The Ohr-Steele Breakfast Struck A Nerve

The report that retired MI-6 dirt-dogger Steele had briefed senior FBI veteran Ohr about the infamous Steel dossier at a July 30 meeting has struck a nerve.

The NY Times has a river of leaks from the Ohr/FBI/Clinton/Comey side explaining their long time relationship. Since both were involved with probing the Russian mob, large parts of the story ring true.

However! Folks with a long memory (or for those to whom it seems like a long time) this theme of 'controversial leaks followed by exculpatory leaks' is a replay of the May 16, 2018 Times story about the genesis of "Crossfire Hurricane". Back then, when the controversy was whether the Steele dossier had fueled the Carter Page FISA warrant, we were assured that "Crossfire Hurricane" had been launched on July 31 in response to the news that George Papadopoulos had been tipped about Russian possession of emails. We can feel the drama in the lead:

WASHINGTON — Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission so secretive that all but a handful of officials were kept in the dark.

Their assignment, which has not been previously reported, was to meet the Australian ambassador, who had evidence that one of Donald J. Trump’s advisers knew in advance about Russian election meddling. After tense deliberations between Washington and Canberra, top Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed the ambassador, Alexander Downer, to sit for an F.B.I. interview to describe his meeting with the campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos.

The agents summarized their highly unusual interview and sent word to Washington on Aug. 2, 2016, two days after the investigation was opened. Their report helped provide the foundation for a case that, a year ago Thursday, became the special counsel investigation. But at the time, a small group of F.B.I. officials knew it by its code name: Crossfire Hurricane.

Deep in the story the dossier appears:

The F.B.I. bureaucracy did agents no favors. In July, a retired British spy named Christopher Steele approached a friend in the F.B.I. overseas and provided reports linking Trump campaign officials to Russia. But the documents meandered around the F.B.I. organizational chart, former officials said. Only in mid-September, congressional investigators say, did the records reach the Crossfire Hurricane team.

Mr. Steele was gathering information about Mr. Trump as a private investigator for Fusion GPS, a firm paid by Democrats. But he was also considered highly credible, having helped agents unravel complicated cases.

Hmm. So now we know that the "friend in the F.B.I. overseas" was Ohr, and that Crossfire Hurricane was launched the day after the dossier was presented. Kind of buried the lede there.

To be fair, there is no way the FBI responded exclusively to the dossier by formally opening an investigation one day later. But asking me to believe it took Ohr several weeks to tip off his colleagues? Please.

I'll settle for believing the FBI already had concerns and the dossier added to them.

Comments

[Captain Hate]

When the Terps won the basketball championship in 2002 I played We Are the Champions at least 20 times in a row.

[Eye Doctor .]

How much proof that Meuller is a corrupt Deep State fixer does Tom R need to see?

This crap about treating Tommy with respect is laughable

[GUS]

This isn't about people dying, this is about getting TRUMP.

These sick freaks used ARETHA FRANKLIN'S death to get TRUMP.

[Kevlar Kid]

PS: unfortunately, i liked "Won't Get Fooled Again" when it came out in high school. then came to despise it when CSI Havana appropriated it.

i always despised that ridiculous tune "Who Are You?" almost as much as i loathed the character "Sarah Seidel" on CSI Nothing. i honestly gave that show a chance. but it was always so tedious with Grissom and his bullshit. the final straw was when the writers had the brainiac Grissom enamourate (like that?) with the beta lilting Seidel character (ewwwwwww!)

i think my "Who Are You" baggage sealed the show's fate with this viewer.

This was not a default vote for NCIS franchises :D

[Eye Doctor .]

Would people here show respect to Adam Schiff?

[Captain Hate]

Mueller is protecting the JEF and Rodham. When they're all nestled away out of harm's way the Snoozer Recuser will go "my sacred honor made me do it".

[DebinGA]

Aretha Franklin Think. Love it.

[Captain Hate]

That's a good take on NCIS, KK.

[Eye Doctor .]

