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22 April 2019

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jjc

The Report is silent on the issue of who or what was Mifsud's source leading to his remark that Russia had thousands of Clinton emails. Mifsud apparently told Papadopoulos this information came from high-level Russian contacts. Since the delivery of this information to a Trump staffer was supposedly the trigger for a determined counter-intelligence operation, it's hard to understand why there is no clarification on what motivated Mifsud to say what he said. The FBI interviewed him, presumedly the topic was addressed: "who in Russia told you about the emails?" In fact, the transmission of this information during the Papadopoulos-Mifsud March meeting was cited by Mueller in indictment documents as of primary importance.

Mad Max_22

This is one of my fundamental problems with the FBI's handling of the "Russian" collusion investigation from its very inception, from both standpoints, counter intelligence and criminal. With regard to Mifsud's information, in order for the FBI to develop it from both standpoints, there was no need to bring, should I write entrap, Papadopolis or any other official from the Trump campaign into the operation. Mifsud was the most direct path into the so called Russian operation, and a UCA should have been introduced through Mifsud to further the case if one were even needed. Mifsud himself should have been wired to develop the case - furthermore he should have been much more thoroughly wrung out with respect to these so called Russian sources. This criticism applies as well, perhaps more so, to the Bureau's handling of Halper, what were they paying him for anyway; and again, most critically, to the Bureau's handling of Steele. It is incomprehensible that the Bureau would use the Steele "source" information in a FISC affidavit without demanding from Steele the identities of his reputed sources so they could be vetted for their credibility and reliability and not mask these most important affidavit attestations by avering to Steele's reliability in prior, but dissimilar, cases. The best interpretation I can give to it is that there was some crazy inchoate design to steer the Russians towards the real target, the Trump campaign.
And shame on Mueller and his band of partisans. Every criticism of the Bureau above can be laid directly on them. Mueller could have wrapped up his Russsian collusion investigation in three months with 10% of the resources by going directly at Mifsud, Halper, Steele, and probably Brennan. Just tell me who your "sources" were gentleman, your supposedly Russian sources? What did they tell you, who, where, when, and why? But then there really was no need at all for a Special Counsel. But for that recognition to have set in, the Bureau would have had to recognize that it had been played; and there was nobody at home big enough to make that recognition.

blue peacock

Some argue that Mifsud, Halper, Downer & Steele were orchestrated by US, British & Aussie intelligence as well as the FBI to trap Trump campaign officials in planted scenarios of association with Russians to buttress the Russia collusion narrative.

If Trump & Barr want to get to the bottom of this conspiracy they will need to find out who ran these guys? IMO. that should be very straightforward if they really do want that info.

Mad Max_22

You are absolutely correct in saying they will need to find out who specifically ran these guys and who was supervising them. This should have been Mueller's first order of business, appraising and not just assuming there was a fact basis to support that a) Russian intelligence services were attempting to penetrate the Trump campaign and b) that Trump officials had either initiated the contacts or were predisposed to cooperate with those services in violaion of specific US laws. The most direct, and the proper, approach would have been to use the sources against the presumptive Russian operatives and not to use them to bait a Trump official into thinking that there were unnamed "Russians" who wanted to help Trump by presenting him with a politically generic open ended scheme.
Another thing that irks me is the targeting of Carter Page for the FISC surveillance. Carter Page had previously provided the Bureau significant help in a case involving Russia. I have seen nothing to indicate that Carter Page was given the opportunity to explain what looks and smells like garbage that was used to justify the elsur. What? You have a guy who has helped you and gone on the record to help you and you don't give him an opportunity to explain what amounts to anonymous information that is tarbrushing him? You better have a damn good reason for that, and I don't see one.
Don't be surprised when the names come out, if the names come out, we haven't seen them before.

Ligurio

"will need to find out who specifically ran these guys and who was supervising them."

That's not so hard: GCHQ chief Robert Hannigan and Director of CIA John Brennan.

Woodward has all but named Brennan explicitly as the most powerful visible driver of the conspiracy stateside.

blue peacock

I'm not optimistic that anyone including Trump will make any effort to get to the bottom of it all. In fact I believe the reality will be that it will all be swept under the rug. There will of course be all kinds of noise that we have a serious investigation ongoing and can't really talk about it and Trump will of course keep tweeting. And the fully invested Democrats and the media will have a new pony to ride. The pony du jour seems to be obstruction.

Ptab

Well i’ll Be a monkeys uncle - have I stumbled into LJ’s underground? Glad to find you Sir. Hope u r well & healthy

turcopolier

Yes, I allow Johnson to post here since his return from Costa Rica.

Ptab

Then I thank YOU for offering him the soapbox - I was a regular lurker at his last site until he went dark. I wish you all nothing but great success peace
Permission to go to shore Sir ?

Joe100

WOW! Larry Johnson (VIA SST) makes the big time - a Trump tweet (4:04 AM this morning) cited Larry Johnson (obviously via SST) about UK spying for the Obama administration on Trump's 2016 campaign!

You may need to go into hiding again!

But someone in or close to the White House must be following SST...

turcopolier

A number of authors on SST have been developing the case for UK conspiracy against Trump for years. Where were you?

Joe100

I have been following SST's development of this case and everything else on SST for many years. My point above (not artfully presented) was that SSTs coverage of the plausible UK role in Trump campaign spying is now being cited by Trump and that this suggests someone who matters in the White House is following SST.

akaPatience

I think Trump's tweet was in response to an interview of Larry Johnson that appeared on OANN.

DLC

I come to this site often to check my own impressions of the current state of politics and international issues. I was a long-time follower of L.J. before he came to this site. I always found his analysis trustworthy.

It's so sad that I can't say that in regard to most of our politicians and many of our "public servants."

Between the MSM and the NeoCon-leaning Fox News, I am so glad to have this site to come to every now and then. I wish I had a site to go to in regard to state and local politics. My county is doing its best to counter the craziness that has taken over our Capitol in CO now that we have a Gov. Polis. Marijuana everywhere and now a threat of firearm confiscations. I'm thinking we may end up with a real Western shootout soon. My county of Weld once before thought seriously about seceding from the state after too many Californians had come to "Californicate" our state We are being squeezed by the Denver-Boulder area that has now joined with the Boulder "wannabe" city of Fort Collins in an effort to turn our long-time red county blue. Heck, our latest big scandal was a librarian bringing in a transgender female cross dresser to talk to pre-school children. It's turning into a surreal world, for sure.

At least this site gives me a chance to read sane analysis.

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