In his letter to Graham, Ratcliffe elaborated that the existence of the Russian assessment was corroborated by two documents: (1) handwritten notes authored by Obama CIA Director John Brennan, who had briefed then-President Obama on the matter; and (2) what Ratcliffe described as “an investigative referral” to the FBI. The DNI indicated that the declassification of these documents (among other things) was under consideration. Parts have since been declassified and, on Tuesday, he disclosed them. . . .
Brennan’s Notes
Brennan’s notes are said to document his briefing of Obama on the Russian assessment. There is no date given for this briefing, either in the notes or in Ratcliffe’s earlier letter to Graham. The heavily redacted notes suggest the possibility of communications among Brennan, Obama (referred to as “POTUS”), and three Obama officials identified as “JC,” “Denis” and “Susan.” . . .
Ratcliffe’s letter to Graham said that Clinton allegedly green-lighted the scheme to blame Trump on July 26, 2016. To this observer, Brennan’s notes appear to date the alleged approval on July 28, 2016. To be sure, Brennan’s penmanship is not crystal clear, so I wouldn’t bet the ranch on this – and, obviously, Ratcliffe has access to intelligence files not available to the rest of us.
Brennan’s notes appear to state: “We’re gaining additional insight into Russian activities from” – after which at least three or four lines, presumably referring to the source of the information, are blacked out. The notes then continue:
Cite alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on 28 July of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisors to villify [sic] Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services. . . .
That statement is one of three bullet points in the “POTUS” section of Brennan’s notes; the other two are redacted. Similarly blacked out are all the remaining bullet points attributed to (or related to) other briefing participants. Next to JC, there appear to be at least five bullet points. One bullet point is next to Denis. With respect to Susan, there appear to be five bullet points, and there is an asterisk written next to the third one – but, of course, we have no idea why (or why Ratcliffe included the asterisk but redacted the note it referred to).
Finally, it is worth observing that the Brennan notes Ratcliffe has disclosed appear to be two pages culled from a larger set. The pages are numbered “5” and “6.” There seems to be a header at the top of both pages that has also been blacked out. It is always risky to speculate, but I surmise that the CIA director’s meeting with the president and other officials involved other sensitive topics that have nothing to do with Clinton’s role in the Trump-Russia narrative, and have thus been withheld.
The So-Called Investigative Referral
In last week’s letter to Graham, Ratcliffe used the label “investigative referral” for what he further described as a communication, dated September 7, 2016, from what he called “U.S. intelligence officials” to two top FBI officials, then-director Comey and Peter Strzok, who was then a top counterintelligence agent (and, like Comey, has since been fired).
When we hear the term “investigative referral” in connection with a communication to the nation’s top federal law-enforcement agency, it usually indicates that another agency is passing along information that, it believes, warrants a criminal investigation by the FBI, with an eye toward prosecution by the Justice Department. That is not what this document is.
In fact, it is a memorandum from the CIA to the FBI, providing information previously requested by the FBI. The memo is on CIA letterhead, but no particular CIA official is identified as the author. Probably for reasons of agency-to-agency protocol, it is addressed to Comey, but directed to the “attention” of Strzok. There is also a request in the body of the memo that a copy be provided to another FBI agent whose name has been redacted. The CIA states that it is providing the information in the memo “per FBI verbal request” – I’d surmise: a request either by Strzok or by the unidentified FBI agent working under Strzok’s supervision.
Significantly, the information is described as having been generated by the “CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell.”
As we know, Crossfire Hurricane was the codename that the FBI gave the Trump-Russia investigation when it was formally opened at the end of July 2016 – which so happens to have been exactly the time when Hillary Clinton is said to have approved the plan to blame Donald Trump for Russia’s hacking of the DNC emails. . . .
By Brennan’s own account, outlined in his congressional testimony and public statements, he played the role of a clearinghouse. That is, he took information from foreign services, put his own analytical spin on it, and packaged it for the FBI. As Brennan put it in House testimony:
I was aware of intelligence and information about contacts between Russian officials and U.S. persons that raised concerns in my mind about whether or not those individuals were cooperating with the Russians, either in a witting or unwitting fashion, and it served as the basis for the FBI investigation to determine whether such collusion – cooperation occurred. . . .
The reference in the CIA memo to the “Crossfire Hurricane fusion cell” is clearly to this interagency task force arrangement, through which the CIA fed information it gleaned from U.S. foreign intelligence operations to the FBI.
We know from Ratcliffe’s letter that American intelligence agencies somehow got access to the afore-described Russian intelligence assessment. The memo disclosed yesterday indicates that the CIA passed this information along to the FBI. In pertinent part, it states:
3. [Redacted] Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date [Source revealing information redacted]:
a. [A few words redacted] An exchange [about a line of text redacted] discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server. . . .
