Russian interference with the 2016 election

[Juvenal]

Here's the exchange under discussion.

2:02:40

Also spelled Deripaska.

More directly addressing the Steele dossier, Scott Shane had some interesting remarks on the hearing at the TimesEvent of the o/p, beginning at 37:32. I've transcribed the relevant portion.

When Comey was FBI director, he described this dossier as salacious and unverified, and one of the senators asked Chris Wray, the new FBI director... cited that, said Comey said it was salacious and unverified, would you say that's still what it is, and Wray was silent for a minute and said, I'll tell you more about that in the afternoon session, which is closed. So it was a really interesting moment, because it would have been easy for him to say, you bet, it's still salacious, still unverified, ... we're no further down the road but apparently he wanted to tell them something that he didn't want to tell the rest of us.

I haven't had a chance to watch the full hearing, and can't find full transcripts, but I'll be looking for this exchange when I do, and post the timestamp to compare this characterization and the actual testimony.

This was from the same exchange, a relatively brief two question sequence on Steele. After concluding the first question ...

Cotton: Thank you, and maybe we'll hear back from the lawyer in London as well to give us a straight answer.

... Cotton asked a follow-up.

2:03:38

Cotton: Jim Comey testified before this committee in an open setting last summer and he referred to the Steele dossier as salacious and unverified. Does that remain the FBI's position?

[4 second pause]

Wray: I think maybe there's more we can talk about this afternoon on that.

Cotton: Okay. Thank you. I'd like to turn my attention to the threat posed by China ...

The Trump-Russia Story Gets Even Weirder

If we're still looking for salacious and unverified, the sex expert angle looks ripe for picking.

The money owed is around $20 million, and I can't imagine anyone being comfortable that far in debt to a Russian mobster.

[Juvenal]

Looking further into the alleged connection between Steele and Deripaska, all of the stories and conspiracy theories seem to track back to texts between Sen. Warner and Adam Waldman, a lobbyist working with both of them, and Assange, it seems.

Feb 15, 2017, 12:14 PM

Waldman: Mark, I wanted to let you know that everyone I have spoken with in USG about this matter, each of whom I have also been entirely transparent with about my motives in trying to assist, has assured me that they understand and even appreciate my efforts. Perhaps that's wrong but I wanted to pass that along to you. I told Assange just as I told the USG that I would end this pro bono role if I found that the objective (safe passage to discuss w USG the past and future leaks) could not be achieved. Br, adam

Feb 16, 2017 10:49 PM

Warner: Have had important call about ur message will have answer tomorrow

Feb 16, 2017 10:57 PM

Waldman: Thank you. Standing by. Just want to underscore my opinion and the reason I got involved - this guy is going to do something catastrophic for the dems, Obama, CIA and national security. I hope someone will consider getting him to US to ameliorate the damage.

...

Mar 7, 2017 9:03 AM

Waldman: https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/

Mar 8,2017 1:26 PM

Warner: Want to connect think there may be more to come

Waldman: There is more to come. Just tell me where and when

The link to wikileaks directs to Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed.

Press Release

Today, Tuesday 7 March 2017, WikiLeaks begins its new series of leaks on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Code-named "Vault 7" by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.

...

Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized "zero day" exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation. This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA. The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

Kind of puts Hillary's emails in perspective.

There's no suggestion in the texts that Steele's contact with Waldman was on behalf of Deripaska. On the contrary, the texts show that Waldman was working as an intermediary between Steele and Warner, as he was between Assange and Warner, to facilitate testimony before the intelligence committee.

In context, Judiciary Committee chairman Grassley's suggestion of a connection between Steele and Deripaska looks like a partisan deflection.

[Mountain Man]

When you consider the Nunes investigation and the damning memos that have been released, they have to be very careful how they talk about the dossier because one wrong word, one unwitting confession will hang them. In light of that, Wray's lengthy pause before answering is significant. He knows a well as anybody that no good lawyer will ask a question in open hearing that he doesn't already know the answer to.

