DNI Declassifies Trump, Flynn Defensive Briefing From 2016, Revealing Bureau Was Spying And Collecting Information On Trump And Team

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Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliff partially declassified numerous documents Thursday on the FBI’s defensive briefing given in August, 2016 to then Republican candidate Donald Trump, former national security advisor Michael Flynn and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Those documents are now public and have been reviewed by this reporter.

The now declassified defensive briefing documents were approved by former FBI Special Agents Kevin Clinesmith, who was outed by the DOJ’s Inspector General for falsifying and omitting information in the Foreign Intelligence Application warrant against Carter Page. Moreover, former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok is also a signatory who approved the defensive briefing notes. Strzok was removed from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump Russia and was later fired by the bureau after thousands of anti-Trump texts were discovered between him and his then lover FBI lawyer Lisa Page. The now debunked Russia probe investigation and the investigations looking into the bureau’s malfeasance reveals that the FBI was collecting information directly on Trump for political purposes.

The case ID on the defensive briefing document titled ‘(Redacted) Document Brief to Republican Candidate for U.S. President’ is noted as 97-HQ-2026661 (Redacted) Crossfire Hurricane; Foreign Agents Registration Act – Russia.

“It’s interesting that the defensive briefing for a potential president was listed as part of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” said one former federal law enforcement official. “It reveals that the bureau went beyond Flynn in collecting information on then candidate Trump.”

The once highly classified document dated August 30, 2016, states that “This communication documents writer’s counter(intelligence)…security briefing to the Republican candidate for U.S. President Donald J. Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and General (retired) Michael Flynn.

It also notes the day the FBI registered the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as July, 31, 2016.

It states that the writer of the document, is Joe Pientka, III, who provided a “counterintelligence and security briefing to U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump” along with Flynn and Christie. Pientka is still with the bureau and has never been questioned by Congress. He was with Strzok in January, 2017 at the White House when they went to question then national security advisor Flynn.

“The briefing is standard practice for potential candidates for presidency and their senior advisors,” stated a former FBI Official. “However, spying on a presidential candidate during a briefing isn’t.”

The documents states that “(Redacted) Writer’s brief lasted approximately thirteen minutes, stating at 1555 and ending at 1608,” in military hours.

“Upon entering the room Trump, Christie and Flynn shook hands with all the briefers. Trump, Christie and Flynn sat with their backs to the clocks facing the windows while the briefers sat across from them. An ODNI briefer, Edward Gistaro, initiated the briefing by discussing the history job the briefings and establishing the ground rules regarding the brief, specifically that the briefers would not answer policy related questions and would not discuss any operations,” the document written by Pientka states.

“Gistaro then introduced writer, who approved the following brief (not verbatim, this is a summary):

https://saraacarter.com/dni-declassifies-trump-flynn-defensive-briefing-from-2016-revealing-bureau-was-spying-and-collecting-information-at-the-time-on-trump/

U.S. and U.K. accuse Russia of launching new weapon into space

Earlier this month, Russia tested an object with the capabilities of targeting satellites in space

The United States and United Kingdom on Thursday accused Russia of conducting a test on a space-based anti-satellite weapon earlier this month.

U.S. Space Command said it has evidence that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon on July 15.

The group also said Russia "injected a new object into orbit" from Cosmos 2543, is a satellite that has been in orbit since 2019. It also said the object has the capabilities to target a satellite.

The head of the U.K.'s Space Directorate called on Russia to cease any further testing of this sort, saying that it could "risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends."

This marks the first time the United States has accused Russia of testing an "on orbit" weapon, which is a weapon that is based in outer space.

Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command and U.S. Space Force chief, said that the Russian satellite system used to conduct the test has been of concern for several months.

"This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk," Raymond said.

Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons were some of the main reasons that led to the creation of the U.S. military branch focused on space – the Space Force – which Raymond now leads.

https://justthenews.com/nation/science/us-and-uk-accuse-russia-launching-new-weapon-space

Listen: Chinese Air Force Urges US Spy Plane Nearing Coast to 'Change Your Course'

A US aircraft flew too close to the Chinese coast on Thursday and was warned off by Chinese forces - something the US and its allies never hesitate to characterize as aggressive behavior when the aircraft are Chinese.

It’s a change of cast from the typical news: a US aircraft strayed too close to Chinese airspace on Thursday and got a stern warning from Chinese forces to turn away.

“This is China Naval Air Force on guard, you are approaching Chinese air domain,” the US plane was warned. “Change your course immediately or you will be intercepted.”

The encounter was captured by an amateur radio operator, who recorded the exchange, according to the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a think tank associated with Peking University. SCSPI noted the exchange took place north of the Taiwan Strait, in the East China Sea.

It’s not clear what type of aircraft was warned off, and SCSPI had not returned a request for clarification by Sputnik by the time this story went to publication. However, the US military has been flying spy planes and their refueling aircraft along China’s eastern and southern coasts almost daily for months now. SCSPI, which typically reports on these flights, noted no US aircraft over the East China Sea on Thursday.

