOJ interviews, which are expected in early February, as part of its investigation. Intelligence committee Republicans have two outstanding records requests: for additional texts between FBI official Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, and records documenting an April 2017 meeting between DOJ lawyer and senior special counsel prosecutor Andrew Weissmann and a major media organization. The Weissmann deadline was Jan. 11.

In a Jan. 4 letter, documenting his agreement with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to avoid contempt citations, Nunes wrote, “I understand that your office is researching records related to the details of an April 2017 meeting between DOJ Attorney Andrew Weissmann (now the senior attorney for Special Counsel Robert Mueller) and the media which will be provided to this Committee by close of business Thursday January 11, 2018.”

The source said the FBI and Justice Department said they wanted additional time to gather all of the Weissmann records, to provide them at once. Fox News understands the committee will make a new push for the remaining Weissmann records, which are related to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as early as this week.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan recently told Fox News, “I am interested in anything the FBI did to leak information to further their narrative.”

Link

It is simply AMAZING that the democrats are framing this memo as trying to "tear down our institutions" when in fact that is what they have been trying to do for decades.

This is the absolute purest form of projection on the part of those American hating trashbags. And they are scared.

And that makes me happy.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
My feeling is that President Trump will likely approve the release of the memo tomorrow, when all the talking heads are squawking and screeching about his SOTU address. That'll fuck up the party real good.

Here ya go!

quote:

Rep. Matt Gaetz called on President Donald Trump to authorize the release of a controversial surveillance memo at Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

The House Intelligence Committee voted Monday to release a classified memo purportedly revealing government surveillance abuses, with Democrats blasting the move and offering up their own memo.

Trump now has five business days to decide on whether the memo should be made public.

Gaetz (R-Fla.), a frequent critic of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, said Trump should enter the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol and dramatically hand Speaker Paul Ryan a letter of consent to release the memo.

Link

That would be great, but the speech is supposed to be about bipartisanship.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
That would be great, but the speech is supposed to be about bipartisanship.

It need not be. It is supposed to be a report on the “State of the Union.”

The President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, Section 3, Clause 1.

He could hand the letter over before, or ask a part of, his address. Kind of show boaty for me, but Trump seems to have a very keen insight on what works in these situations.

Some thought maybe he should read the entire memo, then call out Schiff, hollering “liar, liar, pants on fire.”

it actually would be nice if he read the memo during the speech - it would be absolutely brilliant to see the looks on the faces of the few dems that show up when its revealed to people live and unedited...

they've already read it, why can't we...

Seems like many of the democrats aren't attending so does it really need to be bipartisan?

The DoJ ltr of 24 Jan 2018 by Boyd was rather inflammatory.

At first it seemed like Sessions really dropped the ball. But w Sessions' recusal, it was probably Rosenstein who gave the green light on that letter.

Wouldn't that be a twist. Rosenstein blasts Nunes for a report that may say Rosenstein put forth a FISA warrant based on unverified info.

My guess is that President Trump will keep the speech tonight as showing he is willing to work w all of Congress in a bipartisan manner.

Then maybe Thursday release the memo.

The most important thing is that the memo be a real punch in the gut.

FOX News just released a HUGE report implicating President Obama in the Russia – Obamagate scandal –

Newly revealed text messages between FBI paramours Peter Strzok and Lisa Page include an exchange about preparing talking points for then-FBI Director James Comey to give to President Obama, who wanted “to know everything we’re doing.”

The message, from Page to Strzok, was among thousands of texts between the lovers reviewed by Fox News. The pair both worked at one point for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Page wrote to Strzok on Sept. 2, 2016 about prepping Comey because “potus wants to know everything we’re doing.” Senate investigators told Fox News this text raises questions about Obama’s personal involvement in the Clinton email investigation.

In texts previously revealed, Strzok and Page have shown their disdain for Republicans in general, as well as Trump, calling him a “f—ing idiot,” among other insults.

