Send Better Apologists! NY Times Loses Plot On FBI Surveillance-Not-Spying On Trump

The NY Times covers the special assignment by AG Barr of the US Attorney for CT John Durham to explore the origins of Crossfire Hurricane, the controversial FISA wiretap warrants on Carter Page, the use of the Steele dossier, and so much more. [Spoiler: The sought-for correction runs a week later.]

They correctly note that the wiretaps on Carter Page were sought only after he left the Trump campaign. However, they immediately lose the plot (my emphasis):

Law enforcement officials have also drawn intense criticism for using an informant — a typical investigative step — to secretly report on Mr. Page and Mr. Papadopoulos after they left the campaign and for relying on Democrat-funded opposition research compiled into a dossier by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who was also an F.B.I. informant.

"After they left the campaign"? C'mon. Page and Papadopoulos were appointed to Trump's foreign policy commission in March of 2016. In light of his previous brushes with the Russians Page was of immediate interest to the FBI; their informant, Cambridge don Stefan Halper, took his first pass at Page at a Cambridge symposium in July 11-12 2016, before Crossfire Hurricane was officially opened on July 31. Page left the campaign in September 2016 and the FISA application went in thereafter.

Halper met Papadopoluos in September 2016, while he was still doing whatever he wasn't doing on the fringes of the Trump campaign. He was described by the Times as a "Trump aide" in their 'don't call it spying' story of May 2, 2019.

The Times ought to fix this. Do let me volunteer my assistance in the blame-storming: their April 9 2019 piece describes Page and Papadopoulos, with Page, as another "former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser".

Well, sure - they are former aides now, in 2019. Back in July-September of 2016 when Halper was surveilling-not-spying, they were future former aides.

Wasn't this sort of timeline confusion covered in Endgame?

Comments

[Melinda]

Committee only.

[Old Lurker]

Buckeye "Classic OL! I have to work at that kind of pessimism, with OL it just comes natural:)"

Easy. Go into commercial real estate for life starting circa 1970 and ride the roller coaster up and down all the cycles, and the one thing you learn real quick is that after every upswing is a hell of a ride down.

My first boss - a real hard case - made more than a billion dollars accumulating income producing real estate, taking it public at the crest of each hill, then buying all the stock back for a dime at the next bottom. Then rinse and repeat. When he reached 75, he said "this time I'm just keeping it so my grand kids don't have to suffer shareholders."

[Beasts of England]

I enjoyed the old footage, Jim,Sunnyvale!! Elvis could keep up, but not much else. John and George were solid players, but not much else. :)

[henry]

CH, as opposed to the malware loaded apps available through the store? If Apple was better at policing the abuses of apps it allows, I'd consider the 30% insurance fee to be worth it. (Nah, I'd still bitch about it, but such is life).

[Beasts of England]

Thanks, Mel - interesting or not?

[lyle]

Satire or not?

Biden Gets New York Times Headline For Not Saying Anything Stupid

Oh, wait. Satire is dead...

[Narciso79]

Gone zombie, lyle. Are there any tech savvy clerks

[Thomas Collins]

Is July 1, 2020 a reasonable date, RG, for the 4-Ders to acknowledge that indictments and plea bargains are not reaching the Clinton/Obama/Rice/Comey/Clapper/Brennan level (or for the Ledgers to acknowledge that the 4-Ders, while perhaps late in their predictions (I recall predictions that the hammer would drop before the November 2018 elections), have been vindicated). The only thing for which I am impatient is that we settle on a date, so that we'll have an excuse for a wild party no matter what the outcome!

[Jane]

Mel,

I remember that song.

[Captain Hate]

henry, if all the Kavanaugh defenders are right then Clarence Thomas and Gorsuch screwed the pooch. How likely is that?

[Threadkiller]

I feel like reposting JMH's comment from the last page but I will post the link only:

https://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2019/05/send-better-apologists-ny-times-loses-plot-on-fbi-surveillance-not-spying-on-trump.html?cid=6a00d83451b2aa69e20240a4ab7613200b#comment-6a00d83451b2aa69e20240a4ab7613200b

Very clearly stated, JMH.

[MissMarple2]

Sorry I disappeared. Got 2 phone calls and then my son stopped by with a couple of the grandkids.