And asset forfeiture was for your own good

[Kevlar Kid]

All Together Now: F*ck PockyStahn

[Kevlar Kid]

Good for you, CH! To each their own. :D

[Karmic Memory is Perfect]

Since Barry Seal flew the friendly skies, this guys been on the trail of
CIA drug deals..

http://www.madcowprod.com/2018/08/29/a-prime-minister-a-drug-pilot-an-oligarch-russiagate/

Now the rubber is meeting the road dead ending in Trump.

[Kevlar Kid]

The Deep State and Carny Clown Left's hubris is tiding so high now that i'm *FEELING* a rather Yuge Godzilla foot stompin on the unsuspecting Bambeez.

Just a feelin'. Just a feelin'.

[Karmic Memory is Perfect]

Ollie North: Destiny calls like a dog whistle.

[jimmyk]

Meant to comment on the Guess Who discussion. Being from Detroit, heard a lot of them. I liked some of their earlier songs like "These Eyes," and "She's Come Undone" (or whatever they called it). After that, not so much ("Laughing," "American Woman," etc.).

Another late 60s group that's held up well IMO is the Lovin' Spoonful. And of course all those Motown groups.

[joan]

TC, 12:36 -- your comment is perceptive and more than likely this will be the left's (media, et al.) reaction and response.

When I read it, I sighed -- I had so much hope when the truth began to be revealed. I thought surely there was some integrity remaining in Democratic leaders and people in the news who are supposed to be dedicated to the truth.

Last night a scene from Stephen King's 'Firestarter' popped into my head. Haven't read it in years, but I can remember something to the effect that the father (?) told the young girl to go to the press (was it Rolling Stone) so that the truth would get out. I can also remember, oh so many years ago, thinking 'Thank God for our free press.'

The press is still free, but a majority of the people were educated by people like Bill Ayers, our former president, and communists in academia.

Also, look what Stephen King turned out to be -- a bitter socialist who hates people who disagree with him. And, Rolling Stone, a group who admired the soulful eyes and tousled dark allure of the evil terrorist Tsarnaev.

Man, how the world has changed.

[Kevlar Kid]

That quote attributed to Trump, about being more interested in people who aren't dead, still has me laughing whenever it rolls across me from ear to ear.

[Miss Marple (the real one)]

How you know there is huge blowback from the McCain funeral festival:

Ryan Lizza of CNN tellling us we are imagining that there were attacks on the President.

Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham on Fox saying Meghan's attack was ok because she was grieving.

Janice Dean the weather gal praising Meghan for being "brave," and then getting over 700 replies to that Tweet, the majority disagreeing with her and now SHE is upset.

[Was he baking a nice Cake?]

Why wasn't Lindsey Grahams husband in attendance?

[Kevlar Kid]

"The McCain Funeral" .... will it be a new documentary on NetFilch?

[Captain Hate]

A thorough fisking of the Bezos Daily Worker:

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=376865

[Dave (in MA)]

I'm not a Van Halen fan but at least I don't feel compelled to change the channel if one of their tunes comes on.

[Miss Marple (the real one)]

Just google McCain Funeral Trump and go to news and you can find hundreds of these stupid ass articles that were all cheering this nonsense. You don't get to take it back now and pretend like everyone imagined it now that people are telling you how disgusting it all was pic.twitter.com/GX7uzhjoun

— Shem Horne (@Shem_Infinite) September 2, 2018

Screen cap at the link.

[Neo]

Hollywood Reporter calls Eminem the "bizarro Elvis."

[maryrose]

A funeral is no place for politics- full stop.
Is nothing sacred anymore?
I could barely help distribute communion at my Dad’s funeral 18 years ago this week.
Speaking about the deceased should be about them and how they impacted you and your family’s lives.
I wish his family well.
As the years go by they will realize that this display wasn’t appropriate.It is a shame that wiser heads didn’t prevail.

[Dave (in MA)]

Have a heart. Stop picking on Miss Lindsey for a while. He just lost his boyfriend.

