COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Friday, January 19, 2018

If you wrong us shall we not revenge?

Join the social media campaign to release the memo on Obama's abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to the public by tweeting #ReleaseTheMemo, posting this article on Facebook and other social media and calling your Representative (The Toll-Free Capitol Switchboard is 1-866-220-0044) to tell your Member of Congress you want the document released to the public immediately.


FISA abuse memo, #ReleaseTheMemo campaign send Congress, Wikileaks and Twitter into a tailspin


Interest in a classified House Intelligence Committee memo, which reportedly outlines how the anti-Trump dossier was used by the FBI to justify surveillance against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has caused an online frenzy.
Late Thursday, WikiLeaks jumped into the proceedings, offering a reward of up to $1 million to anyone who could send them a copy.

Meanwhile, reports emerged that the Twitter hashtag calling for the memo’s public release — #ReleaseTheMemo — was receiving a major online push by Russian-linked Twitter accounts.

According to the Hamilton 68 Dashboard, an independent tracker of Russian online influence campaigns, #ReleaseTheMemo received a massive boost over the past 48 hours, from more than 500 Twitter accounts suspected to have connections to Kremlin online propaganda efforts, the Washington Examiner reported. Some accounts, but noted, clearly behaved like automated “bots” deigned to amplifying American conspiracy theories and disinformation.

On Thursday, the House House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines to release the FISA abuse memo. According to sources close to the committee, it addresses text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page which prove the dossier was used to justify FISA warrants.

Previously the FBI’s deputy head of counterintelligence, Mr. Strzok played a primary role in investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state. He also worked on the FBI’s probe into possible coordination between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russia in the 2016 election until leaving the investigation in July.

During the Clinton investigation, Mr. Strzok and Ms. Paige, who worked for Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, had a romantic relationship, according to multiple reports. Defenders of Ms. Page and Mr. Strzok told the Washington Post that there was no misconduct between the two.

On Thursday, when Democrats voted against making the memo available for all House members, the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, dismissed it as a “profoundly misleading set of talking points drafted by Republican staff attacking the FBI and its handling of the investigation.”

“Rife with factual inaccuracies and referencing highly classified materials that most of Republican Intelligence Committee members were forced to acknowledge they had never read, this is meant only to give Republican House members a distorted view of the FBI,” Mr. Schiff said a statement widely quoted by media. “This may help carry White House water, but it is a deep disservice to our law enforcement professionals.”

Republicans, however, pounced on the document as a long-awaited vindication of their argument that Mr. Trump was smeared politically by the Washington Establishment after his election, which grossly exaggerated his connection to Russia.

“I viewed the classified report from House Intel relating to the FBI, FISA abuses, the infamous Russian dossier, and so-called ‘Russian collusion.’ What I saw is absolutely shocking,” tweeted conservative Freedom Caucus leader, Rep. Mark Meadows, who also called for its release.

“It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan was quoted as saying.

“You think about, ‘is this happening in America or is this the KGB?’ That’s how alarming it is,” Rep. Scott Perry was quoted as saying.

Reports claimed that the memo could be released next week provided the White House does not object.


28 comments:

  1. A group of 65 lawmakers signed a letter Friday calling on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes to publicly release a memo they say contains revelations about U.S. government surveillance abuses.

    Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the Republicans said the four-page memo, which by a party-line vote in the intelligence panel was released to the entire House, should be released immediately along with any other relevant information.

    "After reading the document, we were shocked and frustrated, but it has deepened our belief in the vital importance of transparency," the letter states.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A review of a classified document outlining what is described as extensive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse was made available to all House members Thursday and the revelations could lead to the removal of senior officials in the FBI and Department of Justice, several sources with knowledge of the document stated.

    These sources say the report is “explosive,” stating they would not be surprised if it leads to the end of Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into President Trump and his associates.

    The House Intelligence Committee passed the motion along party lines Thursday to make the classified report alleging extensive ‘FISA Abuse’ related to the controversial dossier available to all House members. The report contains information regarding the dossier that alleges President Trump and members of his team colluded with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election. Some members of the House viewed the document in a secure room Thursday.

    Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., offered the motion on Thursday to make the Republican majority-authored report available to the members.

    “The document shows a troubling course of conduct and we need to make the document available, so the public can see it,” said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the document. “Once the public sees it, we can hold the people involved accountable in a number of ways.”

    The government official said that after reading the document “some of these people should no longer be in the government.”

    The document also apparently outlines “several problematic” issues with how FISA warrants were “packaged, and used” state several sources with knowledge of the report.

    Over the past year, whistleblowers in the law enforcement and intelligence community have revealed to Congress what they believe to be extensive abuse with regard to FISA surveillance, as previously reported.

    The dossier was used in part as evidence for a warrant to surveil members of the Trump campaign, according to a story published this month. Former British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier in 2016, was hired by embattled research firm Fusion GPS. The firm’s founder is Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who has already testified before Congress in relation to the dossier. In October, The Washington Post revealed for the first time that it was the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC that financed Fusion GPS.

