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basionok
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| Registered on: | 5/25/2022 |
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US wants lasting conflict in Ukraine
Posted by basionok on 8/10/22 at 11:31 am
"As the architect and main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis, Washington, while imposing unprecedented comprehensive sanctions on Russia, continues to supply arms and military equipment to Ukraine. Its ultimate aim is to exhaust and ruin Russia with a long war and a sanction stick," Zhang Hanhui said.
LINK
LINK
5
re: Bruce Reinhart has nice hand writing
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 5:42 pm to PsychTiger
Reinhart contributed $500 to Jeb Bush's failed 2016 presidential campaign, federal filings show.
re: Will the DOJ Indict Trump soon?
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 5:32 pm to Godfather1
"The best way to avoid FBI raids is to avoid committing federal crimes," Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) tweeted on Monday.
"That's what happens when you break the law, try to steal an election, and incite a deadly insurrection. Donald Trump should be in jail," said House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). "I'm glad to see the FBI taking steps towards accountability."
The agents were seeking evidence related to whether Trump removed classified documents from the White House to his compound at Mar-a-Lago.
The agents who executed the search were from the Washington Field Office, the same office that whistleblowers recently complained to Sen. Charles Grassley was involved in political meddling into investigations involving Trump and Hunter Biden.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) claimed the raid was lawful.
"We are witnessing the difference between an honest system and a corrupt one. In 2020 Donald Trump brought us dangerously close to a permanently corrupt America. The rule of law is taking shape. And accountability is coming."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said there must have been justification for the raid.
Michael Cohen, who represented Trump until 2018, said: "Here's what Trump's attorneys should be telling him: 'when the fbi raids, all you can do is prepare for jail.' No one is above the law! #KarmaBoomerang."
LINK
"That's what happens when you break the law, try to steal an election, and incite a deadly insurrection. Donald Trump should be in jail," said House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). "I'm glad to see the FBI taking steps towards accountability."
The agents were seeking evidence related to whether Trump removed classified documents from the White House to his compound at Mar-a-Lago.
The agents who executed the search were from the Washington Field Office, the same office that whistleblowers recently complained to Sen. Charles Grassley was involved in political meddling into investigations involving Trump and Hunter Biden.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) claimed the raid was lawful.
"We are witnessing the difference between an honest system and a corrupt one. In 2020 Donald Trump brought us dangerously close to a permanently corrupt America. The rule of law is taking shape. And accountability is coming."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said there must have been justification for the raid.
Michael Cohen, who represented Trump until 2018, said: "Here's what Trump's attorneys should be telling him: 'when the fbi raids, all you can do is prepare for jail.' No one is above the law! #KarmaBoomerang."
LINK
FBI remains above the rule of law and beyond the reach democratic accountability
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 5:09 pm
In theory, a properly motivated Congress could defund and shutter the FBI with a simple piece of legislation. Unfortunately, until Democrats and establishment Republicans swallow their fears and wake up to the threat the FBI poses to self-government, the FBI remains above the rule of law and beyond the reach democratic accountability.
Still, there are incremental steps that could be taken to challenge the lawlessness of this untouchable agency.
End the FBI’s Counterintelligence Work
There’s a reason why the FBI loves to paint its opponents and political rivals as, “agents of Putin,” or stooges for Russia. The FBI can use a false allegation of a target acting as a foreign agent to spy on political opponents.
The FBI has been ineffective at using the FISA court to catch real spies, however, preferring instead to reverse engineer warrants on real American targets who happen to have some incidental contact with a Russian. The FBI has shown it cannot be trusted with the domestic counterintelligence brief and that power should be reassigned to an agency that won’t abuse the power.
Increasing Transparency
Under the Freedom of Information Act, a request for information made to any government agency shall be processed within 20 business days, or approximately 30 calendar days. The FBI simply ignores this requirement, often insisting on a timeline of years.
The practice of slow-rolling FOIA requests lets the FBI and the Justice Department operate in near total secrecy, something that is anathema to democratic governance. If the FBI’s failure to follow FOIA time limits pertains to requested documents evidencing FBI misconduct, a requesting party should get attorney’s fees if it becomes necessary to sue to overcome stalling or obstruction.
Similarly, the FBI uses the excuse of a matter being under “active investigation” to block requests for materials that would potentially embarrass the bureau. Director Christopher Wray is particularly adept at claiming any topic that could shame his agency is “under investigation,” thus precluding him from discussing the matter. When the FBI wants to cover something up, say, the provenance of a laptop containing evidence of corrupt dealings of a favored politician, it simply keeps the investigation open for years and years, long past the point any serious investigation would have concluded.
End or Limit the Stings and Set-ups
The FBI must go to great lengths to justify its sprawling, worldwide empire. The bureau makes little or no dent in the crime that really plagues Americans. A typical FBI case more resembles the work of a fisherman who secretly places a store-bought fish on his hook before reeling it in to great public fanfare.
After 9/11, the FBI scoured the Muslim community for mentally vulnerable targets who could be coaxed into participating in the FBI’s make-believe terror plots. More recently, a jury rejected the FBI’s contrived plot to “kidnap” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer when it turned out that the FBI funded and set up the whole thing—even to the point of facilitating introductions among the “conspirators.” This is also why many in the public are alarmed that the FBI had informants inside the crowd that breached the Capitol on January 6.
The FBI should not be allowed to justify its existence by making its own criminal plots. Congress should pass laws permitting expedited discovery in criminal cases and a procedure for quickly dismissing cases where the suspects were not already criminals when the FBI started its investigation. And while we’re at it, the Justice Department should not be able to hold defendants in jail for a year without trial or bail to coerce plea deals.
