"The Whole Thing Is Completely Absurd": Kremlin Blasts Notion That Flynn "Influenced" Putin

As the U.S. media and Washington D.C. legislators continue to lose their collective minds over the Michael Flynn charges, Kremlin  press secretary Dmitry Peskov took to the podium earlier today to dismiss the notion that Flynn"s comments to former ambassador Sergey Ivanovich had any impact on Putin"s ultimate decision to retaliate against U.S. sanctions as "completely absurd."  Per the RT:

“Flynn was in no position to request anything of Sergey Ivanovich [Kislyak, Russia’s former US ambassador] let alone to expect any requests to be relayed to Vladimir Putin – the whole thing is completely absurd,” said the Russian President’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov during a media briefing in Moscow.

 

In the end Russia did postpone its response, but Peskov says that “the decision was taken by Putin alone, and cannot be attributed to any requests or recommendations.”

 

“What information Putin receives from his ambassadors is of no concern to anyone else,” said Peskov. “The Russian president makes all decisions independently on the basis, as he has said many times, of Russia’s national interest.”

For those who may have just returned from a remote island and missed the "shocking" revelations of the past three days, as we"ve detailed numerous times, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn plead guilty last Friday to lying under oath by denying to the FBI that he urged the Russian ambassador to delay a decision on retaliating against U.S. sanctions and attempted to influence a U.N. vote.  Of course, the conversations in question happened after the election, during the transition period, and wouldn"t have been an issue but for Flynn"s seemingly inexplicable decision to lie about them.  Here"s more from NBC:

A two-page charging document filed last week listed two false statements Flynn made about his interactions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late December 2016. It said Flynn falsely claimed that he had not asked Kislyak "to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the U.S. had imposed against Russia," and that he didn"t recall Kislyak telling him Russia had decided to moderate its response as a result of his request.

 

Prior to the Dec. 29 call with Kislyak, Flynn called a senior official with the presidential transition team who was with other members of the team at Trump"s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss what to say to the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions, according to the statement of offense.

 

Court documents also said Flynn falsely claimed that he didn"t ask Kislyak on Dec. 22 to "delay a vote on or defeat" a U.N. Security Council resolution, and then falsely denied that Kislyak had described Russia"s response to the request. Before that call, a "very senior member" of the transition team directed Flynn to contact foreign officials, including those from Russia, to learn where they stood and influence the vote, according to the statement of offense. The "very senior member" was Jared Kushner, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

 

According to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s charge, Flynn made the false statements to the FBI on Jan. 24, two days after he was sworn in as national security adviser.

Of course, the real question from here is what Flynn"s plea deal means for the White House.  Not surprisingly, the Left has celebrated the development as an indication Flynn could potentially implicate President Trump in the "Russian collusion" investigation while Trump supporters have argued that the decision to pursue Flynn over false statements clearly indicates that they have nothing else of substance.  Per the Wall Street Journal:

To Mr. Trump’s supporters, the charge against Mike Flynn for making false statements was evidence that investigators were nowhere near proving collusion with Russians to interfere in the 2016 president election, the matter at the heart of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative mandate.

 

But Mr. Trump’s detractors viewed the plea deal as a milestone—the first senior aide to Mr. Trump to turn on his former boss—in an investigation that continues to escalate.

 

Both versions make assumptions about what information Mr. Flynn has to offer, a mystery that will reveal itself over time. For now, Mr. Flynn’s deal with the special counsel and his team suggests at the very least that Mr. Mueller believes Mr. Flynn has something valuable to share and that his investigation is unlikely to end soon, said former federal prosecutors.

 

“A guilty plea at this stage really could mean a whole lot of different things, and folks are in a hurry to have the plea meet their predetermined narratives,” said Stephen Vladeck, an expert in national-security law and law professor at the University of Texas.

So what say you...is the "Russian collusion" investigation weaving its way into the Oval Office or are escalating suggestions of the President"s downfall just another "nothing burger?"

Did Mike Flynn Wear A Wire During Conversations With Jared Kushner?

By now, other potential Trump administration officials who might’ve interacted with Michael Flynn following his Jan. 24 interview with FBI agents - where the former general lied about the details of his conversation with then-ambassador Kislyak - are probably tearing their hair out trying to discern whether the former National Security Adviser – who served in that post for less than a month before being fired for allegedly misrepresenting these same conversations to Vice President Pence – might’ve worn a wire during their interactions.

Of course, there’s nothing in Flynn’s Nov. 30 plea agreement that definitively answers the question of whether Flynn wore a wire.

So, in the interest of reading the tea leaves, the Guardian spoke to a handful of experts about whether there was any language in the plea agreement to suggest that Flynn – who tried to cover up the fact that he intimated to then-ambassador Kislyak that Trump would roll back some of the sanctions against the Putin government while also soliciting a Russian veto of a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements – might’ve been wired for sound.

Their conclusion? That certain language in the Flynn plea about ‘covert actions’ suggests that, yes, he did wear a wire.

Section eight of the deal reached by Donald Trump’s former national security adviser in the inquiry into Russian meddling in the US election is entitled “cooperation”. It specifies that as well as answering questions and submitting to government-administered polygraph tests, Flynn’s cooperation “may include … participating in covert law enforcement activities”.

 

Long-time students of federal law enforcement practices agreed, speaking anonymously, that “covert law enforcement activities” likely refers to the possibility of wearing a concealed wire or recording telephone conversations with other potential suspects. It is not known whether Flynn has worn a wire at any time.

 

“If the other subjects of investigation have had any conversations with Flynn during the last few months, that phrase must have all of them shaking in their boots,” said John Flannery, a former federal prosecutor in the southern district of New York.

And if there’s one member of the Trump inner circle who might have something to worry about thanks to Flynn, it’s senior Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.  

“The one who must be particularly terrified is [Trump son-in-law and adviser] Jared Kushner, if he spoke to the special counsel’s office without immunity about the very matter that is the subject of Flynn’s plea. I think he must be paralyzed if he talked to Flynn before or after the investigators debriefed him."

But aside from the language about covert action, few other details about what actions might’ve taken can be gleaned from the plea. Even the date when Flynn began cooperating with Mueller’s investigation remains a mystery - though at least one prominent Republican donor was telling friends in July this year that Flynn was already helping the Mueller probe, the Guardian reported.

The exact nature of the information that Flynn provided to Mueller also is not yet known (though we imagine, given the sieve-like nature of the Mueller camp when it comes to media leaks, some of these details will likely begin appearing in the pages of the New York Times and Washington Post). However, if there’s one clue as to the magnitude of the assistance that Flynn provided to Mueller, it’s the updated sentencing guidelines for the single charge of obstruction that Flynn has chosen to eat instead of trying his luck with a trial.

Considering the severity of Flynn’s crimes in the eyes of the FBI (which doesn’t look kindly on people who knowingly hinder investigations), the dramatic reduction in the former general’s sentencing suggests that he is going to help Mueller take down at least one other senior member of the Trump inner circle.

The main clue in the plea agreement about the importance of the information Flynn has already provided lies in the discrepancy between the maximum penalty for the crime he has admitted and the maximum sentence the special counsel has promised to recommend.

 

According to the document made public on Friday, Flynn could have been sentenced to as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As long as he cooperates in full with all of the special counsel’s requests, the document says the “estimated sentencing guidelines” range from zero to six months, with a possible fine of between $500 and $9,500. The proposed sentencing reduction also partly takes into account the fact Flynn has no criminal record.