[KevlarKid]

Ides of March ... they were a one-hit knock off of Blood Sweat and Tears, according to my teenage taste. dint like BS&T either. Rare Earth was another doofus band.

Tower of Power horns were outplaying everybody during that era.

[Threadkiller]

Dan Coats has over 50 transcripts from Clapper, Comey, Brennan, and McCabe that have been voted out of the House Intel Committee to be declassified. We need to get to the bottom of where these lies existed and how this terrible investigation started. pic.twitter.com/hakJ6Ho2il

https://mobile.twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1128301971478339585/video/1

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
10m10 minutes ago

When Prime Minister @AbeShinzo of Japan visited with me in the @WhiteHouse two weeks ago, I told him that I would be going to the G20 in Osaka, Japan. I look forward to being with him and other World Leaders!

[MissMarple2]

Rush says Trump is absolutely right in his dealings with China:

https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/05/13/why-we-must-hang-with-trump-on-tariffs/

[clarice]

You may have pegged it correctly, JMH--we still are pretty much in the dark.

[KevlarKid]

i can only imagine the tedium the inevitable "i was right and you were wrong" titty tat will produce--- when/however the levee breaks due to Barr's bulldozing.

oy.

[MissMarple2]

BNL NEWS
‏ @BreakingNLive

JUST IN: President Trump says NYT story about the U.S. sending 120,000 troops to Middle East in case of Iranian attack is ‘Fake News’, adds that he’d send ‘a hell of a lot more’ to counter Iran.
=======================
HAHAHAHAHA!

[sbwaters]

CH: So Apple should just let every dipshit developer . . .

I love the baritone voice and theatrical arm sweep you used when you said that. It covers the many illogical conclusions to which you jumped to avoid Melinda’s correct assertion that 30% is usury and my observation that the misapplication of Brick tried to make them unassailable.

Note to CH: There are other ways than resorting to usury to protect app integrity.

[Melinda]

Jane-

Biden uses his son as the vehicle.

[KevlarKid]

Sherman's quote re "reporters" seems appropo re the NYT: something to the effect that if all the reporters (during the civil war) were rubbed out, there'd be news from hell before breakfast.

the NYT is a fetid streaming bog.

[Melinda]

Beasts-

Mucho Gusto!

[MissMarple2]

In case anyone wants confirmation on Elizabeth Warren's character, here's a thread:

https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1128314854622859265

Excerpt:
"Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class."

She's making up an excuse for why she's turning down the offer of a town hall on Fox.

[Threadkiller]

Found this on Fitton's twitter:

Mike Levine 

@MLevineReports

“I thought it was a ridiculous answer,” @realDonaldTrump says of FBI Director Wray’s recent remark that he wouldn’t use term “spying” to describe FBI efforts to investigate Russian espionage in 2016 presidential campaign.

Again we are presented with the choice that Trump is being purposely deceitful to further some clandestine plan or that he is telling it like it is.

I choose the latter.

[Neo]

The official Twitter account for Democratic Coalition, an anti-Trump super PAC that targets Republican officials and candidates, called for Graham to resign following the comments.

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

That Brit Hume link 10:48 is awesome.
But I saw it, like, a year ago? I think posted here on JOM.

Brit, baby, where ya been? :) :)

[Beasts of England]

Works perfectly like this:

'CNN is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.'

[Captain Hate]

Note to sbw: if you ignore the particulars of the Apple case, for which I'm no special pleader, they just opened the barn door for the Avenattis of the world to add even MOAR CLASS ACTION SUITS.

[Threadkiller]

Rush opens with Durham's appointment. He dives straight into Whitey Bulger.

I'll check in later.

[sbwaters]

But, CH, that door was already open for 30,000+ Apple developers.

[Melinda]

TC-

There's a speech coming on July 4th. Might we use that?

[henry]

Liberal Relieved He Never Has To Introspect Again After Assembling All The Correct Opinions

https://local.theonion.com/liberal-relieved-he-never-has-to-introspect-again-after-1834720785?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=onionlocal_twitter&utm_campaign=sharebar

[Jane]

Britt, lives down here, near me, Jim, at least in the winter.

Well not that near, and he's well hidden and protected from people like me, but I can hope.

[sbwaters]

BTW, Gorsuch asked whether Brick was just to set up an “effective and efficient litigation scheme” rather than to decide the merits of the case.

Since thousands of app developers had not sued, and since they might have done so following Brick, was Brick really necessary as case law?

