Read on Twitter
Then on 5/15/17, Comey calls Rybicki, reminds him of Memo 5, and asks Rybicki to give all 7 memos & 2 boxes of records to the Supervisory Special Agent who inventoried Comey's records after he was fired. Not found because they were in Rybicki's office!
Now entered into evidence!
Now entered into evidence!
I think Comey was worried about McCabe, not Trump, deleting any tapes of conversations between the President & Comey on bugs or illegal wiretaps. So Comey sent Richman Memo 4 by text (paper trail) the memo that he had already sent to his one attorney who would forward it next day
Okay, back to the thread! Part of the reason that I stopped was to mull over why this memo was so important. Why must that memo be leaked? Remember this is the memo Comey wrote to make certain readers knew there was classified information left out of the memo!
So is Comey hinting that someone declassified the contents of the conversation on 2/14/17? Because parts of the conversation remained classified & Comey left a big red flag to find that information.
Who would have the power to declassify the President's conversations? Yep!
Who would have the power to declassify the President's conversations? Yep!
Remember this is the one memo that Comey left out information that could not be declassified at that time! But it might in the future.
He chose not to write a classified version to keep it secret to deny that information to people who were not in the conversation!
He chose not to write a classified version to keep it secret to deny that information to people who were not in the conversation!
Who would get to know what Comey put in the memo, but would then be denied access to the classified portions of the conversation? Everyone Comey shared the memo with! Rybicki, McCabe, & Baker. Comey's memo kept them in the dark!
It left a trail that more happened at that meeting than McCabe & others could read about. I think Comey is indicating that the President declassified portions of that conversation, but kept other portions classified so Comey could only explain them later after declassification!
So were the classified portions of that conversation about the same topic? Was @Potus asking @Comey to let @GenFlynn go because he wanted to obstruct justice? Or did he share classified information showing that Flynn was acting as a US intelligence asset? Comey let him go!
McCabe who only knew about the unclassified portion of the conversation, initiated a case against Flynn for lying to the FBI (possibly forging 302s) & started an obstruction case against Trump based upon the unclassified portion of the conversation!
Why was it so important for Comey to leak the contents of that memo to NYTs?
To get a special counsel to remove McCabe from the case! Recall that McCabe testified on 5/11/17 that there was no evidence of an effort to impede the case. But the leaked memo provided that evidence!
To get a special counsel to remove McCabe from the case! Recall that McCabe testified on 5/11/17 that there was no evidence of an effort to impede the case. But the leaked memo provided that evidence!
Why do Trump & Comey reply to McCabe's testimony by engaging in a Twitter fight about that meeting and the existence of tapes of that meeting?
Would those tapes reveal that the classified portion of the conversation were Trump's alibi against obstruction?
Would those tapes reveal that the classified portion of the conversation were Trump's alibi against obstruction?
Were those tapes also the evidence of the illegal spying? We know that Obama holdovers at DOJ were part of the plot against Trump. Which is why a Special Counsel needed to be appointed to take the case from McCabe and DOJ National Security Division.
So Comey concealed that he had the memos and that he was going to share them. Concealed it from McCabe & the DOJ!
He had to reveal that there was a classified reason for not going after General Flynn!
What could that classified reason be?
He had to reveal that there was a classified reason for not going after General Flynn!
What could that classified reason be?
Well on May 25, 2017, a week after Mueller took the case from McCabe, the Defense Intelligence Agency provided a briefing to Senator Grassley about the classified reason to let Flynn go! Not declassified and McCabe & the coup plotters would not learn about it until this letter!
A letter written on 8/25/17! after McCabe had been caught lying under oath after Peter Strzok was interviewed by Mueller investigators about the Flynn 302 issue in late July!
But 3 months before General Flynn was forced to plead guilty!
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-08-25%20CEG%20to%20DOD%20DIA%20(unclassified%20cover%20letter%20to%20classified%20Flynn%20letter).pdf
But 3 months before General Flynn was forced to plead guilty!
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-08-25%20CEG%20to%20DOD%20DIA%20(unclassified%20cover%20letter%20to%20classified%20Flynn%20letter).pdf
So on 8/25/17, we have a Grassley letter to Mattis confirming that there is a classified reason for letting Flynn go. We also have a classified portion of the meeting between Trump & Comey that explained why Comey let Flynn go!
But McCabe didn't let Flynn go!
But McCabe didn't let Flynn go!
So why did Comey release his memo to the NYTs?
Because he loved his country, DOJ & FBI forcing him to inform the world that there was a classified reason for letting @GenFlynn go! A reason that was being buried by Andrew McCabe in his witch hunt for Trump!