[matt - deplore me if you must]

To me The Who were proto punks, so naturally I love them. Nothing like seeing Peter Townsend completely go off on Won't get Fooled Again (my personal theme song)and then smashing his guitar to smithereens. I like the Ramone too, so you get the idear.

Frau, ist heute ihre Geburtstag? Bestens!

I think Flounder McCain gave the whole thing away. These people's and the stiff's prime takeaway was to degrade themselves to the point of mockery. Cee Lo Green has a song that expresses my emotions best but I'll leave you guessing the title. It's rather catchy.

To stand up and rant at a funeral is utterly disrespectful. They ended up celebrating the meanness and smallness of both Maverick and themselves.

[Eye Doctor .]

We know it was not appropriate after minutes went by!

[Porchlight]

I liked Diver Down best when I was younger but now it's hard to choose. My favorites are sprinkled throughout.

Van Halen, like Cheap Trick, have a great sense of humor that I've always appreciated. I like a band to visibly enjoy themselves.

[DebinGA]

Lovin Spoonful: Summer in the City, You Didn't Have to Be So Nice ... happy memories.

[maryrose]

I love The Who and Queen especially in the latter’s case because of their classical bent in the music.

[Dave (in MA)]

Speaking of which, this Friday will mark the 40th anniversary of Keith Moon going to trash the great hotel room in the sky.

[maryrose]

DebinGA:
I like those songs as well.

[maryrose]

Davein Mass:
Your sense of humor always makes me laugh!
Lindsay did get a bit choked up on the Senate floor.

[joan]

I did not watch one minute of McCain's funeral orgy. But I agree with everyone on here about how excessive it was, as well as the media fools who thought our president's supporters would be impressed and in awe. And, I felt a surge of scorn flow through me at the picture of GWB and his wife yukking it up with MO and her husband. They were playacting. You know in their heart of hearts they all despise each other.

[Miss Marple (the real one)]

You know who was a big fan of ABBA?

Gordon Liddy

[Miss Marple (the real one)]

joan,

I think they were playacting when they ran and were in office. That chumminess was the real deal.

[joan]

One other thing I was thinking about this morning, about HRC paying for her lawbreaking. If there is anything I would like to see her having to pay for it is Benghazi.

Benghazi. Benghazi. Benghazi.

Her ignorance. Her poor decisions. Her scheming. Her failure to support her ambassador. And, her testimony before congress. "What do you mean? Wipe it with a cloth?" She ought to go to prison for that remark and for those ugly glasses and her hideous, horrible hair style that day.

[maryrose]

Joan:
I didn’t watch a minute of it either.Air kiss politeness is so phony.
I prefer someone who is blunt and tells it like it is.
Our current President fits that bill.

[Frau Rechtschreibung]

Matt fragt: Frau, ist heute ihre Geburtstag? Bestens!

Danke, matt. Mein Geburtstag war gestern.

Frederick, Mrs. TK and I share the day.

[daddy]

Captain,

Just catching up on your comment about crap songs on the radio yesterday. Just a question: There in Cleveland are you able to pick up AM 740 from Toronto?

It's got a very strong signal and at the times I get within about 500 miles of the station it seems to be playing tons of interesting early Blues and Jazz tunes, interspersed generally decent pop tunes and almost no commercials. On Sunday sometime it turns into talk, but if Cleveland radio is driving you nuts click on it now. They just did a mid 80's disco tune and now they are playing an Al Jolson from 1919.

[Captain Hate]

Van Halen, like Cheap Trick, have a great sense of humor that I've always appreciated. I like a band to visibly enjoy themselves.

Yes to this, rock is supposed to be fun. When The Who, a great singles band, came out with Tommy I thought "make it go away"; which obviously it didn't.

[narciso]

Ten years ago, the huntress warned about Putin's advances, was she heeded. Like Cassandra she was not. McCain was too busy facilitating deripaska visa requests.

[Dave (in MA)]

Thanks, Maryrose.

Speaking of Zep, for the most part I liked 'em except for the singing.

