Carter Page and FISA Release: Follow-up With Trump False Narrative Now Attached

Sign Spotted at the White House Leading to Oval Office 

This post is a follow up my earlier post (seen next) that follows this post.

Background on Carter Page from the Washington Post, November 2017: 

Carter Page has spent 25 years burnishing a classic Washington résumé, and it seems to have landed him a classic Washington booby prize: a featured role in a marquee scandal.

Yet, unlike most others caught in this kind of churn, Page keeps putting himself out there:

1.  There's no lawyering-up, no umbrella-wielding fixer shielding him from cameras.

2.  He's been on MSNBC, the Kremlin-funded RT media outlets, “PBS News Hour,” and even on a DC nightlife website in a conversation with a punk rock star.

3.  Most recently he's been in front of Congress for marathon hearings. Check the link above for extensive details.

Related and in typical style and without evidence, Trump claims FISA documents confirm FBI duped the FISA court warrant against Carter – the misconduct story comes from US News here.

Trump (again) claims documents relating to the wiretapping of his onetime campaign adviser Carter Page “confirm with little doubt that intelligence agencies misled the (FISA) court.”

Noteworthy: Lawmakers from both sides say the documents don't show any FBI or FISA wrongdoing. But, don’t try telling that (the truth, the facts, etc. to Trump – would be a waste of breath – he is stuck on mindset and that is stupid).

One of Trump’s webs of deceit, deception, and deflection

More: Visible portions of the heavily redacted documents just released under the FOIA show the FBI telling the court that Page “…has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.” They also told the court that “the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.” The documents were part of officials' application for a warrant to the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance court, which signed off on surveilling Page.

Trump in his routine rant tweeted about the documents: “As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of 'Justice' and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!”

Additionally. This release appears to undercut some of the contentions in a memo prepared by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) earlier this year wherein and some other Republicans said that anti-Trump research in a dossier prepared by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele and paid for by Democrats was used inappropriately to obtain the warrant on Page.

Key: While the documents confirm that the FBI relied, in part, on information from Steele to obtain the initial warrant, they also show how the FBI informed the court of his likely motivation. A page-long footnote in the warrant application lays out the FBI's assessment of Steele's history and the likely interest of his backer, adding that despite the political concern, the bureau believed at least some of his report to be “credible.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the documents detail “just why the FBI was so concerned that Carter Page might be acting as an agent of a foreign power,” adding: It was a solid application and renewals signed by four different judges appointed by three different Republican presidents.” (Schiff ABC This Week).

My 2 cents: Trump once again shows his total ignorance and lack of any basics about much of anything except how to tweet Alex Jones kinds of conspiracy BS.

Never in American history have we seen a president like this – truly amazing and as I’ve said before a sad commentary about those who stand by him and merely say, “Well that’s who he is.” Maybe that is true, it is not what we need.

Thanks or stopping by.