Because he loved his country, DOJ & FBI forcing him to inform the world that there was a classified reason for letting @GenFlynn go! A reason that was being buried by Andrew McCabe in his witch hunt for Trump!
Why did he go through Richman, to avoid having to explain more to the reporters! Which would ruin the effort to catch McCabe & the others.
Even better, Comey wore a white hat to take out the trash in the first pictures he let them take of him after his firing!
Even better, Comey wore a white hat to take out the trash in the first pictures he let them take of him after his firing!
Yes Comey could have said all things to the press, Congress, or investigators without the memos. But the memos contain facts put in writing contemporaneously with the events which are much stronger!
Even better if the people needing red pilled falsely think the memos hurt Trump!
Even better if the people needing red pilled falsely think the memos hurt Trump!
Sharing the info with Richman also opened up a claim of attorney client privilege between Comey & Richman.
Now Comey forgets to mention Executive Privilege that could cover his conversation with President Trump! Maybe the President waved that permission so Comey could publish it
Now Comey forgets to mention Executive Privilege that could cover his conversation with President Trump! Maybe the President waved that permission so Comey could publish it
But once this story leaked, and was linked to Comey, McCabe and everyone else thought the memo provided evidence of obstruction sending the Dems on a wild goose chase that some still have abandoned!
So Richman got the leak on May 16th, the same day as the story. But the article had 2 sources who had read the memos. Who was the 2nd? Per the OIG it has to be a list of about 6 people. Rybicki, his deputy, McCabe, Page, Strzok, & Priestap.
Who contacted the NYTs first?
Who contacted the NYTs first?
I ask who contacts NYT's first because it is probably relevant. Did Richman contact them on the 16th, they then contacted 1 of the 6 and got confirmation & got it published on the 16th? It is possible but very quick for a major paper with such a major story.
But what if 1 of the coup plotters told the NYTs first? What if the coup plotters told the NYTs about the memo & put their spin on it. Then Comey had Richman reach out to the exact same reporter to get a more accurate description into the story? Was it a counter-leak!
How would you get a NYT's reporter to correct spin put upon it from a coup plotter leaker?
By having someone read portions of the memo to them to correct false information the coup plotters gave the NYTs!
Who is the subject of a criminal leak investigation by John Durham? Baker
By having someone read portions of the memo to them to correct false information the coup plotters gave the NYTs!
Who is the subject of a criminal leak investigation by John Durham? Baker
OIG interviewed four suspects for the leak: Baker, McCabe, Page, & Rybicki.
Baker is under investigation for leaking. McCabe was fired for lying about leaking, Page was leaking on McCabe's orders.
Rybicki, the one Comey seems to have trusted, not under a known leak investigation.
Baker is under investigation for leaking. McCabe was fired for lying about leaking, Page was leaking on McCabe's orders.
Rybicki, the one Comey seems to have trusted, not under a known leak investigation.
So before Comey is to testify about his memos, he wants to review them to confirm he released no classified information in his leaks!
So who initiates the classification? On 6/1/17 James Baker goes to the FBI CI legal unit to have them set down with Strzok & Page to decide to upclassify Comey's memos. You don't think Page was doing that on McCabe's orders do you? Great so now those three are on the hook for it!
Not exactly, because they then had the legal unit leader take it to Bill Priestap to get him to sign his life away on the classification review!
So Baker, our leaker that is under investigation, was the one who recommended upclassified things about foreign leaders based on his experience working with the State Dept on Hillary's emails!
Did he leak on 05/16 the same information that he upclassified on 6/1 to set up Comey?
Did he leak on 05/16 the same information that he upclassified on 6/1 to set up Comey?
Then they ran over the Legal Unit Chief who had very little experience classifying information prior to this. Run over by Page & Baker who had lots of experience designating information as classified!
Baker & Page convinced the Law Unit Chief to ignore standard practice of letting agencies who controlled the information declare if it was classified. So they prevented State from deciding if the info about foreign leaders was really classified! All to claim Comey leaked it!
In fact, Baker and the others discussed the fact that they were over riding Comey's authority as an OCA, original classification authority, to classify information that Comey had officially declared to be unclassified! Overriding Comey with a non-standard procedure no less!
Page even says that their efforts were to protect the FBI, not Comey!
Because they were throwing him under the bus! Overriding his decision & belief that the memos were not classified! When he was the authority to decide that as an OCA!
Because they were throwing him under the bus! Overriding his decision & belief that the memos were not classified! When he was the authority to decide that as an OCA!
Page told the OIG that they tried to be conservative in their approach, maybe classify information that did not need to be classified like those 6 words Comey leaked!
There goes that word thoughtful again...
There goes that word thoughtful again...
Warm up the second bus!
