Consider this story: An outgoing president and his top officials are told that there is no evidence of Russian collusion or influence in the national election. The White House then moved to suppress the intelligence assessment and reverse the conclusions, while false claims were leaked to the press.
That is not just a major but a Pulitzer-level story, right?
Apparently not. The legacy media has largely ignored the declassified evidence and possible criminal referral on the Obama administration seeding the Russian collusion narrative just before the first Trump Administration.
It supports allegations in the real Russian conspiracy: the conspiracy to create a false Russian collusion scandal to undermine the election and administration of Donald Trump in 2016.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested last week that intelligence was “manufactured and politicized” despite countervailing conclusions from American intelligence that there was no collusion or influence on the election.
Critics have noted that CBS only covered the story to refute it.
The release of this information is historically significant, as it finally allows the public to see how this effort began with the Clinton campaign and was then actively cultivated by Obama officials.
We previously learned that the Clinton campaign spent millions to create the infamous Steele dossier and then hid their role from the public.
Attorney Marc Elias, the general counsel to the Clinton presidential campaign, pushed the false Alfa Bank conspiracy. (His fellow Perkins Coie partner, Michael Sussmann, was indicted but acquitted in a criminal trial.)
During the campaign, reporters asked about the possible connection to the campaign, but Clinton campaign officials denied any involvement in the Steele Dossier. When journalists discovered after the election that the Clinton campaign hid payments for the Steele dossier as “legal fees” among the $5.6 million paid to Perkins Coie, they met with nothing but shrugs from the Clinton staff.
New York Times reporter Ken Vogel said at the time that Elias denied involvement in the anti-Trump dossier. When Vogel tried to report the story, he said, Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’” Times reporter Maggie Haberman declared, “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.”
Elias was back when John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, was questioned by Congress on the Steele dossier and denied categorically any contractual agreement with Fusion GPS. Sitting beside him was Elias, who reportedly said nothing to correct the misleading information given to Congress.
Not only did Clinton reportedly spent over $10 million on the report, but Obama was briefed that she was going to create a Russian collusion narrative as part of her campaign.
Aware of that Clinton effort, these new documents suggest that Obama and his aides actively sought to affirm the allegations just before Trump’s inauguration. The FBI then ramped up its own efforts despite also being told that the Steele dossier was unreliable and contradicted.
I disagree with the use of the charge of treason being thrown around with this release. Based on this evidence, it would be hard to make a criminal case against Obama, let alone the specific charge of treason. However, there are good-faith allegations raised about prior congressional testimony of key players in the Obama Administration. There may be viable criminal allegations ranging from perjury to obstruction to making false statements to federal investigators.
It is too early to gauge the basis for possible criminal charges. However, the release of this new evidence is both historically and legally significant. There is now a legitimate concern over a conspiracy to create this false narrative to undermine the incoming Administration. It proved successful in derailing the first Trump Administration. By the time the allegations were debunked, much of the first term had been exhausted. That is worthy of investigation and the public has a right to expect transparency on these long withheld documents.
The silence of the legacy media is hardly surprising, given the key role the media played in spreading these false claims. Most media outlets find themselves in an uncomfortable position, having fostered an alleged conspiracy for years. Most reporters are not keen on making a case against themselves in spreading of these false claims.
stop the pretending Jonathan. the “media” is not investigative journalism. it never was.
it is a mouthpiece for the highest bidder.
it really is that simple.
you need to start citing real journalism…because if you continue to report that legacy media isn’t fulfilling its responsibilities…you have completely missed the entire point of the matter. real journalism does exist. it’s just not cable. it’s not paper and legacy print. it is financed by billionaires and foreign ngo’s. it’s not flooded by very stupid people who never could make exciting movies…it is immersed solely in the production of making more ad revenue. and the sponsors CALL THE SHOTS.
legacy media has a name….it’s called horse shit.
God Bless America
“[First,] kill all the lawyers.”
This is a great diversion from the $3.4 trillion of crushing debt added to your children’s national debt load. Who were the fiscal-liberals not living within our budget: Trump, Mike Johnson and Republicans!
