Thread by @ClimateAudit

here's a text exchange from Feb 2, 2017 (in Grassley Dec 2020 drop) that gives some light on poorly documented early inauguration period as Comey led metastasis of Crossfire into resistance. On Jan 1, Crossfire had been decentralized. Prob to make it harder to uproot.

Interview with Danchenko had been on Jan 24, 2017. Auten said that he filed interview notes in case file and never briefed anyone on inconsistencies. Somma was transferred to new job. Comey and other FBI officials obtusely say that they know nothing about Danchenko interview.

3/ this is for context. Texts don't refute implausible obtuseness, but shed other light.

(a) Agent told Boone that OIO (FBI Office of International Operations) was discussing Steele with REDACTED and forwarded Boone an email from an OIO Undercover (UC) on Steele. This is new.

4/ (b) Agent also told Boone that WaPo planning a story on Steele and was concerned that WaPo "may name more subsources and will out REDACTED". Given time proximity, seems likely/plausible that this REDACTED is Igor Danchenko. Agent was headed to OPA (Office of Public Affairs).

5/ I've looked for a candidate story in Washington Post in first half February 2017 that would match this description and couldn't find one (nor do I recall one.) If anyone can find one, please let me know.

6/ the implication is that FBI must have persuaded WaPo to spike story on Steele and his sources. If WaPo actually knew and published identities of Danchenko and some of subsources (Vorontsov, Galkina), it would have been huge blow to Russiagate hoax before it became a monster.

7/ it's also possible that "sources" "known" to WaPo were the fantasy names: Trubnikov, Surkov - all implausible sources for different reason - also dealing blow to hoax.

8/ As WaPo itself says, "democracy dies in darkness". Hard to contemplate a more vivid proof of this epithet than the apparent subservience of Washington Post to FBI in spiking Steele story, thus permitting Russiagate hoax to further grow and metastasize.

9/ and what became of information from OIO undercover about Steele? No mention in Horowitz.
But something happened between the 1/5 meeting at which Comey (according to Jane Mayer's sources) used Steele info to alarm Obama officials into a sort of lawfare insurrection and Mueller

10/ since the avoidance of specific Steele allegations by Mueller investigators was so total. What happened between Comey 1/5 horror briefing and Mueller appointment to scare Mueller investigators away from Steele?

11/ Boone closed brief exchange by telling agent to coordinate with REDACTED "since there's so much crossover with Steele reporting". I wonder what that was. No apparent reference in Horowitz.

12/ Jen Boone appears to have had an important role in period in which Crossfire metastasized from the questionable but not seditious 2016 investigation into the 2017 lawfare insurrection culminating in Mueller appointment. Yet she wasn't questioned by Senate Committee.

13/ next Boone texts in Grassley package are 6 days later: Feb 9, 2017. Agent with longish name. First draft of something almost done. Wonder what it was. (For those who suggest Flynn 302, be wary of the "looking for keys under streetlight" bias. Almost certainly something else.)

14/ later in Boone texts, Mar 16, 2017, she and McGonigal discuss "TS FISA" being briefed to House HPSCI. Carter Page was being interviewed in NY as they were texting. Wonder what "TS" FISA is in this context? Seems to be other than Crossfire.