Thank God for Mollie Hemingway.
Seriously.
She somehow finds a way to take things like the IG report that typically come across like reading stereo instructions written backward in Pig Latin and makes them into something even we can understand. Hey, we are the first to admit there are so many moving pieces to all of these investigations that even we need some CliffsNotes.
Like this thread from Mollie.
Of applications for warrants to spy on US citizen Carter Page, IG says "numerous instances in which factual representations in those applications were inaccurate, incomplete, or unsupported by appropriate documentation."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
But you know, it wasn’t political.
Keep reading.
IG reminds that it did "did not analyze all of the decisions in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation," but had a more limited scope.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
It was a compromise. *eye roll*
In fact, IG specifically says "our role in this review was not to second-guess discretionary judgments by Department personnel about whether to open an investigation" — something spin from media and their sources on IG's view of opening investigation neglected to mention.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Neglected to mention? You don’t say.
Massive counterintel investigation against political campaign of opposing party was started solely on tip from foreign gov't, nothing else, IG says. W/in days, 4 campaign officials targeted, picked because they'd been to Russia or talked to Russians. Wow does this look flimsy.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Flimsy is not the word we had in mind but it works.
IG says this was technically allowed, thanks to " low
threshold" FBI has for counterintelligence investigations.— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
HOOboy.
IG says he's "concerned" about investigation handling given "constitutionally protected activity occurring
during a national presidential campaign." Also "concerned" about "intrusive investigative techniques that could
impact constitutionally protected activity."— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Concerned.
K.
IG says officials all agreed that they should launch massive counterintel probe on basis of that one uncorroborated tip and not tell campaign (which included US Sen. and future AG Jeff Sessions and former NJ Gov. Chris Christie, notably) in case they were all in on it.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
(It is perhaps worth noting that public reporting from recent years shows that US officials did talk to Russia about the alleged efforts but not the Trump campaign itself.)
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
But not the Trump campaign itself.
IG reminds that previous report showed highly political texts from FBI/DOJ officials that "indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Lisa Page reassured us her texts were AOK though.
IG previously reported (contrary to some claims recently made in media) and states again that texts were "not only indicative of a biased state of mind but, even more seriously, impl[y] a willingness to take official action to impact [Trump's] electoral prospects."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
How the Hell can they say there was no bias then?
IG notes standards for launching probe of a campaign are extremely low, as happened for sprawling Russia probe. "Given the low threshold for predication…sufficient to predicate the full counterintelligence investigation" (others disagree, obviously.)
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Obviously.
IG records Priestap claim that decision to keep probe at HQ instead of the traditional field office was done to prevent unauthorized disclosure to media. (Leaks from intel officials about Russia collusion hoax began in Fall of 2016 and continued through today.)
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
IG acknowledges that FBI used a confidential human source to interact with and record conversations with Trump affiliates. FBI also used a source to "record a conversation with a high-level Trump campaign official who was not a subject of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation"
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
So … spying?
Spying "implicated constitutionally protected activity," but IG says wasn't done "solely" to monitor opposition party's campaign so it's fine. IG remarkably nonplussed, though will admit concern activity could have led to "incidental receipt of sensitive campaign information."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Concern.
Again.
In footnote, "recordings done by the CHSs did not generate information tending to support the allegation that Page and Papadopoulos were, wittingly or unwittingly, providing assistance to Russia."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Ya’ don’t say.
IG notes, mildly, this bombshell: some info FBI had "was inconsistent with, or undercut, the allegations contained in the FISA applications to support probable cause and, in some instances, resulted in inaccurate information being included in the applications."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
We’re not seeing this bombshell in the media … wonder why.
IG notes that U.S. citizen Carter Page was spied on by his government for more than a year " based on significant omissions and inaccurate information in the initial and renewal FISA applications. "
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
More than a YEAR.
FBI wanted to get FISA warrant on Papadopoulos, too, but were constrained. "the FBI had no information that Papadopoulos was being directed by the Russians." Also decided against FISAs on Flynn and Manafort.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
They were constrained. Color us shocked.
FBI wanted to get FISA on Page in mid-August. Another intel agency told FBI Page helped agency as "operational contact" from 2008 to 2013, providing detailed information Page had given that agency on Russian intel officers. FBI "did not accurately describe" info it received.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Unreal.
Wait, sorry, this is all too real.
"In August 2016, Page made statements to an FBI CHS that, if
true, were in tension with the reporting the FBI received subsequently from Steele," but Page's statements were kept hidden.— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Why were they kept hidden?
After earlier FISA request was tamped down internally, FBI relaunched wiretap effort on Page, conveniently, the same day it received Steele's claims about him.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
IG says Steele dossier "played a central and essential role" in decision to seek wiretap on Page. "FISA application drew heavily, although not entirely, upon the Steele reporting to support the government's position that Page was an agent of a foreign power."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
IG confirms Nunes FISA memo, which said dossier formed an "essential" role in securing wiretap. Schiff, by contrast, falsely claimed application “made only narrow use" of Steele dossier (among other false claims about quality of Steele's claims).
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
IG accepts claim that allegations need not be corroborated before seeking to spy on U.S. citizen. Source merely needs to be vetted. Steele's actual sources were unidentified so they claimed to vet Steele. IG says claims about Steele were "overstated and not approved."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
FBI lawyer "expressed frustration" that "FBI had not advised OI of the political origins of Steele's election reporting until late in the drafting process on the first FISA application," and only
after he asked three times for info about Steele's possible political connections.— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
(Steele had been secretly hired by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign to develop the Russia dossier for dissemination to media and government officials.)
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
And there’s the DNC and wait for it … Hillary Clinton.
IG identifies "numerous serious factual errors and omissions" in FISA applications, "a failure across three investigative teams to advise NSD attorneys of significant information that undercut certain allegations in the FISA applications," …
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
So many errors.
We guess they’d rather look stupid than biased.
"lack of satisfactory explanations for these failures" and "continuous failure to reassess the factual assertions supporting probable cause in the FISA applications as the investigation proceeded and information was obtained
raising significant questions about the Steele" dossier— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Again, "the factual representations in the initial and renewal FISA applications filed with the FISC contained information that was inaccurate, incomplete, or unsupported by appropriate documentation"
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Requirement that "both an agent and a supervisory agent verify, with supporting documentation" every piece of information in FISA application was "not met with regard to any of the four Carter Page FISA applications."
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 9, 2019
Maybe the media read a different report?
Heh.
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