Last week Politico reported on an explosive in depth investigation surrounding how the former President Obama administration allowed the terrorist group Hezbollah to continue a multinational drug running and money-laundering operation to fund terrorism in order to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.
The DEA’s “Operation Cassandra” was intentionally blocked; while the administration allowed drug-running into the U.S., weapons procurement to kill Americans and money laundering to facilitate all the terrorist activity.  Supporting Hezbollah was down-played and intentionally permitted by the Obama administration.

Under any normal circumstances, other than an Obama presidency, this entire scandal would have been explosive headlines. [Insert comparison to media coverage of “Iran-Contra” here.]  However, the response from U.S. media has been essentially nothing other than to attack the intensely well-sourced author of the expose’.
Now, pause for a minute and really think about this next question.
Consider how the same U.S. media will respond to the sunlight upon President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s “Operation Trump”?
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At a 9:00 a.m. (EST) this morning President Trump held a video conference with soldiers deployed overseas to wish them a Merry Christmas.  The President complimented each representative assembly of the military on how well were doing in the fight against terrorism, and thanked them for their service. “We’re winning. Merry Christmas.”

[Transcript] Via Video Teleconference – Mar-a-Lago Club and Resort – Palm Beach, Florida – 8:59 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: I just wanted to wish everybody a very, very Merry Christmas. We say, “Christmas” again very proudly. Very, very merry Christmas. We’re going to have a great year. It’s going to be an incredible year.
I’m thrilled to bring season’s greetings on behalf of the First Lady and our entire family, and most importantly, on behalf of the American people. Today and everyday we’re incredibly thankful for you and for your families. Your families have been tremendous. Always underappreciated, the military families — the greatest people on Earth.
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UPDATED – In the past few days/weeks, thanks to some revealing information amid the various investigators of the DC swamp, we have been introduced to some previously unknown people.  Timeline HERE
Names like FBI Agent Peter Strzok; his mistress FBI Attorney Lisa Page; their ideological comrade Asst FBI Director Andrew McCabe; along with DOJ Deputy Bruce Ohr; and his wife, Fusion-GPS contract employee Nellie Ohr.  Fusion-GPS founder Glenn Simpson and his wife Mary Jacoby.  These are a few of the recent names that have hit the headlines as a result of ongoing investigations into the politicization of the FBI and DOJ.
But there’s one name conspicuously absent, FBI Director of Counterintelligence, Bill Priestap.

When you understand how central Bill Priestap is to the entire 2016/2017 ‘Russian Conspiracy Operation‘, the absence of his name, amid all others, creates a curiosity. I wrote a twitter thread about him recently because it seems rather unfathomable his name has not been a part of any of the recent story-lines.
Bill Priestap is the head of the FBI Counterintelligence operation. He was FBI Agent Peter Strozk’s direct boss. If anyone in congress really wanted to know if the FBI paid for the Christopher Steele Dossier, Bill Priestap is the guy who would know.
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“Ho Ho” to the Rubes he was grinch-ish-ly humming,
“they’re finding out now that no justice is coming”;
“they’re finding out now, and I know just what they’ll do”;
“why, their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
then the flyover rubes will all cry Boo Hoo.”

“That’s a noise”, said James Comey, “I simply must hear”;
so he tweeted a word, a sanctimonious sneer.
And he did hear a sound rising over the crowd;
it started in low – then it grew rather loud.

“Justice-for-us, justice-for-us, welcome justice for this place”…
“Justice-for-us, justice-for-us, welcome justice – justice day.”
“Welcome, welcome,  justice-for-us, welcome, welcome justice-for-us”…
“Justice day is in our grasp, so long as we have truth to clasp.”

But this, well this, this sound wasn’t sad.
“Why”, he sneerly snarked “this sound, sounded glad”?
Each one a Deplorable, the tall and the small,
was just singing for justice – with no worry at all.
He hadn’t stopped justice from coming, it came;
somehow or other, it came just the same.

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Earlier today the Washington Post reported that Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe is planning on retiring on/around March 2018; timed to receive pension benefits.
President Trump notes the conspicuous timing of Andrew McCabe’s decision:

It is important to note that in prior congressional testimony by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, the Department of Justice OIG (Office of Inspector General) has committed to release over 1.2 million pages of documents on January 15th, 2018 to the Judiciary Committee.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein affirmed the investigative documents would be released to Chairman Goodlatte and House investigators.  This release is important to overlay against the backdrop of the McCabe decision to retire.
The Inspector General may, or may not, be complete with his investigative report on/around January 15th.  However, with the House Oversight (Gowdy) and Judiciary (Goodlatte) Committees both launching investigations they are not waiting for Inspector General Michael Horowitz to conclude his final report.
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It is important to remember the Washington Post is the unofficial public relations outfit of the U.S. intelligence community: FBI, CIA, etc.  When a leaked source, or insider release of information appears within the Washington Post, it is there by collaboration with the intelligence community.
That said, the story today about Assistant FBI Director Andrew McCabe planning to retire in March 2018, should be viewed as the WaPo attempting to create leverage for McCabe to retain his position up to his pension eligibility.  It is NOT coincidental that Inspector General Michael Horowitz is planning to release his Year-Long OIG report outlining his investigative details into the politicization of the FBI and DOJ.

