{"id":26876,"date":"2018-08-28T18:00:49","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T22:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/?p=26876"},"modified":"2018-08-28T18:00:49","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T22:00:49","slug":"fbi-leaked-privileged-info-to-msm-then-used-media-reports-to-acquire-fisa-warrants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/?p=26876","title":{"rendered":"FBI Leaked Privileged Info to MSM, Then Used Media Reports to Acquire FISA Warrants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--><a href=\"http:\/\/themillenniumreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/T-2017-HRR-Trump-was-right-Obama-FISA-warrants-surveillance-715x403.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-67459 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/themillenniumreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/T-2017-HRR-Trump-was-right-Obama-FISA-warrants-surveillance-715x403.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>GOP rep touches off firestorm with claim FBI leaked info, used stories to get FISA warrants<\/h2>\n<p>By Brooke Singman | Fox News<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">A Republican congressman touched off a firestorm Tuesday after claiming on Twitter that his office had information suggesting the FBI leaked information to the press and used the resulting articles to help obtain surveillance warrants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve learned NEW information suggesting our suspicions are true: FBI\/DOJ have previously leaked info to the press, and then used those same press stories as a separate source to justify FISA&#8217;s,&#8221;\u00a0House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., tweeted overnight.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We&#39;ve learned NEW information suggesting our suspicions are true: FBI\/DOJ have previously leaked info to the press, and then used those same press stories as a separate source to justify FISA&#39;s<\/p>\n<p>Unreal. Tomorrow&#39;s Bruce Ohr interview is even more critical. Did he ever do this?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkMeadows\/status\/1034264442786246656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 28, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">The claim stemmed in part from FBI intelligence analyst Jonathan Moffa\u2019s Friday testimony behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">But what exactly Moffa told the committees is a matter of dispute.<\/p>\n<p>A source with knowledge of the testimony initially told Fox News that Moffa said FBI personnel would use media reports based on information they leaked to justify applications for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants, echoing Meadows. The source said Moffa, who worked with controversial former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, acknowledged this \u201chad been a practice in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But an FBI official pushed back, telling Fox News the initial claims about Moffa\u2019s testimony were incorrect.<\/p>\n<p>The source later clarified that Moffa testified the FBI routinely uses media material to corroborate their work product, including FISA materials, but \u201cnever said directly &#8216;we utilize FBI leaks for FISAs.&#8217;\u201d The source maintained, however, that the FBI has a \u201cculture of leaking for their own gain\u201d and uses media reports to support their work: \u201cThere&#8217;s quite a bit of evidence raising concerns that the FBI engages in this without Moffa saying it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/video.foxnews.com\/v\/embed.js?id=5827782841001&#038;w=466&#038;h=263\"><\/script><noscript>Watch the latest video at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\">foxnews.com<\/a><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Republicans have long questioned to what extent leaked information, related to the unverified anti-Trump dossier, was used as a basis for surveillance warrants against former Trump adviser Carter Page in 2016 &#8212; when the bureau was led by James Comey and deputy Andrew McCabe.<\/p>\n<p>The source told Fox News that Moffa did not specifically confirm whether leaking was employed with regard to the dossier.<\/p>\n<p>Another source familiar with Moffa\u2019s testimony offered a more nuanced version of events. The source told Fox News that Moffa said the FBI keeps track of open source reports related to their cases &#8212; and when asked whether a FISA application would reference a news account, he said it could be possible, hypothetically, but the FBI aims to find better information.<\/p>\n<p>The source stressed that this was not related to any specific situation and that Moffa did not suggest this was a common practice at the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>Meadows, though, largely stood by his claims \u2013 yet also offered a clarification in a Tuesday afternoon statement to Fox News, drawing a distinction between what Moffa testified and what his office has learned from other materials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJonathan Moffa made it clear to the committee the FBI routinely uses media reports to corroborate analytic work product. We have emails and texts plainly showing the FBI leaks to the media, raising major red flags. If FBI executives want the American people to believe they haven\u2019t used leaks to their advantage, they are not being honest,\u201d Meadows said in the statement, while saying this includes FISA materials.