 

“No prosecutor I know would agree to reducing a sentence that dramatically unless the witness had provided very significant information about at least one other target of his investigation,” Flannery said. “You wouldn’t get such a low sentence unless you had implicated a big target. The person that you’re lifting up allows you to sit on the ground.”

The exact language in the plea agreement requires Flynn to cooperate “fully, truthfully, completely and with this Office and other Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities identified by this Office in any and all matters as to which this Office deems the cooperation relevant”.

If Flynn refuses to cooperate fully, “the agreement will be considered breached by your client.” The agreement says any breach will have a serious impact on Flynn’s sentence.

Experts told the Guardian it was notable Flynn pleaded guilty before being indicted by a grand jury, though the logic here is easy to spot. By sparing Flynn this very public embarrassment, Flynn has more reason to feel genuinely grateful toward the former FBI director. It also makes sense from a strategic perspective: By preserving Flynn’s cover, the former National Security Adviser was free to begin recording incriminating information that could be useful for Mueller.

Whatever the nature of the agreement, Flynn has every incentive to provide Mueller with as much useful information as he possibly can. According to the agreement Flynn must cooperate “fully, truthfully, completely and with this Office and other Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities identified by this Office in any and all matters as to which this Office deems the cooperation relevant”.

If Flynn refuses or fails, “the agreement will be considered breached by your client.” The agreement says any breach will have a serious impact on Flynn’s sentence.

To be sure, the idea that Flynn – or even Papadopoulos before him – wore a wire is still, at this point, mere speculation. While it sounds like prosecutors wanted both men to do so, in Flynn’s case, Mueller may have included the suspicious passage in his plea for another unrelated purpose: To scare other potential witnesses or targets into being completely truthful with investigators.

Since there was no legal requirement for Mueller to include this information about covert law enforcement activities in the plea agreement, Flannery believes it was put there “to put the fear of God” into anyone who may have given the special counsel answers that conflict with Flynn’s information.

Of course, the nature of Flynn’s cooperation was immediately overblown by ABC in an error that might cost one senior correspondent his career – indeed, it has already greatly damaged what little credibility he had left. ABC suspended Brian Ross – who erroneously reported that Flynn would testify Trump instructed him to contact the Russians during the campaign. Flynn was actually preparing to testify that a senior Trump official 0 revealed to be Kushner – ordered him to do so during the transition. Outreach between the transition and foreign regimes is legal and common.

So, aside from undermining President Obama during the waning days of his administration, Flynn’s conversation with Kislyak was otherwise completely legitimate, which begs the question: Why’d Flynn lie? His actions, of course, were technically violations of a rarely enforced law against soliciting these types of quid-pro-quo arrangements. But the risk of being caught in a lie was far greater than risking possible punishment for his conversations with Kislyak.

So why’d he do it?

* * *

Full Flynn Plea Agreement:

Michael Flynn Reportedly "Worried" About Flynn Jr. In Special Counsel Probe

In their attempt to cobble together a "Russian Collusion" bombshell for the evening, CNN has apparently managed to confirm that Michael Flynn is in fact the father of Michael Flynn Jr.

While we jest, of course, "worrying" would seem to be the natural reaction of a father to a Special Counsel probe that started off as an investigation into alleged Russian collusion but has seemingly morphed into a crusade to dig up any and all dirt on a handful of Trump administration officials, dirt which may or may not be in anyway related to the Trump campaign.  Be that as it may, here is CNN"s take on Flynn"s concern for Flynn Jr:

Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn has expressed concern about the potential legal exposure of his son, Michael Flynn Jr., who, like his father, is under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Mueller, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

 

Flynn"s concern could factor into decisions about how to respond to Mueller"s ongoing investigation. The special counsel is looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign as well as the business dealings of key campaign advisers to President Donald Trump.

 

Flynn"s wife, Lori, shares his concerns about their son"s possible legal exposure, according to a person who knows the family.

As we"ve discussed repeatedly over the past several months, Flynn and his consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, are under investigation for everything from a series of phone calls he made to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to a potentially laundered consulting payment from the Turkish government allegedly tied to efforts to remove a Turkish cleric who has been living in exile in Pennsylvania.

Interviews conducted by special counsel investigators have included questions about the business dealings of Flynn and his son such as their firm"s reporting of income from work overseas, two witnesses interviewed by the team told CNN. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires people acting as agents of foreign entities to publicly disclose their relationship with foreign countries or businesses and financial compensation for such work.

 

Flynn Jr., who served as his father"s chief of staff and top aide, was actively involved in his father"s consulting and lobbying work at their firm, Flynn Intel Group. That included joining his father on overseas trips, such as Moscow in December 2015. During that trip, Flynn dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a black-tie gala for the RT television network, which US intelligence views as a Russian propaganda outlet.

 

Flynn"s business dealings have been the subject of federal investigation since November 2016, prior to Mueller"s appointment in March. Flynn is also under legal scrutiny by Mueller"s team for undisclosed lobbying that he did during the presidential campaign on behalf of the Turkish government, according to sources familiar with the matter. It"s against the law to lobby in the United States on behalf of a foreign government without informing the Justice Department.

 

FBI investigators also have scrutinized a series of phone calls during the Trump transition between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the US at the time, Sergey Kislyak. The conversations centered on US sanctions against Russia and whether they would remain in place during the Trump administration.

 

Another area of interest to Mueller"s team is Flynn"s alleged participation in discussions about the idea of removing a Turkish cleric who has been living in exile in Pennsylvania, sources said. In the past, a spokesman for Flynn has denied that such discussions occurred.

 

The former general"s consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, took $530,000 from a company based in the Netherlands that has extensive ties to the Turkish government.

Of course, as worried as his parents may be, Jr. doesn"t seem to be all that concerned after tweeting out the following over the weekend...

"The SJW are out in full this morning....the disappointment on your faces

when I don’t go to jail will be worth all your harassment..."

The SJW are out in full this morning....the disappointment on your faces when I don’t go to jail will be worth all your harassment...

— ????????MFLYNNJR???????? (@mflynnJR) November 5, 2017

Another Mueller Leak Suggests Charges Loom For Mike Flynn & Son

It appears Special Counsel Robert Mueller has a serial leaker. Following last weekend"s well-timed leak of Manafort"s looming arrest - which dominated the weekend media"s speculation - NBC News reports sources familiar confirming federal investigators have gathered enough evidence to bring charges in their investigation of President Donald Trump"s former national security adviser and his son.

As a reminder, Flynn was fired in February following public revelations that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his dealings with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

Michael Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job, was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

A week after the Manafort, Gates, Papadopoulos "smoking guns" hit the headlines, "multiple sources familiar with the investigation" that Mueller is set to apply pre pressure to Mike Flynn (and his son). As NBC News reports,the investigators are speaking to multiple witnesses in coming days to gain more information surrounding Flynn"s lobbying work, including whether he laundered money or lied to federal agents about his overseas contacts, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.

Mueller"s team is also examining whether Flynn attempted to orchestrate the removal of a chief rival of Turkish President Recep Erdogan from the U.S. to Turkey in exchange for millions of dollars, two officials said.

 

Flynn"s son, Michael G. Flynn, who worked closely with his father, accompanied him during the campaign and briefly worked on the presidential transition, could be indicted separately or at the same time as his father, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.

