{"id":453553,"date":"2022-05-27T04:42:59","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T01:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/"},"modified":"2022-05-27T04:42:59","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T01:42:59","slug":"fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"#FBI ignored lies to get their hands on Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3ca0fae6db3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3ca0fae6db3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/#%E2%80%9CFBI_ignored_lies_to_get_their_hands_on_Trump%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;FBI ignored lies to get their hands on Trump&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/#Consider_the_source\" >Consider the source\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/#How_Sussmann_wins\" >How Sussmann wins\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CFBI_ignored_lies_to_get_their_hands_on_Trump%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;FBI ignored lies to get their hands on Trump&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u2018Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.\u201d Sounds like I\u2019m humming Fleetwood Mac, but I\u2019m really just capturing the signal top officials at the FBI seemed to be sending to Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sussmann claimed that he was not representing any client when he brought the FBI Internet data that he insisted showed that Donald Trump had established a communications back channel with the Kremlin, through servers at Russia\u2019s Alfa Bank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In reality, Sussmann was representing the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. He wanted an \u201cOctober surprise\u201d to torpedo Trump\u2019s chances, and what better way than to make it look like the FBI was investigating the candidate?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear from text messages and testimony that Sussmann lied about not having any ulterior motives, and simply acting as a concerned citizen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But his defense presents a problem \u2014 both to the FBI\u2019s reputation and Special Counsel John Durham\u2019s prosecution against the lawyer. Sussmann argues that no matter what he said, FBI officials knew he was aligned with the Clintons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"former FBI director James Comey\" class=\"wp-image-22432496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Former FBI director James Comey was fired by Trump in 2017.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Walt Disney Television via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Bureau\u2019s top-tier officials at the time \u2014 counsel James Baker, Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and top counterintelligence agent Bill Priestap \u2014 were sophisticated actors. It is inconceivable that they did not grasp the partisan source of the information. Just months earlier, Sussmann had represented the DNC when it claimed to be hacked by Russia. In fact, Sussmann had blocked the FBI from examining the DNC\u2019s servers, retaining a private contractor so that Democrats could maintain control of the investigation. The bureau knew exactly who Sussmann was and who he represented.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What we learned at the trial this week is that, notwithstanding Baker\u2019s insistence that he believed Sussmann\u2019s cover story, FBI headquarters officials fully realized they were acting on highly political information and took steps to conceal that fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, a decision was made to treat Sussmann, the source, as a confidential informant. This was not done to protect Sussmann\u2019s security. It was done to protect the FBI\u2019s reputation. The informant pretext enabled headquarters to conceal Sussmann\u2019s identity from the line agents in Chicago who were tasked to assess the Alfa Bank information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Consider_the_source\"><\/span>Consider the source\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As good investigators, the agents wanted to know the source of the information so they could assess the purveyor\u2019s motive and thus the data\u2019s likely reliability. They were frustrated and annoyed that headquarters would not identify the source and allow him to be interviewed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Michael Sussmann\" class=\"wp-image-22432498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-russia-fbi.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Michael Sussmann leaves the federal courthouse in DC where he stands trial in being accused of lying to the FBI.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If they had been told Sussmann was behind the data, they would instantly have known that the information was political. As it was, they quickly concluded that the information was nonsense, that it did not come close to establishing a Trump-Kremlin communications channel, and that it probably came from someone with an anti-Trump agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Second, the headquarters effort to cover up Sussmann\u2019s identity reached such absurd heights that the FBI itself made false statements in documenting the investigation. In the \u201celectronic communication\u201d by which the bureau opens cases, agents claimed that the information had come, not from Sussmann, not even from a confidential source, but from . . . wait for it . . . the US Department of Justice. This was so ridiculous that, embarrassingly, none of the agents involved could explain how that h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Third, the FBI\u2019s brass was so hot to nail Trump for supposedly being a clandestine agent of Russia that the line agents\u2019 rejection of the evidence made no difference. \u201cPeople on the 7th floor to include the Director are fired up about this server,\u201d said headquarters agent Joe Pientka in a message to one of the Chicago agents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 7th floor houses the suite of top executive offices at FBI headquarters, including that of Director Comey. When the Chicago cyber investigators found no basis for criminal charges, they were told to keep the case open as a counterintelligence matter. \u201cPriestap says it\u2019s not an option\u2014we must do it,\u201d admonished Pientka, referring to the bureau\u2019s top counterintelligence official.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Sussmann_wins\"><\/span>How Sussmann wins\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-probe.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Special Counsel John Durham\" class=\"wp-image-22432495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-probe.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-probe.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/trump-probe.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Special Counsel John Durham arrives for the trial against Sussmann on May 25. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Ron Sachs\/CNP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As the trial draws to a likely close Friday, then, despite having made a clear false statement, Sussmann seems to be in the driver\u2019s seat. His lawyers will be able to argue convincingly that: (a) FBI officials knew that Sussmann was a top Democratic lawyer and that, if he was peddling anti-Trump information right before the election, it had to be for Hillary Clinton\u2019s benefit; (b) FBI investigators were misled not by Sussmann but by their own headquarters; (c) it was the FBI, not Sussmann, who falsely stated that the Alfa Bank information came from the Justice Department; and (d) any false statement Sussmann may have made could not have been material because the FBI was already hell-bent on investigating Trump on suspicion of being a Russian asset \u2014 it made no difference that the Alfa Bank data, like the Steele dossier, was bogus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>No wonder Sussmann decided not to testify. No need to take that risk when things are going your way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for the FBI, regardless of the outcome of Sussmann\u2019s trial, the essence of Durham\u2019s assignment remains the same: Get to the bottom of how and why the government\u2019s law enforcement and intelligence apparatus was put in the service of Democratic Party politics, hamstringing a Republican president\u2019s capacity to govern.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The FBI played a huge role in that scandal. In fact, if Sussmann is acquitted, that will have a lot more to do with the bureau\u2019s machinations than Sussmann\u2019s innocence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Durham must file a full report at the conclusion of his probe. The Sussmann trial illustrates how vital it remains that the public have accountability, and that the FBI\u2019s foray into partisan politics never happens again.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Andrew C. McCarthy is a former federal prosecutor.\u00a0<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/26\/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;FBI ignored lies to get their hands on Trump&#8221; \u2018Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.\u201d Sounds like I\u2019m humming Fleetwood Mac, but I\u2019m really just capturing the signal top officials at the FBI seemed to be sending to Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann.\u00a0 Sussmann claimed that he was not representing any client when&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":453554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/newspress-collage-22432341-1653613284046.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1653599128&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129646,4941,20101,72944,20822],"class_list":["post-453553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-26-22","tag-donald-trump","tag-fbi","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-james-comey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}