Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Nunes FISA Memo: Translation = “Rightwing Horseshït and Gunsmoke Machination”

Top three memo subject experts
(Just ask them, they'll tell you) 

Back bench or back pocket: Where Nunes feels most comfortable 
(Fore...!!!)

The so-called “Nunes FISA Memo” – the main point of memo stated by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is: “There may have been malfeasance at the FBI by certain individuals.”

(Note: Ryan did not provide additional details, adding only that “…there are legitimate questions about whether an American's civil liberties were violated by the FISA process” (His reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court system).

(My view: Ryan is too uncertain (saying may have been malfeasance – claims congress has oversight role – yes they do, but not in a cheap-ass shot via a memo  like this which is one-side and biased. It is plain most that the memo is more damning about a serious subject without any impact except for some short-term political gain that Ryan or Nunes or anyone on the right wing Alex Jones conspiracy side can even contemplate about being serious as they claim).

THREE KEY PARTS THAT IS MAIN FOCUS OF THE MEMO:

1. Overall, it’s it is totally unclear how FBI malfeasance (as Ryan says) even could have solely resulted in a judge signing off on a FISA warrants. All FISA warrant requests (an application process) are reviewed by DOJ team of lawyers before the application is presented to any FISA court Judge (to any one or more of the total of 11 Judges: Note: Have been appointed from Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, G.W. Bush and Obama) to get a warrant for foreign suspect surveillance, wiretap, etc.). 

Those DOJ lawyers would have to authorize and ultimately prepare any filing made to the court – it’s not a simple process and always any American citizen involved or who may be involved is protected unless by change they are directly involved with the foreign agent or agency operatives.

2. The vote to release the memo was an unprecedented move by the House Intelligence Committee and was 100% along strict party lines – all GOP for it; no DEMS for it. 

NOTE: That committee typically goes out of its way to protect classified information in the interest of protecting intelligence sources and methods – here they do not – why not?

3.  It also came after Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray warned John Kelly that releasing the memo publicly could set a dangerous precedent, according to a person familiar with the conversation. 

Rosenstein also told Kelly the memo didn't accurately characterize the FBI's investigative practices, the person said.

The Washington Post first reported the details of the White House meeting. The FBI and the Justice Department declined comment. Further, the Justice Department said in a letter last week that it would be “extraordinarily reckless to release the memo without first giving the FBI and the department the chance to review it.” After those complaints, Wray reviewed the memo over the weekend. 

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) who was with Wray when he reviewed the memo, said the FBI director did not raise any national security concerns with him. Gowdy said the memo doesn't reveal any intelligence methods but it does reveal “one source.”

On Tuesday, Huckabee-Sanders had pushed back on reports that the release was imminent, saying the White House has no “current plans to do so,” adding: “The President has not seen or been briefed on the memo or reviewed its contents.”

A senior White House official said the NSC is leading an interagency review of the memo. If Trump decides to release the memo, it could be made public as early as Wednesday afternoon, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential internal deliberations.

So far, only the DOJ is the only agency opposing its release (Note: The FBI is part of the DOJ and said it would be extraordinarily reckless to release the memo without first giving the FBI and the department the chance to review it).

The Republicans said they are confident the release won't harm national security. They also said they would not release the underlying intelligence that informed the memo. 

“You'll see for yourself that it's not necessary,” (said Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) who's leading the House's Russia investigation).

However, ranking DEM committee member, Rep. Adam Schiff (R-CA), says the memo's release could compromise intelligence sources and methods.

Further, Some Republican senators have also said they don't want to release the memo, and Democrats have pushed back on Republican criticism of the FBI, saying it is an attempt to discredit Mueller's investigation. The probe has already resulted in charges against four of Trump's former campaign advisers and has recently moved closer to Trump's inner circle.

In response, Democrats on the panel have put together their own memo. On Monday, the committee voted to make the Democratic memo available to all House members — but not the public.

My Assessment: All this hype has one aim – one goal: To discredit the FBI and stop or slow down the Mueller investigation for a simple reason: To protect Trump and gain political points at all costs and by most accounts this memo release will have lots of points: More damaging not anything positive.

We shall see – stay tuned.

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