Subpoenas for Obama Officials Coming

by Daveda Gruber

On Wednesday the Republican-led Senate Homeland Security Committee voted for authorization to issue subpoenas as part of its review of the origin of the Russia investigation and there are some names we all know.

Subpoenas, which were voted on eight to six by the committee in favor of them, for former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey and other Obama administration officials are now authorized.

The subpoenas will be issued as part of the review into the origins of the Russia investigation.

The committee authorized its Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to issue notices for taking depositions, subpoenas, for records, and subpoenas for testimony to individuals. The subpoenas are connected to the panel’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation and the Justice Department inspector general’s review of that investigation.

“Crossfire Hurricane” is the bureau’s internal code name for the Russia probe, which began in July 2016.

It also encompasses the “unmasking” of U.S. persons affiliated with the 2016 Trump campaign, transition team and the Trump administration.

Johnson got the authority from the committee in June to send subpoenas as part of the panel’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe and the process of “unmasking.”

Other subpoenas that were authorized are for:

Sidney Blumenthal

Former Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough

Former FBI counsel Lisa Page

Former FBI agent Joe Pientka

Former ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power

Former FBI director of counterintelligence Bill Priestap

Former White House national security adviser Susan Rice

Former FBI agent Peter Strzok

Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith

Clinesmith has pleaded guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham’s review of the investigation into links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.

As well, the committee authorized subpoenas for “the production of all records” related to the FBI’s original Russia investigation and the Department of Justice Inspector General’s probe and the unmasking situation.

Unmasking occurs after U.S. citizens’ conversations are incidentally picked up in conversations with foreign officials who are being monitored by the intelligence community. The identities of U.S. citizens are legally supposed to be protected if their participation is incidental and no wrongdoing is suspected.

Those who have been authorized for this are:

James Baker

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

DOJ official Bruce Ohr

FBI case agent Steven Somma

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Teftt

Former deputy assistant attorney general Tashina Gauhar

Stefan Halper

Halper is a Cambridge University professor who has reportedly been deeply connected with British and American intelligence agencies. He has been notably reported as a confidential source for the FBI during its original investigation concerning Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz was reviewing Halper’s work during the Russia probe last year. His work with the FBI prior to the start of that investigation will also be looked at.

Halper had contacted several members of the Trump campaign in 2016. Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and former aide Carter Page were two of the people contacted.

Halper’s role as an FBI informant was leaked to the media in May 2018, it led to accusations from President Trump and Republicans that the Obama administration had used Halper as part of an illegal effort to spy on the Trump campaign, which are now being called “Spygate” and “Obamagate” by Trump allies.

Denials of Russian collusion made by Page and Papadopoulos were recorded but were never passed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Page was the subject of several Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants during the Trump campaign.

During the 2016 campaign, Halper contacted several members of the Trump campaign, including former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and former aide Carter Page. Page also was the subject of several Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants during the campaign

The director of the Office of Net Assessment at the Defense Department, James Baker, was at the helm of the department when they awarded government contracts to Halper. That included one in September 2015.

Authorization was given by the committee to subpoena Baker.

Johnson’s first subpoena was issued last month demanding that the FBI produce all records related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

The subpoena states that it includes, but is not limited to, all records provided or made available to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice for its review. This is in reference to Horowitz’s review of abuses related to the FISA warrants.

In addition the subpoena demands that all records related to requests to the General Services Administration or the Office of the Inspector General for the GSA for records of the presidential transition from November 2016 through December 2017.

Democrats have consistently opposed the committee’s inquiry, arguing it is being conducted for political reasons.

It appears that a whole slew of people will be subpoenaed to testify. When? That’s a good question.

It appears that a lot of these people are banking on COVID-19 to be around until after the election.

Keep tabs on those who use the virus as a means to avoid testifying too quickly and are stalling. They’re hoping for a Biden-Harris win.

That won’t help if Trump wins re-election and if we win the House and hang on to the Senate.

The wheels of justice, especially when it concerns politics, move slowly and we’re still waiting for Durham to indict someone other than giving Clinesmith a slap on the hand.

Biden and Comey Among Officials Unmasked:

by Daveda Gruber:

During the presidential transition period a list of names of top Obama administration officials allegedly requested to “unmask” the identity of General Michael Flynn.

Declassification of the list of the notorious development was made by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.

The list was then sent to Attorney General Bill Barr and GOP Senators Chuck Grassley, R-IA., and Ron Johnson, R-WI., who then made the documents public.

The list is long and includes former Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden isn’t the only interesting name on the list. In fact there are quite a few. Here are a couple:

Former FBI Director James Comey

Former CIA Director John Brennan

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper

Former President Barrack Obama’s chief of staff Denis McDonough

The entire list can be seen here:

The declassified list shows officials who may have received Lt. General Flynn’s identity in response to a request processed between  November 8, 2016 and January 31, 2017 to unmask any identity that had been generically referred to in an NSA foreign intelligence report.