Do Not Let the FBI and Justice Department Investigate Their Own
The Justice Department Office of the Inspector General repeatedly has published reports detailing criminal misconduct by FBI and Justice Department personnel. When it refers these cases for prosecution, the vast majority of bad actors are not prosecuted, the case of former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, being one such example. This has led some to nickname the Justice Department, the Department of “Just Us.” Obviously, the Justice Department and the FBI do not apply the same rules to themselves that they expect the public to follow.
End Self-funding Through Forfeitures
Under the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, the Justice Department uses money seized and forfeited from the public to help fund its operations. It can use additional portions of forfeited assets to kick back sweeteners to local law enforcement that helps the FBI. As I wrote here, this degrades Congress’ ability to oversee this powerful agency. Instead, all forfeited funds should be returned to the treasury under the Miscellaneous Receipts Act. If the Justice Department can’t use the money it takes from the public, often without criminally charging anyone, then the incentive to abuse the program will be reduced.
The best course of action is for Congress to just scrap the FBI. But short of that, our elected leaders must exercise their power to re-impose constitutional supremacy over this out-of-control agency.
LINK
Still, there are incremental steps that could be taken to challenge the lawlessness of this untouchable agency.
End the FBI’s Counterintelligence Work
There’s a reason why the FBI loves to paint its opponents and political rivals as, “agents of Putin,” or stooges for Russia. The FBI can use a false allegation of a target acting as a foreign agent to spy on political opponents.
The FBI has been ineffective at using the FISA court to catch real spies, however, preferring instead to reverse engineer warrants on real American targets who happen to have some incidental contact with a Russian. The FBI has shown it cannot be trusted with the domestic counterintelligence brief and that power should be reassigned to an agency that won’t abuse the power.
Increasing Transparency
Under the Freedom of Information Act, a request for information made to any government agency shall be processed within 20 business days, or approximately 30 calendar days. The FBI simply ignores this requirement, often insisting on a timeline of years.
The practice of slow-rolling FOIA requests lets the FBI and the Justice Department operate in near total secrecy, something that is anathema to democratic governance. If the FBI’s failure to follow FOIA time limits pertains to requested documents evidencing FBI misconduct, a requesting party should get attorney’s fees if it becomes necessary to sue to overcome stalling or obstruction.
Similarly, the FBI uses the excuse of a matter being under “active investigation” to block requests for materials that would potentially embarrass the bureau. Director Christopher Wray is particularly adept at claiming any topic that could shame his agency is “under investigation,” thus precluding him from discussing the matter. When the FBI wants to cover something up, say, the provenance of a laptop containing evidence of corrupt dealings of a favored politician, it simply keeps the investigation open for years and years, long past the point any serious investigation would have concluded.
End or Limit the Stings and Set-ups
The FBI must go to great lengths to justify its sprawling, worldwide empire. The bureau makes little or no dent in the crime that really plagues Americans. A typical FBI case more resembles the work of a fisherman who secretly places a store-bought fish on his hook before reeling it in to great public fanfare.
After 9/11, the FBI scoured the Muslim community for mentally vulnerable targets who could be coaxed into participating in the FBI’s make-believe terror plots. More recently, a jury rejected the FBI’s contrived plot to “kidnap” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer when it turned out that the FBI funded and set up the whole thing—even to the point of facilitating introductions among the “conspirators.” This is also why many in the public are alarmed that the FBI had informants inside the crowd that breached the Capitol on January 6.
The FBI should not be allowed to justify its existence by making its own criminal plots. Congress should pass laws permitting expedited discovery in criminal cases and a procedure for quickly dismissing cases where the suspects were not already criminals when the FBI started its investigation. And while we’re at it, the Justice Department should not be able to hold defendants in jail for a year without trial or bail to coerce plea deals.
Do Not Let the FBI and Justice Department Investigate Their Own
The Justice Department Office of the Inspector General repeatedly has published reports detailing criminal misconduct by FBI and Justice Department personnel. When it refers these cases for prosecution, the vast majority of bad actors are not prosecuted, the case of former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, being one such example. This has led some to nickname the Justice Department, the Department of “Just Us.” Obviously, the Justice Department and the FBI do not apply the same rules to themselves that they expect the public to follow.
End Self-funding Through Forfeitures
Under the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, the Justice Department uses money seized and forfeited from the public to help fund its operations. It can use additional portions of forfeited assets to kick back sweeteners to local law enforcement that helps the FBI. As I wrote here, this degrades Congress’ ability to oversee this powerful agency. Instead, all forfeited funds should be returned to the treasury under the Miscellaneous Receipts Act. If the Justice Department can’t use the money it takes from the public, often without criminally charging anyone, then the incentive to abuse the program will be reduced.
The best course of action is for Congress to just scrap the FBI. But short of that, our elected leaders must exercise their power to re-impose constitutional supremacy over this out-of-control agency.
LINK
US troops withdrawal from Syria to lead to elimination of terrorist presence
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 4:42 pm
The withdrawal of US troops from Syria will facilitate swift elimination of remaining terrorist presence in that country, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said on Tuesday.
"It is necessary to completely exterminate the remaining nests of international terrorism in Syria and to do away with the presence of Islamic State and other groups in Syria. Now they are sheltered on territories that are not controlled by the Syrian government."
According to the Russian diplomat, during a patrol mission over Syria on August 4 Russia’s air taskforce neutralized a group of Liwa Shuhada al-Qaryatayn terrorists.
"This terrorist group is based in al-Tanf, which is controlled by American troops. The withdrawal of US occupational forces from the Syrian territory would mean a swift and inevitable elimination of terrorist presence in this much-suffering country and of terrorist network in neighboring states".
LINK
"It is necessary to completely exterminate the remaining nests of international terrorism in Syria and to do away with the presence of Islamic State and other groups in Syria. Now they are sheltered on territories that are not controlled by the Syrian government."
According to the Russian diplomat, during a patrol mission over Syria on August 4 Russia’s air taskforce neutralized a group of Liwa Shuhada al-Qaryatayn terrorists.