Among the newly disclosed texts, Strzok also calls Virginians who voted against then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s wife for a state Senate seat “ignorant hillbillys.” (sic)

Corrupt lovers Strzok and Page both worked at the FBI. As a matter of fact, they were both very high up at the FBI and are both very corrupt. Strzok is famous for his activities in protecting Hillary Clinton from criminal charges in 2016. CNN reports –

Electronic records show Peter Strzok, who led the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server as the No. 2 official in the counterintelligence division, changed Comey’s earlier draft language describing Clinton’s actions as “grossly negligent” to “extremely careless,” the sources said.

Both these characters were selected by Robert Mueller to assist in his Russia – Trump farce investigation along with a team of similar characters – all Clinton and Obama cronies.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/02/397733/

One FBI agent was so upset about "political attacks" he quit. And now works for CNN.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...amid-memo-furor.html

Top FBI agent quits to join 'growing chorus who believe political attacks on the bureau is putting America's national security at risk' (and lands a job on CNN straight away)

Josh Campbell, once a special adviser to the FBI director, has quit the bureau

He wanted to surrender his badge so that he could talk publicly about issues

Document made public claims to show Trump's campaign team were spied on

President said it vindicates his insistence he never colluded with the Russians

Feb 5, 1018

An FBI agent has surrendered his badge over what he described as the politicization of the bureau amid the furore of a controversial memo made public by Congress.

Josh Campbell, once special adviser to the director, has resigned in order to have his say over the concerns he has without fearing the backlash his opinions might cause.

The FBI is reeling after the Trump administration went public with the document, which claims to show the bureau colluded with the Democrats to gain information which would allow agents to spy on the Republican campaign party during the 2016 election race.

Democrats have chimed in on the argument over the weekend, calling it a 'political hit job' and an attempt to 'undermine and discredit the FBI'.

But President Trump claimed the document vindicated his insistence there was no collusion with the Russians and no obstruction during the race to The White House.

Josh Campbell, once special adviser to the director, has resigned in order to have his say over the concerns he has without fearing the backlash his opinions might cause
Campbell, who wrote a column for the New York Times, said his former colleagues at the bureau were 'dogged', a-political people who needed the public's backing.

'Scorched-earth attacks from politicians with partisan goals now threaten that support, raising corrosive doubts about the integrity of the FBI that could last for generations,' he wrote.
Campbell was an agent with the FBI for more than a decade, and said it was one of the greatest honors of his life.

Campbell was an agent with the FBI for more than a decade, and said it was one of the greatest honors of his life
He worked on counter-terrorism, was part of kidnapping rescue teams and was a special assistant to the director during his time.

But he said he felt forced to turn in his badge to join the 'growing chorus of people' who believe the 'relentless attacks on the bureau undermine not just America’s premier law enforcement agency but also the nation’s security'.

'My resignation is painful, but the alternative of remaining quiet while the bureau is tarnished for political gain is impossible,' Campbell wrote.

He goes on to say that agents at the FBI make mistakes like any human, but that this is not one of them.

These political attacks on the bureau must stop,' he said.
'If those critics of the agency persuade the public that the FBI cannot be trusted, they will also have succeeded in making our nation less safe.'

Campbell wasn't out of work for long, having joined CNN as a law enforcement analyst and will appear on air to discuss crime, justice, and national security issues.

Donald Trump Jr has described the releasing of the controversial FBI memo 'sweet revenge' for him and his family...

See link for the remainder of the article, it is irrelevant to the topic.


===============================================================================

Get the tissues ready.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/0...om&assetType=opinion

Opinion | OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Why I Am Leaving the F.B.I.

By JOSH CAMPBELL FEB. 2, 2018

One of the greatest honors of my life was walking across the stage at the F.B.I. Academy and receiving my special agent badge from the director at the time, Robert Mueller. After 21 weeks of intensive training, my class swore an oath and became federal agents entrusted with the solemn duty of protecting Americans and upholding the Constitution.