 

 

If the elder Flynn is willing to cooperate with investigators in order to help his son, two of the sources said, it could also change his own fate, potentially limiting any legal consequences.

NBC concludes that the pressure on Flynn is the latest signal that Mueller is moving at a rapid, and steady, pace in his investigation. Last week, investigators unsealed indictments of Manafort and Manafort"s business partner Rick Gates. They pleaded not guilty.

It"s also notable that nothing that hit last week ties Trump directly to collusion with Russia, just as the charges for Flynn do not; but just as is the case with Manafort and Gates, Mueller appears to believe applying pressure to these "bad actors" will force them to release details about President Trump (which a year-long investigation has failed to find).

Both Flynns have for months been subjects of the Mueller investigation...

The elder Flynn, an Army lieutenant general, was pushed out as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 and retired from the military. He then founded a lobbying firm, Flynn Intel Group, where his son worked closely with him.

 

The younger Flynn was involved in the daily operations of his father"s firm and functioned as his chief of staff. He often attended meetings with his father and would communicate with prospective clients.

 

The elder Flynn was paid $530,000 last year for work the Justice Department says benefited the government of Turkey.

 

The elder Flynn did not register as a foreign lobbyist at the time, but did so retroactively this year. The issue has been part of Mueller"s probe.

 

His lawyer later said Flynn didn"t need to register because his client was a Turkish businessman and not a government official, but had opted to do so retroactively.

One wonders, given the above "sources" reporting, how long before charges are brought against Tony Podesta with regard his Foreign Agent Registration status?

We leave it to Flynn"s son to conclude...

The SJW are out in full this morning....the disappointment on your faces when I don’t go to jail will be worth all your harassment...

— ????????MFLYNNJR???????? (@mflynnJR) November 5, 2017

As his friend calls for Trump’s murder, Robert Mueller tries to bankrupt Trump associates into submission

(INTELLIHUB) — Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his 16 member team of lawyers tasked with taking out the elected president are now openly conducting a classic fishing expedition that has absolutely nothing to do with so-called Russian collusion and everything to do with taking out Trump by any means necessary.

From raiding Paul Manafort’s home looking for financial transactions that have nothing to do with Donald Trump to going after retired general Michael Flynn, Mueller has shown that his “investigation” is a transparent farce that is being held together by fake mainstream news reports and overall hate for Donald Trump the person.

In other words, the man legally elected as President of the United States may be taken out by deep state operatives, in government and the media, not because of any wrongdoing but because they disagree with his policies.

A recent report in the liberal Daily Beast confirms this stunning fact, complete with proof that former Trump associates are being purposefully bankrupted in order to hopefully turn them against the president, regardless if they have any real dirt on him or not.

“Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort parted ways with WilmerHale, the law firm defending him, earlier this week. That was largely because Bob Mueller’s 16-lawyer Russia probe—which is targeting him—has shifted its focus and is drilling down on tax issues, which aren’t WilmerHale’s specialty. But the parting of ways with WilmerHale was also in part because Manafort’s finances are increasingly strained, according to sources familiar with the situation,” reported The Daily Beast.

“Paul Manafort’s resolve is limitless, but his resources are not,” a source close to Manafort told the paper.

Using financial terrorism to turn a former Trump associate isn’t unique to Manafort’s case as highly decorated former general Michael Flynn is also feeling the strain of having to defend himself from deep state invented lies happily peddled by the compliant mainstream media.

“Manafort isn’t the only person facing financial challenges because of the legal costs of responding to Mueller’s probe. Michael Flynn, the retired general and deposed National Security Adviser, is struggling mightily with his mounting legal bills, according to a source familiar with his situation. The expenses has put his family’s finances under significant duress, the source said, and it’s expected he will soon create a legal defense fund to keep from going bankrupt,” the report continued.

Amazingly, as Mueller looks to bankrupt Trump allies, his own friends in the intelligence community continue to openly attack the president, with one going as far as to call for Trump’s murder during an appearance on CNN.

Former CIA operative Philip Mudd, who also just so happens to have been deputy director of the FBI under Robert Mueller, not only openly admitted the deep state war against Trump but actually stated that the government will kill him.

“In yet another stunning display of the very real deep state war being waged against Donald Trump, CNN talking head and former CIA agent Philip Mudd has openly threatened the president with murder,” Intellihub News reported.

“Let me give you one bottom line – as a former government official, the government’s gonna kill this guy,” Mudd stunningly revealed.

Keep in mind that fired FBI Director James Comey is also a close personal friend of Robert Mueller, a fact that obviously shows a transparent conflict of interest in anything Mueller is doing in his investigation, especially when you realize that he isn’t even looking into wrongdoing by Trump himself.

As longtime conservative attorney David Rivkin rightfully noted, “It’s obvious that it has morphed into an open-ended investigation that is way beyond the Russian collusion, and the only unifying principle seems to be that it covers people who are close to Trump or worked with Trump.”

“And that is a classical definition of a fishing expedition.”

Featured Image: Talk Radio News Service/Flickr

Alex Thomas is an opinion journalist and editor for Intellihub News. He was a founding member of what later became Intellihub.com and an integral part of the team that destroyed the mainstream media blockade of Bilderberg in 2012. You can contact him here.

©2017. INTELLIHUB.COM. All Rights Reserved.

McCabe's Revenge: Circa Suggests Flynn Investigation Was Launched As Pure Retaliation

Andrew McCabe has long been a controversial figure at the FBI.  His position as Deputy Director of the FBI came under intense scrutiny during the Clinton email investigation after it came to light that his wife, Jill McCabe, took nearly $500,000 from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to fund her Senate campaign.  Of course, Terry McAuliffe is a long-time confidant of the Clinton family and was rumored as a potential running mate for Hillary.  But sure, no reason to be wary the McCabe was put in charge of supervising that particular investigation.

But now, at least according to a new report from Circa, McCabe may have other conflicts, including a personal vendetta against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, that have not yet been disclosed.  According to Circa, Flynn apparently enraged McCabe a few years back after he intervened on behalf of an FBI Special Agent, Robyn Gritz, who had accused McCabe and other top FBI officials of sexual discrimination.

The FBI launched a criminal probe against former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn two years after the retired Army general roiled the bureau’s leadership by intervening on behalf of a decorated counterterrorism agent who accused now-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and other top officials of sexual discrimination, according to documents and interviews.

Flynn’s intervention on behalf of Supervisory Special Agent Robyn Gritz was highly unusual, and included a letter in 2014 on his official Pentagon stationary, a public interview in 2015 supporting Gritz’s case and an offer to testify on her behalf. His offer put him as a hostile witness in a case against McCabe, who was soaring through the bureau’s leadership ranks.

The FBI sought to block Flynn’s support for the agent, asking a federal administrative law judge in May 2014 to keep Flynn and others from becoming a witness in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) case, memos obtained by Circa show. Two years later, the FBI opened its inquiry of Flynn.

The EEOC case, which is still pending, was serious enough to require McCabe to submit to a sworn statement to investigators, the documents show.

According to anonymous sources within the FBI (and you know how we feel about those...so take these comments with a heaping mound of salt), Circa notes that several field agents had witnessed McCabe make disparaging remarks about Flynn and one agent even became uncomfortable enough to consult an attorney after the Flynn investigation ramped up.

Three FBI employees told Circa they personally witnessed McCabe make disparaging remarks about Flynn before and during the time the retired Army general emerged as a figure in the Russia case.

