Margot Cleveland Profile picture
Senior Legal Correspondent @FDRLST, Of Counsel @NCLALegal, ~25 yrs 7thCir law clerk, former full-time univ. faculty, Catholic conservative, wife to DH/mom to DS

Jan 24, 2022, 31 tweets

A killer opener in the brief filed by @carterwpage attorney. 1/

2/ Here's the link for anyone wanting to read in its entirety. I'll be adding some points here and if it merits, write up an article later. So stay tuned...storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

3/ BOOM!

4/ Great "closer" to the introduction.

5/ Detail assumed but now confirm: Page helped CIA. Note also CIA told FBI bad actors Page was solid re candor.

6/ Just got Exhibit A off Pacer (not on courtlistener). Great summary of the issues by individual defendants, the 8 being Brian Auten (first I've heard of him-more as I get handle on alleged involvement), Clinesmith, Comey, McCabe, Page, Pientka, Somma, Strzok.)

7/ FN hits point been stressing for years: The damage to @carterwpage was personal and horrible but there was also a damage to our country. Unlike many on right, I am not opposed to FISA warrants & believe necessary to protect our country, this "get Trump" made U.S. less safe.

8/ To Be Continue....DS & DM time....

9/ Interesting, not sure I realized the FISA statute included a criminal provision as well. Statutory language, but includes a defense where a warrant. Wonder how that plays out as in facts here, i.e., could they have been charged criminally under FISA? 🤔

10/ "Aid or abet" interesting and ties to liability.

10/ So, here's the standard for "aiding and abetting".

11/ How did Comey allegedly aid and abet? Comey had info re Page.

12/ McCabe: Boom. Another killer line!

13/ So was Clinesmith that lawyer too? Great Question. And didn't know Clinesmith while altering email re Page was telling Page not to go public with innocence, via lawyer:

14/ Who leaked to press re Page?

15/ OMgosh....this line....perfection!!!

16/ I don't think I had quite put together this sequence of text/emails/timing before. But sure, McCabe & Comey did nothing personal, just signed name....

17/ WHOA is @NatSecLisa the leaker? Comment Ms. Page?

18/ Somma was ...guess whose handler?

19/Stefan Halper....but more on Somma's past professional connections here. thefederalist.com/2020/03/02/lea…

20/ So Somma interviewed Danchencko. (Probably knew that). Makes me want to re-read indictment of Danchencko...also makes me wonder what Somma told Special Counsel Durham.

21/ Page's response to Somma's "I did nothing wrong" claim:

22/ I don't recall ever seeing Brian Auten's name before. What's the best coverage on him previously? Was there any?

23/ So that's what Auten did. Steele's past reporting had been "corroborated and used in criminal proceedings..." RIGHT.

24/ CIA knew Steele "dossier" was bunk...so should have Auten per the filing.

25/ Auten also interviewed Danchenko...which means that Durham interviewed Auten....so much to still come out from Special Counsel's office.

26/ A great capstone paragraph on Defendants' attempt to avoid liability:

27/ Great point re Clinesmith: Until the complaint against Clinesmith, we didn't know who was responsible or really the complete details. What else is unknown at this time? Page is entitled to discovery!

28/ No, you losers who caused the illegal FISA warrant to issue cannot rely on that warrant to avoid liability, Page's legal team argues.

29/ Weedy argument for lawyers. Interesting. Not sure how it pans out, but interesting.

30/30 And a PERFECT closing line for the entire brief, signed by @McAdooGordon on behalf of Page's legal team. More in coming days of thoughts.

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