"This terrorist group is based in al-Tanf, which is controlled by American troops. The withdrawal of US occupational forces from the Syrian territory would mean a swift and inevitable elimination of terrorist presence in this much-suffering country and of terrorist network in neighboring states".
LINK
No matter what Garland or Wray say, no matter what the FBI attested to in a search warrant application, no matter what cause a federal judge found, Americans won’t trust them and they shouldn’t.
Four fake FISA applications and the ensuing surveillance orders authorized by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court are the first reason why.
When the public learned that the Department of Justice had obtained a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, the government and the media cartel assured Americans that the FISA court would only authorize such wiretapping if probable cause supported the surveillance. They also assured us that since Page was no longer a member of Trump’s campaign, the FISA orders did not target Trump. And the FISA application process, we were told, was robust, with multiple layers of review. Worry not, the government soothed, all was on the up and up.
But none of it was true. The FISA application process, far from being robust, consisted of rubber-stamping by FBI and DOJ officials who were, at best, willfully blind to the defects in the applications. And the agents who wrote the applications or supposedly reviewed and checked the information provided, either lied, withheld material information, included information disputed by the purported sources, or some combination of the three. In total, the Office of Inspector general found 17 significant inaccuracies or omissions and missed another one.
Later the public learned that in the process of renewing the Page FISA application, attorney Kevin Clinesmith lied and altered an email to hide Page’s work with the CIA and to allow the surveillance to continue. Eventually, the DOJ admitted there was no probable cause to surveil Page.
Americans would also learn later that notwithstanding the claims that the wiretapping of Page did not reach Trump’s team, that the surveillance did indeed sweep up campaign communications and later conversations between Page and Trump advisors.
Equally damned was the FISA Court which approved the four warrants based on double and triple hearsay of unknown and unverified sources and based on media reporting: Even if every word in the applications were true, the lack of verifiable sources rendered the applications insufficient, as a matter of law, to establish probable cause. Yet, the FISA Court issued not one, but four surveillance orders, none of which were legally justified.
The DOJ, FBI, and the courts likewise proved themselves untrustworthy in the case against Michael Flynn, a Lieutenant General who served this country with bravery and honor for decades. The FBI opened an investigation into Flynn shortly after receiving false information from Stefan Halper that implausibly claimed Flynn left Cambridge with a young woman with Russian roots. Then, after FBI agents decided to close the investigation against Flynn as unfounded, the 7th Floor intervened, and a kill shot was taken against Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s later extracted a plea from Flynn for purportedly lying about a conversation he had during the transition period, by threatening his son. Then, after an independent investigation of the Flynn case revealed there was no basis to charge Flynn, a federal court refused to dismiss the charges — again proving that the courts provide no check on a corrupted FBI.
This synopsis barely scratches the surface of the duplicity and lies advanced by the FBI and the DOJ to destroy a Lieutenant General and a CIA source, all to “get Trump.” And the courts tolerated the abuse.
So, no, Americans do not need to wait for Garland or Wray to explain the basis for the raid; and we do not need to defer to the court that issued the warrant. The same deep state willing to lie and connive to destroy a presidential campaign and the president will be willing to do so again to destroy a former president and potential future presidential candidate.
The lesson has been learned. The question now is what to do, besides dismantling FBI Headquarters.
LINK
Four fake FISA applications and the ensuing surveillance orders authorized by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court are the first reason why.
When the public learned that the Department of Justice had obtained a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, the government and the media cartel assured Americans that the FISA court would only authorize such wiretapping if probable cause supported the surveillance. They also assured us that since Page was no longer a member of Trump’s campaign, the FISA orders did not target Trump. And the FISA application process, we were told, was robust, with multiple layers of review. Worry not, the government soothed, all was on the up and up.
But none of it was true. The FISA application process, far from being robust, consisted of rubber-stamping by FBI and DOJ officials who were, at best, willfully blind to the defects in the applications. And the agents who wrote the applications or supposedly reviewed and checked the information provided, either lied, withheld material information, included information disputed by the purported sources, or some combination of the three. In total, the Office of Inspector general found 17 significant inaccuracies or omissions and missed another one.
Later the public learned that in the process of renewing the Page FISA application, attorney Kevin Clinesmith lied and altered an email to hide Page’s work with the CIA and to allow the surveillance to continue. Eventually, the DOJ admitted there was no probable cause to surveil Page.
Americans would also learn later that notwithstanding the claims that the wiretapping of Page did not reach Trump’s team, that the surveillance did indeed sweep up campaign communications and later conversations between Page and Trump advisors.
Equally damned was the FISA Court which approved the four warrants based on double and triple hearsay of unknown and unverified sources and based on media reporting: Even if every word in the applications were true, the lack of verifiable sources rendered the applications insufficient, as a matter of law, to establish probable cause. Yet, the FISA Court issued not one, but four surveillance orders, none of which were legally justified.
The DOJ, FBI, and the courts likewise proved themselves untrustworthy in the case against Michael Flynn, a Lieutenant General who served this country with bravery and honor for decades. The FBI opened an investigation into Flynn shortly after receiving false information from Stefan Halper that implausibly claimed Flynn left Cambridge with a young woman with Russian roots. Then, after FBI agents decided to close the investigation against Flynn as unfounded, the 7th Floor intervened, and a kill shot was taken against Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s later extracted a plea from Flynn for purportedly lying about a conversation he had during the transition period, by threatening his son. Then, after an independent investigation of the Flynn case revealed there was no basis to charge Flynn, a federal court refused to dismiss the charges — again proving that the courts provide no check on a corrupted FBI.
This synopsis barely scratches the surface of the duplicity and lies advanced by the FBI and the DOJ to destroy a Lieutenant General and a CIA source, all to “get Trump.” And the courts tolerated the abuse.
