The Memo shows that the Clinton campaign and the Democrat National Committee (DNC) hired two opposition research firms to discredit Donald Trump and the Trump campaign. The dossier produced (the “Steele dossier”) was used to procure surveillance warrants of the most sensitive kind. The research firms then used their connections with several high ranking government officials and among the media to promote a dubious story of intrigue, espionage and foreign influence.
The Memo
The Memo shows that top FBI and DOJ officials used the information from the opposition research – the Steele dossier – to receive and renew warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to conduct surveillance on two volunteers with the Trump campaign. The two volunteers were Carter Page and George Papadopoulos. Thankfully, it also reveals that the abuses were limited to a handful of officials, all of whom already have been identified in public reporting.
“Deputy Director McCabe testified before the Committee in December 2017 that no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.”
The most damning assertion in The Memo comes from a statement given in testimony by then-Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe. “Deputy Director McCabe testified before the Committee in December 2017 that no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.”
The second most damning assertion is that all of the senior officials who had to sign the application for a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – a “FISA warrant” – knew that the Steele dossier had political origins. They knew it had been commissioned by Trump’s political opponents, and they knew their application for a FISA warrant depended on it. But they said nothing to the FISC – the FISA court – about the political origins.
This is a direct violation of the FISA law. “Due to the sensitive nature of foreign intelligence activity, FISA submissions (including renewals) before the ISC are classified. As such, the public’s confidence in the integrity of the FISA process depends on the court’s ability to hold the government to the highest standard, particularly as it relates to surveillance of American citizens.”
“However, the rigor in protecting the rights of Americans, which is reinforced by 90-day renewals of surveillance orders, is necessarily dependent on the government’s production to the court of all material and relevant facts. This should include information potentially favorable to the target of the FISA application that is known by the government. In the case of Carter Page, the government had at least four independent opportunities before the FISC to accurately provide an accounting of the relevant facts. However, our findings indicate that, as described below, material and relevant information was omitted.”
Web of Connections Led to Ciurcular “Proof”
Other key findings of the memo include the following points.
– There was a strong connection between the research firm, Fusion GPS, and the senior-most levels of the Department of Justice. Nellie Ohr was a contract researcher for Fusion GPS. Her husband is Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, among the top five DOJ officials. Ohr met with Christopher Steele, the former British spy who had been hired to discredit Trump. Ohr also shepherded the dossier through the top ranks of the DOJ.
Steele said he ‘was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.’
– Steele admitted to a strong bias against the target of his investigation. “… in September 2016, Steele admitted to Ohr his feelings against then-candidate Trump when Steele said he ‘was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.’ This clear evidence of Steele’s bias was recorded by Ohr at the time and subsequently in official FBI files, but not reflected in any of the [Carter] Page FISA applications.”
– The FISA application used false pretenses to buttress the findings of the Steele dossier. The application cited a news story by an investigative reporter that made several claims similar to those made by Steele. The court was not told, however, that the news story was completely based on the Steele dossier, that the reporter had been fully briefed by Steele just prior to publication.
This was nothing more than a variation of an old circular whisper campaign, but it was used to secure the most sensitive warrant from the most sensitive court in the country. It may be useful to remember also that the Trump Tower meeting between Trump family members and campaign officials, and Natalia Veselnitskaya, was held at Veselnitskaya’s request. And Veselnitskaya has been associated with Fusion GPS, which orchestrated the whisper campaign, the tautological evidentiary circle “proving” collusion.
Raw Abuse of Power
There is more in the memo, and all thoughtful readers are encouraged to read it. The text is below. It reveals a raw abuse of power such as has not been seen in decades in America. In fact, the combination of abuse of power, interference in the election, and subsequent attempts to overthrow the elections results, are probably without precedent.
Those trying to evaluate it without bias may benefit from a name-switching exercise. Substitute ‘Clinton’ for ‘Trump,’ Clinton staffers for the Trump volunteer advisors, and Bush-era political officials at DOJ and FBI for the Obama administration officials. And substitute your name, or that of an associate, for Carter Page or George Papadopoulos.
Here is the full text of the memo and the transmittal letter from the Trump White House.