Democrats, by contrast, only give tax cuts to the working class and spend less tax money than Republicans. Bill Clinton was the last president to balance the budget. Your kids and grandkids will have to repay Republicans’ borrow & spend liberal policies.
Yes, I remember that the reason Bill Clinton was able to balance the budge was bc of something called the “Contract with America”
Could you imagine a Democrat today that would stand for strong border enforcement, welfare reform, and the crime bill?
Obama and Clinton led a coup where they promptly conceded defeat to Trump and peacefully handed over power. Right.
Obama and Clinton obtained manufactured intelligence that was consistent with prior intelligence assessments. Obama and Clinton obtained manufactured intelligence to defeat Trump. But they made sure the manufactured intelligence fell short of proving any wrongdoing by Trump himself or his campaign. Right.
According to MAGA, the tremendous power of the democrats/liberals/woke is arrayed against them in astounding acts of fraud, fabrication, and wide-spanning carefully orchestrated conspiracies, but they always do so just enough to give MAGA a good challenge but not enough to consistently win. Right.
Donald Trump, possibly the single person that is most hated by woke/liberals/left-leaning democrats, was elected President twice despite felony convictions, civil judgments of sexual assault, and an attack on the peaceful transfer of power that was committed in his name. But woke/liberals/democrats have perpetrated and continue to perpetrate astounding conspiracies to undermine him. Just enough so that he looks bad but not enough to actually stop him from being the most powerful person on the planet. Right.
MAGA, you’re going to have to self-publish this novel. No publisher will sign off on such a nonsensical, contrived story.
Your “nonsensical” comment leaves me not surprised that Democrats have a 19% approval rating according to Qinnipiac and the dying legacy media have not a shred of credibility left.
Trump and his administration have all the power and all the incentive imaginable to prosecute any actual wrongdoing. When prosecutions are either not brought or fail to secure convictions, it won’t matter. Just like eventually the failure to convict Abrego Garcia won’t matter. Everything just blows over as the public’s attention is pulled in too many directions over a time period that exceeds their attention span.
“… Not only did Clinton reportedly spent over $10 million on the report, but Obama was briefed that she was going to create a Russian collusion narrative as part of her campaign.
Aware of that Clinton effort, these new documents suggest that Obama and his aides actively sought to affirm the allegations just before Trump’s inauguration. The FBI then ramped up its own efforts despite also being told that the Steele dossier was unreliable and contradicted.
I disagree with the use of the charge of treason being thrown around with this release. Based on this evidence, it would be hard to make a criminal case against Obama, let alone the specific charge of treason. …”
Jonathan, If ‘Subversion’ isn’t the grounds for Treason , than what is?
Hillary Clinton et.al. blatantly set out to ‘Subvert’ the Election with these devices (The Russian Hoax).
AND BY THE WAY, I detest the use of the term “The Russian Hoax”, it was no gag, it was deliberately performed precisely to deceive the Citizens of the Republic.
It was Subversion plain as daylight[.]
If that was an acceptable “Hoax”, then this so called democracy of the United States is a Hoax.
Perhaps you should dedicate a Chapter or two in your up coming book to explain the Hoax of the United States of America.
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Subversion
1. Subversion as a Political/Social Concept:
Definition:
Subversion is the act of undermining or overthrowing something, such as a government, law, or established social order. It can also involve corrupting or morally weakening someone or something.
Etymology:
The word “subversion” comes from the Latin “subvertere,” meaning “to turn from below”.
Examples:
This can include activities that secretly try to destabilize or destroy a system.
Synonyms:
Words like “subversive,” “seditious,” and “treacherous” can be used to describe actions or individuals involved in subversion.
Where’s your legal definition for high treason? It’s treason undoubtedly, an orchestrated effort to subvert a duly elected president from performing his duties without delay or disruption.
You’ll find the definition for treason against the United States in the Constitution.
This is the definition of treason given in the Constitution.
“Article III, Section 3, Clause 1:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”
While it is obvious that Obama, Brennan and Comey engaged in a conspiracy to hamstring Trump during his first term, it is also obvious that they did not commit treason as per the definition in the Constitution.
Amazing, how long it takes for the extreme-leftist “conspiracy theorists” to catch up to FACTS. Most of us knew all the names and facts of the Fusion GPS- Steele Dossier, early on: i.e., CROSSFIRE HURRICANE.
