FBI official under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe (DOJ IG Report thread) (6 Viewers)

[bdb13]

Washington (CNN) —

An FBI official is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.

The possibility of a substantive change to an investigative document is likely to fuel accusations from President Donald Trump and his allies that the FBI committed wrongdoing in its investigation of connections between Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign.

The finding is expected to be part of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's effort to obtain warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide. Horowitz will release the report next month.

Horowitz turned over evidence on the allegedly altered document to John Durham, the federal prosecutor appointed early this year by Attorney General William Barr to conduct a broad investigation of intelligence gathered for the Russia probe by the CIA and other agencies, including the FBI. The altered document is also at least one focus of Durham's criminal probe.

Exclusive: Former FBI lawyer under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe - CNN Politics

A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.

www-m.cnn.com

Terrible if true. Trump will obviously seize upon this.

 

[Dadsdream]

So, if you called somebody a "conspiracy theorist" and accused them of "spreading a false narrative" when they said the FISA warrants were obtained under false pretenses . . .
A. You were wrong and owe them an apology.
B. You were right and they were wrong.
C. Both, depending on what part of the report you cite.

 

[superchuck500]

This report only addresses Crossfire Hurricane, which originated because an Aussie reported that Papa suggested that Mifsud suggested the Russians made an offer of dirt to the Trump campaign.

And that's the thing that you're saying doesn't suggest criminal activity?

 

[SaintForLife]

Nunes is a partisan, but we now know from the IG Report that the Nunes memo was true and Schiff's memo was false. These were all from the Nunes memo that IG report confirmed was true:

• A salacious and unverified dossier formed an essential part of the application to secure a warrant against a Trump campaign affiliate named Carter Page. This application failed to reveal that the dossier was bought and paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
• The application cited a Yahoo News article extensively. The story did not corroborate the dossier, and the FBI wrongly claimed Christopher Steele, the author of the dossier, was not a source for the story.
• Nellie Ohr, the wife of a high-ranking Justice Department official, also worked on behalf of the Clinton campaign effort. Her husband Bruce Ohr funneled her research into the Department of Justice. Although he admitted that Steele “was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president,” this and the Ohrs’ relationship with the Clinton campaign was concealed from the secret court that grants surveillance warrants.
• The dossier was “only minimally corroborated” and unverified, according to FBI officials.

All of these claims from the Schiff memo were shown to be false by the IG Report:

• FBI and DOJ officials did not omit material information from the FISA warrant.
• The DOJ “made only narrow use of information from Steele’s sources about Page’s specific activities in 2016.”
• In subsequent FISA renewals, DOJ provided additional information that corroborated Steele’s reporting.
• The Page FISA warrant allowed the FBI to collect “valuable intelligence.”
• “Far from ‘omitting’ material facts about Steele, as the Majority claims, DOJ repeatedly informed the Court about Steele’s background, credibility, and potential bias.”
• The FBI conducted a “rigorous process” to vet Steele’s allegations, and the Page FISA application explained the FBI’s reasonable basis for finding Steele credible.
• Steele’s prior reporting was used in “criminal proceedings.”

IG Report Confirms Schiff Memo Media Praised Was Riddled With Lies

Nearly two years later, the inspector general's report vindicates the Nunes memo while showing that the Schiff memo was riddled with lies.

thefederalist.com

 

[SaintForLife]

Most of the criticism on the early parts of the investigation that Horowitiz pointed out has to do with DOJ and FBI policy, not with the people carrying it out. They followed the policy that was in place at the time.

Actually the IG report stated that DOJ policy on FISA warrants was not followed and that's putting it nicely. There were 51 Woods violations which included 3 criteria: no supporting documentation, supporting document does not say this fact, supporting document shows that the factual assertion is inaccurate.

The FBI agents involved with the FISA application gamed the FISA court.

 

[FWtex]

IG report is about what I expected it to be based on previous high level investigated reports from them. When it comes to IG investigation of top tier, high level actions the IG is pretty much powerless against the Alphabet machine. What is telling is that with the powers that are given to IG they still pretty much rely on what is told to them and what documents are available within those departments they are assigned. So when it gets to the top tier and most of the subjects are very astute in the laws, having a sudden memory issue or sudden filing error is not something the IG can overcome easily.

