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Iran, Papadopoulos & Deceptions From the New York Times

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A tweet with a picture of the late edition New York Times cover caught my eye for two reasons. The lead story the Times was pushing…and the important story the Times was ignoring.

You can find the full front page here.

On full non-display was the media’s anxious avoidance of the Iranian Protests – almost as if they were deeply invested in a narrative they needed to uphold…

Stephen Miller put out an article on the phenomenon:

But the now three-day duration of rallies and protests that have found their way to Tehran have gone largely unnoticed in America’s corporate media apparatus. The New York Times simply described the protests as economic grievances, the same way Iranian state-run television described them.

CNN ignored the protests completely, and the explosion on social media until a front page story reporting on not uprisings against the regime, but a pro-government rally and President Trump’s tweet in support of the protestors.

The echo chamber of media outlets that are now hesitant to report on the uprising in Iran cannot be ignored, especially after the coordinated lash-out on the heels of Josh Meyer’s devastating report in Politico over the Obama administration killing an investigation into Hezbollah’s drug trafficking operation. The Obama administration reportedly took the action to appease Iran and facilitate a nuclear deal.

Many took notice of what was transpiring:

In the greatest of ironies, Hillary Clinton did comment on the Iranian Protests:

I often have difficulty discerning if she truly thinks we’re all complete idiots – or if her self-delusion is so great that she believes her own lies. Probably a bit of both.

The folks at theconservativetreehouse summed up Clinton’s about-face nicely:

Arguably the most consequential failure of the Hillary State Department was in 2009 when the U.S. undermined the Iranian Green Revolution. Not only did the U.S. do nothing to help the opposition against the Iranian regime, but US funding was cut for democratic organizations/programs in Iran under Clinton’s State Department. It was Hillary Clinton who supported the Mullahs in an ill-fated decision to achieve the ridiculous Iranian Nuclear Deal which she was just praising and defending three months ago.

Hillary tweets about Iran while the MSM stands mute in deference to Obama and opposition to President Trump.

Such are our times.

In the same moment, the New York Times breathlessly broke a story on their front page, claiming the FBI began its investigation into Russia-Trump connections because of a campaign aide’s alcohol-fueled admission.

The story claims that George Papadopoulos was speaking to an Australian diplomat while at a bar in London, mid May 2016. Papadopoulos supposedly told the diplomat that “Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton”.

According to the article, Papadopoulos’ comments, coupled with the hacking of a DNC server, led the FBI to open their investigation into Russia.

NYT reporter Maggie Haberman, though not credited with writing the story, was the first to tweet it out. She then sent re-tweets of the story no less than six times – along with supporting commentary.

Some may recall that Haberman was specifically referenced by the Clinton Campaign’s Nick Merrill in a WikiLeaks email:

We have has [sic] a very good relationship with Maggie Haberman of Politico over the last year. We have had her tee up stories for us before and have never been disappointed – 2015 strategy memo re: NY Times Maggie Haberman (formally with Politico)

To be very clear, the entire point of the Times’ article was to paint a scenario where it was anything other than the Trump Dossier that was used in the Russia Investigation:

It was not, as Mr. Trump and other politicians have alleged, a dossier compiled by a former British spy hired by a rival campaign. Instead, it was firsthand information from one of America’s closest intelligence allies.

From Haberman’s re-tweets:

The brazenness of the article’s timing was something to behold.

Just yesterday, I wrote about Lindsey Graham’s statement that he had seen proof of the Dossier’s use in obtaining the FISA Warrant to spy on the Trump Campaign.

Graham made his statements during an interview Friday night. On Saturday the New York Times came out with their story.

Funny that…

There are some basic and practical questions one should ask:

Others had questions as well:

A potential timeline problem presented itself:

Sharyl Attkisson noted the Special Counsel’s findings:

Gregg Jarrett then stated the obvious:

And provided his own conclusion:

My conclusion is slightly different.

Based on Haberman’s past actions, and the continual narrative adopted by the Times, I think the article was more likely constructed in concert with contacts at the FBI – specifically put together in a poorly-executed attempt at shifting the narrative from what really happened:

The FBI provided the Department of Justice with the Trump Dossier. The DOJ used the Trump Dossier to obtain a FISA Warrant.

The Obama Administration used the FISA Warrant to monitor an opposing presidential campaign using federal intelligence services.

A (compressed) timeline:

  • February/March 2016 – Trump’s securing of GOP nomination seen as probable.
  • April 19 2016 – Wife of Glenn Simpson (Fusion GPS) Mary Jacoby visits White House.
  • Late April 2016 – Clinton Campaign begins paying Fusion GPS.
  • April/May 2016 – Fusion GPS hires Christopher Steele.
  • April/May 2016 – Fusion GPS hires Nellie Ohr, wife of DOJ Assoc. Deputy AG Bruce Ohr.
  • May 2016 – Trump becomes presumptive GOP Nominee.
  • May 23 2016 – Nellie Ohr applies for a HAM Radio license.
  • June 2016 – FBI Agent Peter Strzok – and possibly DOJ’s Bruce Ohr – meet with Christopher Steel.
  • Late June 2016 – First draft of Trump Dossier shared w/Fusion & possibly FBI’s Strzok.
  • June 2016 – First FISA request made. It is denied.
  • July 19, 2016 – Trump officially becomes GOP Nominee.
  • Late July – Second draft of Trump Dossier shared with FBI.
  • Late July 2016 – FBI begins counter-intelligence investigation into Russia and Trump.
  • August/September 2016 – CIA Director Brennan meets with Gang of Eight suggesting Russia is helping Trump.
  • Late Summer/Fall 2016 – Trump Dossier shopped.
  • Late September 2016 – Second FISA request made.
  • Early October 2016 – Bruce Ohr meets with Glenn Simpson (Fusion GPS).
  • October 2016 – FISA request is granted. No evidence is found but surveillance continues – ostensibly for national security reasons.
  • October 2016 – The Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using federal intelligence services.

Certain officials within the Intelligence Community are rightly scared and willing to do anything to shift the public’s perception of what actually took place. Sadly, there are all-too-willing accomplices in the media to aid their efforts.

But too little, too late. Facts matter. The evidence has increasingly become overwhelming.

And we don’t even have the Inspector General’s report yet.

But we will.

For some interesting background on Papadopoulos, see here.

 

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