So, no, Americans do not need to wait for Garland or Wray to explain the basis for the raid; and we do not need to defer to the court that issued the warrant. The same deep state willing to lie and connive to destroy a presidential campaign and the president will be willing to do so again to destroy a former president and potential future presidential candidate.
The lesson has been learned. The question now is what to do, besides dismantling FBI Headquarters.
LINK
re: George W. Bush nominated Wray in 2003 to be the assistant attorney general
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 11:20 am to LuckyTiger
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell is warning that the FBI is facing a "real crisis" from partisan tampering with investigations, revealing he actually urged then-President Donald Trump to fire Director Chris Wray back in 2020 when such concerns first became obvious.
"I told President Trump we got to get rid of him," Grenell said Monday in an interview with Just the News on the John Solomon Reports podcast. "[Wray] was terrible. First of all, he didn't understand what was happening. He was so aloof to what was happening down below and had just a knee jerk reaction to everything just to protect the status quo."
Grenell made the comments just hours before Trump announced Monday the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home and office in Florida, cracking a safe and removing documents in an apparent probe into suspected missing classified documents.
Grenell, who also served as U.S. ambassador to Germany, said the reasons he urged Wray's dismissal two years ago were rooted in his inability to see politics ruining the storied law enforcement agency,
"He's a creature of the FBI," Grenell said. "And he views everything as a PR exercise. Don't criticize the FBI. Don't talk about any failures at the FBI because he loves the brand. And it was a brand exercise."
Ric Grenell told Trump to fire FBI Director Wray due to inaction during Russian collusion coverupRic Grenell told Trump to fire FBI Director Wray due to inaction during Russian collusion coverup
Several former Trump officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, reportedly learned the 45th president was contemplating firing Wray in 2020 and advised against it. Trump had already fired ex-Director James Comey for misconduct in the Hillary Clinton email probe back in 2017.
Grenell described an episode in spring 2020 when he was acting DNI and was trying to declassify documents about FBI misconduct in the Russia collusion probe and its pursuit of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, and there "was a lot of pushback."
He said FBI leaders told him frontline agents adamantly didn't want the memos declassified and released to the public because they would reveal investigative sources and methods.
"I said I'd like to talk to these FBI agents who actually redacted this information," he recalled. "And oh, boy, they did not want me to. But I did. I pushed through, and because I had the position, I was able to do it. I said, 'You know look, I'm about to release this information. But I'm asking you to tell me. If this is really a source or a method, point it to me. What am I missing here?'
"Did you know, John, that the FBI rank and file agents who did that said to me, 'We agree with you. We didn't redact this. Our bosses did.' And it was so obvious to me that there was a political manipulation from up top."
Grenell said the concerns about the credibility of the FBI have only worsened since, citing recent revelations from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) that multiple FBI whistleblowers have come forward to allege improper political meddling in sensitive investigations. The allegations include launching an investigation of Trump without proper predicate and pressuring to shut a Hunter Biden probe by claiming legitimate evidence was "disinfirmation."
Wray said last week during congressional testimony he found the allegations "very troubling," but Grenell said the problems ultimately reside with Wray as the top leader who sets the tone for the bureau.
"The leadership is not willing to keep politics out," he said. "And that's the problem. We've got a real crisis when it comes to the leadership at the FBI and the leadership at DOJ. I do think that the rank-and-file folks are beginning to get sick of it. I know a lot of them. And they've been very nervous about the political payback that would come if they spoke up."
Kevin Brock, the former FBI assistant director of intelligence, said Grenell's account "strikes me as true, and it resonates that way" because of the bias and conduct exposed during the unraveling of the Russia collusion investigation. He singled out decisions made by former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
"We know that the case agent on the Michael Flynn case lobbied to get the case closed because he stated from the very beginning it didn't have substance, but he was overruled at that Strzok-McCabe level," Brock told the "Just the News, Not Noise" television program on Monday evening.
But the former FBI executive said there is lots of evidence the bureau is not rotten to its core, saying allegations that the entire agency is corrupt is a "leap even Evil Knievel wouldn't have made."
He cited the agents who have come forward as whistleblowers and those who tried to shut down the Russia probe when it lacked evidence or cause as proof there is still good across the agency.
But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who chaired oversight hearings a decade ago into law enforcement corruption, said the excuses being offered today for blatant political weaponization of the federal government are simply not believable.
"Reminds me of the story of the child whose hand's in the cookie jar and mom says, 'Why are you taking cookies?' And he says, 'What cookies?' What's your what happened? That's where we are. The denials are so impossible to do anything but laugh at."
Issa said the current posture of the FBI failing to acknowledge its troubles for what they are means House Republicans need to move swiftly and decisively to conduct oversight starting in January if they win control of Congress and not let bureaucrats run out the clock."We need to be faster and more aggressive," Issa said. "We need to work with Judicial Watch and others, because they want to run the clock out on us for that next two years the way they did when I took control of the Oversight Committee" back in the Obama years.
LINK
"I told President Trump we got to get rid of him," Grenell said Monday in an interview with Just the News on the John Solomon Reports podcast. "[Wray] was terrible. First of all, he didn't understand what was happening. He was so aloof to what was happening down below and had just a knee jerk reaction to everything just to protect the status quo."
Grenell made the comments just hours before Trump announced Monday the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home and office in Florida, cracking a safe and removing documents in an apparent probe into suspected missing classified documents.
Grenell, who also served as U.S. ambassador to Germany, said the reasons he urged Wray's dismissal two years ago were rooted in his inability to see politics ruining the storied law enforcement agency,
"He's a creature of the FBI," Grenell said. "And he views everything as a PR exercise. Don't criticize the FBI. Don't talk about any failures at the FBI because he loves the brand. And it was a brand exercise."