One point I find nearly comical is Comey admitting to telling Obama about the investigation in the situation room with other people. When pressed for what he told the President and who else was in the meeting Comey said he could not remember what he said or who was there but that he knows he informed them about a new investigation being opened.

Why this is comical is because we have Comey whitewashing his investigation with Trump saying how he always makes notes after meeting to memorialize them for future reference if needed and saying it is a normal process he has made a habit over his career. Amazingly this guy with a meticulous memory and process for taking notes, does not have notes for this high level meeting with Obama in the situation room and does not remember what was said in that meeting. Now if your the IG, at this point your dead in the water on that topic with no other place to go.

I understand people on both sides making this report fit their agenda, but trying to take away my own possible bias, this report is not good for the main investigative characters involved. Not good at all and there are a few people of consequence that have not made a single comment which just may mean they are already deep in a criminal prosecution situation. Barr and Durham comments were a big surprise since both have been keeping their comments to themselves and those comments are pretty telling of what may be coming soon. Hard to believe they would insert themselves into the IG release if they were not close to the beginning of the end on their investigations.

I would not be surprised that everyone of the Mueller conviction are overturned due to the tainted process and I would not be surprised if Manafort is not at least giving a new trial and released from prison maybe before the end of the year. When this happens it will certify that the the IG report is not an empty report that exonerates the FBI or the characters involved. It will be a big black eye on our justice system.

 

[Nebaghead]

I would not be surprised that everyone of the Mueller conviction are overturned due to the tainted process and I would not be surprised if Manafort is not at least giving a new trial and released from prison maybe before the end of the year. When this happens it will certify that the the IG report is not an empty report that exonerates the FBI or the characters involved. It will be a big black eye on our justice system.

Can someone who plead guilty have their conviction overturned? I highly doubt anything will come out of this more than partisan fodder. There will be minor charges on low level people involved in the investigation but I seriously doubt any convictions will be overturned.

 

[coldseat]

Actually the IG report stated that DOJ policy on FISA warrants was not followed and that's putting it nicely. There were 51 Woods violations which included 3 criteria: no supporting documentation, supporting document does not say this fact, supporting document shows that the factual assertion is inaccurate.

The FBI agents involved with the FISA application gamed the FISA court.

We determined that the FBI's decision to rely upon Steele's election reporting to help establish probable cause that Page was an agent of Russia was a judgment reached initially by the case agents on the Crossfire Hurricane team. We further determined that FBI officials at every level concurred with this judgment, from the OGC attorneys assigned to the investigation to senior CD officials, then General Counsel James Baker, then Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and then Director James Corney. FBI leadership supported relying on Steele's reporting to seek a FISA order on Page after being advised of, and giving consideration to, concerns expressed by Stuart Evans, then NSD's Deputy Assistant Attorney General with oversight responsibility over OI, that Steele may have been hired by someone associated with presidential candidate Clinton or the DNC, and that the foreign intelligence to be collected through the FISA order would probably not be worth the "risk" of being criticized later for collecting communications of someone (Carter Page) who was "politically sensitive." Accord ing to McCabe, the FBI "felt strongly" that the FISA application should move forward because the team believed they had to get to the bottom of what they considered to be a potentially serious threat to national security, even if the FBI would later be criticized for taking such action. McCabe and others discussed the FBI's position with NSD and ODAG officials, and these officials accepted the FBI's decision to move forward with the application, based substantially on the Steele information.

We found that the FBI did not have information corroborating the specific allegations against Carter Page in Steele's reporting when it relied upon his reports in the first FISA application or subsequent renewal applications. OGC and NSD attorneys told us that, while the FBI's "Woods Procedures" (described in Chapter Two) require that every factual assertion in a FISA application be "verified," when information is attributed to a FBI CHS, the Woods Procedures require only that the agent verify, with supporting documentation, that the application accurately reflects what the CHS told the FBI. The procedures do not require that the agent corroborate, through a second, independent source, that what the CHS told the FBI is true. We did not identify anything in the Woods Procedures that is inconsistent with these officials' description of the procedures.

Not sure your sources are providing you good information. I think there's plenty in the report that the FBI deserves criticism for. I think it's apparent now that they relied to heavily on the Steele dossier for the FISA applications and that some changes in policy and procedure are warranted and necessary.

