Journalist Kimberley A. Strassel is one of the few mainstream journalists writing about the collaborative 2016 DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation” with a sense of what is to come.  Strassel likely understands where the story is going, and appears to have a solid grasp on the evidence trail, yet necessarily writes cautiously – the stakes are indeed quite high.
Today Strassel writes about the need for the Democrats to rehabilitate the Steele Dossier because the alternative origin, the truthful origin to the counterintelligence operation over the campaign of candidate Donald Trump, is a stunning political risk.
Two weeks ago the New York Times narrative said the Steele Dossier was nothing, irrelevant, and had nothing to do with the FBI beginning “Operation Trump”.  Today, mysteriously, Democrats embrace the Steele Dossier as they justify the DOJ/FBI counterintelligence and surveillance operation over an opposing political candidate.

The motive is transparent. If Democrats do not embrace the Steele Dossier as a national security origin for the entire DOJ/FBI operation, the real motive is subject to exposure.  That real motive is political. That real motive cannot be justified. That real motive presents a legal risk that must be avoided.
However, while Strassel’s outlook is almost guaranteed to be correct, there’s an angle that Democrats have likely not considered; and/or they will not easily be prepared for.
Let me put it this way, in the form of a question:

The Steele Dossier is the “least bad” option to justify the origin of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”.  However, what if the Steele Dossier is the finished product of the DOJ/FBI “Trump Operation”,  not the beginning of an investigation?

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Following the released transcript of Fusion-GPS Co-Founder Glenn Simpson’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Senator Dianne Feinstein, several media outlets have begun questioning the relationship between the FBI investigators, Glenn Simpson and dossier author Christopher Steele.
What we have discovered highlights the answer to those relationship questions; and also answers a host of other questions, including: Did the FBI pay Christopher Steele?  Yes, but now how media has stated.  Was the FBI connected to the creation of the Steele Dossier? Yes, but again, not the way the media is currently outlining.

The motive within the FBI/DOJ surveillance of the 2016 campaign of Donald Trump is simple. However, to understand how they did it – the story becomes more complex.  Some key background understanding is necessary.
♦First, to understand what took place in 2016 we must travel back to 2015 when Office of Inspector General (OIG) Michael Horowitz asked for approval to conduct oversight over the National Security Division of the Department of Justice; the DOJ-NSD.
In 2015 Inspector General Michael Horowitz was blocked by the Department of Justice from having oversight over the DOJ-NSD. In a lengthy response to the IG’s office [Full 58 page pdf HERE] Sally Yates essentially said ‘all DOJ is subject to oversight, except the National Security Division’.
♦Second, to understand how FISA is used within the intelligence community it is CRITICAL to understand that IC departments centered around National Security, such as the DOJ National Security Division, or the FBI Counterintelligence Division, may use the NSA database -and FISA enabled inquires- with considerably more leeway, and less restrictions on access and use.  In short, FISA “queries” from any national security department within government are allowed without seeking court approval.
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It can be difficult to see through the wording to understand the accurate story.  Sara Carter and Fox News are both confirming the DOJ and FBI used the Steele Dossier to get FISA-702 Data Surveillance Authority allowing them to spy on Trump campaign officials.
In the latest developments, as reported by Sara Carter and Fox News, the DOJ and FBI used the sketchy ‘Steele Dossier’ as the foundation for their FISA application. WATCH:

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Both Carter and Hannity use the term “FISA Warrants”, however in the interest of understanding, and accurately portraying what took place, it was not technically a “warrant” as we traditionally think about it.
A warrant implies advanced judicial approval to begin surveillance and collecting emails and phone calls etc.  Like a traditional Title III DOJ / law enforcement search warrant. But that’s not how FISA-702 works.
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Appearing earlier today on Harris Faulkner’s show Out Front, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan discusses the Steele Dossier and the Glenn Simpson testimony. House Judicial Committee member Jim Jordan is one of the few who seem to have their arms around the big picture.  (Twitter Video Link)

.@Jim_Jordan: “Top people at the FBI look like they had a plan to undermine the Trump campaign.” pic.twitter.com/b5YwY1fYnr

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 10, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
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This outline is intended to clear up some confusion and answer common questions about the 2016 DOJ and FBI Counterintelligence Operation against candidate Trump.  ie. “The Trump Operation”.

Deep Background #1 HERE – Deep Background #2 HERE

Today Byron York attempts to clear up some details about what congressional intelligence committee members have seen regarding the DOJ/FBI FISA-702 surveillance of Donald Trump.  However, the FISA information is commonly, and inaccurately, conflated with “Wiretap Warrants”.

As we have explained there were no Title III wiretap warrants against the Trump campaign. Title III warrants are the historic reference to the DOJ or FBI wiretapping a suspect to gather information.  Former DNI James Clapper has denied there were any Title III wiretap warrants issued.  James Clapper is correct.
♦Here’s where the verbiage used by media doesn’t match with what was occurring. The DOJ and FBI didn’t use Title III wiretaps, because the current system of NSA intercepting and collecting all electronic data is already one big global wiretap.
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There is a lot of news amid national headlines but there is only one story. Unfortunately, that story is a complex multidimensional matrix of politics, law enforcement corruption, the DC swamp, and vested interests attempting to hide and manipulate facts, ie. The Russian Election/Collusion Story.
What I am going to introduce today is how the 2016 FISA-702(16)(17) data and surveillance activity issues; and the 2016 FISA Court applications for surveillance and search warrants; and the Christopher Steele (Fusion GPS) Russian Dossier; and the individual actions by DOJ, FBI and IC officials; all connect within the targeted political weaponization of government.