To be clear, this is not a request that the FBI conduct an investigation of Mrs. Clinton. To the contrary, it is a formal communication of information gathered in connection with a then-ongoing U.S. government effort to try to establish exactly what Clinton was alleging: a Trump-Russia conspiracy. . . .
Summary
To summarize what happened here, in late July 2016, at precisely the time our spy services learned that Russian intelligence was saying Hillary Clinton was scheming to blame the DNC hacking on a Trump-Russia conspiracy, the FBI formally opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation — on the theory that the Trump campaign may have conspired in Russia’s hacking of the DNC emails.
And in September 2016, around the time Brennan was nudging Reid to pressure Comey to aggressively investigate a possible Trump-Russia conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 election, the CIA was formally providing the FBI with a memo outlining that Clinton (who was expected to be the next president) wanted Trump investigated for conspiring with Russian hackers to interfere in the 2016 election — which, conveniently, could distract the voters’ attention from her own email scandal. This was information the FBI already had but, according to Reid, was not acting on.
After describing the July publication of DNC emails which it accused Russia of hacking, the bureau’s FISA warrant application stated: “The FBI believes that the Russian Government’s efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with [Donald Trump’s] campaign.” . . .
The CIA did not want the FBI to investigate Hillary Clinton. The CIA — with the Obama White House and Reid in the loop — wanted the FBI to act on Hillary Clinton’s unfounded allegation that Donald Trump had conspired with Russia to hack the DNC. And the FBI willingly obliged. Because it had no actual evidence implicating Trump in Russia’s cyberespionage operations, the FBI had to rely on the Clinton campaign-sponsored Steele dossier, which either made up that allegation out of whole cloth or based it on disinformation from a “primary subsource” who, it turns out, the FBI suspected was a Russian asset. . . .
(Excerpt from National Review. Article by Andrew McCarthy. Photo Credit: Getty Images.)
Let’s cover this issue with our prayers by commenting them below. . .
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PRAISE TO OUR CREATOR!
PRAISE TO OUR WONDERFUL HEAVENLY FATHER!
GLORY TO HIS NAME!
He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
Psalm 33:10-11
For He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;
He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Father God, We offer our humble praise to You for exposing the lies, false accusations against President Trump, and the complex criminal organization that has tried to overthrow our President via coup right before our eyes. We are grateful that You are bringing truth to light and exposing wickedness, corruption, devious plotting, and what appears to me to be racketeering. We ask that YOU would continue to expose evil and awaken the American people to the fraud that has been occurring & ramping up. We know that it is only by Your divine purpose that President Trump was elected in 2016, before the fraud of nefarious political players was revealed, as it is coming to light now. Many watchmen on the wall have cried out to YOU that truth would prevail. It is the first article of spiritual armor: TRUTH. Our nation needs a thorough recalibration back to YOU and YOUR ways. O how we need Jesus! In the coming days, we pray that the truth can break through the alarming censorship of the fake media, Facebook, and Twitter. Reveal hidden agendas that are to the detriment of the citizens of the USA. We pray for awakening. I pray that the American people choose YOU, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The titanic battle for the soul of America is raging. May we, Your people, be faithful to Your call. Victory belongs to YOU. Your sheep have lost their way. Lead us as a shepherd back to the place where we belong, living for Your glory. We ask for breakthrough and revival. Thank You for Your Word, which teaches us truth so we can be discerning of what is counterfeit. We desperately need YOU! and that Your will would be done in this election and thereafter. We recognize we are at the tipping point in our nation. Our eyes are fixed on You Alone. In the magnificent and mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Father-God:
Thank You that You allow President Trump to win in 2016 otherwise we won’t hear or see Russian Collusion, Obamagate, The Clinton greed so as the Biden. These people think they’re untouchable. Thank You that You allow RGB to be replaced by ACB who are completely opposite.
Please allow the Obama, Clinton, Biden and all their minions be brought to justice. Please give wisdom to President Trump to help AG Barr Christopher Wray Gina Haspel whoever suppose in their position to hold justice and tell the truth. Please allow this to finalize soon as it has been dragged for 4 years with taxpayer $ that we don’t have.
Father-God, help this country, its people, its government to start fresh and allowing the Obama, Clinton, Biden and all the people involve be put to justice asap so that we can move on and start fresh as a country. Please clean up the Washington DC swam which is ONLY You are able to flush it out. Please allow Christian people who have walked with integrity to work in the government and make the government clean again.
Father God, let YOUR name be glorified and be feared by all in the USA and the world. You are a LOVING and JUST GOD. Sins must be punished. Forgiveness only thru Jesus Christ.
In Jesus name we ask your will be done on this matter. Amen.