But I also think it's quite clear that there was never a "deep state" covert operation or cover up and it's also clear that there was no political influence from the Obama administration to start these investigation. This was at a time when there was a lot of pelicular and suspicious activity going on involving the Russians and the actions of some Trump campaign members. The FBI was right to start the investigation and be concerned. I think they were also justified on seeking the initial FISA wiretap of Page. But I also think they should be criticized for not ending that wire tap sooner when it became evident that there wasn't valuable information being gleamed from it.

 

[FWtex]

Not sure your sources are providing you good information. I think there's plenty in the report that the FBI deserves criticism for. I think it's apparent now that they relied to heavily on the Steele dossier for the FISA applications and that some changes in policy and procedure are warranted and necessary.

But I also think it's quite clear that there was never a "deep state" covert operation or cover up and it's also clear that there was no political influence from the Obama administration to start these investigation. This was at a time when there was a lot of pelicular and suspicious activity going on involving the Russians and the actions of some Trump campaign members. The FBI was right to start the investigation and be concerned. I think they were also justified on seeking the initial FISA wiretap of Page. But I also think they should be criticized for not ending that wire tap sooner when it became evident that there wasn't valuable information being gleamed from it.

It appears that Barr and Durham disagree about the "Deep State" coverup and it depends on what you define as political influence. Personally, I do not think Obama gave any orders and was probably getting updates and taking those as normal operations. However, I do think there was personal political rogue influence from the top echelon involved in the whole Russia/Trump scam.

Here is why Barr and Durham disagree with Horowitz on the predicate of the investigation. Horowitz says it was a legitimate predicate because they acted on a tip from Australia Downer that Popadopalous said something about Russia releasing documents. What Horowitz does not say and what Durham knows is that the real predicate for the predicate Horowitz referrs to was initiated by Mifsud who was working with Halper and Halper was a handler for the FBI or CIA. So the predicate was all an operation from the beginning initiated by US intelligence. The damning mistake the CIA or FBI made is that they placed an FBI agent in the meeting with Mifsud and told Popadopalous she was related to Putin. That right there destoys the idea that Downer was the predicate and none of this was within Horowitz purview because he is limited only to what occurred within the walls the DOJ.

 

[coldseat]

Here is why Barr and Durham disagree with Horowitz on the predicate of the investigation. Horowitz says it was a legitimate predicate because they acted on a tip from Australia Downer that Popadopalous said something about Russia releasing documents. What Horowitz does not say and what Durham knows is that the real predicate for the predicate Horowitz referrs to was initiated by Mifsud who was working with Halper and Halper was a handler for the FBI or CIA. So the predicate was all an operation from the beginning initiated by US intelligence. The damning mistake the CIA or FBI made is that they placed an FBI agent in the meeting with Mifsud and told Popadopalous she was related to Putin. That right there destoys the idea that Downer was the predicate and none of this was within Horowitz purview because he is limited only to what occurred within the walls the DOJ.

What's your basis for believe all of that? Is that something you read or heard somewhere that people where talking about? I haven't heard anything from Durham or Barr as to why they disagree with Horowitz, just that they do.

I'll be honest, I don't believe any of that happened. Sounds like more conspiracy theories. If they're going to allege that, I certainly hope they have the evidence to back it up.

 

[Beach Friends]

The investigation was initiated because of Papa's suggestion to an Aussie of a suggestion from Mifsud that Russia was offering the Trump campaign dirt on HRC.

We see a lot of people trying their hardest to minimize the importance of the Steele Dossier.
But, I think that the refuge they think they have found is going to be short lived since the other path into investigating the Trump campaign went through Misfsud. This moment, brought to us by Jim Jordan, the baddest man to ever grace the halls of Congress, may be one to look back to as prophetic:




With that in mind, people should go back and read Durham's statement that I posted above.

 

[SaintForLife]

Not sure your sources are providing you good information. I think there's plenty in the report that the FBI deserves criticism for. I think it's apparent now that they relied to heavily on the Steele dossier for the FISA applications and that some changes in policy and procedure are warranted and necessary.

