Full Scope Of The Russia Hoax Coup Coming Into Focus?
Full Scope Of The Russia Hoax Coup Coming Into Focus?
As readers will be aware, I’ve more or less abstained from writing about the Twitter File revelations. It’s not that they’re not important—they definitely are—it’s simply that there’s no real surprise involved here. Others are wading through the material and informing us. Today I’ll write about the revelation yesterday that, in late 2017, DoJ/FBI used Grand Jury subpoenas to obtain Google records of two of Devin Nunes’ HPSCI lawyers (including Kash Patel), both of whom were then involved in Nunes’ Russia Hoax investigation.
To me, this news is really quite stunning—for this reason. The use of GJ subpoenas means that DoJ/FBI had opened full criminal investigations on Patel and the other lawyer. More than that, DoJ/FBI were obligated to inform the Speaker of the House—Paul Ryan, at that time—of their action as well as some designated person in the White House. Now, when I say “DoJ/FBI” what I mean is: Rod Rosenstein (because AG Sessions had gutlessly recused himself from the Russia Hoax) and Chris Wray. All of this took place within the time frame of November - December of 2017. Perhaps a time line will be useful:
Subpoenas issued in November 2017, Google responded by December 5, 2017.
Jeff Sessions, AG, February 9, 2017 – November 7, 2018, recused from Russia Hoax March 2, 2017.
Rod Rosenstein, DAG, April 26, 2017 – May 11, 2019
Chris Wray, Director, FBI, August 2, 2017 - present
Robert Mueller, SC, May 17, 2017 – May 29, 2019 (appointed by Rosenstein)
You can read the subpoenas (partly redacted) and learn what they demand here: KashPatelSubpoena.pdf. The reason we are now learning about this is that, by court order, Google was prohibited from revealing the existence of these subpoenas for five years—December, 2017 to December, 2022.
There are at least three accounts of all this, all of which feature quotes of Kash Patel. The story was broken by Just The News:
DOJ snooped on House Intelligence Committee investigators during Russia probe, subpoenas show
Officials used grand jury to obtain Google email, phone data for at least two top investigators for panel's Republican chairman, Devin Nunes.
OK, for this to have happened there had to have been a full criminal investigation opened up on Patel and the other lawyer. Cooperation between the FBI and DoJ would have had to have occurred. The investigating agency (FBI) would need to put in writing the basis for a criminal investigation. The FBI would then go to DoJ (or the local USA office) to obtain subpoenas. A DoJ lawyer would confirm that there was indeed a basis for launching a criminal investigation and would present the matter to the grand jury, which would authorize issuance of subpoenas. In these circumstances—the subjects being staff for HPSCI—there is no possible way that Wray and Rosenstein did not approve this.
The documents authorizing all this exist—or, if they no longer exist, a crime has occurred (destruction of government property). Documents regarding the final disposition of this investigation also exist—a reason should be given for closing the investigation, if that’s what happened.
Here from the FBI Guidelines is a description of what the basis of such an investigation needs to be:
Predication Required for Full Investigations
A full investigation may be initiated if there is an articulable factual basis for the investigation that reasonably indicates that a circumstance described in paragraph 3 .a.-.b. exists or if a circumstance described in paragraph 3 .c. exists.
Circumstances Warranting Investigation
A predicated investigation may be initiated on the basis of any of the following
circumstances:
a. An activity constituting a federal crime or a threat to the national security
has or may have occurred, is or may be occurring, or will or may occur and
the investigation may obtain information relating to the activity or the
involvement or role of an individual, group, or organization in such
activity.
...
In other words, the FBI has to articulate—and DoJ has to confirm—that there is an actual factual basis for believing that a federal crime “may have occurred, is or may be occurring, or will or may occur.”
Wouldn’t you like to know what factual basis the FBI alleged against Patel and the other lawyer? It doesn’t stop there—congressional leadership would also need to be informed. And when I say “congressional leadership” I mean “Paul Ryan”:
Former DOJ officials said since a legal dispute in 2007 over a DOJ raid of former Rep. William Jefferson's office, the department ordinarily would require subpoenas of congressmen or their staff to include approval from the attorney general as well as some form of notification to congressional leadership. It is unclear whether those procedures were followed in the 2017 matter.
In the Russia collusion case, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein assumed the attorney general's powers when Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself. Rosenstein did not respond to a request by email and phone to his office for comment on Monday. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
I’m guessing that Wray won’t be commenting any time soon, either.
Bannon interviewed Patel about all this and here’s a partial transcript, lifted from TGP. Ignore Patel’s slip of the tongue about Google doing the subpoena—it was DoJ. However, do note that Bannon says someone in the White House needed to be informed:
Kash Patel: What did we just learn, five years later? That Google subpoenaed me, Devin Nunes’s chief legal investigator for my personal phone records, my personal emails, and my personal credit card and financial information when I was exposing Rod Rosenstein and Chris Wray for performing the Russiagate hoax. Not just me but another senior staffer as well. Devin Nunes’s two top lawyers amongst other people were subpoenaed by the Justice Department in 2017 because as Devin put it last night, they wanted to go after him and us because we were exposing their corruption.
