Watching The Sausage Factory

Quinta Jurecic of Lawfare has gory details behind the soon-to-be-seen Republican memo on alleged FBI FISA abuse.

There is a fractal principle in play here. Washington politics looks dreadful at a distance and similarly dreadful up close.

Comments

[sbw]

James Comey Verified account @Comey

All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.

Is this an admission that not a lot of schools or streets will be named for James Comey?

[Threadkiller]

Maybe the memo should be released to Savanah Guthrie and no one else. She is an expert at verification.

[James D.]

According to the Horde, Romney is joining Robby Mook and Crowdstrike to "secure our elections". Even I didn't anticipate how low that asshole would get.

Allying with the people who slandered him (and his wife) against the people who supported him in 2012. What a pathetic, treasonous, worthless sack of shit he is. And that’s me being measured and polite.

[Rocco]

American history shows the FBI sent a letter to Martin Luther King urging him to kill himself. What a maroon!

[Captain Hate on the iPhone]

There isn't a jury in the world that will convict that father of anything.

I would. He put his children in harms way to pursue the Olympics fools gold and expects me to treat him like he's better than any Hollywood parent raising a train wreck? Sorry, he's a terrible parent to me.

[Rocco]

Anyone else frantically refreshing like me?

[Threadkiller]

I'm too busy refreshing to answer you, Rocco.

:-)

[Captain Hate on the iPhone]

Waiting on a positive Kiwi update.

[henry]

Latest water cooler fantasy on memo from ZH. Repeats the "Trump wants to fire Wray and Rosenstein" meme.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-02-02/john-kelly-thinks-claims-about-fisa-memo-are-overblown

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

This article supports Thomas Wictor's observations:

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/dont-ignore-kushners-quiet-mideast-gains-24256

[Janet 🚬]

A FB friend posted this link - How to Apply for U.S. Citizenship

https://www.usa.gov/become-us-citizen

Want to become a legal U.S. citizen? We already have laws for how to immigrate to America legally.
Begin the process. Here's how...

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

It's not meant to be a reasonable comparison. It's hyperbole meant to illustrate that not everything has to pass through the prism of the birther lens, that Joe Arpaio, while possessing some admirable qualities possesses not a few less than admirable ones and that not every reporter who didn't jump on the birther hobby horse has to have the wheels busted off their little red wagon in their subsequent reporting on other subjects.

[Extraneus]

John Kelly Thinks Claims About FISA Memo Are Overblown

In a report that repudiates the FBI's argument that releasing the FISA memo would have "grave consequences" for national security, Washington Post reported Friday that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly believes the memo's contents wouldn't harm national security. In fact, he believes the House Intel Committee's salacious claims about the document and its probable impact have been overblown.

However, Kelly also advised President Trump that releasing the document wouldn't compromise national security (a credible endorsement, considering Kelly's extensive resume in that area).

[Rocco]

HEH Tk, I feel like a kid waiting for Santa!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

We may be waiting until Monday, gang.

David Martosko has a thread explaining the why:

https://twitter.com/dmartosko/status/959451772665434113

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

CubsFan2019‏ @DMasonGM

@dmartosko Trump will release the memo at the Super Bowl halftime show. He will be lowered down from the ceiling with the 4 sheets of paper in his mouth
7:48 AM - 2 Feb 2018

[Janet 🚬]

He put his children in harms way to pursue the Olympics fools gold

It is impossible to have kids involved in serious or even sorta serious sports or music or anything really without leaving them alone with coaches & teachers.

Really...even letting your kid play at a friend's house is a risk because you don't REALLY know their parents. You can't control whoever comes in THAT house while your kid is there.

We all depend on most people not being perverts.

[Bubarooni]

I wish they'd release it now. I actually called in some favors in order to work from home today anticipating I would get to watch some meltdowns.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I love these Zerohedge headlines;

"Core Capital Goods Orders Tumble Most Since...

...Sept 2016"

Guess it gets more clicks than;
"Core Capital Goods Orders Declined the Most Since Less Than a Year and a Half Ago."

[Jim Eagle]

Has TK read those HousatonicITServices twitter threads that RG posted on the other page at around 9:26 or so?

Especially, the part about Strzok's uncle a Jesuit priest working in Kenya in 1988 and the theory he found Obama and set him up as a lawyer in Chicago:)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

While we are waiting, here is some local news that's pretty neat.

http://cbs4indy.com/2018/02/02/indianas-very-own-ice-tree-family-continues-cool-winter-tradition/

The video gives you the scale of the ice tree. It's located about 5 miles from my house.

