Thread by @The_War_Economy

"Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation".

476 pages.

justice.gov/storage/120919…

People interviewed included James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Sally Yates, Rod Rosenstein, Dana Boente, Andrew McCabe, James Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele.

Glenn Simpson and Jonathan Winer "declined our requests for voluntary interviews..."

Thread I did last year about Jonathan Winer:

https://twitter.com/The_War_Economy/status/959575840790056961

"However, because the activities of other agencies are outside our jurisdiction, we did not seek to obtain records from them that the FBI never received or reviewed" although State Department records related to Steele were read.

Focus on Carter Page FISA.

Australia is referred to as a "Friendly Foreign Government (FFG)". It is noted that FBI were looking into Russia / WikiLeaks connections in July 2016. Claims that officials were unaware of Steele's reports until "weeks later".

"... the Crossfire Hurricane team opened individual cases in August 2016 on four U.S. persons - Papadopoulos, Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn..."

Priestap stated that the WikiLeaks investigation and the Australia information gave them an "obligation" to investigate.

Priestap also explicitly states no defensive briefing about the investigation was given to the Trump campaign.

Lisa Page was not involved in decision to open Crossfire Hurricane. However, Strzok was.

Priestap was the one who officially chose to open Crossfire Hurricane after speaking with McCabe (FBI Deputy Director), Baker (FBI General Counsel) and an FBI Deputy General Counsel.

This was after "multiple days of discussion".

"... the Crossfire Hurricane team used more intrusive techniques, including CHSs to interact and consensually record multiple conversations with Page and Papadopoulos, both before and after they were working for the Trump campaign..."

After opening the Carter Page investigation in August 2016, Crossfire Hurricane team discussed opening a FISA.

FBI abandoned their decision to get a FISA... until they got Steele's reports on September 19.

"... the Crossfire Hurricane team failed to inform Department officials of significant information that was available to the team at the time that the FISA applications were drafted and filed. Much of that information was inconsistent with, or undercut, the assertions..."

Dates of Carter Page's FISA and its renewals are redacted.

"We determined that the Crossfire Hurricane team's receipt of Steele's election reporting on September 19, 2016 played a central and essential role in the FBI's and Department's decision to seek the FISA order."

Zero FISAs on Manafort, Flynn or Papadopoulos.

The four Steele report claims that were used as part of Carter Page's FISA application.

"We further determined that FBI officials at every level concurred with this judgment, from the OGC attorneys assigned to the investigation to senior CD officials, then General Counsel James Baker, then Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and then Director James Corney."

"... the Woods Procedures require only that the agent verify, with supporting documentation, that the application accurately reflects what the CHS told the FBI..."

"The procedures do not require that the agent corroborate..."

Stuart Evans responsible for the "Candidate #1" footnote on the FISA.

Steele's sub-source, "Person 1", was described by Steele as a "boaster" and an "egoist" and "may engage in some embellishment". This was omitted from the FISA request.

Papadopoulos's comments to Halper that he was not collaborating with Russia / WikiLeaks were omitted from FISA request.

Carter Page saying that he had never met Paul Manafort when recorded in August 2016 was also omitted.

"This representation, however, was contrary to information that the other agency had provided to the FBI in August 2016, which stated that Page was approved as an "operational contact" of the other agency from 2008 to 2013 (after Page had left Moscow)."

Steele reports discussed in the Deputies Meetings.

"We also found that the FBI's interviews of Steele, his primary subsource, a second subsource, and other investigative activity, revealed potentially serious problems with Steele's descriptions of information in his reports."

Mentions January 2017 FBI interview.

As a reminder, the primary subsource interview happened after January 13, 2017.

abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump…

"We were told by the Supervisory Intel Analyst that, as of September 2017, the FBI had corroborated limited information in the Steele election reporting, and much of that was publicly available information."

Try telling that to CNN. Article done February 10, 2017.

From the first FISA request to the 3 renewals, the amount of mistakes increases from 7 to 17.

Steele's primary subsource directly refuted Steele in the January 2017 interview.

Omitted everything about Steele's hatred for Trump and his reports going to the Clinton campaign.

"Fusion GPS employed Nellie Ohr as an independent contractor from October 2015 to September 2016."

Bruce Ohr "committed consequential errors in judgment".

"Between November 16, 2016 and December 15, 2016, Ohr participated in several meetings that were attended, at various times, by some or all of the following individuals: Swartz, Ahmad, Andrew Weissmann (then Section Chief of CRM's Fraud Section), Strzok, and Lisa Page."

Swartz, Ohr, Zainab Ahmad and Weissmann arranged to meet on January 31, 2017, day after Yates fired, and then actually met on February 1, 2017, to discuss "CD related developments".

But then they couldn't tell Horowitz what it was about.

"We identified another CHS that the Crossfire Hurricane team first learned about in 2017..."