Steve Bannon: Hold on, let me get this right… The Justice Department went and got, basically a warrant to get your emails, your banking records, all your financial records, your telephone records. We don’t know if there’s a wiretap or not. But all that to track you and another staffer. Here’s what I don’t understand. A guy named Donald Trump was president. That was his Attorney General. They have a regulation. The Speaker of the House was Paul Ryan… Here’s what happened. Did Paul Ryan notify the President of the United States or someone at the White House that they, the Justice Department had to notify Paul Ryan, correct?
Kash Patel: Yeah, me as a former federal prosecutor, if you’re going to go and surveil a member of the Gang of Eight, and his staff, meaning the person who gets the most sensitive intelligence, the AG has to notify Congress’s leadership, that’s Paul Ryan AND somebody at the White House. Here’s the thing with Paul Ryan. Here’s the guy who didn’t want us to send out subpoenas for Russiagate… Paul Ryan never told us he had a copy of the Steele dossier.
Here’s my point. All of this took place in the context of Devin Nunes seeking to obtain DoJ and FBI materials relating to the Russia Hoax—including the fraudulent FISA warrants. Just The News (linked above) provides the details. Rosenstein and Wray were pushing back furiously—to the point of Rosenstein literally “screaming” at Nunes in a meeting. But this effort to obstruct Nunes’ investigation was not just coming from FBI/DoJ. It was also coming from a GOP leadership that was colluding with the Dems—I refer to Paul Ryan’s cooperation in a bogus ethics investigation against Nunes that sidelined Nunes for a time.
Moreover, the Mueller Witchhunt was also in full cry at this time. Above, I referred generally to the “FBI” opening an investigation, but is it possible that Team Mueller also either handled this investigation or at least shared in the document take? And who was it at the White House who was informed of this but didn’t, apparently, inform Trump? The White House Counsel comes to mind, but maybe someone else. Finally, what did Bluto Barr know about all this? Once Bluto became AG and didn’t recuse himself, it seems to me that Rosenstein and/or Wray would be obligated to inform Bluto of this matter. Did Barr inform Trump? I’m guessing that he didn’t—but shouldn’t President Trump have been informed that a criminal investigation was ongoing into the office and operations of a Gang of Eight member—Nunes? I sure as hell think so. And then there’s John “Bull” Durham …
Who else knew? Mitch McConnell? Nancy Pelosi? Chuck Schumer? Whoever was the SSCI chairman at the time? These were all Gang of Eight members and should logically have been informed. And when I say “informed” it seems to me that they should have been informed as to the basis for these investigations.
What I’m seeing here is the outlines of a high level conspiracy—involving, I’ll say it, abuse of a federal grand jury—to obstruct a congressional oversight investigation. But, more than that, this conspiracy was part of an ongoing effort to launch what amounted to a coup against a duly elected president. It all piggybacked on a couple of known hoaxes—the DNC “hack” hoax and the Russia Hoax. And these subpoenas could be the end of a thread that could help unravel even more.
To me, this is pretty wild. And it’s ongoing—the Barr/Wray burying of the Hunter laptop, the 2020 fake election, the J6 hoax, the Mar-a-Lago raid. These are all extensions of the original coup plot, which are now designed to accomplish what Hillary failed to do in 2016: Keep Trump out of political life in America. I weep for my country.
Related, because it all is:
WHY WAS FBI COUNTER INTELLIGENCE INVOLVED WITH THE SETH RICH CASE?
19 December 2022 by Larry Johnson 77 Comments
The stunning revelations from the Twitter files thanks to the work of Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger and Bari Weiss is providing irrefutable proof that the FBI was working to prevent the election of Donald Trump. When it comes to “Election Interference,” it was the FBI, not Russia.
The results released so far detail FBI giving direction to Twitter regarding the 2020 Presidential Campaign. I believe future releases will provide evidence that the FBI, along with the CIA, was working to destroy Donald Trump and prevent him from being elected.
One thing we know with certainty is that the FBI’s Washington Field Office was communicating via email and phone with the FBI Counter Intelligence division at FBI Headquarters about Seth Rich. The only reason the FBI Counter Intelligence division would be involved in any way with an alleged case of a routine murder following an attempted robbery of Seth Rich is because there was foreign involvement. The FBI is trying to bury that fact.
Why bury that fact? Precisely because it wasn’t a fact—it was another hoax. Read the whole article. It’s good.
Well, Paul Ryan did sideline Nunes for the better part of a year for a bogus ethics complaint, slowing his (and Patel's) Intel Committee investigation, so perhaps we'll learn Ryan was notified by FBI/DOJ. It wouldn't be the most surprising reveal, sorry to say...
Don McGahn was WH Counsel until late '18, and he struck me as pretty aggressive regarding Trump's interests. (But what do I know from afar.)
And Mark--What's the deal with Google being silenced for 5 years after the subpoena was served??
As I thought more about these revelations, there is no way the DOJ/FBI can fall back on their old 'national security' crutch when investigating a former U.S. attorney authorized by congress to look into the Russian Hoax. Not sure how they dig themselves out of that hole.