Here’s a little something for you, Gigi! —>
“Newly Declassified FBI Document Proves Fusion GPS Contractor Nellie Ohr Lied To Congress About Contributions To Crossfire Hurricane, Despite providing Demonstrably false information to Congress, Nellie Ohr was never held accountable for contributing to the FBI and DOJ’s Trump-Russia hoax” https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/newly-declassified-fbi-document-proves-fusion-gps-contractor-nellie-ohr-lied-to-congress-about-contributions-to-crossfire-hurricane
Why does everyone keep ignoring the fact that I have receipts proving Barack Obama has been using a stolen Connecticut Social Security number since his mid-20s. It even appears on his 2009 tax filing during his presidency. What is wrong with everyone in a position of power that they are ignoring what I have proven for the past sixteen years?
“ignoring what I have proven”
You have cites and links to provide to us?
This will take some legal gymnastics, I’m sure, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions: could the Democrat Party be declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization? Put them on the FTO list, and a whole bunch of new tools for defenestration become available – seizing of assets, rendition to Gitmo, etc. The fate of the nation depends on getting the arsonists out of the house…then putting out the fires get a lot easier.
We need to quietly and calmly prosecute the perpetrators. We don’t need the legacy media to bless the process. We just need to get it done. After 10 years not one person has been held accountable for these crimes.
No one held accountable partly because the GOP forgot how to fight. The strongest guy is 91 yrs old, the rest are just having hearings so they can get tv time and make us think something is really happening. I nominate Gen Michael Flynn to head a task force to shine a huge searchlight up the collective a**es of these traitors and show us the results. No members of congress writing letter after letter that gets laughed out of the offices of Garland and Mayorkas. This requires someone who is a warrior and knows how to finish a task, not a bunch of whiners who just want to be re-elected. As for quietly and calmly doing this, I’d rather see it on Pay-Per-View every night.
I’d consider it treason, but he’s black so he won’t be held to human standards.
It may not be “treason,” but it certainly fits “election denier!” And we still don’t know what happened to that chef….
It isn’t treason. Treason is defined in the Constitution. This is the exact language: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”
Obama, Brennan, Comey and Clapper falsified intelligence conclusions by edict, then leaked fraudulent intel to the public. They duped a significant portion of the public, intending to turn as many as possible against the President we elected.
I took the time to read Prof. Turley’s “The Indispensable Right”, and am most unsatisfied with his presumed position that government officials are free under the 1st Amendment to deliberately dupe the American people. From everything I can piece together from Turley’s book and daily articles, he believe the most we can do as citizens is:
1) remain in the dark while waiting years for the truth to come out
2) vote while still being denied the truth
2) once the fraud is unmasked (if given the chance), vote against the perpetrators
3) indignantly kvethch after it’s too late to matter — bad info is refuted by good info (Justice Brandeis’ 100-year-old idea)
In other words, Turley thinks the 1st Amendment allows the powerful in govt. to wage deceitful infowarfare on the American people — to advance their own political power and objectives.
For a Constitutional “expert” to put We The People in such a powerless position to counter political falsehoods waged in realtime against us from inside our government? You be the judge. I think we deserve better.
“I think we deserve better”
I think I deserve to be a billionaire. What you or I might think we “deserve” from government is irrelevant. That is an argument for government by plebiscite. What is relevant is what means of redress is provided to us by the framers of the Constitution, which is, in this case, in turn contingent on what speech protections those framers intended 1A to provide to public officials, as compared to the rest of us. I have seen no credible argument or evidence that they intended to differentiate between the two groups. Whether I like that, or think it was in retrospect a good idea (I tend to the negative on those questions) is, again, irrelevant. There *is* an established provision for making changes to basic protections afforded by the Constitution: the Amendment process. I could support a call for a Constitutional Convention at this point. What I cannot support is any attempt at opportunistic “flexible interpretation” to pacify those who perceive that they are victims of injustices, We have been down that road before, and it leads to social deterioration, not improvement.