Here are a couple of pieces with JP Jones, backing Seasick Steve, one of which features a guitar I'm sure GUS doesn't have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vSZFEWHlo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNmC_eE3YN4

[maryrose]

Joan,
I agree 1000 percent with your statement regarding Hillary.
I imagine her in a panic that morning , talking to Obama and trying to get their stories straight.
I imagine him saying “You blew it with the stand down order, which I personally know she gave, and perhaps said, If I cover for you , you have to step down.
Talking to those parents and lying about the video: despicable behavior.
The senate testimony:
“What difference AtThis PointDoes It Make?”.
I saw that live and I was livid!
No redeeming qualities.

[Captain Hate]

No go on 740, Tarhole; my Bose skipped right by it. AM signals are really dodgy for me, Sometimes I have the Indians broadcast on a 50k watt station go in and out in the evening.

[Kevlar Kid]

Cali radio is so infected with Mexxykin Top 40 stations with radio personality brand names such as El Cucuy and "Nando". when tuning with the radio knob in the truck (those scanning things drive me nuts for some reason) the mere hint of a blithering concertina riff has me "dialing on by". That seems like 80 per cent of the AM radio dial.

it's worse than rap.

[hrtshpdbox]

"My Best Friend" is a lovely Queen song, perhaps their best - it shows off the band's skill without Freddie going overboard. There's not a whole lot of Who songs that I'd put on a par with just about anything by the Beatles or Stones though, of course, tastes vary.

[Cruzing the Tailgunner]

Indeed, Texas is changing. Across the state, Republican incumbents including Representative John Culberson here in the Seventh, Representatives Pete Sessions, Will Hurd, and even Senator Ted Cruz are struggling to fend off Democratic challengers. Suddenly, the idea of a progressive woman, a political outsider, unseating an 18-year incumbent like Culberson doesn’t feel so far fetched.

[Captain Hate]

Not having Sirius radio in Santa Cruz was *really* bad.

[Kevlar Kid]

both nice pieces, Dave. the second one, featuring Holland on mando--- pricelessly simple. thanks, man. you made my Sunday listening much more pleasureable! -Kev

[Tommy Roe]

You know who was a big fan of Yummy, yummy yummy I got love in my tummy?

Admiral Poindexter..

[hrtshpdbox]

Though, having said that, I prefer just about anything by the Who to any post-Syd Pink Floyd.

[maryrose]

Box:
Beatles and the Stones are in a class by themselves.

[Kevlar Kid]

CH: this is the link the UC Santa Cruz radio site.

i think they archive their playlists. should be able to find what they were splashin while you were there.

Sirius reception is spotty around the bay area in vehicles. my mech buddy has it on his stationary set so no interrupt. Sirius quit working for me on the way in to see you just after East Los (Gatos).

Good thing the conversation IN Santa Cruz was so great! :D

[Poor McFarland]

Since Barry Seal flew the friendly skies, this guys been on the trail of
CIA drug deals.

http://www.madcowprod.com/2018/08/29/a-prime-minister-a-drug-pilot-an-oligarch-russiagate/

Now the rubber is meeting the road dead ending in Trump.

[maryrose]

Santa Cruz is a lovely place.
We went to the beach there after visiting San Francisco back in 2013.

[Captain Hate]

Maybe it's XM radio I'm thinking of. Whatever it was I got in Little Steven's Garage station clear as a bell during my Capitola adventures.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

Van Halen, Queen, The Who, Zeppelin; blech to the lot.
The best rock is always simple, short, unassuming, uncomplicated tunes with no delusions of grandeur or pretensions.
The best metaphor for the sorry state rock always seems to gravitate toward is Marty McFly turning Johnny B Goode into a self indulgent showboating mess.

[Porchlight]

This was really good. A Senator and former POW who didn't get a five-day funeral.

https://spectator.org/the-senates-unremembered-ex-pow/

[Catsmeat]

Mexican popular music is the worst...they sing flat on purpose for some desired-by-them-but-not-desired-by me effect--really dreadful.