[Extraneus]

The great Leon Panetta:

"There is no question, Chuck, that it is breaking down the process as it was designed to work so that all sides would have say in the process," Panetta said on MSNBC's "MTP Daily." "We have check and balances. But you have to establish ways for those checks and balances to work," the former Obama administration official continued.

"When that starts to break down, when the president says I’m going to release it no matter what the FBI says, or what the Justice Department says, then it creates what I consider a constitutional crisis," he finished.

When the DoJ and FBI have to take orders from the president, as opposed to the other way around, that's a constitutional crisis, says the great man.

https://pjmedia.com/blog/liveblogevent/fridays-hot-mic-44/entry-223069/

[Threadkiller]

that not every reporter who didn't jump on the birther hobby horse

The reporters worked to undermine the hobby horse.

Same as the memo.

[Dave (in MA)]

Groundhog Day update... He saw his shadow. 6 more weeks of waiting for The Memo?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I counted the top headines at Memorandum, the first 14 of which were about the memo, all of them negative.

[Another Bob]

FWIW Trump insider guy from Reddit during the campaign says today.

Also says Wray will resign shortly after release and Rosenstein will be fired.

We shall see. I’ve wondered how “insider” he is lately.

[narciso]

don't forget panettas own soviet ties in the 80s as well:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/11/ishmael-jones-panettas-betrayal.php

[Extraneus]

If Rosenstein is fired, Rachel Brand takes over as Mueller's supervisor.

With McCabe gone, who takes over if Wray is out?

[narciso]

remember my reservations about panetta from the outset

http://www.wnd.com/2011/06/312429/

[narciso]

that's an interesting question, bowditch hasn't been confirmed yet, but he'd be acting deputy,

[henry]

He should have waited for the memo instead:

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/02/02/waterfowl-hunter-hit-by-dead-goose/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Not the same as the memo. Anyone who didn't buy into the birther debate whole hog is either discredited now when they're undermining something like the memo or they're discredited now because they aren't trying to undermine something like the memo.
It was quite possible for people of reasonable and rational good faith in all walks of life, like Kimberly Strassel for instance, to disagree on the birther stuff without having been participating in a whitewash or coverup.
And I'm not sure relentlessly reminding everyone that a credible journalist, one of the few, wasn't on board with the birther claims has a useful point.

[Another Bob]

Ext, some speculation that Scott Pruitt moves over from EPA to tske AG when Sessions resigns/gets fired (which is also rumored).

Have heard nothing about a replacement FBI Director. Brand?

[Sue]

SEan Hannity is at it again...tick tock next hour.

[Captain Hate]

It is impossible to have kids involved in serious or even sorta serious sports or music or anything really without leaving them alone with coaches & teachers.

He had THREE children exposed to that pervert. Sorry but either he and his wife didn't teach the children what was bad behavior or they didn't listen to them. I have experience in which one of my children was in a bad situation and she knew to call me and get her out of it. I don't expect a Medal of Honor on child raising for that but I'm going to be extremely judgemental on someone who doesn't meet that standard. And making a spectacle in the courthouse doesn't win him any points.

[Davod]

" As a historian, I cannot find a SINGLE episode in any democratic country's history where the so-called "news" media almost uniformly and with vile hatred sided with the established state against the people."

What about the German Democratic Republic?

[Sue]

John Roberts now reporting it’s in the pipeline.!

[Buckeye]

Thought experiment;
If the USA and China engaged in a limited nuclear exchange in which only a few hundred thousand on each side were killed would TK remind us it was nothing compared to back when a sitting sheriff said something about something or other and...birther!

Absolutely, however I actually hope TK is completely vindicated, and Zero gets the......

Hmmm, better keep that to myself, don't want guys with earbuds and black suits showing up at my front door:)

[henry]

So Trump has the SOTU win, a 49% approval (see Drudge), and now the memo.

We'll hear a lot about the Olympics on Sunday morning.

[Extraneus]

Herschel Walker: Players Received 'Hush Money' From NFL to Stand for Anthem

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner highlighted the fact that the NFL in late November offered $100 million to social justice organizations favored by players.

The move was widely viewed as an attempt by the league to end the controversy surrounding the anthem protests.

"The league gave the players a large sum of money toward their cause. That's hush money," he said, adding that players never should have been kneeling in the first place.

