Yesterday, a filing by Special Counsel John Durham revealed that Igor Danchenko, who worked as a key contributor to the discredited Steele dossier funded by the Clinton campaign, was later put on the FBI payroll as an informant. The disclosure rocked Washington and raised additional questions of the FBI’s eagerness to pursue any allegations against Donald Trump despite being warned that the dossier appeared to be a vehicle for Russian disinformation.
Danchenko is facing five counts of lying to the bureau during that relationship. His trial is scheduled for next month in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The filing states that “In March 2017, the FBI signed the defendant up as a paid confidential human source of the FBI. The FBI terminated its source relationship with the defendant in October 2020.”
The news shocked many of us who have closely followed the Russian collusion controversy for years. The FBI showed a zeal to investigate Trump and his campaign that seemed to border on the blind obsessive. It was not simply with the Steele dossier. On the baseless Alfa Bank allegations (also pushed by Clinton campaign through friends at the FBI) the supervisory agent for the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe, Joe Pientka, sent a note to FBI special agent Curtis Heide, stating: “People on the 7th floor to include Director are fired up about this server.” Pientka then messaged Heide: “Did you guys open a case? Reach out and put tools on?”That description of the apparent eagerness of then-FBI Director James Comey and others only magnifies concern over the bureau’s alleged bias or predisposition on the Trump investigation. It was the same eagerness that led the FBI to pursue the Russian investigation for years despite being warned early by American intelligence that the Steele dossier contained not just unsupported allegations but possible Russian disinformation.
Indeed, Danchenko’s possible connections to Russian intelligence have been raised as a matter of concern. The filing states “During his January 2017 interview with the FBI, the defendant initially denied having any contact with Russian intelligence or security services but later — as noted by the agents, contradicted himself and stated that he had contact with two individuals who he believed to be connected to those services.”
What is particularly concerning is that the FBI also had former British spy Christopher Steele, on its payroll. Steele then assembled his dossier under the funding of the Clinton campaign which repeatedly denied such funding to the media. This money was funneled through the law firm of Perkins Coie and the campaign’s general counsel, Marc Elias. (The Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for violating election rules in hiding that funding).
So the FBI cut off Steele as a paid source after he allegedly worked with the media to spread these unproven claims. It then turned around and hired his principle source for the dossier.
The filing also states that Danchenko discussed an interest in obtaining classified information for possible sale to the Russians.
“As has been publicly reported, the defendant was the subject of an FBI counterintelligence investigation from 2009 to 2011. In late 2008, while the defendant was employed by a prominent think tank in Washington, D.C., the defendant engaged two fellow employees about whether one of the employees might be willing or able in the future to provide classified information in exchange for money.
According to one employee (‘Employee-1’), the defendant believed that he (Employee-1) might be in a position to enter the incoming Obama administration and have access to classified information. During this exchange, the defendant informed Employee-1 that he had access to people who would be willing to pay money in exchange for classified information. Employee-1 passed this information to a U.S. government contact, and the information was subsequently passed to the FBI.
Based on this information, the FBI initiated a ‘preliminary investigation’ into the defendant. The FBI converted its investigation into a ‘full investigation’ after learning that the defendant (1) had been identified as an associate of two FBI counterintelligence subjects and (2) had previous contact with the Russian Embassy and known Russian intelligence officers.”
The “prominent think tank” appears to be the Brookings Institution. I have previously written about the prominent role of Brookings in spreading the Russian collusion claims and hiring an array of people who played critical roles in these investigations. That also included former FBI general counsel James Baker. For some, it seemed like not just friends but “friends with benefits.” It seems that everyone in this scandal was six degrees from Brookings.
“Navy vs Egan made that clear – POTUS’ power over secrets is like SCOTUS’ power over our laws and Constitution. If he took it home, it is implicit that he declassified it and gave himself authorization to possess it – period.”
Don’t shoot the messenger: President Biden revoked his predicessors executive privilege Here is an excerpt of Archivist’s letter (her reference goes to Christopher H. Schroeder) to former President Trumps lawyer:
” […] The Assistant Attorney General has advised me that there is no precedent for an assertion of executive privilege by a former President against an incumbent President to prevent the latter from obtaining from NARA Presidential records belonging to the Federal Government where “such records contain information that is needed for the conduct of current business of the incumbent President’s office and that is not otherwise available.” 44 U.S.C. § 2205(2)(B).
