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James Baker, the former general counsel at the FBI, provided a stunning testimony to congressional investigators in October last year.
The career lawyer, who left the FBI in May 2018, played a significant role in the investigation of then-candidate Donald Trump. Transcripts of Baker’s two testimonies before Congress were reviewed by The Epoch Times for this article.Continue Reading
Testimony reveals Ohr sought job at Fusion GPS; emails reveal she frequently sent Russia research to Bruce Ohr and other DOJ officials
Two key players in the FBI’s investigation of Donald Trump were husband and wife Bruce and Nellie Ohr.
Bruce Ohr was the highest ranking career official at the Department of Justice (DOJ) at the time, and Nellie Ohr was at the time working for Fusion GPS—the firm hired by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to produce the so-called Steele dossier on Donald Trump.
In congressional testimonies reviewed by the Epoch Times, both Bruce and Nellie Ohr testified separately to congressional investigators last year that they had minimal contact with each other about their work, which could have posed an inherent conflict of interest.
Newly released documents and emails obtained by Judicial Watch, however, show that Nellie emailed Bruce dozens of times about Russia-related topics between October 2015 and September 2016. Nellie also routinely included several other DOJ officials in these communications.Continue Reading
David Kramer, a longtime associate of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), revealed in an unsealed deposition that he had contact with at least 14 members of the media regarding the Steele dossier—a collection of 17 memos containing unverified allegations against Donald Trump.
Additionally, Kramer gave a full copy of the unverified dossier to Senior Director for Russian Affairs at the National Security Council Celeste Wallander, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff, Jonathan Burks. Kramer also provided a briefing in early December 2016 on the dossier to both Wallander and Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian Affairs.Continue Reading
Prior to investigating the Trump campaign for Fusion GPS, Nellie Ohr worked as a contractor for the CIA for up to six years
Nellie Ohr, the wife of former high-ranking Justice Department (DOJ) official Bruce Ohr—both of whom played pivotal roles in the FBI’s investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign—worked for the CIA as an independent contractor for as long as six years.
Ohr was hired as a researcher by Fusion GPS—the company hired by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to produce the now-infamous Steele dossier—in 2015.Continue Reading
Early in the Hillary Clinton email case, the Department of Justice reached a decision that would have far-reaching implications in the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server.
The Justice Department (DOJ), under then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch, decided to set an unusually high threshold for prosecution of Clinton, effectively ensuring from the outset that she would not be charged.
In order for Clinton to be prosecuted, the DOJ required the FBI to establish evidence of intent—even though the gross negligence statute explicitly does not require this.Continue Reading
Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe sent shockwaves across the nation earlier this week when he admitted during an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” to having discussed invoking the 25th Amendment in an effort to remove President Donald Trump from office.
McCabe, however, began to downplay the significance of his comments in a subsequent interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, contradicting facts he had previously stated.
The real story goes even deeper.Continue Reading
A key player in the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation of Donald Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign was Trisha Anderson, who, at the time, was the No. 2 lawyer at the agency’s Office of General Counsel.
Despite having no specific experience in counterintelligence before coming to the FBI, Anderson was, in some manner, involved in virtually all of the significant events of the investigation.
Anderson told members of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees in August last year during closed-door testimony that she was one of only about 10 people who had known about the Trump–Russia investigation prior to its official opening.Continue Reading
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s interview with Scott Pelley of CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired on Feb. 15.
McCabe played a pivotal role in what has become known as Spygate. He directed the activities of FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, provided an early approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, and was involved in all aspects of the Russia investigation. He was also mentioned in the now-infamous “insurance policy” text message sent by Strzok to Lisa Page.Continue Reading
Carter Page, a U.S. citizen, who was a foreign policy adviser to the Trump presidential campaign in early 2016, was surveilled under FISA Title I.
The FBI used the so-called Steele Dossier—which was written by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele and paid for by the Clinton campaign and the DNC—to portray Page as “an agent of a foreign power,” specifically Russia, to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).
FISA warrants on American citizens require formal approval from the FISC and specifically require that there be probable cause to believe the proposed target is a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power.
A FISA warrant is among the most invasive ways an American citizen can be spied on.Continue Reading
Congressional testimony by Trisha Anderson highlights unusual process used by FBI and DOJ in obtaining FISA warrant on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page
Trisha Anderson, the principal deputy general counsel for the FBI and head of the bureau’s National Security and Cyber Law Branch, signed off on an application for a warrant to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page—before the application went to FBI Director James Comey—despite not having read it, she said.
Anderson, whose division was also assigned the Mid-Year Exam—the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server—was responsible for legal oversight of the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications process, and provided a final sign-off before FISA applications were sent to the FBI director level. Anderson, who supervised the FBI attorneys involved in FISA applications, characterized her role as being “involved at a supervisory level within the legal chain of command.”Continue Reading