[Captain Hate]

We'll hear a lot about the Olympics on Sunday morning.

Chris Wallace should be more pinch faced than usual.

[Jane]

What does that mean Sue?

I just spent an hour and a half watching Kethy Lee Griffin, and Samantha somebody looking for a headline.

Whose calculation was it to wait until friday afternoon? How long is that pipeline?

[Sue]

Assuming it’s about to be released.

[henry]

approved and sent with no redactions.

John Roberts @johnrobertsFox
10m

Sources tell @FoxNews the White House is in the process of transmitting the FISA memo and letter from the President back to HPSCI. Release should be a little later today.

[Tom Bowler]

Tom Bowler, if you don't think Obama is in danger of indictment this tweet thread below raises serious questions in my mind.

RG when you get back,

It's not that I think Obama isn't innocent. In fact, I think he's corrupt as hell. I just don't think the political climate will allow a prosecution of him without blood in the streets. Sorry state of affairs, I know. But I think neither he nor Hillary will be charged due to the political repercussions.

I'm OK with that, as long as we get a significant roster of high level FBI and DOJ criminals indicted, convicted, and jailed. It must be clear to incoming luminaries that there is heavy price to be paid for politicizing our federal law enforcement.

Now I'm off to see about a tire with a slow leak. I hate it when that happens.

[Extraneus]

Drudge says it's released.

[Sue]

Didn’t the judge who approved the FISA warrant step down?

[henry]

Yeah, Drudge says that, but no link.

[Bubarooni]

Release the Kraken!

er, ummm...

the memo.

oh what the heck.

Chose the form of your destructor!

[Extraneus]

I may be wrong but I don't think we know who approved FISA warrents yet. The judge who took Flynn's guilty plea recused himself from the Flynn case. Same judge also happens to be a FISA court judge.

[anonamom]

Catherine Herridge says it's released.

[Sue]

So far I’m not seeing how this damages national security.

[Sue]

Thanks Ext.

[Beasts of England]

Happy Memo Day!!

~ ~ ~

Great news about your son, Miss Marple! :)

[Sue]

Byron York: More House Intel memo key point: The political origins of the Steele dossier were known to senior DOJ and FBI officials, but excluded from the FISA applications.

[henry]

Supposed contents of memo:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/house-intel-memo-released-what-it-says/article/2647937

[Sue]

Still not seeing how national security is damaged.

[henry]

Sue, if anything national security is enhanced through release of this memo.

[glenda]

So, is there any possibility JMcC is not as sick as reported, but is "on the run"? He & Comey & Clinton --along with henchman Simpson, Blumenthal and Ohr--Brennan ..were all working to preserve Obama (Ayers-SOROS-MB-NBC honchos) fake legacy , Amirite?

The Brits, Russians, Iranians, Aussies, Germans were working with Obama/Comey/Brennan cabal of minimizing USA
The French, Israelis, Saudi Arabia, India all helped Trump & Rogers ..

[GUS]

Hey I used the term MS13NBC last week!!!

[Jim Eagle]

For you anglophiles out there, Queen Elizabeth's Secret Agents, episode 1 is now available from PBS for streaming. First episode is the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

http://www.pbs.org/video/episode-1-svy29l/

[Captain Hate]

Congrats on the positive news, Miss Marple.

[Dave (in MA)]

It's an existential threat to our banana republic, Sue.

[Sue]

There needs to be something not reported yet. Because do far, it’s only damaging to a few people.

[daddy on iPad]

NEW THREAD!,!

[Dave (in MA)]

New thread

[Jim Eagle]

Imagine the information we would all be receiving if there was no Byron York, Kimberley Strassel, Sara Carter or Sheryl Attkinson?

We'd all be agreeing with DuDa. Actually, there would not reason for him to even show up here.

[Neo]

All those within the Clinton campaign who lied to the FBI about knowledge of the dossier should and must be charged with "Obstruction of Justice"

This is by far worse than anything Scooter Libby did with "Ms Flame"

[Neo]

Question:

When did Robert Mueller learn about the origins of the "Steele dossier" ?

Who on his staff knew before him ? .. and when ?

[Neo]

If Comey hadn't been fired, none of what we know now would ever have seen the light of day.

At best, Mueller would have reported "no collusion" and a few "process crimes".

Of course, the one thing that comes up in the clearance process, the ability to be blackmailed would still be in play. Imagine the Russians blackmailing the head of FBI counter-intelligence.