He didn’t come out and say exactly that, but it’s what he didn’t say that matters.
Devin Nunes has been brushing off all the personal attacks on him as he continues his investigation into the Trump surveillance scandal. I watched the bombshell go off yesterday on Fox News:
The U.S. intelligence official who “unmasked,” or exposed, the names of multiple private citizens affiliated with the Trump team is someone “very well known, very high up, very senior in the intelligence world,” a source told Fox News on Friday.
Intelligence and House sources with direct knowledge of the disclosure of classified names told Fox News that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., now knows who is responsible — and that person is not in the FBI.
For a private citizen to be “unmasked,” or named, in an intelligence report is extremely rare. Typically, the American is a suspect in a crime, is in danger or has to be named to explain the context of the report.
“The main issue in this case, is not only the unmasking of these names of private citizens, but the spreading of these names for political purposes that have nothing to do with national security or an investigation into Russia’s interference in the U.S. election,” a congressional source close to the investigation told Fox News.
The spying began before Trump was the nominee. Here is a series of Tweets from Adam Housley, courtesy of The Right Scoop:
And the worst part
In addition, citizens affiliated with Trump’s team who were unmasked were not associated with any intelligence about Russia or other foreign intelligence, sources confirmed. The initial unmasking led to other surveillance, which led to other private citizens being wrongly unmasked, sources said.
“Unmasking is not unprecedented, but unmasking for political purposes … specifically of Trump transition team members … is highly suspect and questionable,” an intelligence source told Fox News. “Opposition by some in the intelligence agencies who were very connected to the Obama and Clinton teams was strong. After Trump was elected, they decided they were going to ruin his presidency by picking them off one by one.”
Now for some very interesting coincidences. There is a fascinating nexus in these events. First, we have Evelyn Farkas, who admitted collecting data on Trump:
In an appearance on MSNBC earlier this month, Farkas told Mika Brezinski about her role in the efforts to collect intelligence on Trump’s team, and their alleged ties with Russia, in the Obama adminstration’s final days.
“I was urging my former colleagues and, frankly speaking, the people on the Hill… get as much information as you can,” Farkas said, adding that her big fear was “if [Trump staffers] found out how we knew what we knew about their … the Trump staff dealing with Russians — that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence.”
At the end of the interview, Farkas said, “we have good intelligence on Russia … that’s why you have the leaking. People are worried.”
Next, hillary clinton AND her staff had access to top secret information after she left State,and even after she announced she was running for President
In 2015, Cheryl Mills’ attorney said her client had access as late as Oct. 30 of that year, according to documents reviewed by Fox News. After leaving the State Department, Mills was an advisor to Clinton’s presidential bid. Heather Samuelson, a lawyer who worked under Mills and also was a staffer for Clinton in 2008 during her presidential run, also apparently retained an active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance, according to records reviewed by Fox News.
and after Trump announced he was running for President. Cheryl Mills had access to all the information collected on Trump and his team from the time he announced his candidacy until at least October of 2015.
Schiff had the opportunity to view the same documents as Nunes yesterday and he said this:
Viewed docs today at White House invitation. Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/EZ5COuoVVU
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 31, 2017
The most interesting part of this is not what Schiff said- it was just more of the same whining about the process that democrats have been clutching at for the last few weeks. And that means you have a weak hand.
It’s what he didn’t say.
There was no bluster, no personal attack, no hyperbole about fake news or fake intel. There were no denials.
In other words, Nunes is right. The unmasking and leaking- it was all political. It’s only being cast as national security.
And it’s about to get whole lot bigger.
UPDATE
Nunes’ intel did not come from anyone in the White House
Why Nunes could view the intel only on White House grounds:
Nunes and the White House have faced heated questions from the press about Nunes’s viewing of the information on White House grounds; however, the Fox report added that there were only two places where Nunes could have viewed the information. One was at the agencies where the information came from, which the reporting notes would have put the source at risk, and the other location was on the 18-acre White House grounds. Housley noted that the Old Executive Office Building is on White House grounds. He also specified where information after hours and where highly sensitive information may be accessed.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.