I agree about the importance of upholding Article V. But I don’t see that the Constitution prohibits civil lawsuits as a means to challenge public frauds. This is the moral-legal basis for defamation lawsuits — which have been the “tool of choice” for challenging public falsehoods ever since Hamilton’s demise soured people on dueling as the deterrent.
Trump follows his heart, but doesn’t think systematically about the law. He supports prosecuting Obama-Brennan for what is incontrovertable — they cooked up falsified intel reports, and leaked them to the press, in order to turn the public against Trump. This is deceitful infowarfare. (It doesn’t rise to the level of treason).
The 1st Amendment forbids the President, AG and DoJ from policing the infospace for political falsehoods. That power rests with us, the citizens. We can decide to bring lawsuits for defamation. We can have a jury, (not a law enforcement official appointed by the President) sort out fact from artful fiction. Does freedom of speech go so far as protecting an elective officer from concocting and pushing out a fabrication meant to dupe the citizenry?… for political advantage?
If the Constitution allows defamation suits as a legal consequence for pushing out a whopper, then Public Frauds are a simple extension to the case where manipulation via deceit for political gain the tort.
What do you think?
False narratives & unreliable narrators… Today, the MSM has reported that the Israelis are starving the people in Gaza to death and are, thus, engaged in genocide. There was no mention at all whatsoever of the Israeli Hostages the Gazans are still holding captive. So, it is hard to stay well-informed.
Ask Turley if the 2nd amendment is a remedy for the powerless position we’re in…
(Is) “the 2nd amendment is a remedy for the powerless position we’re in…”
It was intended to be just that. Unfortunately, our wannabe elitist masters have understood that for a long time, and effectively reduced (possibly eliminated) that capability by means of incrementally encroaching on which weapons ordinary citizens (the militia) are allowed to own, and the circumstances under which they may bear those weapons. 2A was intended to be a check and an implicit real threat against overbearing government, not the token right into which it has largely deteriorated. Those wannabe masters were greatly aided in their efforts by alleged “gun rights” organizations like the NRA, which pretended for decades that the 2nd was primarily concerned with hunting (among other diversionary tactics).
Bob Lawblaw: you don’t have a law blog.
Any secret program could take 50-100 years before anyone – including intel agencies – actually know what really happened. Sometimes after 50-100 years, after witnesses die or aren’t available, they write the history however they please.
Nobody should jump to conclusions, it’s likely nobody knows what’s really going on.
Hence why we have no data on JFK or MLK, until very recently. it’s been long enough that TPTB can write whatever they want, and we can’t do anything but accept it.
Both World Wars, the concentration camps, the Liberty, the Maine, Indians and Chris Columbus, the list goes on.
Rabble
That’s not what happened in this case. Obama, Brennan, Comey, Clapper had intelligence that they chose to suppress, and by edict replace with a fraudulent intel product, leaked to the press.
With the sole purpose for destroying a duly elected president and his platform. Conspiratorial high Treason
Bondi must declare the ongoing conspiracy, indict in Florida and make arrests expeditiously.
Bondi needs a face lift and to get her roots done.
Obama got his roots done, he’s Irish! The ear tuck didn’t work…
Not quite that simple. This stuff is super messy.
For example:
In the 1980’s, before the internet and computers were used by the general public. You could have an innocent high school kid that dates the daughter of an undercover cop or federal official.
No law breaking takes place but the boy breaks up with the daughter, then the dirty cop or dirty federal official illegally blacklists their daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Fast forward to 2001: Bush officials and Congress create federal “Preemption & Prevention Grants” – an Orwellian program that tried to prevent future crimes. Billions of our federal tax dollars created state operated, federally funded “Fusion Centers” (unconstitutional blacklisting centers).
Apparently after 9/11, state and local officials uploaded “suspicious” persons from as far back as the 1980’s – including the ex-boyfriends of the daughter of police officers and/or federal officials.
So the Bush Administration uploaded the 1980’s cop’s daughter’s ex-boyfriend onto 9/11 Terrorist Watchlists calling them the “worst-of-the-worst” allied with Osama Bin Laden and suicidal terrorists. No actual crime ever committed by the teenage boy.
For at least the past 20 years, these innocent Americans have been totally defamed within their local communities, state police, federal officials and even INTERPOL when traveling – for the crime of dating the cop’s daughter 40+ years ago.