[narciso]

Reggaeton is painfully bad. Occasionally there are some morsels.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

How do we know McCain set up this embarrassing spectacle from beyond the grave?
Did someone find an itinerary in his handwriting?

[Janet 🚬]

((One other thing I was thinking about this morning, about HRC paying for her lawbreaking. If there is anything I would like to see her having to pay for it is Benghazi.))

This was from 2016 -

Amanda Carpenter @amandacarpenter

YouTube guy Clinton falsely blamed for Benghazi faced tougher consequences than Clinton did for compromising natl security.

[---peter]

jimmyk, the Yankees are doing everything possible to make your Tigers feel like the season wasn't a complete waste.

[narciso]

He reminds me of the senator in the deep state hacker tale, swordfish,

[narciso]

This is my complaint with much of prime tome Latin tv, it's 57 flavors of cartel, unfortunately telemundo is worse than univision on that score.

[Kevlar Kid]

"VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis wants concrete action to combat the “emergency” of plastics littering seas and oceans.

Francis made the appeal in a message Saturday to galvanize Christians and others to work to save what he hails as the “marvelous,” God-given gift of the “great waters and all they contain.”

He said efforts to fight plastics litter must be waged “as if everything depended on us.”

This is a clear example of Pope Dope behaving as if speaking ex cathedra but is actually full of goose sh*t.

Just slap a "God-given" reference in some watermelon nonsense and "Hey! Let's all obey Pope Che!"

He's in deep kimchee.

[Porchlight]

Iggy, it was reported that McCain was in eulogy negotiations with Bush and Zero as early as April.

Here's Slate gloating about how all of McCain's preparation was designed specifically to be exactly what it was: an anti-Trump party.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/john-mccain-funeral-plans-why-obama-bush-eulogy-trump.html

Archive the link because it's probably going to get memory holed now that the Wellstone effect is setting in and the media is trying to pretend it didn't happen.

[Porchlight]

Photo of the day:

[The Infamous Ignatz]

--Pope Francis wants concrete action to combat the “emergency” of plastics littering seas and oceans.--

But he remains complacent on whether the buggerers littering Catholic churches should be cleaned up.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

Great pic, Porch.

[Pinandpuller]

What's brown and sounds like a bell?

The FBI.

[Casper]

What's white and 12 inches?

Nothing..

[Eye Doctor .]

Why did Jessica Savitch drown?

[Extraneus]

Thank God Trump and Palin were disinvited. Talk about a badge of honor.

No kidding.

'Jamie's Crying,' although I couldn't stand Roth or Haggar.

[joan]

lol .... I'm watching US Open. My husband just walked through (he's watching Matt Dillon if he can find him or an old episode of In The Heat of The Night, which he considers better than anything on television today), anyway I told him,"Look at what Serena is wearing." He glanced at the TV, shook his head, and said, "Hmmm, she looks like Tinkerbell.")

Tickled me. :)

[Extraneus]

How do we know McCain set up this embarrassing spectacle from beyond the grave?

I believe I read somewhere that all ex-presidents do this. Not sure if they're expected to do it, but I'm pretty sure the details of Carter's final rites are already public.

[daddy]

Last night late there were screen caps of Lindsay Graham passing a message to HUMA ABEDIN in the cathedral and Mattis and Kelly spotted it. They let Graham know they had seen it so he went over to talk to them, presumably to explain.

Why in the heck was SHE invited? What did she tell Graham?

Good question, Miss Marple. What the heck do those 2 have to chat about? Talk about strange bedfellows.

[Jack is Back!]

Not being a rock or pop music fan, it was Frederick who introduced me to Queen, and Freddy Mercury, who turned out, to my surprise a Muslim. On road trips, it was Frederick's self-obligation to play Bohemian Rapsody for me, then repeat the lyrics and explain their meaning to me. He does the same with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire".

Knows the lyrics, and when we play it, we stop at "Belgians in the Congo", and laugh before he turns it back on.