To the contrary, the Supreme Court’s decision in Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, 433 U.S. 425 (1977), strongly suggests that a former President may not successfully assert executive privilege “against the very Executive Branch in whose name the privilege is invoked.” Id. at 447-48. […]”
https://www.archives.gov/files/foia/wall-letter-to-evan-corcoran-re-trump-boxes-05.10.2022.pdf
Nixon VS GSA is a challenge to the constitutionality of the PRA.
It does not vitiate executive priviledge of ex-presidents.
In fact the opinion refers to NARA repeatedly as Custodian – not owner.
In the Trump case there are two independent issues.
Does Trump have executive priviledge – and Nixon Vs. GSA actually recognizes that the communications of the ex-president and advisors while president are priviledged
The 2nd Issue is can the current administration overcome priviledge.
Nixon VS GSA makes it clear that there are instances – such as criminal investigations in which the current administrations needs will overcome the ex-presidents priviledge.
But that does not mean that the current administration can overcome priviledge without going to court.
“He’s doing much better now…”
Trump +4 according to RCP,
And Trafalgar has just put out a warning that their own and everyone else’s polls are likely undercounting Republicans by several points. The beleive the 2016 and 2020 “shy trump voter” is being joined by the 2022 will not talk to polsters Trump voter. Trafalgar and many others beleive that a large portion of undecides are really voters who will not tell anyone they are voting Red – they are not undecided they are DEEP RED.
Acording to other polls voters trust republicans on the economy almost 2:1 over democrats and 3 of the top 4 election issues are “the economy”
Regardless, my point is we can trade polls forever.
It is possible yours are right. It is possible mine are.
But if money is involved – the odds do not favor you.
non sequitur
Please be aware that Igor Danchenko was paid no more than the minimum wage.
(The minimum wage for Deep State employees is $850 per hour, plus medical, dental, free food at the FBI cafeteria, a $5,000 per month travel stipend, and free education at any of the participating colleges and universities, including Ivy League schools.)
Donal Trump signs over the Deed to Mar-a-Lago to Hillary Clinton.
In exchange for all this to go away, so as like what never happened, never happened.
Film @ 11 pm
You can’t fool me. They don’t have “film @ 11 pm” anymore. Only digital video recordings.
It is clinton that owes Trump – far more than she could ever pay.
RE:”Is there something wrong with what I like? 🙂” Hardly. IMHO responding to Svelaz is a waste of precious time. That’s all. Might as well try selling snow to the Eskimos.
ZZ, With what I have seen from Svelaz, he wouldn’t be selling. Instead, he would be buying snow from his neighbor. Yes, to take Svelaz seriously is a waste of time. He is a man running on one Betz Cell.
More proof, as if a sentient being needed any, that Donald Trump is a Grifters grifter and uses his followers to cover his septuagenarian arse.
New Trump Attorney Negotiated $3 Million Advance Payment for Work
The money is being paid out of the Save America political-action committee, Mr. Trump’s primary fundraising vehicle, according to people knowledgeable of the terms. A representative of the PAC declined to comment
– WSJ, Sept 15
Of course the PAC will not comment!
Re: Save America PAC:
Nov 10, 2020 at 12:50 pm ET
Trump Launches ‘Save America’ Political Action Committee
President Trump has started a political action committee called Save America that will allow him to back candidates for office and exert financial influence in Washington once his presidency ends.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/latest-updates-biden-trump-election-2020/card/Xo9tbJLvrTGRqLq3qMHy
As Ann Coulter stated, Trump does not a whit about his fans. Dump him already. Tell DeSantis you have his undivided support
What is it that you have a problem with here ?
If Some Super PAC is paying for lawyers for all the people DOJ is going after – More power to them.
If you do not like that – Do not contribute to that Super PAC.
If you did contribute and you are not happy – ask for you money back, and don’t contribute again.
We have myriads of political organizations that do lots of things I do not like.
So I do not contribute to them.
But it is not or should not be illegal for them to do most anything with the money they are given.
And if you do not like what they do – DON”T CONTRIBUTE!!
Why is it that so many people seem to beleive they are entitled to tell others what they can do with their money ?
You make a good point, John. People might not like someone, so they see criminality in everything they do. We don’t need people to tell others what to do with their money, private or intellectual property. We only need enforcement of the contract telling us where the money goes. Authoritarianism has seeped into some of our best people who don’t know it.