Ric Grenell told Trump to fire FBI Director Wray due to inaction during Russian collusion coverupRic Grenell told Trump to fire FBI Director Wray due to inaction during Russian collusion coverup
Several former Trump officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, reportedly learned the 45th president was contemplating firing Wray in 2020 and advised against it. Trump had already fired ex-Director James Comey for misconduct in the Hillary Clinton email probe back in 2017.
Grenell described an episode in spring 2020 when he was acting DNI and was trying to declassify documents about FBI misconduct in the Russia collusion probe and its pursuit of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, and there "was a lot of pushback."
He said FBI leaders told him frontline agents adamantly didn't want the memos declassified and released to the public because they would reveal investigative sources and methods.
"I said I'd like to talk to these FBI agents who actually redacted this information," he recalled. "And oh, boy, they did not want me to. But I did. I pushed through, and because I had the position, I was able to do it. I said, 'You know look, I'm about to release this information. But I'm asking you to tell me. If this is really a source or a method, point it to me. What am I missing here?'
"Did you know, John, that the FBI rank and file agents who did that said to me, 'We agree with you. We didn't redact this. Our bosses did.' And it was so obvious to me that there was a political manipulation from up top."
Grenell said the concerns about the credibility of the FBI have only worsened since, citing recent revelations from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) that multiple FBI whistleblowers have come forward to allege improper political meddling in sensitive investigations. The allegations include launching an investigation of Trump without proper predicate and pressuring to shut a Hunter Biden probe by claiming legitimate evidence was "disinfirmation."
Wray said last week during congressional testimony he found the allegations "very troubling," but Grenell said the problems ultimately reside with Wray as the top leader who sets the tone for the bureau.
"The leadership is not willing to keep politics out," he said. "And that's the problem. We've got a real crisis when it comes to the leadership at the FBI and the leadership at DOJ. I do think that the rank-and-file folks are beginning to get sick of it. I know a lot of them. And they've been very nervous about the political payback that would come if they spoke up."
Kevin Brock, the former FBI assistant director of intelligence, said Grenell's account "strikes me as true, and it resonates that way" because of the bias and conduct exposed during the unraveling of the Russia collusion investigation. He singled out decisions made by former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
"We know that the case agent on the Michael Flynn case lobbied to get the case closed because he stated from the very beginning it didn't have substance, but he was overruled at that Strzok-McCabe level," Brock told the "Just the News, Not Noise" television program on Monday evening.
But the former FBI executive said there is lots of evidence the bureau is not rotten to its core, saying allegations that the entire agency is corrupt is a "leap even Evil Knievel wouldn't have made."
He cited the agents who have come forward as whistleblowers and those who tried to shut down the Russia probe when it lacked evidence or cause as proof there is still good across the agency.
But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who chaired oversight hearings a decade ago into law enforcement corruption, said the excuses being offered today for blatant political weaponization of the federal government are simply not believable.
"Reminds me of the story of the child whose hand's in the cookie jar and mom says, 'Why are you taking cookies?' And he says, 'What cookies?' What's your what happened? That's where we are. The denials are so impossible to do anything but laugh at."
Issa said the current posture of the FBI failing to acknowledge its troubles for what they are means House Republicans need to move swiftly and decisively to conduct oversight starting in January if they win control of Congress and not let bureaucrats run out the clock."We need to be faster and more aggressive," Issa said. "We need to work with Judicial Watch and others, because they want to run the clock out on us for that next two years the way they did when I took control of the Oversight Committee" back in the Obama years.
LINK
Senior Staff
Deputy Director – Paul Abbate
Paul Abbate was named deputy director in February 2021. As deputy, he oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities.
Mr. Abbate began his FBI career in March 1996 as a special agent assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked in the Criminal Division and served as a member of the SWAT Team.
In December 2003, Mr. Abbate transferred to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters as a supervisory special agent in the Iraq Unit, overseeing FBI counterterrorism operations and personnel deployments in Iraq. In October 2005, he deployed to Iraq, serving as senior FBI liaison officer to the U.S. Department of Defense and leading a group of FBI personnel conducting counterterrorism operations in-theater.
In February 2018, Mr. Abbate was named associate deputy director of the FBI, where he was responsible for the management of all FBI personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure.
Associate Deputy Director – Brian C. Turner
Brian C. Turner was named the FBI’s associate deputy director in May 2022. He had most recently served as the executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.
Mr. Turner joined the FBI in 2002 as a special agent and was assigned to the Philadelphia Field Office, where he investigated white-collar crimes and criminal enterprises and supported surveillance operations. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq to support FBI operational priorities in the region and joined the Counterterrorism Division Fly Team when he returned.
In 2018, Director Wray named Mr. Turner the special agent in charge of the New Haven Field Office in Connecticut. He was promoted in 2020 to assistant director of the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington. OTD provides technology-based solutions to enable and enhance the FBI’s intelligence, national security, and law enforcement operations.
He was named executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch in 2021.
Chief of Staff – Jonathan Lenzner?
Jonathan Lenzner was named chief of staff to the Director in December 2021. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Lenzner served as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. As the chief federal law enforcement official in Maryland, Mr. Lenzner oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought in Maryland on behalf of the United States. He previously served as the first assistant U.S. attorney and also created the office’s first-ever Civil Rights Unit.
Deputy Director – Paul Abbate
Paul Abbate was named deputy director in February 2021. As deputy, he oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities.
Mr. Abbate began his FBI career in March 1996 as a special agent assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked in the Criminal Division and served as a member of the SWAT Team.
In December 2003, Mr. Abbate transferred to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters as a supervisory special agent in the Iraq Unit, overseeing FBI counterterrorism operations and personnel deployments in Iraq. In October 2005, he deployed to Iraq, serving as senior FBI liaison officer to the U.S. Department of Defense and leading a group of FBI personnel conducting counterterrorism operations in-theater.