Since Joel (who I see from time to time in the Village) was born in 1949, wrote the song in 1989, I used it as a history lesson for Frederick by exploring the meaning of the lyrics. They are a timeline of history. I only wish Billy would add the remaining 29 years to the song.

Or, we can all come up with our own lyrics depending on what history was important to each of us. Think I'll go work on my rendition as an exercise in what I remember, and don't remember.

[Pinandpuller]

Captain Hate

Warrant - Uncle Tom's Cabin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx6f68Wd9dc

[Eye Doctor .]

Serena William's is a "man"

[Extraneus]

Maybe it's the fact that ex-presidents are entitled to a state funeral that leads to certain details needing to be worked out well in advance, but I just saw an 2004 NYT link that indicated that it was Nancy who reviewed the details for Reagan annually after he was no longer capable.

(They prevent copying text.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/us/the-40th-president-the-plans-down-to-the-last-detail-a-reagan-style-funeral.html

[Stephanie, Nene, Not your Normal Grandma]

There is a movie coming out this fall "Bohemian Rhapsody" all about Queen and Freddie.

Y'all should really enjoy it. /s

[Captain Hate]

Has happyfeet been banned?

[narciso79]

Yes he grew up on zanzibar, just like Joe strummer was born in ankara and lived in morocco, if memory served, who still remembers bao dai the pre diem Vietnamese leader. Yes Belgians had been in the Congo for three quarter of a century, Americans French Cubans all ended up there, web Griffiths wrote a mini arc about that.

[daddy]

Catsmeat,

I see from the write-up that one of your parents was a Classics Professor. Are you able to read either Latin or Greek, and if one of these days an old fart like me decided to sit in the back of one of your classes and audit it for a semester, how would I go about making you a deal you can't refuse to make that happen?

BTW, now you've get me having to go back to the Library to try to find a copy of Somerset Maugham's The Outstation.

IIRC,

Maugham used to hang out at Raffle's Bar/Hotel in Singapore so the Lounge at the huge Hotel we stay in next door was named "Somersets." Used to have great Jazz combo's regularly, but sadly shut down a decade ago.

[narciso79]

His been exiled to the phantom zone for a spell,

[Pinandpuller]

I look at Van Halen like Bain Capital's Mitt Romney. I think the different components perform better apart.

I love DLR's collaboration with Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan. For want of a youth convention I got to see part of the video shoot for this video at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Yankee Rose Official Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPabIFsTvec

[Eye Doctor .]

Stephanie

It's produced and directed by pederast Bryan Singer. Robert De Niro co-produced

[narciso79]

See how many you can spot:

https://genius.com/Billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire-lyrics

[Extraneus]

Anyone know if senators are entitled to state funerals? Seems excessive if they are. Maybe if they're sitting senators?

That might explain McCain's refusal to resign.

[Extraneus]

I thought he deprived his constituents of representation in order to get his wife appointed as his replacement, but maybe it was the sweet funeral perks instead.

[Kevlar Kid]

these photoshopped Sessions photobombs are quite hilarious.

[narciso79]

FrAnkly hes a frankly misogynist jerk, the pikachu from Texas and Los Angeles, now in Chicago.

[Eye Doctor .]

McCain is running for office from the grave. Let's see who they pick?

[narciso79]

Patently, misogynist, another commenter jd says it was mostly an act.

[Jack is Back!]

daddy,

When I lived in Singapore, and Balikpapan, I would take a taxi down to the original Raffles Hotel. Have no idea if the original is still there but it was there the Singapore Sling was invented or developed or thought up. Never had it - too sugary - but I think it was the first cocktail served with those little umbrellas.

I lived up of Orchard Road, near the American Club. May be the finest city experience I have ever had. I was there when PM Lee was cleaning the place up and opening up the rivers. Total transformation.

[Kevlar Kid]

maybe Huma was a courier.

[Captain Hate]

I hadn't been to that loon pit for a while. Looks like a few other non pseudoconservatives are gone.