Behind the Obama administration’s shady plan to spy on the Trump campaign

[The Purge]

In Senate testimony last week, Attorney General William Barr used the word “spying” to refer to the Obama administration, um, spying on the Trump campaign. Of course, fainting spells ensued, with the media-Democrat complex in meltdown. Former FBI Director Jim Comey tut-tutted that he was confused by Barr’s comments, since the FBI’s “surveillance” had been authorized by a court.

(Needless to say, the former director neglected to mention that the court was not informed that the bureau’s “evidence” for the warrants was unverified hearsay paid for by the Clinton campaign.)

The pearl-clutching was predictable. Less than a year ago, we learned the Obama administration had used a confidential informant — a spy — to approach at least three Trump campaign officials in the months leading up to the 2016 election, straining to find proof that the campaign was complicit in the Kremlin’s hacking of Democratic emails.

As night follows day, we were treated to the same Beltway hysteria we got this week: Silly semantic carping over the word “spying” — which, regardless of whether a judge authorizes it, is merely the covert gathering of intelligence about a suspected wrongdoer, organization or foreign power.

There is no doubt that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign. As Barr made clear, the real question is: What predicated the spying? Was there a valid reason for it, strong enough to overcome our norm against political spying? Or was it done rashly? Was a politically motivated decision made to use highly intrusive investigative tactics when a more measured response would have sufficed, such as a “defensive briefing” that would have warned the Trump campaign of possible Russian infiltration?

Last year, when the “spy” games got underway, James Clapper, Obama’s director of national intelligence, conceded that, yes, the FBI did run an informant — “spy” is such an icky word — at Trump campaign officials; but, we were told, this was merely to investigate Russia. Cross Clapper’s heart, it had nothing to do with the Trump campaign. No, no, no. Indeed, the Obama administration only used an informant because — bet you didn’t know this — doing so is the most benign, least intrusive mode of conducting an investigation....

So much more and the most informative article I have read this week https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-shady-plan-to-spy-on-the-trump-campaign/amp/

 

[toobfreak]

There is no doubt that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign.

Isn't that a crime? Isn't that just a little Nixonian? Wasn't Richard E impeached for that? HOW IS IT that democrats commit CRIME AFTER CRIME and nothing ever happens to them?

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

Ernest T: If Oblamo did not know, he is extra incompetent. I hear jabba is all up in dis' mess too cause RINO afeered to go after blacks so close to re-election. Big butt jabba can hide dat' butt right under RINO nose. Sniff sniff. Days' won't touch it.

 

[justoffal]

There is no doubt that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign.

Isn't that a crime? Isn't that just a little Nixonian? Wasn't Richard E impeached for that? HOW IS IT that democrats commit CRIME AFTER CRIME and nothing ever happens to them?

Well technically they were careful to cross their t's and dot their I's. However if the FISA warrant is found to have been obtained fraudulently.... the actions that were pursuant to that warrant then take a completely different turn into illegal territory.

If I can put together a verifiable chronology or false statements that we use to obtain the warrant. You can also put together a charge illegal surveillance otherwise known as spying against those who obtained that warrant illegally.

Perhaps the appellate courts could take a second look at the lazy federal judges who had a little more to do than whip a signature down on a fisa warrant before running off to the back room for another bourbon.

Jo

 

[Olde Europe]

Was a politically motivated decision made to use highly intrusive investigative tactics when a more measured response would have sufficed, such as a “defensive briefing” that would have warned the Trump campaign of possible Russian infiltration?

FBI warned Trump in 2016 Russians would try to infiltrate his campaign

WASHINGTON — In the weeks after he became the Republican nominee on July 19, 2016, Donald Trump was warned that foreign adversaries, including Russia, would probably try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign, according to multiple government officials familiar with the matter.

The warning came in the form of a high-level counterintelligence briefing by senior FBI officials, the officials said. A similar briefing was given to Hillary Clinton, they added. They said the briefings, which are commonly provided to presidential nominees, were designed to educate the candidates and their top aides about potential threats from foreign spies.

The candidates were urged to alert the FBI about any suspicious overtures to their campaigns, the officials said.​

He who knows nothing, falls for everything.

 

[toobfreak]

There is no doubt that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign.

Isn't that a crime? Isn't that just a little Nixonian? Wasn't Richard E impeached for that? HOW IS IT that democrats commit CRIME AFTER CRIME and nothing ever happens to them?

Well technically they were careful to cross their t's and dot their I's. However if the FISA warrant is found to have been obtained fraudulently.... the actions that were pursuant to that warrant then take a completely different turn into illegal territory.
If I can put together a verifiable chronology or false statements that we use to obtain the warrant. You can also put together a charge illegal surveillance otherwise known as spying against those who obtained that warrant illegally.
Perhaps the appellate courts could take a second look at the lazy federal judges who had a little more to do than whip a signature down on a fisa warrant before running off to the back room for another bourbon. Jo

But I mean, has anyone ever heard of an OUTGOING president SPYING on and being concerned about an incoming administration? What business is it of his? Obama did his job, time for him to move on! More so, where was the loyalty of any of the involved people to refuse to go along with this, saying it was WRONG? But more than that, he rearranged intelligence branches to not only trip Trump up, but to also make it impossible to control leaks! Meantime the very same people are working to hang this rap on him as some sort of Russian spy collaborator, the very same person who laughed at Romney for even suggesting Russia was a threat.

SO WHERE IS THE INVESTIGATION? Where are the charges? On the one hand we have Obama doing all of these things while Hillary is caught red handed running secret for-profit personal enterprises inside her government job! Can you imagine if GW had done all of this to Obama coming in? Not only would Bush been indicted on countless charges, he would have been hanged as doing it out of racism.

So instead, what do we have, a two-year long multi-million dollar investigation because Donald Jr. once met with a lady from Russia that he was set up with? Demands for Trump's tax records? Demands for a 100% unredacted Mueller report containing countless pages of info on the many lives touched by Mueller that are of no concern to the Democrats?

WHEN IS THE SPECIAL COUNSEL GRAND JURY going to bring Obama and Hillary and the hundred people around them up to their elbows in guilt to task for what was NO LESS than an attempted coup to overthrow the United States?