I find it interesting NY AG James is trying to prosecute Bannon because a small portion of his build the wall fund, went to administrative costs. Bannon promised publicly that 100% would go to the wall – not 99.5%, so the DOJ tried to get him for Fraud now James is trying.
Interesting Bannon said he would return all donations from anyone who wanted their money back – there were no takers. So James is prosecuting a fraud with no victims – there is no such thing.
Meanwhile Martha’s vineyard started a gofund me for the ilegal immigrants DeSantis sent there.
Those illegal immigrants sent to an official sanctuary city, have been sent to a Military base elsewhere, and Martha’s vineyard is keeping the money. That is actual fraud.
Do you think that will be prosecuted ?
SJohn, There is generally a degree of puffery involved in advertising anything. What Bannon did was reasonable, but the left acts like the CCP. The crime is not what has been claimed, but rather the lack of political adherence to the CCP (though in this case, it is a lack of adherence to the left and Democrats). All people on the right and the left should be outraged, but foolishness prevails.
Your question is, will Martha’s Vineyard be prosecuted? Martha’s Vineyard is the seat of the CCP, today’s Democrat Party political headquarters. For just asking the question you should be brought before the high tribunal and pay for your crime.
My point is that Democrats would have no standards without double standards.
DeSantis’s Martha’s vinyard move was brilliant.
And democrats screwed up in so many ways.
There are racist tweets (since deleted), The left wing nut media was actually trying to argue that there is something different between The Feds transporting immigrants where they are not wanted and FL doing it.
Or that Border states were obligated to take immigrants.
I think DeSantis should pay Immigrant Bingo once a week.
Put the names of sanctuary cities across the country in a Bingo wheel and Draw a new one each week and send a buss load of immigrants there.
Ann Coulter expected that then President Trump “keeps up with his promise” to start to building the wall on day 1 and report to American’s on day 100 about the progress [1]. Her takes:[2]
“No one voted for Trump because of the “Access Hollywood” tape. They voted for him because of his issues; most prominently, his promise to build “a big beautiful wall.” And who’s going to pay for it? MEXICO!
You can’t say that at every campaign rally for 18 months and then not build a wall.
Do not imagine that a Trump double-cross on the wall will not destroy the Republican Party. Oh, we’ll get them back. No, you won’t. Trump wasn’t a distraction: He was the last chance to save the GOP.
Millions of Americans who hadn’t voted in 30 years came out in 2016 to vote for Trump. If he betrays them, they’ll say, “You see? I told you. They’re all crooks.”
No excuses will work. No fiery denunciations of the courts, the Democrats or La Raza will win them back, even if Trump comes up with demeaning Twitter names for them.
It would be an epic betrayal — worse than Bush betraying voters on “no new taxes.” Worse than LBJ escalating the Vietnam War. There would be nothing like it in the history of politics.
He’s the commander in chief! He said he’d build a wall. If he can’t do that, Trump is finished, the Republican Party is finished, and the country is finished.”
Two months later she blamed media coverage [3] and published “Resistance is Futile! How the Trump-Hating Left Lost Its Collective Mind” in 8/18.
In later columns she mainly criticised Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka to led the president to abandon his winning ’16 agenda [4-7].
In an email interview with the “Washington Examiner” after Trump lost ’20 presidential election, because he “failed to court enough white, working-class voters. […] Trumpism without Trump — that is the winning formula.”
[1] https://anncoulter.com/2016/11/09/president-trumps-first-100-days/
[2] https://anncoulter.com/2017/04/26/not-building-the-wall-is-a-government-shutdown/
[3] 6/14/17: The ‘resistance’ Goes Live-fire
[4] 12/19/18: Gutless President In Wall-less Country
[5] 4/10/19: All Hail President Javanka!
[6] 4/17/19: All The President’s Bloodsucking Relatives
[7] 5/8/19: The Way We Were
[8] 11/16/20: Ann Coulter grades Trump’s performance as president and says he lost election by listening to ‘wonderboy’ Jared Kushner
Charlotte, in your second citation, Coulter starts to demonstrate her tunnel vision. “He’s the commander in chief! He said he’d build a wall. If he can’t do that, Trump is finished, the Republican Party is finished, and the country is finished.” I remember all those words, and I recall how nasty she was during this time.