After more than a decade of service, which included investigating terrorism, working to rescue kidnapping victims overseas and being special assistant to the director, I am reluctantly turning in my badge and leaving an organization I love. Why? So I can join the growing chorus of people who believe that the relentless attacks on the bureau undermine not just America’s premier law enforcement agency but also the nation’s security. My resignation is painful, but the alternative of remaining quiet while the bureau is tarnished for political gain is impossible.

A small number of my current and retired colleagues have said that we should simply keep our heads down until the storm passes. I say this with the greatest respect: They are wrong. If those who know the agency best remain silent, it will be defined by those with partisan agendas.

F.B.I. agents are dogged people who do not care about the direction of political winds. But to succeed in their work, they need public backing. Scorched-earth attacks from politicians with partisan goals now threaten that support, raising corrosive doubts about the integrity of the F.B.I. that could last for generations.

When the F.B.I. knocks on someone’s door or appeals to the public for assistance in solving crime, the willingness of people to help is directly correlated to their opinion of the agency. When an agent working to stop a terrorist plot attempts to recruit an informant, the agent’s success in gathering critical intelligence depends on the informant’s belief that the agent is credible and trustworthy. And, as the former director, James Comey, would frequently say in underscoring the importance of high standards, whether a jury believes an agent’s testimony depends on whether it has faith in the bureau’s honesty and independence. To be effective, the F.B.I. must be believed and must maintain the support of the public it serves.

Do F.B.I. agents make mistakes? You bet. They are human beings. Because they are not infallible, the bureau is subject to a robust system of checks and balances, including its internal affairs division, the Department of Justice inspector general, congressional committees and the courts. These watchdogs ensure that personal opinions regarding politics, causes and candidates do not affect investigations. The system also provides an outlet for any investigator who suspects malfeasance on the part of the agency’s leadership to make those concerns known.

What, then, are we to make of the recent allegations of political bias at the F.B.I., particularly those involving two employees whose cringe-worthy text messages continue to threaten the agency’s reputation? While it would be disingenuous to claim that those two are not at least guilty of exercising incredibly poor judgment, it would be equally disingenuous for anyone who really knows the modern-day bureau to insinuate that the organization is plotting from within.

Furthermore, a congressional memo released on Friday accuses the F.B.I. and the Justice Department of abusing their surveillance powers to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser. But every statement of fact included in an affidavit for foreign intelligence collection must withstand the scrutiny of at least 10 people in the Department of Justice hierarchy before it is reviewed by an independent court.

There is, however, a difference between oversight by those in charge of holding the F.B.I. accountable and criticism by politicians seeking partisan gain. Political operatives are weaponizing their disagreement with a particular investigation in a bid to undermine the credibility of the entire institution. “The system is rigged” is their slogan, and they are now politicizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act process used to collect critical intelligence about our adversaries.

The assumption among confused and dismayed F.B.I. employees is that the attacks are meant to soften the blow should the investigation by Mr. Mueller, the special counsel, lead to additional charges. However, these kinds of attacks by powerful people go beyond mere criticism — they could destroy the institution. Although those critics’ revisionist supporters claim their ire is reserved for institutional leadership and not the rank and file, it is the F.B.I. agent on the street who will be most severely affected as public support for federal law enforcement is sacrificed for partisan gain.

These political attacks on the bureau must stop. If those critics of the agency persuade the public that the F.B.I. cannot be trusted, they will also have succeeded in making our nation less safe.



Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) is a former supervisory special agent with the F.B.I. who served as a counterterrorism investigator and special assistant to the bureau’s director.

It doesn’t look like Josh’s checks balanced.

He is working for CNN now? Ok so basically he is a dishonest opportunistic whore. Got it.

quote:

Get the tissues ready.

He seems to be the only one who needs tissues, and it ain't for tears. The FBI appears to have been subordinated to partisan political purposes, and when the appropriate oversight body investigates whether this is true it's...politically partisan? Riiight.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:


Josh Campbell, once special adviser to the director

Yeah, "special adviser". More like butler, secretary and errand boy all rolled into one.

You're SO PRINCIPLED and NOBLE you're resigning in protest...to go work for CNN badmouthing the Trump Administration every time they give you a chance to open your friggen pie-hole.