The bureau employees, who spoke only on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said they did not know the reason for McCabe’s displeasure with Flynn, but that it made them uncomfortable as the Russia probe began to unfold and pressure built to investigate Flynn. One employee even consulted a private lawyer.

“As far as the troops in the field, the vast-majority were disgusted with the Russia decision, but that was McCabe driving the result that eventually led [former FBI Director James] Comey to make the decision,” said a senior federal law enforcement official, with direct knowledge of the investigation.

“The Flynn leaks were nothing short of political,” one FBI employee said, noting the specific contents of the conversation were known by only a handful of government officials when they leaked. “The leaks appeared to be targeted to take Flynn out.”

But would McCabe really launch an investigation out of retaliation?  Well, it seems that his own testimony in the sexual discrimination lawsuit would suggest he did just that against Gritz.

But McCabe’s sworn statement offered evidence that actually supported Gritz’s claim of retaliation and discrimination, recounting a conversation on June 19, 2012 in which he authorized the OPR investigation of Gritz after one of his deputies told him Gritz was about to file an EEO complaint, his sworn statement shows.

“I first learned of the issues that led to Ms. Gritz’s current OPR investigation during a telephone call with Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Jennifer Ley on June 19, 2012,” McCabe testified.

“I recalled that during the course of our conversation DAD Ley mentioned to me that Ms. Gritz had filed or intended to file an EEO complaint against her immediate supervisor.”

The very next day, the FBI initiated the OPR investigation of Gritz, according to evidence in the FBI’s official personnel files. FBI records support McCabe’s version of events, showing Gritz had contacted FBI EEO officials in mid-June before the OPR probe was initiated, then filed her formal complaint a few weeks later. The FBI ‘s official report of investigation on Gritz’s EEO complaint, which absolved the FBI of any discrimination, omitted any mention that McCabe had been aware of the EEO complaint before the bureau filed its OPR action against Gritz.

Clearly McCabe"s reputation was on the line, so it"s not terribly surprising that he would take offense to Flynn providing the following supportive comments in favor of Gritz:

“SSA Gritz was well-known, liked and respected in the military counter-terrorism community for her energy, commitment and professional capacity, and over the years worked in several interagency groups on counter-terrorism targeting initiatives,” Flynn wrote May 9, 2014.

At the time, Flynn was an Army lieutenant general and the chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and he put his letter on official agency stationary to be submitted in Gritz’s case.

As soon as Gritz revealed to the FBI that Flynn and other top federal figures had written letters to support her case and likely would be called as witnesses, the bureau dispatched a lawyer to try to block the evidence from being included in the EEO case, documents show.

In a brief interview this weekend, Gritz said she was mortified to think that her request to Flynn to help with her EEOC case in any way affected his relationship with the FBI or his current status as someone under investigation in the Russia case.

“Flynn was the first leader to defend me,” said Gritz. “He forwarded a letter to the FBI and I personally think that Comey did not receive it. McCabe knew Flynn and I were friends. I felt that from the beginning it was an issue.”

So what say you?  More fake news or is another recusal in order on the "Russian collusion" investigation?

Mike Flynn Refuses To Honor Senate Subpoena

Just a few short days after receiving a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee, requesting documents relevant to the Committee"s investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election, AP reports that Senator Burr, the top Republican on the committee, says that Michael Flynn"s lawyers say he will not honor subpoena.

Last week, in a joint statement from Commttee chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking member Mark Warner (D-Va.) the committee disclosed that it had first requested the documents in an April 28 letter to Flynn, but he "declined" to cooperate with the request.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence today issued a subpoena for former National Security Advisor Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. The subpoena requests documents relevant to the Committee"s investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election. The Committee first requested these documents in an April 28, 2017 letter to Lieutenant General Flynn, but he declined, through counsel, to cooperate with the Committee"s request.

CNN also reported that the FBI had also issued subpoenas relating to Flynn"s business records, so the ousted National Security Adviser is now at at the center of both investigations, although as disclosed, he did not comply with the committee"s earlier request.

And today we get confirmation from Senator Burr, via AP, that Michael Flynn"s lawyers say he will not honor subpoena.

This is perhaps not entirely surprising given Yahoo"s reporting that late last month, fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn—under investigation by federal prosecutors, with his lawyer seeking immunity for him to testify to Congress–met with a small group of loyalists at a restaurant in the northern Virginia suburbs.
Saddled with steep legal bills, Flynn wanted to reconnect with old friends and talk about potential future business opportunities. But one overriding question among those present were his views on the president who had fired him as national security advisor. Flynn left little doubt about the answer.  Not only did he remain loyal to President Trump, he indicated he and the president were still in communication. “I just got a message from the president to stay strong,” Flynn said after the meal was over, according to two sources who are close to Flynn and are familiar with the conversation, which took place on April 25.

We are sure Democratic leadership will have some great soundbites soon (of course, forgeting Hillary-related obfuscations of various government subpoenas during the election campaign).

Comey’s revenge: Leaks memo to NYT saying Trump asked him to end Flynn investigation

It seems that Comey just outed himself as one of the leakers the White House was looking for

Update 1:

And just like yesterday, it was just a matter of minutes before CNN and NBC ‘independently’ corroborated the New York Times’ story.

Source confirms to CNN"s @PamelaBrownCNN Comey wrote in memo that President Trump asked him to end Flynn investigation

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 16, 2017

NBC News confirms Comey says Trump asked him to drop the Flynn investigation

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) May 16, 2017

Meanwhile, Independent Senator Angus King of Maine is now considering calling for impeachment proceedings for “obstruction of justice.”

“Obstruction of justice is such a serious event.  And I say it with sadness and reluctance.  This is not something that I’ve advocated for.”

“But, if indeed the President tried to tell the Director of the FBI, who worked for him, that he should drop an investigation, whether it was Michael Flynn or some investigation that had nothing to do with Russia or politics or the election, that’s a very serious matter.”

* * *

In what is seemingly becoming a daily event, the New York Times has just dropped yet another anonymously sourced bombshell on the White House.  The latest provocative headline implies that President Trump directly asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an ongoing investigation of Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting back in February shortly after Flynn was fired by the White House.

This latest story allegedly comes from a memo that Comey wrote shortly after the meeting in question and is just part of a larger paper trail that he created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence an ongoing investigation. As the New York Times notes, an FBI agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.

Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence an ongoing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey that Mr. Flynn had done nothing wrong, according to the memo.

Mr. Comey did not say anything to Mr. Trump about curtailing the investigation, only replying: “I agree he is a good guy.”

Mr. Comey created similar memos — including some that are classified — about every phone call and meeting he had with the president, the two people said. It is unclear whether Mr. Comey told the Justice Department about the conversation or his memos.

Of course, if there is an unclassified paper trail created by Comey then
we suspect hundreds of FOIA requests will be filed by the end of the
day.

Oddly, this memo seems to directly contradict statements that Andrew McCabe recently made under oath before the Senate Intelligence Committee.  In the following exchange with Marco Rubio, McCabe said:  “There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date.”  So either McCabe was lying or Comey had serious trust issues with his second in command.

Rubio:  “Has the dismissal of Mr. Comey in any way impeded, interrupted, stopped, or negatively impacted any of the work, any of the investigations or any ongoing projects at the Federal Bureau of Investigation?”