[Okay. Truth in advertising. I only lasted two weeks in law school before I bailed to computer programming. My law school emphasized law when I preferred justice. Good school. Wrong school. My fault.]

[Captain Hate]

But, CH, that door was already open for 30,000+ Apple developers.

I thought it was only open to the consumers of the products.

[MissMarple2]

Tulsi Gabbard
‏Verified account @TulsiGabbard
3h3 hours ago

Trump says he doesn't want war with Iran, but that's exactly what he wants, because that's exactly what Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu, al-Qaeda, Bolton, Haley, and other NeoCons/NeoLibs want. That’s what he put first--not America.
=======================
This was attached to her PROMOTED campaign video, which is the only reason I saw it. Notice how she has cleverly tied in al-Qaeda with Netenyahu and the Neocons. Oh, and the scary John Bolton.

[Neo]

CNN: Attorney General William Barr is working closely with the CIA to review the origins of the Russia investigation and surveillance issues surrounding Donald Trump's presidential campaign, according to a source familiar with the matter, broadening an effort that the President has long demanded to involve all major national security agencies.

Barr is working in close collaboration with CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Chris Wray, the source said.

[MissMarple2]

https://apnews.com/urn:publicid:ap.org:a2af9039533b42bba0e4e04af11ecd67

Headline:

DeSantis: Russians accessed 2 Florida voting databases

[MissMarple2]

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/443586-trump-fed-rate-cut-would-clinch-victory-in-trade-war-with-china

[Narciso79]

She doesn't think Iran or Russia can ever do anything wrong and she ignores they have given sanctuary to al queda in the past.

[Robin, eff 'em all]

Isn't Laura Jarrett Valerie Jarrett's daughter?

[Thomas Collins]

July 4, 2020 would be a great time, Melinda. This year would be premature, as things won't have played out that much (we'll be digesting the Horowitz Report).

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

Heh.
Gateway Pundit and others, I guess the copying instinct dies hard.
AWKWARD: Creepy Biden Tells New Hampshire Crowd He’s Running For President to Make America Great Again

And this from 2017
Not runnning. Definitely.
https://www.thewrap.com/joe-biden-shuts-down-2020-rumors-guys-im-not-running/

[Melinda]

Robin-

Yes

[Melinda]

No, let's use this year, TC.

[Narciso79]

Let's see if he gets anymore traction then I. 1987 and 2007, the Chinese will want sonr return on their investment.

[Captain Hate]

According to the Horde Tim Conway RIP.

[Melinda]

RIP- Tim Conway

That just sucks.

[MissMarple2]

Oh, no! One of my favorite comedians!

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
21m21 minutes ago

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. Our beautiful embassy stands as a proud reminder of our strong relationship with Israel and of the importance of keeping a promise and standing for the truth.
================================

Let me emphasize that last phrase:

the importance of keeping a promise and standing for the truth.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

Barr is working in close collaboration with CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Chris Wray, the source said.

Notice anyone missing? They have everything. Need not go further than Laurel, MD. So how come there is no mention of NSA who spilled the original beans?

I guess Coats is controlling that facet.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

Is Carol Burnett and Harvey Corman still alive?

[Melinda]

Carol, yes. Corman passed some years ago.

[Captain Hate]

Laurel, MD

My home town. NSA's more Odenton or Annapolis Junction, assuming the latter's more than a railroad stop.

[MissMarple2]

https://twitter.com/themarketswork/status/1128342200645931008

Short thread listing some interesting DOJ connections. No speculation, but interesting info on who is who and where they are and where they have been.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

CH,

I use Laurel liberally. Every time I travel down to Florida I take 50 down to the Beltway and pass the main gate (I think it is). I have tempted to pull in and ask if I can have a look around🕵️

[Beasts of England]

Tim Conway busting up Harvey during the dentist routine will always be a favorite. RIP

[sbwaters]

The Tim Conway elephant sketch on Carol Burnett.

Five minutes well spent.

[rse]

I liked him on mchale's navy.

[rse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d88bGPE0srg is in honor of its 4 seasons and that big grin ernest borgnine got working with conway.

[JM Hanes]

TK:

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I note that you beat me to it, so I was actually able to shorten my intended post for a change!