Yes the 1980’s dirty cop/official is partly responsible, but it’s unlikely anyone could have predicted the invention of the internet decades later and 21st Century presidents betraying American values to that extent.
What’s needed right now more than anything is first official apologies from Pam Bondi to repair employment histories and repair defamation. Financial compensation would be appropriate in some cases.
“… Wake up. The propaganda campaigns will end when The People have the legal power to challenge them instantly when pushed out. Public Frauds lawsuits equipped with lightning-fast due process is the tool that will work.
If we had Public Frauds lawsuits, the falsified intel conclusion leaked to the press by Brennan could have been sued within hours, and the documents proving its falsehood legally obtained within days (rather than 9 years later!). Think about the effect of that as a deterrent.”
Thank you Pbinca,
Ditto your sentiment, One can hope that Utopian law in such regard as you described will come to light.
It’s exactly a step in the right direction.
We may not have legal power to challenge, but we have the next best thing: instant data transmission, collaboration, and the Court of the Public. When wielded effectively, it is a greater force than anything a government power can muster.
Greatest example, J6. They thought they had the power against everyone, but the collaboration happened too fast for them to respond, and we kept pushing until we knew TPTB was corrupt to all hell.
-Rabble
Another example, Biden’s health. TPTB has power over MSM, whose rapid news cycle led them to believe they had power to prevent anyone from connecting dots through obfuscation. Unfortunately, they still refuse to understand that the internet is forever, and keen eyes started collaborating all of Biden’s slip-ups, blank stares, falls, calls on dead people, weird stories, etc. until anyone that wanted to look saw nothing but a puppet on frayed strings, installed by a fake American.
Bottom line: The ones publicly in charge still think we are operating on 1970’s pre-internet rules, not understanding that the public has it’s own power now.
-Rabble
Even the best investigative reporters (Taibbi, Shellenberger) lack the tools to break through the veil of secrecy needed to expose officials engaged in deceitful infowarfare. What I’m proposing is that they can file a Public Frauds lawsuit, and obtain the powers of compelled deposition under oath, and subpoena of documents and emails. Why do you label that “utopian”? It’s the way liars who defame others have been deterred since our founding (well, at least after 1804 when dueling was ended after Hamilton’s death).
Wonder if Tulsi Gabbard and Pam Bondi are aware of the federal false-imprisonment program near Richmond, Virginia?
None of the blacklisted prisoners have ever seen a judge or jury.
The U.S. Department of Justice was created as a check & balance on states like Virginia, where the state Attorney General and state government were derelict in protecting constitutional rights. That’s Pam Bondi’s top job.
Rabble
This whole shebang is honestly crazy enough to be a Tom Clancy story, but instead, it’s real life.
We can only hope we have a good ending to it.
How about a concise statement of the wrongdoing? Obama, Rice, Brennan, Comey and Clapper “mickeyed” (falsified) intelligence reports, and then leaked them to the press. This was done for political reasons, to turn the public against the incoming, elected President, and consequent desired effects of ginning up misplaced distrust.
Was what they did illegal? “Defrauding the United States” has been interpreted narrowly as someone outside govt. defrauding the govt. for self-interest — like Volkswagon defrauding the EPA by mickeying exhaust emission test software. But, what these shysters did is defrauding The People of the United States — for political self-interest.
Is that illegal?
It should be. We have work to do, because, as the law stands now, a President (or candidate) can defraud the public.
The President can use sympathetic actors inside government and media to dupe the public. They have done it time and again — to tilt elections, to cover-up mistakes and misdeeds, to pass laws, to protect special interests.
What are our options as a free, self-governing people? Politicians who fabricate artful falsehoods believe the 1st Amendment shields them from legal consequences. They know that they can be sued for falsehoods that defame someone, and carefully sidestep defamation while hatching their devious lies.
Defamation civil law shines the pathway toward instituting Public Frauds lawsuits. There is room under the 1st Amendment for ordinary American citizens to sue someone like a President the moment s/he pushes out an attempt to dupe the public. Let’s focus on defining a Public Frauds court and rapid due diligence process. That will make the arrogant, power-seeking, squirrelly politician think twice about using deceptive infowarfare against the American people.