McCabe:  “There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date.”

Meanwhile, according to the NYT, Comey shared the existence of the memo with senior FBI officials and close associates. The New York Times admitted it had not viewed a copy of the memo but portions of the letter were apparently read to a reporter covering the story.

According to details in the memo, Comey had been invited to the Oval Office with other senior national security officials for a terrorism threat briefing. When the meeting ended, Trump asked all present — including Vice President Pence and Attorney General Sessions — to leave the room except for Comey.  It was at that time that Trump condemned the continued leaks to the media before turning the conversation to Flynn’s fate.

Alone in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump began the discussion by condemning leaks to the news media, saying that Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information, according to one of Mr. Comey’s associates.

Mr. Trump then turned the discussion to Mr. Flynn.

It seems that Comey just outed himself as one of the leakers the White House was looking for.

I have been asking Director Comey & others, from the beginning of my administration, to find the LEAKERS in the intelligence community…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017

Via Zero Hedge

Featured Image: Federal Bureau of Investigation/Flickr

House Oversight Committee Confirms Flynn Likely Broke Law On Overseas Payments

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn likely broke the law by failing to disclose foreign income he earned from Russia and Turkey, the heads of the House Oversight Committee said Tuesday.

As The Washington Post reports, committee chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said they believe Flynn neither received permission nor fully disclosed income he earned for a speaking engagement in Russia and lobbying activities on behalf of Turkey when he applied to reinstate his security clearance, after viewing two classified memos and Flynn"s disclosure form in a private briefing Tuesday morning.

"Personally I see no evidence or no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law," Chaffetz told reporters following the briefing.

"He was supposed to get permission, he was supposed to report it, and he didn"t," Cummings said.

Chaffetz confirmed that Flynn had failed to reveal the more than $45,000 he was paid to speak at a 2015 gala for RT, the Kremlin-run TV network, as well as the money he was paid by an air freight company and a cybersecurity firm with direct connections to Russia. Chaffetz added that the White House had refused to provide his committee with information and documents related to Flynn"s security clearance and payments from organizations tied to the Russian and Turkish governments. The committee made six requests, and the White House cited reasons it could not comply with each of them, Cummings said.

One has to wonder about the Trump team"s vetting process and perhaps more notable is that now that Cheffetz is not running for re-election, he has nothing to fear from political fallout from the White House or GOP in general.

"He Certainly Has A Story To Tell" - Statement From Mike Flynn's Lawyer

Hot on the heels of the WSJ report that Trump"s former National Security Advisor, Mike Flynn, has offered to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution, Flynn"s lawyer, Robert Kelner of the law firm Covington, issued the following statement, in which judging by Kelner"s language, Flynn"s offer is not so much to "turn" on Trump, as to set the record straight, while putting an end to the ongoing "media witch hunt", to wit:

the media are awash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo directed against him. He is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.

The full statement by Robert Kelner is below

Counsel to Lt. General Mike Flynn (Retired)

General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit.

Out of respect for the Committees, we will not comment right now on the details of discussions between counsel for General Flynn and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, other than to confirm that those discussions have taken place. But it is important to acknowledge the circumstances in which those discussions are occurring.

General Flynn is a highly decorated 33-year veteran of the U.S. Army. He devoted most of his life to serving his country, spending many years away from his family fighting this nation"s battles around the world. He was awarded four Bronze Stars for actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the war on terror. He received the Legion of Merit twice, and the Defense Superior Service Medal four times. He is a recipient of the Defense Department"s Distinguished Service Award and the Intelligence Community Gold Seal Medallion for Distinguished Service, as well as numerous other decorations.

Notwithstanding his life of national service, the media are awash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo directed against him. He is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.

h/t @ChuckRossDC

The Swamp Strikes Back

Authored by Pepe Escobar, originally posted at SputnikNews.com,

The tawdry Michael Flynn soap opera boils down to the CIA hemorrhaging leaks to the company town newspaper, leading to the desired endgame: a resounding victory for hardcore neocon/neoliberalcon US Deep State factions in one particular battle. But the war is not over; in fact it’s just beginning.

Even before Flynn’s fall, Russian analysts had been avidly discussing whether President Trump is the new Victor Yanukovich – who failed to stop a color revolution at his doorstep. The Made in USA color revolution by the axis of Deep State neocons, Democratic neoliberalcons and corporate media will be pursued, relentlessly, 24/7. But more than Yanukovich, Trump might actually be remixing Little Helmsman Deng Xiaoping: “crossing the river while feeling the stones”. Rather, crossing the swamp while feeling the crocs.

Flynn out may be interpreted as a Trump tactical retreat. After all Flynn may be back – in the shade, much as Roger Stone. If current deputy national security advisor K T McFarland gets the top job – which is what powerful Trump backers are aiming at – the shadowplay Kissinger balance of power, in its 21^st century remix, is even strengthened; after all McFarland is a Kissinger asset.

This call won’t self-destruct in five seconds

Flynn worked with Special Forces; was head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); handled highly classified top secret information 24/7. He obviously knew all his conversations on an open, unsecure line were monitored. So he had to have morphed into a compound incarnation of the Three Stooges had he positioned himself to be blackmailed by Moscow.

What Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak certainly discussed was cooperation in the fight against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, and what Moscow might expect in return: the lifting of sanctions. US corporate media didn’t even flinch when US intel admitted they have a transcript of the multiple phone calls between Flynn and Kislyak. So why not release them? Imagine the inter-galactic scandal if these calls were about Russian intel monitoring the US ambassador in Moscow.

No one paid attention to the two key passages conveniently buried in the middle of this US corporate media story. 1) “The intelligence official said there had been no finding inside the government that Flynn did anything illegal.” 2) “…the situation became unsustainable – not because of any issue of being compromised by Russia – but because he [Flynn] has lied to the president and the vice president.”

Recap: nothing illegal; and Flynn not compromised by Russia. The “crime” – according to Deep State factions: talking to a Russian diplomat.

Vice-President Mike Pence is a key piece in the puzzle; after all his major role is as insider guarantor – at the heart of the Trump administration – of neocon Deep State interests. The CIA did leak. The CIA most certainly has been spying on all Trump operatives. Flynn though fell on his own sword. Classic hubris; his fatal mistake was to strategize by himself – even before he became national security advisor. “Mad Dog” Mattis, T. Rex Tillerson – both, by the way, very close to Kissinger – and most of all Pence did not like it one bit once they were informed.

A “man of very limited abilities”

Flynn was already compromised by his embarrassingly misinformed book co-written with neocon Michael Ledeen, as well as his juvenile Iranophobia. At the same time, Flynn was the point man to what would have been a real game-changer; to place the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff under White House control.

A highly informed US source I previously called “X”, who detailed to Sputnik how the Trump presidency will play out, is adamant “this decision makes Trump look independent. It is all going according to script.”

“X” stresses how “the NSA can penetrate any telephone system in the world that is not secure. Flynn was a man of very limited abilities who talked too much. You never hear from the real powers in intelligence nor do you know their names. You can see that in Flynn’s approach to Iran. He was disrupting a peace deal in the Middle East relating to Russia, Iran and Turkey in Syria. So he had to go.”

“X” adds, “the Russians are not stupid to talk among themselves on unsecured lines, they assumed that Flynn controlled his own lines. Flynn was removed not because of his Russian calls but for other reasons, some of which have to do with Iran and the Middle East. He was a loose cannon even from the intelligence perspective. This is a case of misdirection away from the true cause.”