The document said, “Each individual was an authorized recipient of the original report and the unmasking was approved through NSA’s standard process, which includes a review of the justification for the request. Only certain personnel are authorized to submit unmasking requests into the NSA system. In this case, 16 authorized individuals requested unmasking for [REDACTED] different NSA intelligence reports for select identified principals.”

The document also said, “While the principals are identified below, we cannot confirm they saw the unmasked information. This response does not include any requests outside of the specified time-frame.”

Grenell wrote to GOP senators and included the list. He wrote, “I declassified the enclosed document, which I am providing to you for your situational awareness.”

The decision had already been made by Grenell to declassify information that he had uncovered about the Obama administration officials who were involved in the “unmasking” of former national security adviser Flynn.

Not only do Trump supporters, myself included, feel that Flynn was dishonestly targeted and that the Obama administration had top level officials involved to bring Flynn down because of his loyalty to President Trump and to the United States.

I would assume that Biden was unaware of what was actually uncovered when he told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that he knew “nothing about those moves to investigate Michael Flynn.”

Biden called the topic a “diversion” from the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden had a little more information and made his statement clearer by saying, “I thought you asked me whether or not I had anything to do with him being prosecuted. I’m sorry. … I was aware that there was . . . that they asked for an investigation, but that’s all I know about it, and I don’t think anything else.”

He doesn’t think there was anything else? Actually, I believe has a thinking problem and that fact is coming closer and closer into light.

If the investigation goes into place as I feel it will, Biden may have to testify to Congress.

Will he claim forgetfulness?

Get your popcorn ready. This show is about to get rather interesting.

Who’s Picking Up the Barr Bill?

by Daveda Gruber:

Friday night brought with it great displeasure for President Trump’s actions from two Democrats. Even though the reality that many Democrats are displeased with Trump at any given point, former CIA Director John Brennan and former DNI James Clapper showed special disdain for Trump leading to the weekend.

Brennan and Clapper came down on Trump for directing Attorney General William Barr to declassify documents related to the surveillance of his campaign during the 2016 election.

Brennan said to MSNBC host Chris Hayes, “I see it as a very, very serious and outrageous move on the part of Mr. Trump, once again, trampling on the statutory authorities of the Director of National Intelligence and the heads of the independent intelligence agencies. And it’s unclear to me what Mr. Barr is actually going to do. Is he investigating a crime? Well, what’s the predication of that crime? Or he is just going to be looking for information… that Mr. Trump can just give to his defenders on the right and cherry-pick information that could be taken out of context?”

Brennan, along with his concerns for exposing “sources and methods” as well as the intelligence of “partners abroad” said, “This is very serious and I know that my former colleagues in the intelligence agencies are looking upon this with great concern and worry.”

Along with his allegations of Trump’s decision being not to their liking, Brennan said he hopes that DNI Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel will “stand up” to President Trump’s “unprecedented act.”

A tweet by Trump may have brought on the extra anger. Trump had tweeted a political cartoon depicting the former CIA Director, former DNI Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey. Brennan replied to the president’s tweet.

Here is the tweet and response:

Brennan was not alone in his negative verbiage. Clapper was spewing the same verbal garbage. Clapper told Anderson Cooper on CNN that the “bigger issue” is “what exactly is the scope” of the declassification, whether it involves all of Russia’s interference in the election or just the counter-intelligence probe.

Clapper expressed similar concerns as Brennan regarding sources and methods being exposed and putting “people’s lives at risk.”

Clapper is now a CNN analyst. He’s just what CNN needed; more ‘fake reporting’. He still insists that the infamous Steele dossier was not used as sourcing for the intelligence community assessment in January 2017.

I can only give my humble opinion here. Both Clapper and Brennan have never been fans of Trump. Their claims don’t sound kosher to me.

The elephant in the room is that James Comey is in the cartoon, as well. Comey is tweeting about the 2020 election and, of course, “spying” and “treason” were thrown into the mix.

Comey has this to say:

Consider the sources. Honestly, do you trust Brennan, Clapper or Comey? I’ll add; who would? I guess the Democrats love to hear the trash that they drum out.

Most Congressional Democrats have flipped sides on Barr. They used to like him before Trump appointed him. Now, all kinds of investing is happening on both sides of the aisle. The cost will be high but then the Mueller report has cost the American people over $25M so far.

To bring the actual criminals to justice, I’m certain that many would want to pick up this (bar bill) Barr Bill.

My popcorn is bought and ready for me to dig in. The show is about to begin and I’ll be watching closely.