This maneuver by “Andy” McCabe is similar to moves by his former boss James Comey. McCabe is trying to gain leverage over a pending IG report release and ongoing congressional investigations that recently have begun to run a parallel track. By publicizing his intent to leave the FBI ahead of all the investigative outcomes being public, McCabe is attempting to change his central disposition to the scandals.
The Washington Post report is shaped to deliver a specific narrative about Andrew McCabe and assist his positioning.  The absence of any WaPo mention of the FBI counterintelligence operation, “The Trump Project”, including the absence of any mention of the FBI involvement in the Steele Dossier (FISA Warrants, Wiretaps and Surveillance), and the myriad of explosive issues therein, is evidence of WaPo’s motive:

WASHINGTON – Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s deputy director who has been the target of Republican critics for more than a year, plans to retire in a few months when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Things are getting increasingly interesting and simultaneously obvious.  Thursday night the Washington Post reported that FBI Director Christopher Wray had relieved FBI Chief Legal Counsel, James Baker, of his responsibilities within the department.
Attorney James Baker accompanied FBI Asst. Director “Andy” McCabe to the Tuesday congressional hearing with the House Intelligence Community.  Curiously, in addition to other lines of inquiry, during the questioning McCabe was asked about whether James Baker was authorized to speak to the media about the Steele Dossier and the underlying ‘counterintelligence’ operation.  Asst. Director McCabe responded that Baker would not be authorized to take such action.
Following the HPSCI hearing, republican committee leadership announced their plan to subpoena James Baker for further questioning.  [Keep in mind Baker was there.]  Two days later, at the Thursday Judiciary and Oversight Committee hearings, James Baker did not accompany Andrew McCabe.   Hours later, James Baker is removed from his responsibilities as legal counsel within the FBI.  Cause: ‘unknown‘.

Back in July, 2017, it was reported that James Baker was under a criminal investigation for leaking classified information from within the FBI, although the details of the leak content were unknown.  Politico today reports that James Baker has been identified as the likely source that released information about the Fusion-GPS/Christopher Steele “Russian Conspiracy Dossier” to David Corn of Mother Jones in October of 2016:

(Via Politico) House Republicans are investigating contact between the FBI’s top lawyer and a Mother Jones reporter in the weeks before the left-leaning outlet broke the first news story about the existence of a disputed dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump and the Kremlin, according to two congressional GOP sources who described documents linking the two men.
The GOP sources said the documents — made available recently to lawmakers by the Department of Justice — revealed that James Baker, the FBI’s general counsel, communicated with Mother Jones reporter David Corn in the weeks leading up to the November 2016 election. Corn was the first to report the existence of the dossier on Oct. 31 and that it was compiled by a former high-level western spy.

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The Super-MAGA-Winning continues with more companies joining the Christmas Bonus parade.   Amid the passage of the tax reform package in congress, numerous companies have announced their intention to pass out Christmas bonuses to employees.

Previously:  ♦AT&T announced $1,000 bonuses for 200,000 employees (link); ♦Wells Fargo Bank announced they were raising the minimum wage to $15/hr and planned on donating $400 million to charity (link); ♦Fifth-Third Bankcorp joined in with its own plan for $15 minimum wages and $1,000 bonuses for 1,500 employees (link); and ♦Comcast announced they were giving $1,000 bonuses to more than 100,000 of their employees (link).
Today, the tax benefits continue: ♦Sinclair Broadcasting announced they would pass out $1,000 Christmas bonuses to over 9,000 eligible workers (link).  Not to be left out, ♦Bank of America announced $1,000 bonuses for 145,000 American workers (link); and ♦Billionaire businessman Bob Parsons joins in with $1,000 and $2,000 bonuses to each of his 600+ employees (link).

…”The passage of the tax credit is a catalyst for explosive economic growth. On a massive scale, the lowered federal tax burden on businesses will increase investment, entrepreneurship and corporate philanthropy,” said Parsons. “I’ve always believed in sharing good news and have decided to celebrate the tax plan by giving back to my staff.”…

Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of “love” – that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses. This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2017

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The economic strategy of President Trump is so consequential and encompassing, even the domestic effects are felt globally.

♦Removing the U.S. from the multinational TPP trade deal initially planted the seeds of doubt amid multinational trade forecasters because the shift positioned the U.S. with unique leverage. They saw Trump using access to the worlds largest market as a negotiating strategy.
♦A few months later, President Trump walked away from the ridiculous regulatory restrictions within the Paris Climate Treaty.  Instantaneously this put even more strategic manufacturing and economic advance on the U.S. ledger, and simultaneously made American energy independence a foregone conclusion.
♦And now that congress has codified President Trump’s lower domestic business taxes, in conjunction with opening up ANWR for energy development (a strategic economic goal for 20+ years), the size of the U.S. economic and manufacturing advantage has just increased U.S. trade leverage to almost unimaginable levels.

Economic Nationalism – President Trump’s strategy has created: •Lower and long-term predictable energy costs, not attached to OPEC or multinational influence; •Lower and long-term raw material costs due to slashed regulatory environment; •lower and long-term business manufacturing tax rates; and now Trump begins negotiating trade deals.

Add these advantages together within the largest economic market in the world and the U.S. is now the place where manufacturers will want to do business.  Additionally, the process of utilizing Canada and/or Mexico as a workaround into the U.S. market, via NAFTA, is on the cusp of removal.
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After reporting for weeks on the DNC talking points about how horrible Trump was going to trick them with tax cuts, CBS News engineers lost one of their false narratives today.  Despite their earnest efforts, they were forced to broadcast financial results from three families they used as representative examples of the Trump tax plan.
The weeks-long media spin ran into the wall of reality: (Via CBS) “We asked an accountant to crunch the numbers for three working families to see how much they could be saving. Tony Dokoupil reports.”  WATCH:

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