    Congressional members are hopeful that the classified information will be declassified and released to the public.

    “We probably will get this stuff released by the end of the month,” stated a congressional member, who asked not to be named.

    But the government official, who viewed the document said

    “it will be tough for a lot of people to see this and especially the media, which has been attempting to de-emphasize the dossier. It’s going to punch a hole in their collusion narrative.”

    The House vote to make the report available to all members is a major step in exposing the long-guarded classified documents obtained by the House Intelligence Committee over the past year. It allows members of the House to view the report and could quickly lead to a motion to declassify the report for the public, numerous House members told this reporter.

    “It’s a (House Intelligence) committee document that deals with the assessment on the Department of Justice, FBI and the oversight work that is being conducted by the committee,” said a congressional source, which spoke on condition that they not be named.

    *

    Sara Carter is an award winning National Security/War Correspondent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like that Sara Carter.

      If she'd team up with Q-Group Intelligence & Security Services LLC then we'd have real time intelligence we could count on.

      Q-GISS is sometimes a little half baked by itself. With Sara we'd know we have the real deal.

      Delete
  3. Quirk, does your group Q-Group Intelligence & Security Services LLC have a copy of The Memo yet ?

    If so you should release it now. And, I'd suggest right here at The Elephant Bar.

    Looks like there may be a cool $$MillionDollars$$ in it for you, which beats beating the bushes in the neighborhood for bolide bits.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Trump needs to take the advice of Aragorn:

    "Show them no mercy, for you shall receive none!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. How long can the media refuse to cover this story?

    Wikileaks is offering $1 million for the memo.

    I can gleefully hear the groaning and cracking of the stress fractures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The media will be sucked into this scandal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If good old Rod Jay Rosenstein is implicated, Sessions must fire him and fire Mueller.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Schumer is a worthless shiftless shit and his true calling was as a Grade B Hollywood actor, but, alas, he missed his calling and ended up in Congress.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If THE MENO has been released to the entire House can it be long until the whole population of the USA knows what is in it ?

    Nope, not very long, is my hunch.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Secret (for now) Memo May Blow Lid Off FISA Warrant And Mueller Investigation

    Thomas Lifson

    See: American Thinker

    "Conservative hearts are aflutter, thanks to a Memo that has been made available to Members of the House of Representatives....."

    Good article

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Secret Golden Memo rests at its ease in a Secure Room in the House of Representatives which only Members may enter.

      Our Congressmen just aren't doing there jobs if this secret golden memo stays secret for more than 24 hours.

      Delete
    2. "According to some Members who have seen it, heads may roll and people may end up in prison"

      The Members are starting to blab already.

      Delete
    3. Isn't Wasserman Schulz proof that Democrats get a pass?

      Delete
  11. .

    You boys are cute.

    Have fun while you can. But remember this report was drawn up by Nunes' staff. And Nunes released it to the full House without even showing it to his committee. But it's not like he hasn't pulled this before. This is the same guy who was forced to recuse himself before on the Mueller investigation for doing pretty much the same things, well that, and pulling his deep throat act with that White House leaker.

    Here's what I wrote earlier tonight.

    QuirkFri Jan 19, 07:22:00 PM EST

    The Report

    From my previous comment: Get it out to the public and we can see what evidence these boys have for their charges. Hopefully, this won't be like the last time Nunes went public.

    In line with the first part of the comment I put up above, the ACLU and Snowden are also calling for the release of the report because they believe it might show how antithetical the FISA laws (the same ones these clowns in Congress overwhelmingly extended yesterday) are to the public interests and to the privacy rights of American citizens.

    Unfortunately, in line with the second part of my comment, it appears Nunes is up to his old tricks, the same tricks that forced him to recuse himself from the Trump/Russia investigation previously.

    This latest report was put out by Nunes' staff. The other members of the intelligence committee didn't even see the report before it was released to the entire House. None but Nunes and his staff have seen any supporting evidence for the report at this point. The Dems are crying foul as they have seen zero evidence to support the charges the Nunes report outlines and had no chance to comment on them before they were released. Typical Nunes bullshit and one more reason the report should be released to the public. One more reason the evidence needs to be shared with the Dems on committee at a minimum.

    Once again, it appears Nunes has his head firmly ensconced up Trump's ass.


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suspected this was your homophobic ass:

      https://vimeo.com/242526851

      Delete
    2. You're the real cutie, Quirkie.

      Especially in your undies.

      Delete
    3. Even if you don't know anything.

      Delete
  12. Did Hillary really say:

    "If that fucking bastard wins we will all swing from nooses ?"

    Was in one of the comments.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think Jim Jordan is a Hero.

    Also I like he never wears a suit coat.

    ReplyDelete
  14. When the movie is made concerning all this, who will play Hillary ?

    Suggestions invited.

    ReplyDelete
  15. People are beginning to discuss in the comments whether or not the time for shooting has arrived.

    The answer is - no it has not.

    ReplyDelete
  16. All this shutdown showdown nonsense is just the Dems trying to divert the eyes of the nation from the success of The Donald's economic program.

    ReplyDelete