You seem to have read all her columns. If you have any ideas, what do you think caused her to become so single-minded? She also went after Jared Kushner, but I am not sure why she emphasized so much dislike for him.
You fear Trump because you cannot beat him in a fair fight and your ability to cheat in 2024 may not win this time. The last thing Trump supporters will do is to follow the advice of a leftist loon on which candidate to support – LOL
Of course Trump uses his political funds to defend him from a completely political attack by Democrat lawyers operating under color of authorities. Because Democrats cannot win voters they use lawfare to advance their causes and part of the use of political funds is to fight these lawfare hoax assaults.
is there hope for the US electorate? Perhaps, as S. Myers would argue, they are all bipolar just like Ann Coulter?
NB to Trump: S. Myers will always be your BFF
https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-65-say-trump-wrong-take-documents
Fox News Poll: 65% say Trump was wrong to take documents
56% think FBI search was appropriate
Over a month after the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, majorities of voters think it was inappropriate for Trump to have removed sensitive documents from the White House and that the FBI acted appropriately.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on August 8 as part of an investigation into the handling of sensitive documents taken from the White House.
By a 39-point margin, more voters believe it was inappropriate (65%) than appropriate (26%) for Trump to remove those documents at the end of his presidency.
As for the FBI, by a 17-point margin voters think it acted aptly (56% appropriate vs. 39% inappropriate).
That’s according to the latest Fox News survey, released Thursday.
Obama has all his PRA documents in storage in Chicago. He trickles stuff out to NARA, On his schedule
Obama gave Americans the ultimate middle finger when he turned 60 and threw his maskless party on Marthas Vineyard at his mansion. He, Hillary and Trump all cut from the same cloth
But, no matter what you think of Trump, he moved the country in the opposite direction from both Obama and Biden.
Estovi,
So far no one yet has been able to get through to Trump & some others of the harm the Warp speed mRNA shots have been doing even though Trump/others have been reminded of Matt: 18.
It’s like Trump/they’ve plenty of rocks, glass houses & a glass factory needing tax write-offs.
*********************
MUST SEE INTERVIEW: Covid Jab Is a Bioweapon, says Former Health and Human Services Advisor to Trump
40,450 views
·
Sep 15, 2022
17
Share
Download
The Alex Jones Show
The Alex Jones Show
Former Health and Human Services Advisor to Trump, Dr. Paul E. Alexander of https://drpaulalexander.com/ joins The Alex Jones Show to break down the truth behind the deadly bioweapon pushed as a Covid vaccine.
Be sure to order your autographed copy of Alex Jones’ new book ‘The Great Reset: And the War for the World,’ while they’re still available!
https://banned.video/watch?id=6323959d0ba80670042304e2
https://biblehub.com/matthew/18-22.htm
False. NARA has possession of Obama’s records. Not Obama.
“is there hope for the US electorate? Perhaps, as S. Myers would argue, they are all bipolar just like Ann Coulter?”
Estovir, try and get it right. I said that sometimes Ann Coulter sounded bipolar and hyperbolic. I didn’t extend that description to anyone else.
“NB to Trump: S. Myers will always be your BFF”
Wrong again, Estovir. I will support Trump’s leadership just like I would support DeSantis’s leadership because I believe they have both done right while in office. This has nothing to do with friendship or anything of that nature. That brings us to the question if the candidates for 2024 are Biden v. Trump, are you voting for Biden?
And yet a “The Hill” poll this week says
52% think the FBI was on a fishing expedition
58% want a special master and only 42% trust the FBI.
We can trade polls forever.
Trump is still leading Biden for 2024.
The election is a long way off, but that is where things stand NOW.
Purportedly Democrats have held back the red wave – or so says the news,
Except that as of this week RCP has Republicans set to pick up 2 seats in the senate – maybe 3,
Pick up 5 governorships. and take the house by 30+ seats.
And the polls tend to improve for the out of office party in the home stretch.
Of course this year could be different
The social media are of the democratic party is working hard to assure that NOTHING harmful to democrats gets attention and everything harmful to republicans does.
And yet still things are not going your way.
