The FBI dismissed Steele as a source but kept using him anyway
Byron York has been one of the reporters who has repeatedly taken on the difficult task of delving into the details of the Russia-Trump-collusion investigation by the FBI. What he finds usually isn’t pretty.
And this is no exception:
Because he had broken his agreement with the FBI, bureau procedure did not allow agents to keep using Steele as a source. But they did so anyway — by devising a system in which Steele spoke regularly with Bruce Ohr, a top Obama Justice Department official whose wife worked for Fusion GPS, which hired Steele to search for dirt on Donald Trump in Russia. Ohr then passed on Steele’s information to the FBI.
In a highly unusual arrangement, Ohr, who was the fourth-highest ranking official in the Justice Department, acted as an intermediary for a terminated source for the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe. His task was to deliver to the FBI what Steele told him, which effectively meant the bureau kept Steele as a source.
Agents made a record of each time Ohr gave the bureau information from Steele. Those records are in the form of so-called 302 reports, in which the FBI agents write up notes of interviews during an investigation.
There are a dozen 302 reports on FBI post-election interviews of Ohr…
Congressional investigators have read the Ohr-Steele 302s. But the FBI has kept them under tight control, insisting they remain classified and limiting access to a few lawmakers and staff. Congress is not allowed to physically possess copies of any of the documents.
York quotes the House Intelligence Committee memo on another especially salient point connected with this:
…[I]n September 2016, Steele admitted to Ohr his feelings against then-candidate Trump when Steele said he “was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.” This clear evidence of Steele’s bias was recorded by Ohr at the time and subsequently in official FBI files — but not reflected in any of the Page FISA applications.
This would be shocking if we retained any ability to be shocked by the duplicitous machinations of the FBI in this matter.
The thing that strikes me as I read that—and it’s not the first time I’ve had the thought—is that, if the Democrats take control of the House in 2018 as often predicted, this investigation will cease. Of course, at least half the country isn’t paying attention anyway, or is paying some attention but doesn’t care, or thinks what the FBI did is just great because Trump has to be taken out one way or another, even if we have to “cut a great road through the law to get after the devil”—the devil known as Donald Trump.
“…by devising a system in which Steele spoke regularly with Bruce Ohr, a top Obama Justice Department official whose wife worked for Fusion GPS, which hired Steele to search for dirt on Donald Trump in Russia.”
DOJ.
I.e., Lynch.
I.e., Obama.
However, “…the duplicitous machinations of the FBI in this matter.”
Yes, OK, the FBI. Fine.
But why is the DOJ gettng a pass here?
The whole thing absolutely reeks.
Barry Meislin:
The DOJ is in charge of the FBI. When you criticize the FBI the DOJ is included. The FBI was more active in the investigation, but the DOJ was certainly involved. Ohr was in the DOJ. But it was apparently the FBI that submitted the FISA document being criticized there.
Both the FBI and the DOJ are heavily involved in duplicity, however.
This all leads back to the messiah, the buck stopped there.
If only we had an Attorney-General….
Barry Meislin wrote:
The whole thing absolutely reeks.
Yeah, to put it mildly.
What we have here is an attempt to nullify the result of the last presidential election, with the FBI, DOJ, MSM and the political left all working together to stop Trump’s election and prevent implementation of policies desired by half or more of Americans. That is, to negate democracy itself.
Having failed at that, the effort continues by trying to discredit Trump and his agenda, while bogging down the president with constant harassment by the media and Mueller’s bogus “investigation” — again, neutralizing policies desired by large portions of the public.
This thing is much, much worse than Watergate, yet the MSM, deep state and the left may succeed in downplaying it, stonewalling it to death and sweeping the whole stinking mess under the carpet.
If they achieve that, say farewell to the once-great USA and hello to The Banana Republic of America, featuring two or more tiers of “justice” (depending on your identity group and who you know), phony, rigged elections, criminalization of “wrong” ideas (political and otherwise), and the inexorable march of loony leftist policies that will bankrupt and destroy what remains of the nation.
This historic, vile scandal must not be allowed to just fade away, tossed down the memory hole and vanished — as the left desires.
None of this is surprising to me. I’ve seen signs of it since 2007, especially when former FBI directors have briefed me on certain issues.
I’d imagine that, for a lot of people who are paying attention, Obama & Co. have finally managed to destroy the reputation of the DOJ and FBI, and–if these law enforcement organizations ever were really “trusted,” ** they are no longer.
There have been hundreds of substantial leaks coming from within our government, all directed at taking Trump and his presidency down.
But, we have not seen any comparable leaks out of the DOJ and FBI about the conduct of their top leadership and their many and various unethical and illegal actions, as exposed by Judicial Watch FOIA requests and various Congressional investigations.
Some high ranking retired FBI officials have pontificated on TV that this is because of the iron clad rule that extremely loyal and professional employees of those organizations do not leak.
I would argue that is is much more likely that there are no leaks because a likely large majority of rank and file employees actually agree with the aim of taking down Trump, and are willing to wink at whatever illegal means are used to get ‘er done.
** See Waco, see Ruby Ridge, see TWA 800, see the recent, just concluded Las Vegas massacre “investigation,” etc.
Another headlne, and more accurate, would be: Steele Broke His Agreement With the FBI but the FBI Thought What He Knew Was More Important Than Their Rules. Note: no Constitutional Crisis because it’s about rules.
What does bite my ass is low-level flunkeys in the Executive Branch telling Congress what they can or cannot know. If the branches are equal, then the flunkeys need to fired because they think their branch has more power…Okay, maybe the President needs to understand that he world doesn’t revolve around him. Any president.,