In February 2018, Mr. Abbate was named associate deputy director of the FBI, where he was responsible for the management of all FBI personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure.
Associate Deputy Director – Brian C. Turner
Brian C. Turner was named the FBI’s associate deputy director in May 2022. He had most recently served as the executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.
Mr. Turner joined the FBI in 2002 as a special agent and was assigned to the Philadelphia Field Office, where he investigated white-collar crimes and criminal enterprises and supported surveillance operations. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq to support FBI operational priorities in the region and joined the Counterterrorism Division Fly Team when he returned.
In 2018, Director Wray named Mr. Turner the special agent in charge of the New Haven Field Office in Connecticut. He was promoted in 2020 to assistant director of the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington. OTD provides technology-based solutions to enable and enhance the FBI’s intelligence, national security, and law enforcement operations.
He was named executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch in 2021.
Chief of Staff – Jonathan Lenzner?
Jonathan Lenzner was named chief of staff to the Director in December 2021. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Lenzner served as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. As the chief federal law enforcement official in Maryland, Mr. Lenzner oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought in Maryland on behalf of the United States. He previously served as the first assistant U.S. attorney and also created the office’s first-ever Civil Rights Unit.
George W. Bush nominated Wray in 2003 to be the assistant attorney general
Posted by basionok on 8/9/22 at 8:51 am
Mr. Wray began his law enforcement career in 1997, serving in the Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. In that role, Mr. Wray prosecuted a wide variety of federal criminal cases, including public corruption, gun trafficking, drug offenses, and financial fraud. In 2001, Mr. Wray was named associate deputy attorney general, and then principal associate deputy attorney general, in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C. His duties there spanned the full Department of Justice (DOJ), including responsibility for sensitive investigations conducted by DOJ’s law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Wray was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003 to be the assistant attorney general for DOJ’s Criminal Division, supervising major national and international criminal investigations and prosecutions. He also oversaw the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, which were part of the Criminal Division throughout his tenure (DOJ later consolidated those sections into the National Security Division).
Mr. Wray was a member of the President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force, supervised the Enron Task Force, and served as a leader in DOJ’s post-9/11 efforts to combat terrorism, espionage, and cybercrime with domestic and foreign government partners. At the conclusion of his tenure, Mr. Wray was awarded the Edmund J. Randolph Award, DOJ’s highest award for leadership and public service.
Mr. Wray was born in New York City. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1989 and earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1992. He clerked for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In 1993, Mr. Wray joined the international law firm of King & Spalding LLP, where he spent a total of almost 17 years practicing law in the area of government investigations and white-collar crime. At the time of his nomination to be FBI Director, Mr. Wray was chair of the firm’s Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group.
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Mr. Wray was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003 to be the assistant attorney general for DOJ’s Criminal Division, supervising major national and international criminal investigations and prosecutions. He also oversaw the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, which were part of the Criminal Division throughout his tenure (DOJ later consolidated those sections into the National Security Division).
Mr. Wray was a member of the President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force, supervised the Enron Task Force, and served as a leader in DOJ’s post-9/11 efforts to combat terrorism, espionage, and cybercrime with domestic and foreign government partners. At the conclusion of his tenure, Mr. Wray was awarded the Edmund J. Randolph Award, DOJ’s highest award for leadership and public service.
Mr. Wray was born in New York City. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1989 and earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1992. He clerked for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In 1993, Mr. Wray joined the international law firm of King & Spalding LLP, where he spent a total of almost 17 years practicing law in the area of government investigations and white-collar crime. At the time of his nomination to be FBI Director, Mr. Wray was chair of the firm’s Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group.
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re: Only five senators, all Democrats, voted against Wray’s confirmation
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 3:13 pm to aTmTexas Dillo
Grassley’s staff did not know where Wray was going after the hearing and FBI public affairs did not respond to an email Sunday by press time.
But the luxury FBI Gulfstream Wray uses was recorded on Flightradar24 making the one hour and 12 minute flight later that afternoon to bucolic Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, which happens to be a favorite summer destination since his childhood, when he used to hike the High Peaks and fish for trout
There are several things to consider, including the fact that Wray clearly misled Congress on why he had to leave. The idea that a government-controlled FBI jet couldn’t wait an extra few minutes for Republicans to finish their questioning is ludicrous. Wray is nothing if he isn’t manipulative, though, and the way he played things while in the hearing was clearly meant to make it seem as if he were catching a commercial flight. That’s not a “lie,” I guess, but it is dang sure dishonest.
Then there are the questions around whether Wray’s flight was even legal. I can’t say as I’m no expert on that area of the law, but I’ve always been under the impression that government officials can’t use government aircraft for personal trips, with the only exception being the President of the United States. If Wray tries to claim that he needed to go to his favorite vacation spot on an FBI jet for “business,” that’s scandalous.
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But the luxury FBI Gulfstream Wray uses was recorded on Flightradar24 making the one hour and 12 minute flight later that afternoon to bucolic Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, which happens to be a favorite summer destination since his childhood, when he used to hike the High Peaks and fish for trout
There are several things to consider, including the fact that Wray clearly misled Congress on why he had to leave. The idea that a government-controlled FBI jet couldn’t wait an extra few minutes for Republicans to finish their questioning is ludicrous. Wray is nothing if he isn’t manipulative, though, and the way he played things while in the hearing was clearly meant to make it seem as if he were catching a commercial flight. That’s not a “lie,” I guess, but it is dang sure dishonest.
Then there are the questions around whether Wray’s flight was even legal. I can’t say as I’m no expert on that area of the law, but I’ve always been under the impression that government officials can’t use government aircraft for personal trips, with the only exception being the President of the United States. If Wray tries to claim that he needed to go to his favorite vacation spot on an FBI jet for “business,” that’s scandalous.