[MissMarple2]

Kurt Schlichter
‏Verified account @KurtSchlichter
21m21 minutes ago

Lots of grief on Kavanaugh's Apple opinion, but from my (very) limited examination of the issue I come down his way.
I could be convinced otherwise (it's not my area) but I don't see it as some sort of repudiation of conservatism.

[Captain Hate]

I use Laurel liberally.

Understood. Even though it's in Prince George county it's at the northern tip so you can be in Montgomery, Anne Arundel or Howard counties and still think you're in Laurel. Rt. 50 is a *very* liberal interpretation.

[James D.]

I can't speak to the legal arguments, but if you're siding with RBG, Sotomayyor, Kagan and Breyer, and against Alito and Thomas, the odds are that you're wrong.

Having said that, I don't understand how there is any basis to sue Apple for taking a commission on sales of software through their store.

How is that different than Amazon taking a 30% cut of every sale of one of my books in the Kindle store? That's the price I as an author have to pay to have access to their store and their customers. If I want to sell to people outside of that and keep all the money, I can, but then I lose access to the easiest way to reach customers. How is the Apple case any different?

[MissMarple2]

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/cuban-homosexuals-and-the-intellectual-vacuity-of-democrats-human-rights-rhetoric

"Trump's foreign policy is far from perfect. But at least he doesn't pretend he's anything but a realist."

[henry]

James D, no end around available to developers if they wish to sell apps that run on iOS. That is the difference.

[MissMarple2]

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2019/05/14/dems-demanded-an-apology-to-tlaib-and-liz-cheney-gave-them-one-n2546293

Excellent video clip of Liz Cheney at the bottom of the article.

[Captain Hate]

Again, let me be clear that I'm no special pleader for Apple even as I post this from one of their devices. I'm worried about this being used as away to create a bonanza for the Avenattis of the muck.

[henry]

The Avenattis are going to have a field day starting Jan 1 with the Cal data privacy law. This Apple decision is line noise in that regard.

[Captain Hate]

As a way; any apps to fix autocucumber, as in fixing a dog, are welcome. Or I could just turn it off...

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

CH,

You're right and I am confused geographically. It's in Ft. Meade, which makes it Anne Arundel County not Prince Georges. I need a better GPS. But Laurel is not that far away:)

[Captain Hate]

The Avenattis are going to have a field day starting Jan 1 with the Cal data privacy law.

More shark food than Monterey Bay.

[Pinandpuller]

Captain Hate

Is Kavanaugh still displaying Resting Rape Face?

[James D.]

I get that, but isn't that something the market can and should sort out?

Apple can have its walled garden, and set whatever prices rules it wants, and developers can choose to live with Apple's policies and fees or not.

If enough developers of enough popular apps choose to opt out of iOS, iPhones will be less useful, and Apple will lose market share to Android. And then it'll be their choice to ease their rules and lower their fees, or accept a smaller share of the market.

I don't see any reason that the courts should be involved.

[Neo]

Tim Conway, Star of The Carol Burnett Show, Dies at 85 Following Battle with Dementia

[Manuel Transmission]

I’m mostly with James D on this without trying to get into the weeds. If a rag maker makes a blouse for a buck, sells it to some fancy boutique shop for $30, they in turn put it out on the rack for $100 and then mark it down 40%, who is getting screwed? I can’t sell burgers at Wendy’s, either.

On a somewhat related note, one of my best coders left our shop to write an app for the iPhone. He never complained. Right after that I had him do an app for us that went well, except for the fact that we made the mistake of using Bluetooth which required us to use Apple’s chip in our circuit which was only available in very small samples, or in qtys of 10,000.

[Captain Hate]

Troo dat, JiB. Hard to believe that the sleepy little racetrack town I grew up in has become the largest destination on many interstate exits. Urban sprawl conquers all!

[Captain Hate]

FTR I thought that Gates getting bent over for antitrust violations was the Derp State flexing away indiscriminately.

[Extraneus]

The decision wasn't about the merits of the case. It was only about letting the case go forward. As I think I read, this case has been in progress since 2011. Apple moved for dismissal and the lower court refused, so Apple appealed and SCOTUS shot them down and let the lower court ruling stand, so the case goes forward.

Maybe walled gardens are a-ok and Apple will win.

I moved to Android over this exact closed-ecosystem issue, after over 10 years of iPhones, and will never go back, even though I despise Google.