There was a CHS focused on Page and Manafort but had minimal involvement in the investigation.

For the record, I just searched for the word "Dragon" and got nothing.

"The FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane as an umbrella counterintelligence investigation, without identifying any specific subjects or targets."

Oh, that's convenient.

Dates:

* August 10, 2016, team assembled.
* August 16, 2016, 4th case, the Flynn case, opened.

August 16 was the day the Flynn case was opened.

On August 17, 2016, Flynn attended a classified intelligence briefing at FBI's New York Field Office, hosted by ODNI, with Trump and Chris Christie.

medium.com/@the_war_econo…

"... send names of, among others, individuals associated with the Trump campaign to other U.S. government intelligence agencies for any further information..."

Undercover Employees (UCEs) used alongside Confidential Human Sources.

Azra Turk incoming?

Crossfire Hurricane Supervisor was involved in the August 17 briefing with Flynn, Trump and Christie, the day after all 4 cases were fully opened.

Briefing used to "collect information" for CH and Flynn investigations.

Kept notes on Trump briefing, no notes on Clinton brief.

Take a wild guess which briefing between Trump and Clinton's was then promptly leaked to the media.

"What Really Happened at Donald Trump's Intelligence Briefing", September 8, NBC exclusive.

Ken Dilanian, Robert Windrem, William Arkin

nbcnews.com/politics/2016-…

Steele "fired" on November 17, 2016.

"We didn't know nothing bout nobody" in relation to Bruce Ohr.

This part is presumably Kevin Clinesmith directly lying about Carter Page's association with "the other agency" and then editing the email to back himself up prior to the final renewal.

DOJ'S NSD had the gall to send a letter to FISC on July 12, 2018 saying that there were factual omissions from Carter Page FISA but "applications contained sufficient information to support FISC's earlier probable cause findings."

"In our review, we identified an FBI CHS who, months after the presidential campaign was concluded, [REDACTED] to the FBI, without being tasked by the FBI to gather information, or directed by the FBI to participate in the campaign."

July 28, 2016 was the day of the Australia information.

So they opened Crossfire Hurricane three days later with no targets in mind based on it.

Australia information was actually on July 26, 2016, where FFG official spoke with US Government official, but presumably this information then took 2 days to reach FBI.

July 27, 2016 has USG Official speak with FBI's Legal Attache to provide with Australia information.

Legat spoke with Assistant Special Agent In Charge of Philadelphia Field Office.

Trisha Anderson found the Australia information "really disturbing" and then briefed, alongside Priestap, McCabe on July 28.

"[McCabe] said that based on the FFG information, the FBI did not know if any member of the campaign was coordinating with Russia" and that's why the FBI didn't do a defensive briefing for Trump.

Oh.

August 10 was the opening of the FARA cases on Carter Page, Manafort and Papadopoulos, but the Flynn case opened on August 16.

Each had a code name.

New York FBI wanted to open a case on Carter Page back on March 2, 2016.

On April 1, 2016, Counterespionage Section e-mailed New York Field Office CI Supervisor to open a [REDACTED] investigation on Carter Page.

New York Field Office opened a counterintelligence [REDACTED] investigation into Carter Page on April 6, 2016.

Comey was kept informed of the progress of Crossfire Hurricane.

Comey received Crossfire Hurricane briefings every 2 - 4 weeks after August 15, 2016, but McCabe has said he may have been briefed about the Australia information on July 29, 2016.

Mary McCord receiving briefings on Crossfire Hurricane.

After first Carter Page FISA application for approval, Comey told Yates about the Australia information.

McCabe's notes suggest Yates became aware of Australia information on August 10, 2016.

Boente asked for and received a briefing on Crossfire Hurricane on February 16, 2017 after reading the ICA.

Boente also pushed for more coordination and speed for Crossfire Hurricane by having the ODAG staff attend weekly / biweekly meetings with NSD.

Boente's final Crossfire Hurricane briefing was on April 26, 2017.

"Rosenstein said he did also did not recall the details of what was explained to him about the predication for opening the Crossfire Hurricane investigation."

Shocker.

Rosenstein also briefed 3 times on Crossfire Hurricane in initial 2 weeks of appointment.

Section about "POTUS wants to know everything we are doing".

Strzok attributes it to the Russian interference investigation rather than Crossfire Hurricane.

"The FBI did not use national security letters or compulsory process prior to obtaining the first FISA orders."

Comey told Clapper on December 17, 2016 that he wanted to include Steele reporting with the ICA.

Ritz Carlton allegation disputed by primary sub-source.

Primary sub-source's conversation with "Source E".

Primary sub-source was interviewed again at the beginning of March 2017.

"The primary sub-source also informed WFO Agent 1 that Steele tasked him/her after the 2016 US elections to find corroboration for the election reporting and that the primary sub-source could find none."

Oh.

FBI apparently worked out primary sub-source identity without Steele telling them.