In direct opposition to “X”, an analytical strand now rules there’s blood on the tracks; the hyenas are circling; a vulnerable Trump has lost his mojo; and he also lost his foreign policy. Not yet.

In the Grand Chessboard, what Flynn’s fall spells out is just a pawn out of the game because the King would not protect him. We will only know for sure “draining the swamp” – the foreign policy section – is doomed if neocons and neoliberalcons continue to run riot; if neoliberalcons are not fully exposed in their complicity in the rise of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh; and if the much vaunted possibility of a détente with Russia flounders for good.

What’s certain is that the fratricide war between the Trump administration and the most powerful Deep State factions will be beyond vicious. Team Trump only stands a chance if they are able to weaponize allies from within the Deep State. As it stands, concerning the Kissinger grand design of trying to break the Eurasian “threat” to the unipolar moment, Iran is momentarily relieved; Russia harbors no illusions; and China knows for sure that the China-Russia strategic partnership will become even stronger. Advantage swamp.

“They Are Taking Out Trump’s Lieutenants”: Deep State Intelligence Ops Sabotaging the White House?

Illustration by Richard Davie, Flickr CC4.0

Do you see the writing on the wall? Do you see what is happening here?

If there was any doubt that the Trump era will eventually unfold into either a) revolution and total chaos, b) a police state under martial law or c) a coup or assassination against the leader of the free world, then it should be clear from this.

Behind the scenes, the intelligence community are at war with President Donald Trump.

He has refused to attend CIA briefings; they have sabotaged his National Security Advisor by leaking classified communications with the explicit purpose of undermining the new administration and stoking tensions with Russia.

If Gen. Mike Flynn can be removed, it not only challenges the power of the Trump White House but builds upon the false narrative that Russia has been involved in hacking, cyber attacks and undermining legitimate U.S. power.

Greg Hunter of USA Watchdog spoke with the very insightful Catherine Austin Fitts about the palace intrigue and cloak-and-dagger inner-workings of the new administration, and the creatures of the establishment who resent their rival claim to power over U.S. policy. This is truly historical stuff going on:

Catherine Austin Fitts-Trump Taking On Corruption & Lawlessness

How many other Trump administration officials will be mired in scandal, or ousted by bad optics? When they go down, will we know whether it was for good reason or not? There are many unaddressed issues with Mike Flynn, but the implications are disturbing. The news media is blatantly distorted, and no mainstream accounts can be trusted anymore.

But there is no real way for the average citizen to know what is going on behind closed doors in Washington, etc. without solid, accountable, transparent and accurate reporting – and virtually nothing of the sort exists in Washington or elsewhere.

The CIA and national security deep state would love for the American people to believe the notion that Putin represents a hostile and immediate threat, and that the entire Trump presidency has been a Trojan horse scheme to advance Russian interest. But, if nobody buys it, they at least want the American people to know who holds the ultimate power.

Hypocrisy and true intent mean nothing to these people. They must have it their way, and they will stop at nothing to get their agenda settled. They are at war with Trump, and he will either bend or break, as far as they’re concerned.

If that is the case, then there is no “democracy” or “constitutional republic.” The American Dream and the republic for which it stands are null and void, because the shadow government stole unchecked power from the gods like Prometheus, and have kept it to themselves rather than distributing the power.

The 1947 National Security Act set the CIA on a long-leash, that thereafter either came loose around its neck, or snapped under pressure.

And here’s what former Rep. Dennis Kucinich told Fox Business, warning America that the intelligence community was actively trying to undermine the Trump Administration, and are targeting his top cabinet officials. The resignation of Gen. Mike Flynn may be just the beginning:

Intel community trying to undermine Trump’s presidency?

These will be some trying times for America.

Internal turmoil, war within and war without. Stay on watch.

Read more:

Darkness Is Scheduled, Civil Order Will Be Upended: “Military Plans to Take Over America”

Gen. Flynn Ousted From Trump Cabinet, As Hillary Crony Cites “Revenge for Pizzagate”

Update: “Putin’s Favorite Chauffer” Killed In Accident… Exactly As Former CIA Director Described On TV

Payback: This Is WHY Vladimir Putin Wants To Take Hillary Down: “His Chance For Getting Even”

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Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 417 people
Date: February 16th, 2017
Website: www.SHTFplan.com

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The Public Should Demand To See The Michael Flynn Transcript

Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,

The United States is much better off without Michael Flynn serving as national security adviser. But no one should be cheering the way he was brought down.

The whole episode is evidence of the precipitous and ongoing collapse of America’s democratic institutions — not a sign of their resiliency. Flynn’s ouster was a soft coup (or political assassination) engineered by anonymous intelligence community bureaucrats. The results might be salutary, but this isn’t the way a liberal democracy is supposed to function.

President Trump was roundly mocked among liberals for that tweet. But he is, in many ways, correct. These leaks are an enormous problem. And in a less polarized context, they would be recognized immediately for what they clearly are: an effort to manipulate public opinion for the sake of achieving a desired political outcome. It’s weaponized spin.

In a liberal democracy, how things happen is often as important as what happens. Procedures matter. So do rules and public accountability. The chaotic, dysfunctional Trump White House is placing the entire system under enormous strain. That’s bad. But the answer isn’t to counter it with equally irregular acts of sabotage — or with a disinformation campaign waged by nameless civil servants toiling away in the surveillance state.

– From The Week article: America’s Spies Anonymously Took Down Michael Flynn. That is Deeply Worrying.

I never intended to write about the Michael Flynn affair. I figured it had been covered to death and I probably wouldn’t have anything to add to the conversation. That said, I hadn’t been following the story closely so I decided to get caught up by reading a diverse selection of articles on the topic. One of my favorite sources on such subjects is Glenn Greenwald, and I eagerly read his latest piece on the matter: The Leakers Who Exposed Gen. Flynn’s Lie Committed Serious — and Wholly Justified — Felonies.

There are several key points he outlines in the piece, most of which I agree with. First, he proves that the leakers committed serious felonies under the law. Second, he states that if illegal leaks lead to the disclosure of information that is clearly very much in the public interest, then such action is not only justified, but ethically necessary. I agree with this as well. Where he doesn’t really convince me, is the argument that this particular leak represented some sort of great public service. He writes:

This Flynn episode underscores another critical point: The motives of leakers are irrelevant. It’s very possible — indeed, likely — that the leakers here were not acting with benevolent motives. Nobody with a straight face can claim that lying to the public is regarded in official Washington as some sort of mortal sin; if anything, the contrary is true: It’s seen as a job requirement.

Moreover, Gen. Flynn has many enemies throughout the intelligence and defense community. The same is true, of course, of Donald Trump; recall that just a few weeks ago, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer warned Trump that he was being “really dumb” to criticize the intelligence community because “they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.”

It’s very possible — I’d say likely — that the motive here was vindictive rather than noble. Whatever else is true, this is a case where the intelligence community, through strategic (and illegal) leaks, destroyed one of its primary adversaries in the Trump White House.

But no matter. What matters is not the motive of the leaker but the effects of the leak. Any leak that results in the exposure of high-level wrongdoing — as this one did — should be praised, not scorned and punished.

