Thread by @EpochTimes

The focus of the #IGReport was #FISAabuse the IG identified “at least 17 significant errors or omissions” in the #FISA warrant used to spy on @CarterWPage.

(Thread👇) theepochtimes.com/key-findings-o…

Although many media organizations are trying to focus on the IG’s finding that the @FBI was within its rights in opening the initial counterintelligence investigation, it should be noted that this was not the focus of the IG’s investigation.

However, Horowitz did note that he had material concerns about the @FBI’s legal ability to open an investigation into the campaign of a presidential candidate:

The #IGReport highlighted several different areas of misconduct and identified a number of errors.

@FBI Error #1
#IGHorowitz noted @FBI omitted info that detailed work that @CarterWPage had previously done for another US gov agency.

This is likely relating to the case of convicted Russian spy Evgeny Buyrakov in which Page had provided evidence against Buryakov.

The #IGReport noted “omitted information the FBI had obtained from another U.S. government agency detailing its prior relationship with Page, including that Page had been approved as an ‘operational contact’ for the other agency from 2008 to 2013.”

The #FISAReport added that “Page had provided information to the other agency concerning his prior contacts with certain Russian intelligence officers, one of which overlapped with facts asserted in the FISA application.”

Error #2

@FBI mischaracterized #ChristopherSteele’s prior work for the #DOJ in the #FISA application.

According to the report, this “included a source characterization statement asserting Steele’s prior reporting had been ‘corroborated and used in criminal proceedings,’ which…

…overstated the significance of Steele’s past reporting and was not approved by Steele’s handling agent, as required by Woods procedures.”

Error #3

The @FBI did not inform the #FISA Court of certain material concerns regarding a key source that #Steele used for his #SteeleDossier:

The report noted “omitted information relevant to the reliability of Person 1, a key Steele sub-source.”

#Steele had himself told investigating members of the @FBI’s #CrossfireHurricane team that Person 1 was a “boaster” and an “egoist” and “may engage in some embellishment.”

There is also a second concern in relation to this source but it is fully redacted in the #IGReport.

@FBI Error #4

The @FBI used a Sept. 23, 2016, article by @YahooNews reporter Michael @Isikoff as corroboration of #Steele’s reporting. The #FBI failed to inform the #FISA Court that Steele was actually the source for Isikoff’s article.

@FBI @YahooNews @Isikoff Error #5

The @FBI failed to provide the #FISA Court with a statement by @GeorgePapa19 to a confidential human source (CHS) in September 2016—presumably #FBI informant #StefanHalper—in which #Papadopoulos denied that anyone from the Trump campaign was collaborating with #Russia.

@FBI @YahooNews @Isikoff @GeorgePapa19 Error #6

The @FBI also omitted a statement from @CarterWPage denying he ever met former Trump Campaign manager #PaulManafort.

This denial was important as #Steele claimed that Page was acting as an intermediary to #Russia on behalf of #Manafort:

@FBI @YahooNews @Isikoff @GeorgePapa19 @carterwpage The @FBI “cherry-picked” statements made by @CarterWPage to their CHS that served to support obtaining a #FISA on Page while at the same time excluding statements from Page that were not supportive of such an action.

@FBI @YahooNews @Isikoff @GeorgePapa19 @carterwpage #IGHorowitz noted that “none of these inaccuracies and omissions were brought to the attention of OI before the last FISA application was filed in June 2017.”

“Consequently, these failures were repeated in all three renewal applications.”

@FBI @YahooNews @Isikoff @GeorgePapa19 @carterwpage There were also 10 significant errors in the 3 @CarterWPage #FISA renewals

Error #1

All of #Steele’s sourcing for his #SteeleDossier came from 2nd- and 3rd-hand sources.

The @FBI presented #Steele’s Primary sub-source as being credible to the #FISA Court but omitted statements and info that called the source’s credibility into question.

The #IGReport found:

@FBI Error #2

As noted, @FBI failed to inform the #FISA Court of @CarterWPage’s “prior relationship with another US government agency, despite being reminded by the other agency…prior to the filing of the final renewal application, about Page’s past status with that agency.”

Error #3

@FBI presented #Steele as a former intelligence official whose work was held in high standing by not only the FBI but also other gov depts.

But #FBI failed to provide the #FISA Court with available information that was derogatory or unflattering regarding Steele.

Specifically, @FBI omitted info from persons who previously had professional contacts with #Steele or had direct knowledge of his work-related performance.

Some of the criticisms leveled were that Steele demonstrates “lack of self-awareness,” “poor judgement,” “pursued people…

…with political risk but no intelligence value,” and claimed that Steele “didn’t always exercise great judgment, and it ‘was not clear what he would have done to validate’ his reporting.”

Error #4

@FBI also hid from the #FISA court that #Steele’s info was being sent to other politically motivated individuals and the media while playing down Steele’s personal biases against then-candidate Trump.

According to the #IGReport, the #FBI:

@FBI Error #5

@FBI failed to update the #FISA Court with new info regarding the veracity of #Steele’s work as new info came into the #FBI’s possession.

Error #6

Even after @FBI had conclusive knowledge that #Steele had been the source for @Isikoff’s article in @YahooNews, they failed to provide the #FISA Court with this info during any of the FISA renewals.

@FBI @Isikoff @YahooNews Error #7

@FBI overstated #Steele’s credentials and past contributions to prior investigations. Steele’s work was presented to the #FISA Court as having been used in criminal proceedings when they had, in fact, not been utilized.

Error #8

@FBI continued to omit statements from @GeorgePapa19 made to the CHS, whereby #Papadopoulos continued to deny “that the Trump campaign was involved in the circumstances of the DNC email hack.”

@FBI @GeorgePapa19 Error #9

@FBI omitted denials from Maltese professor #JosephMifsud that he “supplied Papadopoulos with the information Papadopoulos shared with the FFG [Friendly Foreign Government] (suggesting that the campaign received an offer or suggestion of assistance from Russia).”

Error #10

@FBI “omitted information indicating that Page played no role in the Republican platform change on Russia’s annexation of Ukraine…which was inconsistent with a factual assertion relied upon to support probable cause in all four FISA applications.”

@FBI The #IGReport noted that “among the most serious of the 10 additional errors we found…was the FBI’s failure to advise OI or the [#FISA] court of the inconsistencies…between Steele and his Primary Sub-source on the reporting relied upon in the FISA applications.”

@FBI This issue was material enough that Stuart Evans, the National Security Division’s then-deputy assistant attorney general, with oversight responsibility over the OI, claimed:

According to #IGHorowitz: “none of the inaccuracies and omissions that we identified…were brought to the attention of OI before the applications were filed.”

This lack of info directly impacted the officials who were providing final signoff on the #FISA applications:

The #IGReport stated that it concluded that the failures described in the report “represent serious performance failures by the supervisory and non-supervisory agents with responsibility over the FISA applications.”

Read full article here: theepochtimes.com/key-findings-o…

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