Baker says they wanted the upclassification to look plausible enough that they could dupe Bill Priestap to sign an affidavit declaring that the information that Page, Baker & Strzok upclassified was legitimately classified!
Baker says they wanted the upclassification to look plausible enough that they could dupe Bill Priestap to sign an affidavit declaring that the information that Page, Baker & Strzok upclassified was legitimately classified!
So they basically ran over the Law Unit Chief, duped Priestap into believing this was a legitimate upclassification process, thought they used a non-standard classification process.
All to claim that 6 words Comey leaked to his lawyers (not the press) were classified information
All to claim that 6 words Comey leaked to his lawyers (not the press) were classified information
Can you now see how Comey was framed for leaking classified information?
Do you think that explains why Barr did not prosecute Comey?
Do you think that explains why Barr did not prosecute Comey?
So 3 coup plotters tap dancing around legal rationales to get the Law Unit Chief to agree to their classification decisions. But of course they kept no notes to document all of this!
But maybe they weren't intentionally framing Comey? Maybe they had other motives!
But maybe they weren't intentionally framing Comey? Maybe they had other motives!
The classification review was meant to limit Comey's testimony to Congress in early June 2017.
The OIG says they did not know Comey had leaked the memos at the time of the upclassification, is that just an excuse to hide that they were trying to frame Comey? Time will tell!
The OIG says they did not know Comey had leaked the memos at the time of the upclassification, is that just an excuse to hide that they were trying to frame Comey? Time will tell!
Baker says that the countries mentioned in Memo 2 (the one Comey gave his lawyers) should have been classified information even if Comey chose to not classify it.
The Unit Chief said it would be reasonable for someone else, like Comey the author, to decide to not classify that information.
But Baker, Page & likely Strzok got those 6 words classified! Then got the Unit Chief to get Priestap to sign off on it!
But Baker, Page & likely Strzok got those 6 words classified! Then got the Unit Chief to get Priestap to sign off on it!
The Unit Chief got a double check from the FBI's Assistant General Counsel (Baker's subordinate) that the information wasn't classified under FBI guidelines, but to ere on the side of caution & over rule Comey to classify it anyway!
But they did not bother to ask the State Department to rule on the classification of the information. Heck they might disagree and time was short!
Did they ask State later? I doubt it, they just referred Comey to OIG for leaking classified information!
Did they ask State later? I doubt it, they just referred Comey to OIG for leaking classified information!
Comey declared Memo 3 to be classified but did not mark it or say specifically what sections & words were classified. The 4 FBI personnel decided what Comey could not tell Congress about in his testimony!
Memo 7, how far can they push classification & still dupe Priestap into signing it as the affiant on the classification review!
Again, on Baker & Page's recommendation they classified State Dept. equities as classified information without allowing State to make that decision. Overruling Comey's authority as the OCA for FBI who decided it was unclassified.
Then they send it to Priestap to serve as the OCA, approving the consensus of the Law Unit, Page, Stzok & Baker.
Why did they want Priestap to sign it?
Baker was also an OCA & could have classified it all himself!
He wanted someone else's signature on it!
Bus enter stage left...
Why did they want Priestap to sign it?
Baker was also an OCA & could have classified it all himself!
He wanted someone else's signature on it!
Bus enter stage left...
SO then the Unit Chief takes the proposed classifications to Priestap, explains why it may be classified (per Baker) then has Priestap sign his life away. When Baker could have done it all on his own!
But then they can blame Priestap for making the final determination!
But then they can blame Priestap for making the final determination!
Classified per Priestap, with no indication that it was a canned result brought to Priestap that had been engineered by Baker, Page & Strzok!
Then Page & Strzok put official typewritten markings onto the memo classifications that Priestap had signed off on!
Had to make it as official as possible!
Had to make it as official as possible!
The next day they take the memos to Comey for him to review for his testimony on the 8th. Comey instantly objects to the addition of the Secret classified markings on Page 2 of Memo 2!
SSA working for McCabe says he doesn't remember that!
SSA working for McCabe says he doesn't remember that!
Comey thought some of the classification decisions might be reasonable, but that the classification of Memo 2 was unreasonable!
Comey says not to sweat the different classification made by Comey as OCA or Priestap as a spoon fed OCA. These are often judgement calls.
Besides, the final decision would be with the agency whose equities are impacted. The State Dept not the FBI! Well unless the FBI doesn't ask
Besides, the final decision would be with the agency whose equities are impacted. The State Dept not the FBI! Well unless the FBI doesn't ask
Following Comey's review of the now classified memos, he gave his copies of all 4 memos he had to the FBI SSA with a receipt for the documents! They've alleged that Comey lacked candor by not telling this agent that he had shared the memos that are now marked classified.