Glenn’s conclusion here is that the Flynn leak exposed high-level wrongdoing. What wrongdoing are we talking about specifically? Yes, it seems he clearly lied to the public and Mike Pence about the content of his conversation with the Russian ambassador. The lie to Mike Pence in particular led to Pence embarrassing himself publicly by repeating that lie, and this betrayal seems to be the primary motivator (from my seat) of why Trump fired him. Others are referring to potential violations of the Logan Act, but as we learned from Lawfare:

Flynn certainly breached protocol. He may also have broken the law by interfering with U.S. diplomatic efforts while still a private citizen, which is forbidden by the Logan Act. The centuries-old law is vague, however, and has never resulted in a conviction. Furthermore, there may be significant First Amendment problems with enforcing it. Officials became more alarmed when Flynn was not forthcoming with Vice President-Elect Pence and others, possibly including federal agents, about the conversations. Those officials feared that Flynn’s dissembling might open up him up to risks of blackmail.

Yes, Flynn was a private citizen, but he was less than a month away from being a high-level government official, and the Obama administration was doing everything it possibly could to antagonize Russia during its last few weeks in office. I’m not justifying what Flynn said in those conversations, or the lies he told about it, but there’s a key problem with this whole leak. It wasn’t really a leak meant to inform the public. It was a leak to specific journalists, at specific papers, with a clear intent of political assassination through the manipulation of public opinion via cryptic releases of filtered information.

For example, here’s how the New York Times reported on the information in its February 9 article, Flynn Is Said to Have Talked to Russians About Sanctions Before Trump Took Office:

WASHINGTON — Weeks before President Trump’s inauguration, his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, discussed American sanctions against Russia, as well as areas of possible cooperation, with that country’s ambassador to the United States, according to current and former American officials.

 

Throughout the discussions, the message Mr. Flynn conveyed to the ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak — that the Obama administration was Moscow’s adversary and that relations with Russia would change under Mr. Trump — was unambiguous and highly inappropriate, the officials said.

 

But current and former American officials said that conversation — which took place the day before the Obama administration imposed sanctions on Russia over accusations that it used cyberattacks to help sway the election in Mr. Trump’s favor — ranged far beyond the logistics of a post-inauguration phone call. And they said it was only one in a series of contacts between the two men that began before the election and also included talk of cooperating in the fight against the Islamic State, along with other issues.

 

The officials said that Mr. Flynn had never made explicit promises of sanctions relief, but that he had appeared to leave the impression it would be possible.

How do we know what was really said without the transcript?

During the Christmas week conversation, he urged Mr. Kislyak to keep the Russian government from retaliating over the coming sanctions — it was an open secret in Washington that they were in the works — by telling him that whatever the Obama administration did could be undone, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified material.

Federal officials who have read the transcript of the call were surprised by Mr. Flynn’s comments, since he would have known that American eavesdroppers closely monitor such calls. They were even more surprised that Mr. Trump’s team publicly denied that the topics of conversation included sanctions.

Prosecutions in these types of cases are rare, and the law is murky, particularly around people involved in presidential transitions. The officials who had read the transcripts acknowledged that while the conversation warranted investigation, it was unlikely, by itself, to lead to charges against a sitting national security adviser.

I have so many issues with the above reporting it’s hard to know where to start. Everything mentioned above is given to us secondhand via “anonymous American officials.” Nowhere do I see any specific quotes from the transcript, despite the fact that the paper admits it talked with federal officials who read it. Why not? Why must we hear about the content of the transcripts secondhand from anonymous officials? This is the most significant red flag with this whole story. If the leakers were truly interested in transparency, and wanted the public to know the truth, why not leak the transcript to Wikileaks and let the public decide?

I’ll tell you why. They didn’t do this because transparency was never the goal here. They wanted to illegally use intelligence information to take a scalp from a Trump administration they hate, and they knew they could do this via mainstream media journalists. I know what you’re thinking, Edward Snowden didn’t leak everything to Wikileaks either. He likewise picked a few journalists and trusted them to responsibly report the information. How is this any different?

It’s different in two important respects. First, we are talking about a single transcript, or a few transcripts, as opposed to the enormous intelligence data-dump that Snowden provided. Secondly, The Intercept and others who reported on the Snowden material provided a huge amount of primary source documentation for the public to see so that it could come to its own conclusion. They didn’t simply tell everyone what to think about leaked documents while refusing to share any actual content. Where are the specific, comprehensive quotes from the Flynn transcript? Why doesn’t the public have a right to see the entire thing? Instead, we are being told what happened and what to think via secondhand anonymous sources. Sorry, but this doesn’t cut it for me.

I have yet to see any excerpts from the transcript. All I’ve seen is what anonymous officials say was discussed. This is absurd. We the people should demand the content of the relevant transcripts so we can decide for ourselves just how bad Flynn’s actions were. In the absence of this, we’re essentially being manipulated on a massive scale by rogue intelligence agents and told what to think through the major newspapers. This doesn’t cut it for me. I want to see the content of these conversations so I can make up my own mind. Perhaps it’s even worse than we know. So be it. We should be treated as adults and allowed to see the actual conversation if it’s going to be made into a story of such huge national importance.

Finally, I want to end with the mind-boggling absurdity of those who wanted Edward Snowden’s head on a platter, but are somehow ok with these leaks. As Lawfare explains:

Furthermore, these leaks are criminal. As Edward Snowden has learned, the Espionage Act makes intentional disclosure of classified “communications intelligence activities” a felony if such disclosure is made in a “manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government . . . .”  18 U.S.C. § 798(a). This particular group of leakers might argue their motives were in defense of U.S. interests—to protect the nation from national security policy guided by a hand tainted by Russian influence—but under current law, that argument is highly unlikely to prevail. As Snowden well knows, there is no public interest defense to prosecution for violations of the Espionage Act.

Somehow I doubt the Flynn leakers will find themselves in the same position as Snowden, scrambling to get to a country that will provide them safe haven from the vast, vindictive reach of the U.S. government. That’s because the leakers in this case are powerful operatives of the deep state. As Greenwald explained:

It’s hard to put into words how strange it is to watch the very same people — from both parties, across the ideological spectrum — who called for the heads of Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Tom Drake, and so many other Obama-era leakers today heap praise on those who leaked the highly sensitive, classified SIGINT information that brought down Gen. Flynn.

It’s even more surreal to watch Democrats act as though lying to the public is some grave firing offense when President Obama’s top national security official, James Clapper, got caught red-handed not only lying to the public but also to Congress — about a domestic surveillance program that courts ruled was illegal. And despite the fact that lying to Congress is a felony, he kept his job until the very last day of the Obama presidency.

But this is how political power and the addled partisan brain in D.C. functions. Those in power always regard leaks as a heinous crime, while those out of power regard them as a noble act. They seamlessly shift sides as their position in D.C. changes.

Finally, if you want to get a sense of the mindset behind the most adamant defenders of the Flynn leaks, take a look at the following tweets from former NSA analyst and Naval War College professor, John Schindler.

If that’s “the resistance,” I want no part of it. As I summarized on Twitter:

Thus far, "the resistance" seems to consist primarily of violent social justice warriors, and deep state sycophants.

No thanks.

— Michael Krieger (@LibertyBlitz) February 15, 2017

Open Warfare Declared in DC as Deep State ‘Goes Nuclear’ — Trump ‘Will Die in Jail’

Washington, D.C. – The United States is entering an extreme and unprecedented political crisis in the form of a soft coup by the deep state. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have publicly called out these elements of the “intelligence-industrial complex” that are actively working to undermine, discredit and forcibly remove President Trump.