But I also think it's quite clear that there was never a "deep state" covert operation or cover up and it's also clear that there was no political influence from the Obama administration to start these investigation. This was at a time when there was a lot of pelicular and suspicious activity going on involving the Russians and the actions of some Trump campaign members. The FBI was right to start the investigation and be concerned. I think they were also justified on seeking the initial FISA wiretap of Page. But I also think they should be criticized for not ending that wire tap sooner when it became evident that there wasn't valuable information being gleamed from it.

My source is the IG Report Appendix 1 Page 418. There are 6 pages that document the Woods procedure violations.

From your post:

the Woods Procedures require only that the agent verify, with supporting documentation, that the application accurately reflects what the CHS told the FBI.

Those Woods procedure violations in Appendix 1 show the 51 times that the information on the FISA warrant had "1) no supporting documentation, 2) supporting document does not say this fact, 3)supporting document shows that the factual assertion is inaccurate."

That doesn't even include the material that they withheld from the FISA court that contradicted their claims.

 

[FWtex]

What's your basis for believe all of that? Is that something you read or heard somewhere that people where talking about? I haven't heard anything from Durham or Barr as to why they disagree with Horowitz, just that they do.

I'll be honest, I don't believe any of that happened. Sounds like more conspiracy theories. If they're going to allege that, I certainly hope they have the evidence to back it up.

Sorry, but there is not one source that spells it all out but most of it comes from independent reporting. I have followed this from the beginning by following story after story and watching the hearings. You get a name that pops up and google it and then follow the story trails.

 

[coldseat]

My source is the IG Report Appendix 1 Page 418. There are 6 pages that document the Woods procedure violations.

From your post:

the Woods Procedures require only that the agent verify, with supporting documentation, that the application accurately reflects what the CHS told the FBI.

Those Woods procedure violations in Appendix 1 show the 51 times that the information on the FISA warrant had "1) no supporting documentation, 2) supporting document does not say this fact, 3)supporting document shows that the factual assertion is inaccurate."

That doesn't even include the material that they withheld from the FISA court that contradicted their claims.

There are 51 separate violations (if you add them up, I assume. I'm taking your word on the total as I didn't bother to add them), but if you look through them, they're separated into each FISA applications. The mistakes that were made on the first application carried to the second. Those from the first and second, then carried to the third etc. But they're each listed separately within each FISA application. So a lot of that is repeats.

Either way, I think it shows that some polices need to be addressed and changes need to be made, but that's about it.

 

[Archies Ghost]

Mueller found no documentary or testimonial evidence of conspiracy, as that was the criminal charge. Yes, I have no reason to believe that Mueller is lying to us. I accept his findings.

Of course, the investigations into Russian/Trump conspiracy and into the start of this investigation aren't exactly the same thing. Mueller had to rely on witness testimony and what his investigators where able to find. Horowitz had a much longer and documented paper trial and had access to all the witness. He basically had all the information he needed, where as Mueller probably had blind spots due to information he wasn't able to obtain. So just by the nature of the investigations, I'd say that Horowitz's investigation is likely more complete.

Actually Horowitz was tightly constrained to only current DOJ employees. Many key players politely refused his interview requests.

 

[CoolBrees]

So is Trump’s head of the FBI in the Deep State too? He must be because he broke with Trump, which means he will be fired soon I imagine.

Trump scolds his FBI director after release of DOJ's Russia probe report

Christopher Wray broke with the president and Attorney General William Barr by embracing the findings of the review of the investigation's origins.

www.politico.com

Nothing changed the fact that the report found the start to be warranted and contained no bias. Everything else is political cover.

 

[The moose]

Wow,

I figured after all this you guys would have no straws left to grasp!

Yes people are doing real time for this.

People so close to trump they just did not have his name!

Come on this is a friggin joke.

The only reason old Carter Page is not doing time is because of the paperwork. Oh and he used the fifth rather than talk to SSCI.

so keep grasping at straws.

 

[superchuck500]

Trump is Trump, and he’s the politically elected president. But Barr is the “chief lawyer of the United States” - and should be held to a higher standard when it comes to truthfulness in public statements.

 

[coldseat]

Actually Horowitz was tightly constrained to only current DOJ employees. Many key players politely refused his interview requests.

Considering he was investigating DOJ and FBI actions, that's not much of a constraint.

I know you're holding out hope that some CIA covert operation was taking place on American soil to make sure DJT didn't become the president, but that just didn't happen.