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Amnesty International said it is standing by its recent findings that the Ukrainian military put civilians at risk by operating out of schools and hospitals, but the group on Sunday sought to clarify its report to appease an uproar from Ukrainian officials and Western diplomats.
The report, published on Thursday, concluded that Ukrainian forces operated in close proximity to civilians, putting them at higher risk for Russian attacks. The head of the group’s Ukraine chapter resigned the following day, saying she and other local staffers had opposed the report’s publication.
“Amnesty International’s priority in this and in any conflict is ensuring that civilians are protected; indeed, this was our sole objective when releasing this latest piece of research,” the group said in a statement. “While we fully stand by our findings, we regret the pain caused and wish to clarify a few crucial points.”
Beyond drawing anger from Ukrainian leaders and others in the West, who argued the report unfairly blamed Ukraine for Russia’s tactics, Russian state-sponsored media and top officials quoted Amnesty’s findings to support Moscow’s argument that it was only launching strikes on military targets.
Amnesty’s new statement notes the group documented instances of Ukrainian forces locating themselves right next to where civilians were living in all 19 towns and villages the group visited between April and July, arguing that international humanitarian law requires all parties to avoid doing so to the maximum extent feasible.
“This does not mean that Amnesty International holds Ukrainian forces responsible for violations committed by Russian forces, nor that the Ukrainian military is not taking adequate precautions elsewhere in the country,” the group said.
“We must be very clear: Nothing we documented Ukrainian forces doing in any way justifies Russian violations,” the statement continues. “Russia alone is responsible for the violations it has committed against Ukrainian civilians.”
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The report, published on Thursday, concluded that Ukrainian forces operated in close proximity to civilians, putting them at higher risk for Russian attacks. The head of the group’s Ukraine chapter resigned the following day, saying she and other local staffers had opposed the report’s publication.
“Amnesty International’s priority in this and in any conflict is ensuring that civilians are protected; indeed, this was our sole objective when releasing this latest piece of research,” the group said in a statement. “While we fully stand by our findings, we regret the pain caused and wish to clarify a few crucial points.”
Beyond drawing anger from Ukrainian leaders and others in the West, who argued the report unfairly blamed Ukraine for Russia’s tactics, Russian state-sponsored media and top officials quoted Amnesty’s findings to support Moscow’s argument that it was only launching strikes on military targets.
Amnesty’s new statement notes the group documented instances of Ukrainian forces locating themselves right next to where civilians were living in all 19 towns and villages the group visited between April and July, arguing that international humanitarian law requires all parties to avoid doing so to the maximum extent feasible.
“This does not mean that Amnesty International holds Ukrainian forces responsible for violations committed by Russian forces, nor that the Ukrainian military is not taking adequate precautions elsewhere in the country,” the group said.
“We must be very clear: Nothing we documented Ukrainian forces doing in any way justifies Russian violations,” the statement continues. “Russia alone is responsible for the violations it has committed against Ukrainian civilians.”
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re: Democrats, with Republican help, to spend $3.5 trillion during decades-high inflation
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 12:16 pm to BuckyCheese
Joe Biden is confident that Senate Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act will aid his party's uphill battle to keep the majority in Congress next year.
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The State Investigation Bureau reported on Aug. 8 that Mykhailo Yezhel, former Defense Minister, was charged with high treason. Yezhel was among the signators of the so-called Kharkiv Accords in 2010 that extended the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine's Sevastopol until 2042 in exchange for a Russian gas discount.
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re: What happened in Ukraine?
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 11:56 am to Herooftheday
Ukraine's Security Service reported on Aug. 8 that the alleged assassins linked to Russian special services planned to murder Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate. According to the report, the men were promised up to $150,000 in reward for each kill.
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re: Urgency & Promptness Are White Supremacy
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 11:21 am to DavidTheGnome
re: Democrats, with Republican help, to spend $3.5 trillion during decades-high inflation
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 10:39 am to TheCheshireHog
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) gave credit Sunday to President Biden for several bipartisan legislative accomplishments, such as on infrastructure, gun control and social media. The praise from the South Carolina Republican came as Senate Democrats were advancing their tax and climate spending bill amid the highest inflation rate in four decades.
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Democrats, with Republican help, to spend $3.5 trillion during decades-high inflation
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 10:24 am
Joe Biden and congressional Democrats, with Republican help, are poised to spend $3.5 trillion during decades-high inflation. “Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act will make Biden one of the most legislatively successful presidents of the modern era,” Politico Playbook writers Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels wrote. Although congressional Democrats have only a four-member majority in the House and a one-member majority in the Senate, Biden has been able to pass a substantial legislative agenda. It is also notable that Biden has spent so much during the first half of his term in office.
This includes: The $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act, Biden’s coronavirus relief bill, The $550 billion so-called Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ActThe $280 billion.
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This includes: The $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act, Biden’s coronavirus relief bill, The $550 billion so-called Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ActThe $280 billion.
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Reuters reported Friday that what really upset the Afghans was that Old Joe’s minions took out al-Qaeda’s aged and barely relevant top dog: “Hundreds of Afghans carried anti-American banners on Friday to protest against a U.S. drone strike that Washington says killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri this month.”
The Taliban, demonstrating that they have almost as sophisticated a talent for prevarication as Old Joe does, insisted that “their government had no information about Zawahiri ‘entering and living’ in Kabul” and were furious that the U.S. government obviously did have that information. Sizing up America’s dotty, weak, and feckless Commander in Chief, the jihadis “warned the United States to never repeat an attack on Afghan soil.” According to the Associated Press, the Taliban stated that “if such incidents are repeated again and if the territory of Afghanistan is violated then responsibility for any consequences will be on United States.”