Amazing battle for dominance is playing out between the elected US govt & the IC who consider themselves to be the "permanent government".

— Julian Assange (@julianassange) February 15, 2017

Giving a clear admission of a soft coup in progress, John Schindler, a former professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, who spent nearly a decade with the super-secret National Security Agency as an intelligence analyst and counterintelligence officer — and who still maintains deep connections to the intelligence community — readily admitted that senior elements of the intelligence community (IC) are engaging in treason against Trump.

Now we go nuclear. IC war going to new levels. Just got an EM fm senior IC friend, it began: "He will die in jail."https://t.co/e6FxCclVqT

— John Schindler (@20committee) February 15, 2017

Screen cap, in case it gets deleted.

Speaking to this soft coup and smashing the left/right paradigm, on Tuesday, former Cleveland Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich boldly stated that, “There’s something wrong going on here in the intelligence community,” in calling out the real reason behind the forced resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

Kucinich urged Trump to take control, and locate where the leakers are so he and the American people will know the truth. Kucinich said members of the intelligence community want to reignite a Cold War between the United States and Russia so the military, industrial and intelligence “axis” can “cash in.”

A game is being played with the security of our country. Pls watch & share this is important. #DeepState https://t.co/zh8yRbyhjb

— Dennis Kucinich (@Dennis_Kucinich) February 14, 2017

While on the opposite side of the aisle, California Congressman Devin Nunes (R), chairman of the House Committee on Intelligence, proclaimed that the nine intelligence officials who leaked the contents of Flynn’s phone call should be locked up for leaking classified intelligence.

“That’s nine leakers that all belong in jail,” he said. “Those nine people broke the law, clearly, by leaking classified information to anybody.”

This all comes in the wake of the nation’s top security official, National Security Advisor Flynn, being forced to resign after leaks from the IC revealed that he gave “incomplete information” to Vice President Mike Pence and others about the conversations he had with the Russian ambassador prior to Trump taking office.

READ MORE:  Same Judge who Covered Up CIA Torture Dismisses Suit Against NSA Surveillance 

Flynn has since publicly stated that he “crossed no lines” during an interview with The Daily Caller. Obviously, an experienced intelligence official like Flynn was completely aware of the signals intelligence on Russian diplomats, thus making it extremely unlikely that he would say anything that could be construed as violating the law.

Just remember, it’s not what Flynn said, it’s who he talked to – the Russians – as it is standard operating procedure for incoming officials to talk to diplomats from other countries. The neoliberal and neocon forces are determined to push a new Cold War with Russia, and will not allow for Trump’s intended rapprochement.

When intelligence officials are using their position to leak details to the press in an effort to control the public narrative in hopes of delegitimizing a sitting president, make no mistake that the politicians are no longer in control of the United States – the intelligence apparatus is in control.

Think about the implications of what is taking place; any person running for public office can essentially be manipulated by the intelligence that the NSA has collected on them. The information can then be anonymously leaked to destroy anyone the intel apparatus chooses, thus giving them total control.

The depth of this political crisis cannot be overstated, as the deep state war on Trump could spiral out of control with grave consequences, including the risk of an actual Civil War.

As noted by respected geopolitical analyst The Saker:

At the risk of sounding over the top, I will say that what is happening now is putting the very existence of the United States in danger almost regardless of what Trump will personally do. Whatever we may think of Trump as a person and about his potential as a President, what is certain is that millions of American patriots have voted for him to “clear the swamp”, give the boot to the Washington-based plutocracy and restore what they see as fundamental American values.

If the Neocons now manage to stage a coup d’etat against Trump, I predict that these millions of American will turn to violence to protect what they see as their way of life, their values and their country. In spite of the image which Hollywood likes to give of them, most Americans are peaceful and non-violent people, but if they are pushed too far they will not hesitate and grab their guns to defend themselves, especially if they lose all hopes in their democracy. And I am not talking only about gun-toting hillbillies here, I am talking about the local, state and county authorities, who often care much more about what their local constituents think and say than what they are up to in DC. If a coup is staged against Trump and some wannabe President à la Hillary or McCain gives the order to the National Guard or even the US Army to put down a local insurrection, we could see what we saw in Russia in 1991: a categorical refusal of the security services to shoot at their own people.

This is a very prescient warning given the volatile political atmosphere in the United States. It should be noted that the confluence of deep state forces in this soft coup against Trump includes Clinton political operatives of the Brock/Podesta/Soros ilk, neocons represented by McCain/Graham, and intelligence operatives in the security apparatus.

READ MORE:  Panama Papers: Govt Spy Agencies Used Mossack Fonseca to Hide Activities -- Including the CIA

Essentially, the losers of the election refuse to submit and have determined that they will wage total war on Trump in an effort to force regime change – elections be damned.

In fact, the dynamics at play are much larger in scope and volume than what most people understand, as they are part of a full spectrum war, utilizing tactics from various global Color Revolutions, to force regime change in the United States. The neocons and neoliberals have virtual control of the Congress, the media, courts, and parts of the intelligence apparatus.

From the time of Bill Clinton until now, these elements have deeply penetrated the Pentagon, Foggy Bottom, and the three letter agencies. Even the Fed is largely aligned with these globalist forces.

So, how can President Trump survive this soft coup?

Trump has only one chance for his political survival.

He must undertake a ruthless, but legal, anti-corruption campaign against the deep state forces aligned against his presidency ala Putin’s anti-corruption campaign in Russia. Make no mistake that Trump, and those that have declared war upon him, are engaged in a fight to the death.

When Putin came to power he inherited a similar situation in the Kremlin, which was every bit as corrupt and traitor-infested as the White House in which Trump now finds himself.

The manner in which this operation would be conducted would be a methodical FBI crackdown on the forces fomenting the soft coup by investigating the plotters on charges of corruption, abuse of power, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and all the other types of behavior which have gone on forever in Congress, the intelligence community and the media.

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Trump could start by instructing FBI Director James Comey to tenaciousiosly investigate criminal activity of those elements involved in the plot. Essentially, he would deal with the coup plotters in the same manner as Putin handled the oligarchs in Russia or how the U.S. took down Al Capone – tax evasion charges, etc.

With the removal of Flynn, Trump is now surrounded by forces that are largely hostile to his stated goal of peace with Russia. The major difference between what Putin faced and what Trump now faces is that the forces aligned against Putin never saw him coming.

Trump’s only choices for political survival are to strike immediately and strike hard, or to cave to the neolibcon line on Russia. Judging by his tweet regarding Crimea this morning, it seems that Trump may be capitulating to the forces intent on his destruction in an effort to save his presidency from total ruin.

Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

To survive the soft coup attempt, without bending to the neolibcon will, Trump must use the FBI to clean house and deliver a steady stream of indictments for corruption, conspiracy to [fill the blank], abuse of authority, obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty, etc. Since such crimes are widespread in the current circles of power, they are also easy to prove and cracking down on corruption would get Trump a standing ovation from the American people.

This is the only way Trump will survive the ongoing coup attempt by the various deep state operatives, working in concert with Clintonian media proxies, is to undertake a widespread anti-corruption campaign aimed at those attempting to overthrow the current U.S. government.

While one may not support Trump’s politics or agenda, make no mistake that those involved in this soft coup are doing nothing less than engaging in treason against the United States.