As many of you are aware we have been chasing and researching the fact-trail of this story for over a year. In my opinion this is the biggest story in our lifetime as it relates to government officials, specifically DOJ and FBI leadership, weaponizing their offices to retain political power for their ideological allies. Taken in totality it is a very troubling story. Nonetheless THAT STORY exists regardless of our discomfort.
Additionally, in the downstream aftermath, there are two political forces facing off amid the aggregate “Russian Election/Collusion Story”. One side is trying to find out the details behind the origin therein; the other side is trying to hide the origin therein. When we look at the reason for hiding the origin of the Russian narrative, we enter the rabbit hole of previous intelligence community activity and their weaponization of government.
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Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the leading minority member of the 2016 Gang of Eight (intelligence oversight) when she previously held Vice-Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the full transcript of the Judiciary Committee interview with Fusion-GPS founder Glenn Simpson.
The transcript was released over the objections of Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley who is investigating the role of Fusion-GPS and their “Steele Dossier” in the 2016 DOJ/FBI surveillance operation of presidential candidate Donald Trump.

This follows on the heels of reports last night that Devin Nunes has been allowed to look at all documents surrounding the DOJ/FBI use of the Steele Dossier in advancing the DOJ/FBI Trump Operation.  It would appear that Feinstein is diluting the investigation of Chuck Grassley.   Feinstein has a personal motive within this larger story.  In 2016 Dianne Feinstein was part of the Gang-of-Eight who were supposed to conduct oversight over the FBI counterintelligence operation executed by the DOJ National Security Division and FBI Counterintelligence Division.
It has been suspected that Feinstein gave up her Senate Intelligence Vice-Chair position, following the election, because there was an inherent political risk for any oversight Democrat in relation to the FBI’s Trump Operation.
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For those following the story, this is a significant development….
According to information provided to The Daily Caller, today Chairman Devin Nunes received the FISA Application and Steele Dossier documentation from Asst. AG Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray.  This includes the critical FD-302’s and FD-1023’s that relate to interviews with Christopher Steele and his Russian Dossier.

(Daily Caller) House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence members gained access to all Department of Justice and FBI documents it possesses on the Trump dossier, The Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
The committee was able to review Friday all FBI and DOJ documents on the Trump dossier, former MI-6 British agent Christopher Steele who authored the dossier, and Fusion GPS, the political opposition firm that hired Steele.

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The walls continue closing in.  The STORY IS GETTING OUT. The Bigger media voices will eventually catch up to the story.  Right now the scale of the story is so large, and the consequences so damaging to the Republic, they are scared to call it out… but that won’t last too much longer.  They can’t ignore it much longer.
As OIG (Michael Horowitz) and Congressional Investigators (Nunes, Goodlatte, Grassley) begin assembling the evidence against the corrupt DOJ and FBI officials, the current DOJ/FBI leadership begin working in concert to position the corrupt.
Former FBI Counterintelligence #2, Peter Strzok, is now holding down a chair in the Human Resources Department;  FBI/DOJ Attorney Lisa Page, previously “Andy” McCabe’s legal aide – now carrying legal ebola, wanders aimlessly amid the halls of Main Justice; FBI Chief Legal Counsel Jim Baker is currently in charge of stapler inventory; FBI Asst. Director McCabe is trying to make it to retirement in March… and today the previously disciplined DOJ attorney Bruce Ohr takes another demotion.

WASHINGTON DC – A Justice Department official demoted late last year for concealing his meetings with the men behind the anti-Trump “dossier” has been stripped of yet another title, Fox News has learned.

Bruce Ohr is no longer head of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Separately, sources familiar with the discussions tell Fox News that the Justice Department is expected to comply with demands from the House Intelligence Committee to provide Ohr for an interview. He is scheduled to visit the committee on Jan. 17, sources said.

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(L-R) Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray

NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers has announced to his staff he is resigning. A nominee will be announced to replace him shortly. Rogers departure makes sense.  His incredible accomplishments are complete; he will now be free to testify, unencumbered, to congress.
Intelligence information is housed by compartments within the larger intelligence community network. Each intelligence unit holds intelligence unique to that compartment and task.
The FBI Counterintelligence unit would hold the intelligence information specific to their task or assignment; the DOJ National Security Division would hold their own compartmented intelligence; again, specific to their task and objectives. So too would the DoD (Pentagon), State Dept., or CIA.
This compartmented structure is what led to the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ODNI. The 911 commission recommended the office to serve as a hub able to ensure intelligence sharing; that is – to ensure intelligence was not intentionally withheld from other compartments when needed.
In 2016 the ODNI for President Obama was James Clapper.  The DNI is a political appointment, a cabinet member, of the President. If the executive branch, the President, wanted to weaponize intelligence as a political tool, he/she would have control over such weaponization as an outcome of their political appointees within the: FBI (Comey, McCabe), DOJ (Lynch/Yates), CIA (Brennan), DNI (Clapper), or DoD (Ash Carter). The efficient weaponization of intelligence stems from controlling the hub, James Clapper.
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