The House Memo is likely to be released today.
There has been an incredible amount of obfuscation in front of the Memo’s release. There will be even more intense efforts following its release.
Which is why it’s important to keep one thought foremost:
The goal of the Memo is not the release of the Memo itself.
The goal of the Memo is to force release of all underlying documents.
The back and forth we have seen over the last few days has been intense.
The FBI reviewed the Memo and could find no factual inaccuracies.
Two Senior FBI officials have now reviewed the Republican staff memo, alleging abuses of government surveillance programs during the 2016 election, a source familiar with the matter tells Fox News, adding that the officials “could not point to any factual inaccuracies.”
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) January 30, 2018
The FBI reviewed the Memo and strongly objected to its release.
The FBI has issued a rare public warning that expresses “grave concerns” over the Nunes memo, saying there are “material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy” https://t.co/Ty2MvLX7GR
— CNN (@CNN) January 31, 2018
The Memo contained material changes to the document during pre-release editing.
BREAKING: Discovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House – changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release. pic.twitter.com/llhQK9L7l6
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 1, 2018
The Memo was actually edited to incorporate changes requested by Adam Schiff and the House Intelligence Minority.
JUST IN: Nunes spokesman says the “material changes” cited by Democrats are “minor edits to the memo, including grammatical fixes and two edits requested by the FBI and by the Minority themselves.” https://t.co/VMZnaV94Cb pic.twitter.com/3cbHLIKgHv
— Emma Loop (@LoopEmma) February 1, 2018
Nunes himself has issued two separate statements:
Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies. The FBI is intimately familiar with ‘material omissions’ with respect to their presentations to both Congress and the courts, and they are welcome to make public, to the greatest extent possible, all the information they have on these abuses. Regardless, it’s clear that top officials used unverified information in a court document to fuel a counter-intelligence investigation during an American political campaign. Once the truth gets out, we can begin taking steps to ensure our intelligence agencies and courts are never misused like this again.
New: second statement from Devin Nunes, specifically addressing FBI charge that ‘FISA abuse’ memo contains ‘material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy’: pic.twitter.com/GQaNihNflr
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 31, 2018
Here’s what we do know.
FBI Director Wray read the Memo Sunday. Two FBI officials read the Memo Monday. Yesterday, five more FBI officials were allowed by the White House to review the Memo.
House Intel let FBI director Wray read ‘FISA abuse’ memo Sunday. Today WH let 5 FBI career officials read it. Now, Intel committee minutes show House let two FBI officials read memo on Monday. Speaker here is Rep Peter King: pic.twitter.com/cldVBa4NTu
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 1, 2018
One of these FBI officials may have been counterintelligence head Bill Priestap – which has implications all of its own. If he reviewed the Memo that indicates he’s likely flipped.
Meanwhile, Adam Schiff has been fighting hysterically to prevent the release of the House Memo – and is doing anything possible to tarnish its legitimacy.
His concern is genuine – from a self-serving perspective.
Schiff may be implicated by the Memo’s release. He has also likely been caught in Jeff Sessions counterintelligence leaking operation.
FBI officials have varying agendas.
But I find it hard to believe that FBI Director Chris Wray truly objects to the Memo’s release.
Again, view everything through the prism of the Memo’s true goal – the release of all underlying documents.
On January 20, 2018, I closed with the following:
The Memo will come out. Despite the best efforts of Democrats. And it will be bad – really bad – for the Left.
If Democrats chose to denigrate the House Memo – which they will – it may prove the impetus to release the underlying documents.
What better way to accomplish this then by having the Memo’s accuracy challenged by unknown FBI officials – or even FBI Director Wray.
Mark Meadows seems to agree.
So the FBI is worried about omissions? Ok then–let’s put all the documents out there. Tell Americans the full story.
I don’t think they want that either, though–they’ve been stonewalling Congress for a year. It’s time for full transparency. #ReleaseTheMemo https://t.co/lXZjS09UcR
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 1, 2018
And don’t forget – Senator Grassley has his own Senate Judiciary Memo. He has already called for the release of its underlying documents:
Grassley has the same underlying information that went into creating the House Intelligence Memo – perhaps more. While his committee cannot directly release classified information, Grassley can ask for declassification of his full Senate Judiciary Memo.
Grassley decided to go one step further:
I agree that as much of this information should made be public as soon as possible, through the appropriate process. And, I don’t just mean the summary memos. The government should release the underlying documents referenced in those memos, after deleting any national security information that truly needs to be protected. But most of this story can be told, and should be told. The American people deserve the truth.
Grassley is calling for the public release of all the classified, underlying documents backing his January 4, 2018 Senate Judiciary Memo – also known as the Christopher Steele Referral.
I am looking forward to the House Memo’s release. I am far more excited over a release of the House Memo’s underlying documentation.
#ReleaseTheMemo #ReleaseTheReferral #ReleaseTheDocuments
newer post The House Memo – Even Worse Than Expected
older post MSM Lies – The Daily Beast, Leakers, FBI Falsehoods & Devin Nunes