Jonathan: You almost staked your reputation on Barr’s appointment of John Durham to look into the origins of the FBI’s Trump/Russia case. The probe was not one that should have been conducted by a federal prosecutor. And Barr’s public comments on Durham’s investigation violated DOJ rules. The investigation was a political witch hunt from the get go! At the early stages Durham’s review wasn’t even a criminal probe so Durham lacked even subpoena power. Barr allowed the DOJ to be used in Trump’s attempt to get back at his political enemies. In October 2019 Durham’s charge was expanded into a criminal investigation. In April 2020 Barr announced that Durham “is looking to bring to justice people who are engaged in abuses if he can show that they were criminal violations”. Barr pushed the “Russiagate” probe because he thought it would prove Trump innocent, former special counsel Robert Mueller would be exposed as a fraud and Democrats like Hillary Clinton would end up in jail. Durham’s investigation is ending in a whimper. And what does Durham have to show for his three year investigation?
The grand jury Durham convened handed up just 3 indictments. One ended in a plea agreement and the Igor Danchenko case is going to trial, a minor player. The indictment of Michael Sussman collapsed by its own weight and Sussman was found not guilty. None of the indictments came close to accusing anybody in the upper echelons of power as many MAGA supporters, Trump and you predicted.
Speaking of your good friend Bill Barr, he is on a rehabilitation tour. To his credit Barr has called Trump’s claim of massive voter fraud as “bulls**t”. And he has defended AG Garland’s investigation of Trump’s crimes. But for almost all his tenure Barr defended Trump’s authoritarian agenda–that now threatens our Democracy. Have you read Geoffrey Berman’s new book “Holding the Line”? It paints Barr as a bully. Berman details how he clashed with Barr over the prosecution of Michael Cohen and Berman’s investigation of Halkband concerning Turkish bankers close ties to Turkish Pres. Erdogen. At the time Trump and Erdogen were close allies. Berman says Barr was “always eager to please his boss, appeared to doing Trump’s bidding”–trying to bully Berman into dropping charges.
It must be awkward having lunch with Bill Barr these days. Probably won’t talk about Berman’s book or Barr’s defense of the DOJ’s criminal investigation of Trump. Well, there’s always the weather.
RE:”Barr pushed the “Russiagate” probe because he thought it would prove Trump innocent, former special counsel Robert Mueller would be exposed as a fraud and Democrats like Hillary Clinton would end up in jail. Durham’s investigation is ending in a whimper.” The fat lady has yet to sing in all this and your screen writing is as bad as Adam Schiff’s.
Are you actually trying to argue that The Conduct of the DOJ/FBI was acceptable ?
Lets make this really easy for you.
Either accept that the conduct of the DOJ/FBI was immoral, unethical and illegal,
Or expect that When Republicans control DOJ/FBI in 2024 they will fire or demote all these partisan hacks and replace them with MAGA Partisan Hacks who will do to democrats what Democrats have been doing with DOJ/FBI since Obama was elected.
I would prefer that we followed the rule of law that has been in place sometimes imperfectly for centuries. But if the DOJ/FBI and the rest of government are to be polit9ical tools for the party in power – then so be it.
Republicans are entitled to do the same.
Durham has done an excellent job of exposing the corruption of DOJ/FBI.
Anyone who does not grasp that the entire collusion delusion was a hoax from day one, that the FBI and DOJ (and CIA) new that Clinton was behind it, and that it was all made up garbage is atleast two std dev below normal on an IQ test.
The fundimental problem with Durham and Barr is that they are doing nothing to clean up DOJ/FBI.
Thibault had to be removed for extreme political bias by FBI/DOJ whistle blowers – not Durham.
No one cares about Durham’s prosecution of Clinton Cronies. While Clinton and cronies conduct was dirty politics and unethical, it was legal. Every single “Lying to the FBI prosecution” – whether By Durham or Mueller should have been tossed. Sussman is guilty of knowingly filing a false criminal reports. Something we all understand. Danchenko is a pawn, and probably a russian spy.
So the only campaign with meaningful contact with Russians – was Clinton – she was paying them to make up dirt on Trump.
What is necessary is to clean up/out the DOJ/FBI.
And if we can not do that – then
TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY.
The American branch of the KGB office is now on the 7th floor of the FBI building.
It was moved there from CIA Headquarters in Langley, Va. when Brennan left in 2017.
Lavrentiy Beria, aka Christopher Wray.
Public Enemy Number 1 – APB – Wanted for corruption, usurpation of power, abuse of power under color of authority, conspiracy and abject treason.