[Juvenal]

The time stamps given above should be corrected to 2:04:40 and 2:05:38.

When you consider the Nunes investigation and the damning memos that have been released, they have to be very careful how they talk about the dossier because one wrong word, one unwitting confession will hang them. In light of that, Wray's lengthy pause before answering is significant. He knows a well as anybody that no good lawyer will ask a question in open hearing that he doesn't already know the answer to.

I don't think the pause was especially significant, and I wouldn't describe it as lengthy. I timed it and transcribed the exchange for comparison with Shane's "Wray was silent for a minute and said, I'll tell you more about that in the afternoon session, which is closed." There was a pause. It was noticeable. But his failure to reiterate the prior position was more noticeable.

And I would push back against any comparison between the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. The Senate committee is everything the House committee is not. It's been thorough and bipartisan throughout. It's been delivering.

There's been no evidence that anyone on the Senate committee takes the Nunes memo seriously, and good evidence that his House leadership finds it embarrassing.

[Mountain Man]

But his failure to reiterate the prior position was more noticeable.

Indeed it was.

If he said yes then they're on the hook for lying to the FISA court. If he said no then he risked committing perjury. It was a shrewd maneuver to keep his answer off the record.

[Juvenal]

There's been no evidence that anyone on the Senate committee takes the Nunes memo seriously, and good evidence that his House leadership finds it embarrassing.

Nunes, unsatisfied with sabotaging his own committee's investigation, is now attempting to sabotage his counterparts' investigation in the Senate.

He needs to step down.

[Mountain Man]

Oh so NOW they're upset about leaks.

[Charles]

Oh so NOW they're upset about leaks.

Oh and NOW you are not?

[Juvenal]

Oh so NOW they're upset about leaks.

This post is within thread norms.

Oh and NOW you are not?

This post is not.

[Juvenal]

Oh so NOW they're upset about leaks.

Burr and Rubio are upset about these leaks, by public reports, and for good cause.

There's the personal issue, an attack by Nunes on Warner, which might be overlooked, and then there's the institutional issue, a House committee chairman sabotaging a Senate investigation. And then there's the substantive issue. The USSSCI is investigating an attack on the US by a hostile foreign power, and Nunes is in opposition to this. There's a dramatic word for that.

We've seen similar efforts by Grassley and Graham on the Senate judiciary committee, but nothing this blatant.

The Warner-Waldman texts carried a warning about this in Steele's skittishness to testify before the USSSCI because of the leaks he was seeing last year, and his reluctance to speak with Warner directly without a joint letter from Warner and Burr for fear of being made even more of a partisan punching bag.

Nunes' leak of these texts will have the net effect that Steele will no longer negotiate with the USSSCI, even through intermediaries. He can't prevent Steele's cooperation with Mueller though, or any more general investigation of the dossier by the FBI.

He's not very clever. Nunes first attempt to leak material in defense of the Trump administration forced his recusal and led to an ethics investigation in the hyper-partisan House. This latest attempt will see him censured.

[Charles]

This post is within thread norms.



This post is not.

Sorry but this reminded me of a quote by Lao-Tzu (not the twebber by this name but the wise chinese philosopher (though it is doubtful whether he is a historical person)):

[Mountain Man]

[Nunes] needs to step down.

Liberals would love that, wouldn't they? Because Nunes is aggressively exposing Democrat corruption for all to see.

Meanwhile, Mueller's witch hunt is continuing unchecked. In his latest fishing expedition, he has essentially requested all internal Trump campaign communications. If anybody needs to step down, it's Mueller and his team of Democrat party operatives.

[Mountain Man]

Nunes first attempt to leak material in defense of the Trump administration forced his recusal and led to an ethics investigation in the hyper-partisan House.

Funny how you didn't mention that Nunes was also cleared of any wrongdoing.

[Mountain Man]

Screen Shot 2018-03-05 at 1.59.56 PM.jpg
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...ng-campaign%2F

[carpedm9587]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26772[/ATTACH]
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...ng-campaign%2F