Yes, it has come to this: the Taliban is now issuing warnings to the United States. This is the group that the U.S. drove from power in Afghanistan nearly twenty years ago and then, in a sign of how much things have degenerated over those two decades, bequeathed billions of dollars worth of American military hardware as our woke military flounced out of the country on its high heels, far too distracted with implementing the Leftist agenda among the rank-and-file soldiers to be concerned with something so trivial as formulating a coherent withdrawal strategy.
What’s more, thanks to Old Joe, there are tens of thousands of unvetted Afghans in the United States right now, some of whom would likely be only too happy to show America the “consequences” that the Taliban has threatened for Old Joe’s lies. If such attacks ever come to pass, they will be part of this pseudo-president’s legacy.
Reuters added that “photos shared on social media showed protesters in at least seven Afghan provinces carrying banners reading ‘Down with USA’, ‘Joe Biden, stop lying’ and ‘America is a liar.’” Well, certainly Joe Biden is, and apparently, the protestors are claiming that Old Joe has been lying about Zawahiri being in Kabul at all.
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The Taliban, demonstrating that they have almost as sophisticated a talent for prevarication as Old Joe does, insisted that “their government had no information about Zawahiri ‘entering and living’ in Kabul” and were furious that the U.S. government obviously did have that information. Sizing up America’s dotty, weak, and feckless Commander in Chief, the jihadis “warned the United States to never repeat an attack on Afghan soil.” According to the Associated Press, the Taliban stated that “if such incidents are repeated again and if the territory of Afghanistan is violated then responsibility for any consequences will be on United States.”
Yes, it has come to this: the Taliban is now issuing warnings to the United States. This is the group that the U.S. drove from power in Afghanistan nearly twenty years ago and then, in a sign of how much things have degenerated over those two decades, bequeathed billions of dollars worth of American military hardware as our woke military flounced out of the country on its high heels, far too distracted with implementing the Leftist agenda among the rank-and-file soldiers to be concerned with something so trivial as formulating a coherent withdrawal strategy.
What’s more, thanks to Old Joe, there are tens of thousands of unvetted Afghans in the United States right now, some of whom would likely be only too happy to show America the “consequences” that the Taliban has threatened for Old Joe’s lies. If such attacks ever come to pass, they will be part of this pseudo-president’s legacy.
Reuters added that “photos shared on social media showed protesters in at least seven Afghan provinces carrying banners reading ‘Down with USA’, ‘Joe Biden, stop lying’ and ‘America is a liar.’” Well, certainly Joe Biden is, and apparently, the protestors are claiming that Old Joe has been lying about Zawahiri being in Kabul at all.
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Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder:
"My guess is that by the end of this process, you’re going to see indictments involving high-level people in the White House, you’re going to see indictments against people outside the White House who were advising them with regard to the attempt to steal the election, and I think ultimately you’re probably going to see the president, former president of the United States indicted as well."
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"My guess is that by the end of this process, you’re going to see indictments involving high-level people in the White House, you’re going to see indictments against people outside the White House who were advising them with regard to the attempt to steal the election, and I think ultimately you’re probably going to see the president, former president of the United States indicted as well."
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re: Ukrainian military had set up its operations within schools, hospitals, residential homes
Posted by basionok on 8/8/22 at 9:24 am to Toomer Deplorable
The report by the human rights group Amnesty International that covers violations of the rules of war by Ukrainian forces reflects a lack of unity among various political quarters in the West, Chairman of the Board of the Valdai International Discussion Club’s Development and Support Foundation Andrey Bystritsky told TASS.
"I do not consider this report as a deliberate message from some generalized West to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. I think that it’s a reflection of a lack of unity in the political circles of the United States and the European Union. That’s an example of a debate, a concealed confrontation that exists in the West," he said.
The analyst said there’s a complex set of views in the world regarding the situation in Ukraine. "Amnesty International, of course, is a pro-Western organization, but it also represents different forces. There are people who are critical of Ukraine," he said. "Hostilities always breed bitterness. It's inevitable, and in this sense, Ukraine is no exception."
Bystritsky also highlighted the political struggle around the report, which, spoke about Kiev's violations of the rules of war and the deployment of military equipment and weapons in schools and hospitals. After the report was published, the head of the Ukrainian division of the organization, Oksana Pokalchuk, resigned from her post, saying that her "her views on the values" were different from those held by the leadership of Amnesty International. The group later apologized the report caused pain but said it pursued the goal of protecting civilians.
"We are seeing a media-based and political struggle around this document, which confirmed, by the way, many statements by the Russian side about the tactics and strategy of the Ukrainian military," Bystritsky said. "From the discussions in political circles and from various sentiments in the Western society, we are seeing that there is no such thing as unequivocal and completely straightforward support for Ukraine.".
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"I do not consider this report as a deliberate message from some generalized West to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. I think that it’s a reflection of a lack of unity in the political circles of the United States and the European Union. That’s an example of a debate, a concealed confrontation that exists in the West," he said.
The analyst said there’s a complex set of views in the world regarding the situation in Ukraine. "Amnesty International, of course, is a pro-Western organization, but it also represents different forces. There are people who are critical of Ukraine," he said. "Hostilities always breed bitterness. It's inevitable, and in this sense, Ukraine is no exception."
Bystritsky also highlighted the political struggle around the report, which, spoke about Kiev's violations of the rules of war and the deployment of military equipment and weapons in schools and hospitals. After the report was published, the head of the Ukrainian division of the organization, Oksana Pokalchuk, resigned from her post, saying that her "her views on the values" were different from those held by the leadership of Amnesty International. The group later apologized the report caused pain but said it pursued the goal of protecting civilians.
"We are seeing a media-based and political struggle around this document, which confirmed, by the way, many statements by the Russian side about the tactics and strategy of the Ukrainian military," Bystritsky said. "From the discussions in political circles and from various sentiments in the Western society, we are seeing that there is no such thing as unequivocal and completely straightforward support for Ukraine.".
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