[Captain Hate]

Here comes the 💥

@CoryGroshek

BREAKING: The Attorney General of #Ecuador has agreed to deliver to the US all of Julian #Assange's documents, mobile phones, computer files, computers, memory units, CDs & any other device taken from Ecuador's embassy in #London.
Posted by: JackStraw at May 14, 2019 01:31 PM (/tuJf)

[Captain Hate]

Pin,

I think he drinks way too many macrobrews.

[Jane]

This is very good, if you are interested in this sort of stuff:

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/vladimir-bukovsky-legendary-dissident-conversation/

[GUS]

ABC,CBS,NBC,MSNBC,NYT, WASHINGTON POST are all hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.' WE ALL APPROVE OF STABBING BABIES IN THE HEAD WITH SCISSORS at 9 full months. IT'S FOR THE MOMMY'S HEALTH.

[Jane]

HUGE! Bill Barr’s Spygate Prosecutor John Durham Is Already Investigating former FBI Hack James Baker for Leaking Information to Press

On Monday Attorney General Bill Barr assigned top special prosecutor John Durham to investigate the origins of the Russia probe.

John Durham, a US Attorney in Connecticut, will examine the origins of Spygate according to a new report by The New York Times, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

As Cristina Laila reported, Mr. Durham, who was nominated by President Trump in 2017, has a history of investigating potential wrongdoing among National Security officials, reported the NY Times.

HYSTERIA IS SPREADING IN THE DEEP STATE–

Former Deputy Assistant US Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel John Yoo told Laura Ingraham last night that Democrats should be quite worried.

John Yoo: If I were the Democrats I would be quite worried. And the reason why is by appointing a US attorney Attorney General Barr is essentially signaling that he thinks it’s possible that criminal violations occurred in the start of the whole investigation into any kind of Trump-Russia collusion. As Judge Starr said there is already an inspector general investigation that’s been going on that’s going to come to a conclusion. That’s what you’d do if you were just interested in reforming… But you wouldn’t go with a US attorney like Durham or someone of his stature unless the Attorney General thinks actually something criminal might have happened.

And what must worry the deep state is that US Attorney John Durham is already investigating former FBI General Counsel James Baker for leaking information to the press.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/bill-barrs-spygate-prosecutor-john-durham-is-already-investigating-former-fbi-hack-james-baker-for-leaking-classified-information-to-press/

[Pinandpuller]

I heard that Hunter Biden broke up with his beau. I suppose he wants to spend less time with his family.

[Beasts of England]

Widespread Panic at the Ryman Auditorium August 24th and 25th. Woot!! 😎

[boatbuilder]

Which one of those guys was Britt Hume? ;^)

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

Beasts,

That's Grand Ole Opry, right? Who's playing?

[Jane]

Hunter was dating his brother's widow - and they broke up.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

It begins, and in Norway. Well a Norwegian tanker, at least.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-05-12/the-latest-saudi-says-2-oil-tankers-damaged-by-sabotage

Oh, to be back in the old crew and have the chance to look on my screen to see Qom disappear off the face of the earth. Pangs of nostalgia.

[Pinandpuller]

John and George were solid players, but not much else. :)

Posted by: Beasts of England | May 14, 2019 at 11:26 AM

John protested more war before noon than most people did all day.

[Pinandpuller]

Yoko Ono has more plot armor than Arya Stark.

[Jack is Back (Again)!]

All you need is the headline:

https://babylonbee.com/news/rashida-tlaib-relaxes-after-long-day-by-watching-heartwarming-film-schindlers-list

[Narciso79]

The pipeline runs from your old project jubail jib to yambu, ancestral home of the obaid clan who's descendant worked with khashoggi.

[lyle]

How do you know it’s not true, JiB?

[MissMarple2]

https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2019/05/14/wow-kevin-corkes-thread-of-deets-from-barrs-russia-probe-investigation-proves-sht-just-got-real-hint-john-durham/

[MissMarple2]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-help-employees-start-their-own-delivery-business-11557747201?mod=e2tw

[Beasts of England]

It's the original Grand Ole Opry, JiB. It's a jam band called Widespread Panic. :)

[Narciso79]

Fake but accurate, she was likely anywhere near the same circles as the husseini or salameh clan (Arafat and the black princes respectively)

A Norwegian supertanker ferrying oil from Saudi, coals to new castle?