Another footnote! the court in the CNN case ruled that only 1 of the 6 words (probably the small country Trump insulted) should have been classified by the FBI.
SO we have a judge arguing the Baker, Page, Strzok upclassification was not legally correct!
SO we have a judge arguing the Baker, Page, Strzok upclassification was not legally correct!
Interesting, Comey says that he gave his memos to the FBI, not because of the classification issue. But that it was planned because Mueller had asked Comey for these memos. Memos that contained exculpatory evidence to help Trump!
The FBI says they learned about the sharing of the now classified memos from Richman. Wonder if they were spying on Comey or his attorneys after he left?
Comey's usual parsing, he didn't tell Senator Collins about the other 3 memos he shared because she only asked about the one. Some have accused him of lying for not volunteering the rest of the information. But he always parses every word to answer not unanswered questions.
I also find it interesting that Comey did not exert attorney client privilege with Richman (who was his attorney) because he wanted to discuss the information he leaked not hide behind privilege!
Comey testifying about sharing the memo cause Baker, Strzok and the rest to outright panic! Literally running down the hall to a private space so Baker could get Richman on the phone & hand him over to Strzok!
FBI now knew that the unclassified version of the memos they used to start a criminal investigation of the President had been shared with Comey's three attorneys! Panic!
Wonder if they had inserted the classified versions in place of the originals when they filed it?
Wonder if they had inserted the classified versions in place of the originals when they filed it?
It gets better! While the Unit Chief & Preistap were attempting to collect the 'classified' memos they neglected to inform the FBI Security Division of the leak or spill as they termed it.
Wonder who made that call?
Wonder who made that call?
This seems like a very odd way to delete the memos from Richman's computer? Make a mirror copy of his entire hard drive, take it to FBI, then give him a copy back without the offending files.
Wonder what else they were looking for?
Wonder what else they were looking for?
Remember, Richman is an unpaid special employee with a security clearance advising Comey on cases. Like global corruption & money laundering cases.
Were they digging for information to thwart Comey's other cases?
Were they digging for information to thwart Comey's other cases?
It gets better yet, they wanted the computer of Comey's special assistant for 10 days on June 13 because it was so urgent to protect that classified information! That's plausible right, it was only about the classified info, had to protect that from disclosure.
But they waited until November to ask the other 2 lawyers to delete the files & it was not completed until January 16th 2018!
There must be another reason for wanting Richman's computer, unrelated to the classified memos that they left on Fitgerald's computer for 7 more months!
There must be another reason for wanting Richman's computer, unrelated to the classified memos that they left on Fitgerald's computer for 7 more months!
Now the review, McCabe referred Comey for leaking classified information in July 2017, the FBI left this information on Comey's attorney's computers until January 2018. So they weren't too concerned.
OIG presented facts, Barr's DOJ rejected prosecution!
OIG presented facts, Barr's DOJ rejected prosecution!
Comey violated the FBI's employee handbook!
Another gigantic footnote!
The OIG learned about the FBI's inattention to retrieving information from Comey attorney's not named Richman, in a letter to the OIG from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This means they caught the FBI in this conflicting information!
The OIG learned about the FBI's inattention to retrieving information from Comey attorney's not named Richman, in a letter to the OIG from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This means they caught the FBI in this conflicting information!
Comey's violation on Memo 3. He wrote it & sent it on classified systems, but did not place classification markings upon the document. A document sent & received on a classified computer system that no one should be able to take out of a SCIF.
Again pointing out that Comey's memos were used as part of the Electronic Communication, the file opened when McCabe had his team start investigations of the President based on the memos!
Comey's leak through Richman provided sensitive information on the Flynn case, evidence that might alert suspects that there was an FBI investigation into Flynn & obstruction by Trump.
How is warning Trump & Flynn a bad thing for Trump?
How is warning Trump & Flynn a bad thing for Trump?
Remember, Comey warned the world that McCabe might be pursuing @GenFlynn & @Potus for criminal charges. In an effort to trigger a special counsel to take the case away from McCabe & people @Comey did not trust at DOJ!
An issue of such incredible importance that Comey had to warn about the potential obstruction case to protect the Nation, DOJ & FBI from what his former deputy was doing!
A revelation that left the coup plotters “surprised,”
“stunned,” “shocked,” and full of “disappointment”!
I bet it did!
“stunned,” “shocked,” and full of “disappointment”!
I bet it did!
Which may explain why Comey felt it necessary to violate FBI policy on documents rather than trust to the now McCabe lead FBI to provide them to his attorneys. We all know how well the FBI can stonewall on a good day!
Yep, Comey failed to tell McCabe and the coup plottes that he had provided copies of the original memos to his legal counsel including a former US attorney & special counsel!