<\/p>\n<p>Meadows also told Fox News\u2019 \u201cAmerica\u2019s Newsroom\u201d earlier Tuesday that the committee had evidence of the FBI\u2019s practice that would be \u201chard to refute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that some people at the Department of Justice and the FBI actually gave information to the media, then the stories were reported. Then they used those reports to justify further investigations,\u201d Meadows said. \u201cYou know, that\u2019s like saying, we\u2019re going to incriminate on one hand, and be the jury on the other. It just doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2018\/08\/27\/source-fbi-congress-leaked-stories-spy-warrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Daily Caller first reported<\/a>\u00a0on the specifics of Moffa&#8217;s claims.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump dossier, which contained salacious allegations about the then-presidential candidate, was compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele. Steele, who was also working as an FBI source, had been hired by research firm Fusion GPS to compile details for the dossier, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.<\/p>\n<p>One source familiar with Moffa&#8217;s testimony told Fox News that his statements raise concerns that the bureau indeed used this practice with the dossier, referencing an article written by Yahoo! News\u2019 Michael Isikoff.<\/p>\n<p>The Isikoff article was published on Sept. 23, 2016, focusing on Page\u2019s July 2016 trip to Moscow. According to a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2018\/02\/02\/fisa-memo-steele-fired-as-fbi-source-for-breaking-cardinal-rule-leaking-to-media.html\">House GOP memo<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year, the Isikoff article did \u201cnot corroborate the Steele dossier\u201d as the article was \u201cderived from information leaked by Steele himself to Yahoo News.\u201d Yet the subsequent FISA application to spy on Page cited the Isikoff article, among other pieces of evidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe [Carter] Page FISA application incorrectly assesses that Steele did not properly provide information to Yahoo News,\u201d the memo read. \u201cSteele has admitted in British court filings that he met with Yahoo News\u2014and several other outlets\u2014in September 2016 at the direction of Fusion GPS.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moffa served on the FBI\u2019s \u201cMid-Year Exam,\u201d the code name for the bureau\u2019s investigation into Hillary Clinton\u2019s handling of classified information and use of a private email server while secretary of state.<\/p>\n<p>Moffa\u2019s name often appeared in text message conversations between former FBI officials Strzok and Page, who came under scrutiny for their anti-Trump and politically charged exchanges. One text message exchange between the two on July 24, 2016 discussed their need to read \u201cMoffa\u2019s thing,\u201d referencing an FBI \u201c302\u201d\u2014which is an interview or witness deposition in an FBI investigation.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2018\/03\/28\/documents-suggest-possible-coordination-between-cia-fbi-obama-wh-and-dem-officials-early-in-trump-russia-probe-investigators.html\">DOCUMENTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE COORDINATION BETWEEN CIA, FBI, OBAMA WH AND DEM OFFICIALS EARLY IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE: INVESTIGATORS\u00a0<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Another reference was on Aug. 8, 2016.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey no update yet, waiting on Moffa, he\u2019s in with Dina at mtg scheduled to end at 11,\u201d Strzok texted Page. An hour later, he added: \u201cHey, talked to him, will let him fill you in. Internal joint cyber cd Intel piece for D, scenesetter for McDonough brief, Trainor [head of FBI cyber division] directed all cyber info be pulled. I\u2019d let Bill and Jim hammer it out first, though it would be best for D to have it before the Wed WH session.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the texts, \u201cD\u201d referred to former FBI Director James Comey, and \u201cMcDonough\u201d referred to former chief of staff for former President Barack Obama, Denis McDonough, according to GOP investigators.<\/p>\n<p>Page left the bureau in May, and Strzok was fired earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, House lawmakers have the chance to question Justice Department senior official Bruce Ohr on the same FBI practice, as Ohr testifies behind closed doors.<\/p>\n<p>Ohr had frequent contact with Steele before and after the publication of the dossier, and the FBI\u2019s ultimate decision to cut ties with the ex-British spy. Ohr\u2019s wife, Nellie Ohr, worked for Fusion GPS at the time of the creation of the dossier.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2018\/08\/28\/fbi-agent-says-bureau-leaked-stories-then-used-them-to-get-fisa-warrants.html\">http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2018\/08\/28\/fbi-agent-says-bureau-leaked-stories-then-used-them-to-get-fisa-warrants.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cosmicconvergence.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}