Strong Hammer Meet Main Nail
EXTENSIVE UPDATE: Background and retrospective on the
“Steele Dossier” re: Trump-Russian on-going scandal here from Law
Fare (December 14, 2018):
INTRODUCTION IN PART FROM THE TWO LAW
FARE ARTICLE AUTHORS:
The Dossier compiled
by former British
(MI6) intelligence officer Christopher Steele (ABC News: October 10, 2018) remains a
subject of fascination — or, depending on your perspective, scorn.
Indeed, it
was much discussed during former FBI
Director Jim Comey’s testimony in
front of the House Judiciary Committee on December 7, 2017.
It was
published by Buzz Feed News in January 2017. It received significant public
attention, first for its lurid details regarding Donald J. Trump’s
pre-presidential alleged sexual escapades in Russia and later for its role in
forming part of the basis for the government’s application for a FISA warrant to
surveil Carter Page (from NPR, July 23, 2018).
Our interest
(the Law Fare authors) in revisiting
the compilation that has come to be called the “Steele Dossier” concerns
neither of those topics, at least not directly. Rather, we returned to the document because we wondered whether
information made public as a result of the Mueller investigation — and the passage
of two years — has tended to buttress or diminish the crux of Steele’s original
reporting.
The dossier
is actually a series of reports — 16 in all — that total 35 pages. Written in
2016, the dossier is a collection of raw intelligence. Steele neither evaluated
nor synthesized the intelligence.
Steele
neither made nor rendered bottom-line judgments. The dossier is, quite simply
and by design, raw reporting, not a finished intelligence product.
STEELE DOSSIER FACTS:
1. The
Steele DOSSIER is not/was not classified.
2. The
Steele DOSSIER was never used in any classified context.
3. The
Steele DOSSIER was never leaked or hacked.
4. The
Steele DOSSIER was part of a large, at first, GOP opposition
research (oppo) project.
(I Note: Not in any sense was is illegal
to do oppo – it is done all the time by both sides used to gather and smear (if
they choose) a political opponent).
(Further I Note: A conservative publication
(the Washington Free Beacon) said it paid a Washington research firm (Fusion
GPS) (status on that
reported here from The Hill) to start probing Donald Trump's
background (article here
outlines that from Politico).
It was a
move that set in motion a chain of events leading to the explosive dossier
alleging ties between Trump associates and Russia. In a statement, the
Washington Free Beacon said it retained Fusion GPS to provide research on
multiple Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential election.
Two people
familiar with NY hedge fund billionaire
GOP donor Paul Singer (report from Newsweek) said he provided
financial support to the publication. A spokesman for Singer's firm, Elliott Management, did not respond to
requests seeking comment.
The Free
Beacon said its research ended before Fusion GPS hired a former British
intelligence officer, Christopher Steele, to produce a series of reports
alleging links between Russia and those close to Trump. That occurred after the
firm was retained by a lawyer for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and
the DNC).
5. The
Steele DOSSIER has not been 100% verified due to weak, or in some cases,
unverifiable sources and statements.
6. The Steele DOSSIER is extremely personal in
nature and a huge embarrassment to Donald J. Trump in a big political way.
My 2 cents: This story – the Steele dossier – is documentary,
interesting, and politically intriguing, but only a part of the Trump saga.
Related and added (December 15, 2018) this report
from CNN with this headlines: “FBI releases document Intel officials used to brief Trump on dossier.”
Most-interesting is the video once again showing Trump and his standard set of
lies (2:45 minute video) denying as
he always does the facts, the truth, other than his pick and choose version of
course designed and geared to keep his base of support in tow.
Then add this
CNN background report (January
12, 2017) 11:00 video that show what incoming President Trump and then
President Obama were briefed on. Most revealing to put this all into
perspective and counters all that Trump
has said to date about the “phony Hillary-funded dossier.”
How this all comes to a head, will
conclude, I believe in one of two ways: (1) either Trump is impeached and removed from office,
or (2) like Nixon, the heat gets so intense that Trump will resign from office
in total disgrace – for surely he is – to the country and indeed to the free
world at large.
Perhaps he will be labeled the worst in history – a
term he probably will cherish and peddle since he loves being the best,
smartest, most informed, always #1 on top, and above everyone else – wait and
see on that part … it’s just my hunch.
So, stay tuned – this story builds and
changes daily, or so it seems.
Thanks for stopping by.
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