NEW: Steven D'Antuono, head of Detroit FBI field office during Whitmer fednapping hoax, told House Judiciary committee he knew little about the details of the operation, knew nothing about FBI informants including Dan Chappel, suggested "investigation" originated out of FBI HQ.
D’Antuono said his recollection is fuzzy because the matter was “a long time ago.” (Keep in mind the FBI designated this case a “terror enterprise investigation” involving planes, drones, and at least a dozen informants operating out of multiple field offices.)
When asked to describe the predicate of the investigation, D’Antuono said he wasn’t “sure if it raised to that level of the Governor at that point or how we opened up the matter, but it was a domestic terrorism case that they were perpetrating to--or, looking to conspire to--I'm not sure what the definition or the opening of that case was, but it was a domestic terrorism case.”
D’Antuono seems to have learned most of what happened in the case from news reports and the trials. He appeared shocked at the level of interest. “That’s why a lot of this reporting that came out, I'm like, this is just a normal case. This wasn't botched. It was just a normal case. And it wasn't that, like, spectacular.”
While vague about the role of FBI HQ, D’Antuono said “he never talked to anyone at headquarters or DOJ about this matter until it came down to the final operation.” Which was the arrest of all suspects on October 7, 2020--a month before Election Day.
More to come.
D’Antuono said his recollection is fuzzy because the matter was “a long time ago.” (Keep in mind the FBI designated this case a “terror enterprise investigation” involving planes, drones, and at least a dozen informants operating out of multiple field offices.)
When asked to describe the predicate of the investigation, D’Antuono said he wasn’t “sure if it raised to that level of the Governor at that point or how we opened up the matter, but it was a domestic terrorism case that they were perpetrating to--or, looking to conspire to--I'm not sure what the definition or the opening of that case was, but it was a domestic terrorism case.”
D’Antuono seems to have learned most of what happened in the case from news reports and the trials. He appeared shocked at the level of interest. “That’s why a lot of this reporting that came out, I'm like, this is just a normal case. This wasn't botched. It was just a normal case. And it wasn't that, like, spectacular.”
While vague about the role of FBI HQ, D’Antuono said “he never talked to anyone at headquarters or DOJ about this matter until it came down to the final operation.” Which was the arrest of all suspects on October 7, 2020--a month before Election Day.
More to come.
Dan Chappel was hired as an informant in March 2020. His FBI handlers, working out of FBI satellite office in Flint, managed Chappel for the rest of the year paying him at least $60k in cash and personal items.
Q: Do you remember a CHS named Dan Chappel?
D'Antuono: No.
Q: No?
D'Antuono: Other than, I'd probably remember him from the media reporting and stuff like that, the trial.
WHAT?
Q: Do you remember a CHS named Dan Chappel?
D'Antuono: No.
Q: No?
D'Antuono: Other than, I'd probably remember him from the media reporting and stuff like that, the trial.
WHAT?
During first trial, at least one FBI agent testified that the highest level of FBI and DOJ knew about what was happening. He also confirmed DOJ chiefs would have had to approve the operation as a "terror enterprise investigation."
This absolutely demands questions of Chris Wray and Bill Barr, who has insisted he knew nothing of the fednapping scheme until right before the arrests.
Q: At any point from the initial receipt of source reporting, did either FBI headquarters or DOJ provide any direction or guidance with respect to this investigation or its steps, to your knowledge?
D'Antuono: Well, yeah, because it's a DT (domestic terrorism) case, so it comes into the DTOS (domestic terrorism operation section) and program management of headquarters, right? So there would've been opinions thrown back and forth, and I believe there was conversations going back and forth between my people and DTOS and our CDC and everyone to say, is there enough predication to open the case?
Because they have to come under that program management, and you have to have a conversation with headquarters.
This absolutely demands questions of Chris Wray and Bill Barr, who has insisted he knew nothing of the fednapping scheme until right before the arrests.
Q: At any point from the initial receipt of source reporting, did either FBI headquarters or DOJ provide any direction or guidance with respect to this investigation or its steps, to your knowledge?
D'Antuono: Well, yeah, because it's a DT (domestic terrorism) case, so it comes into the DTOS (domestic terrorism operation section) and program management of headquarters, right? So there would've been opinions thrown back and forth, and I believe there was conversations going back and forth between my people and DTOS and our CDC and everyone to say, is there enough predication to open the case?
Because they have to come under that program management, and you have to have a conversation with headquarters.
Ok this made me laugh. D'Antuono slip of the tongue when he answers a question about how his FBI agents and Chappel tried to entrap a disabled Vietnam vet in Virginia into same scheme for Ralph Northam.
"Yes, I do remember there was a -- there was information that was coming out that the Virginia Governor, you know, might've been involved in this conspiracy as well. Not "involved," but--"
Recall this incriminating text referring to Northam plot
"Yes, I do remember there was a -- there was information that was coming out that the Virginia Governor, you know, might've been involved in this conspiracy as well. Not "involved," but--"
Recall this incriminating text referring to Northam plot
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