Well, it looks like some efforts have paid off.  In an unusual update two days after the IG report was published, the IG modifies the report content. See Update Notification Below:

Apparently the DOJ and FBI had a change of heart about the FISA dates.
Actually they’ve re-written a portion of the report, and moved some material completely.  As an example this section formerly present on page ii of the executive summary is now moved to page vi:
(more…)

Amid the investigative and research questions over the past several years, there was always a question about who, within the Trump orbit, may have been subject to FISA court authorized surveillance during their activity in 2016.
Because they were initially the four targets of the FBI investigation, there was speculation Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos and/or Lt. General Michael Flynn were also subjects of Title-1 FISA Court authorized surveillance, in addition to Carter Page.
Today during his testimony, Inspector General Michael Horowitz specifically noted there was no other FISA application against any other campaign official. [See 05:23 of testimony to questions by Senator Chris Coons – prompted just hit play]:

“The only FISA we found existed was the one we have written about here as to Carter Page”…

That means all other FBI investigative evidence documented against Manafort, Papadopoulos, or Flynn had to come from some other method of surveillance.
This begs a significant question….
Carter Page was not associated with the campaign or transition after the election, so under what authority did the DOJ allow the Mueller team to gain access to all of the Trump transition emails, texts, electronic and phone communications?  (more…)

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing entitled “Examining the Inspector General’s Report on Alleged Abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act” will be held today at 10:00am Eastern.
Fox News Livestream Link – Fox Business Livestream – CBS Livestream

(more…)

It’s funny to watch this transparently predictable stuff play out in real time.
After Pelosi gives the nod for USMCA ratification in the House, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell declares he will not allow Senate support until he extracts his impeachment indulgency fees.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr sits down with the Wall Street Journal to discuss the information released within the IG report on FBI 2016 election surveillance against candidate Trump; and FISA exploitation for use therein.

(more…)

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has sent the totality of the U.S. media into spasmodic fits of apoplexy today as he discusses the findings of the DOJ inspector general review of a highly corrupted FISA process.
The Attorney General talks about how the FBI weaponized their official duty in an effort to carry out what seems to be a political agenda.  Mr. Barr goes into detail with his thoughts on the current criminal review assigned to U.S. Attorney John Durham; and the unfortunate issues with a group at the top of the organization who politicized the FBI as an investigative agency and used an alliance of media assets to achieve political goals.

.
Many people are writing and asking for my personal opinion of AG Bill Barr. I shall provide that below.
(more…)

Amid breaking developments on multiple trade fronts which will likely see USMCA passage; and the potential for enhanced China tariffs on December 15th; Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appears with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the big picture.
Secretary Ross highlights the manipulation of USMCA ratification and timing by Pelosi to obfuscate the highly partisan political impeachment effort.  Mid-2019 CTH noted this strategic plan was visible and probable.
Ross also discusses the specifics of China, the EU and Brexit as it relates to the global trade reset being carried out in a methodical manner by the Trump administration.  The USMCA will be the first cornerstone domino in a chain of trade events that will fundamentally restructure the nature of all international trade and supply chains.  Great Interview:

.
As we have discussed on these pages, the dynamic is severely consequential and the Wall Street multinationals are reacting to the daily details while Main Street gains strength. President Trump is dismantling global supply chains; focusing on bringing high-wage manufacturing industry back to the U.S; and driving a process of profound consequence through economic nationalism.
Titan Trump is winning the economic battle by: (a) repatriating wealth (trade policy); (b) blocking exfiltration (main street policy); (c) creating new and modern economic alliances based on reciprocity (bilateral deals); and (d) dismantling the post WWII Marshal plan of global trade and one-way tariffs (de-globalization).
(more…)

The Democrats within the House of Representatives have decided to suspend House Impeachment Resolution [HR 660] without following their own rules that established a House Minority Hearing. Instead, House leadership have produced two partisan articles of impeachment for a full house vote.
Both articles are exceptionally weak; the Democrats are rushing to cut their losses:

♦Article One is “Abuse of power” – and structured on a false premise that President Trump “exercised the powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit, while ignoring or injuring the national interest.”
♦Article Two is “Obstruction of Congress” – and structured on a ridiculous premise that President Trump “engaged in unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry”, by challenging congressional subpoenas and seeking relief from the judicial branch.
Both articles are structurally deficient in the extreme. It will be interesting to see which House democrats could possibly vote for these articles, especially article two. There is a possibility some democrats will ignore Pelosi’s whip.
The weakness of the articles now actually appears to be a feature, not a flaw. The exercise of the “impeachment process” writ large was more of a political promise to the far-left constituents of the resistance movement itself. Structurally there is no strength to either article; they appear designed to fail in the Senate. Again, a feature not a flaw.
(more…)

Earlier today President Trump and Vice-President Pence hosted a family education roundtable at the White House.  There were also questions from the media [Video and Transcript Below]

.
[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. The IG report just came out, and I was just briefed on it, and it’s a disgrace what’s happened with respect to the things that were done to our country. It should never again happen to another President. It is incredible. Far worse than I would have ever thought possible. And it’s — it’s an embarrassment to our country. It’s dishonest. It’s everything that a lot of people thought it would be, except far worse.
So I’m going to get some very detailed briefing — briefings. But they are — it’s a very sad — it’s a very sad day when I see that; a very sad day when a lot of people see that. They had no nothing. It was concocted. And you say what you want — that was a — probably something that’s never happened in the history of our country.
(more…)

Amid the predictive discussions by those who have followed the three-year background of the potential DOJ & FBI FISA issues, there was one very specific aspect CTH was looking for:  Would the IG report redact the dates of the Carter Page FISA application and renewals?
We got that answer today, and that answer, unfortunately, is yes:

Ask yourself what is the national security value in hiding those dates?  Why does the DOJ need to hide them?   Unfortunately the answer highlights an institutional decision.
On its face the dates seem like an overly granular question; perhaps even a small detail that few would notice.  However, for CTH readers that little detail exposes so much.
In 2018 Main Justice made a very specific decision, a very specific lie, that once told would forever set them on a path – from which there is no return.  It was during a time between July and December 2018 that CTH realized the DOJ had handcuffed themselves to a cover story; and that cover story foretold future conduct.
(more…)