However, the think tank noted a “hectic night” in the South China Sea, with two KC-135s over the South China Sea supporting a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and two more in the Philippine Sea supporting B-1B Lancer exercises. SCSPI also noted a P-3C Orion submarine hunter in the South China Sea near Taiwan.

The encounter was captured by an amateur radio operator, who recorded the exchange, according to the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a think tank associated with Peking University. SCSPI noted the exchange took place north of the Taiwan Strait, in the East China Sea.

It’s not clear what type of aircraft was warned off, and SCSPI had not returned a request for clarification by Sputnik by the time this story went to publication. However, the US military has been flying spy planes and their refueling aircraft along China’s eastern and southern coasts almost daily for months now. SCSPI, which typically reports on these flights, noted no US aircraft over the East China Sea on Thursday.

However, the think tank noted a “hectic night” in the South China Sea, with two KC-135s over the South China Sea supporting a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and two more in the Philippine Sea supporting B-1B Lancer exercises. SCSPI also noted a P-3C Orion submarine hunter in the South China Sea near Taiwan.

A hectic night of the #SouthChinaSea.

USAF RC-135W(AE01CD) & US Navy P-8A (AE67D6) just entered the #SCS around 20:00 and 21:00.

With up to 4 KC-135R accompanying, two operated over the #SCS, the other two spotted to the east of Okinawa, probably for the B-1B mission, July 23. pic.twitter.com/Rs07TuQXqq

— SCS Probing Initiative (@SCS_PI) July 23, 2020

​The day prior, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu noted Chinese aircraft flying near Taiwanese airspace is “virtually a daily occurrence.” Taiwanese aircraft typically intercept their Chinese counterparts and warn them off, much as in the Chinese-US exchange on Thursday. However, China’s actions are always characterized as aggressive.

Late last month, the hawkish Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) fumed over such incidents near Taiwan as well as Japan, saying Chinese aircraft had “repeatedly invaded the airspace” of Taiwan and “taken aggressive action against Japan, the East China Sea.” The US has postured similarly with regards to Russian aircraft, even while, like near China, US aircraft are often intercepted and warned away as they approach too close to Russian airspace.

Never mind that such flight warnings take place as detected aircraft approach the country’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which extends well off the coast, and were thus perfectly legal, but it stands to reason that if these Chinese actions are aggressive, then so are the American ones.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/202007231079966566-change-your-course-chinese-air-force-warns-off-us-spy-plane-nearing-coast-listen/

As Stocks Tumble Fed Swoops In With A Stick Save, Expanding Bailout Facility Counterparties

With stocks weak all day, and accelerating to the downside in the afternoon, some were wondering when Jerome "Jay" Powell would answer Steve Mnuchin's phonecall.

Well, it took it's sweet time, but at exactly 2:30pm the Fed fired a warning shot at all the racist criminals known as "sellers" when it announced that it had "broadened the set of firms eligible to transact with and provide services in three emergency lending facilities."

Encouraging a broader range of agents for the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) and counterparties for the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF) and Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility (SMCCF) will increase the Federal Reserve's operational capacity and insight into the respective markets.

The TALF, CPFF, and SMCCF are facilities created under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, established with the approval of the Treasury Secretary and with equity investments provided by the Treasury to help support the flow of credit to households, businesses, and the broader economy.

The TALF, CPFF and SMCFF are all some of the "illegal" 13(3) facilities that the Fed needed an explicit permission from the Treasury to enable, as their sole purpose was to prop up risk assets. As of last Thursday, there was roughly $160 billion in 13(3) facilities outstanding, and while the total notional was shrinking due to lack of demand…

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stocks-tumble-fed-swoops-stick-save-expanding-bailout-facility-counterparties

Third human smuggler sentenced to prison for operating Houston stash house ring

HOUSTON – A Houston resident was sentenced to federal prison Thursday for operating a massive human smuggling operation using locked and boarded-up trailers throughout the Houston area as stash houses. Two Mexican nationals who were co-conspirators in the smuggling operation were previously sentenced.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston, Texas.

Rene Camacho, a 47-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Houston, was sentenced July 23 in the Southern District of Texas to three years in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens.

Camacho joins, Albino Vargas-Hernandez, 49, and Hiram Lamarca-Gonzalez, 22, both Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S., who were previously sentenced for conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens. Vargas-Hernandez was sentenced on April 30 to 42 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Lamarca-Gonzalez was sentenced on March 19 to 3 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.

Camacho and Vargas-Hernandez pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 12, 2019. Lamarca-Gonzalez entered his guilty plea on Dec. 4, 2019.

The investigation revealed that from July 2018 through August 2018 multiple suspected aliens had arrived and departed trailers in Houston, which were locked and had boards on the windows. On several occasions, Vargas-Hernandez left his residence, picked up illegal aliens from the stash house and delivered them to others.

Law enforcement obtained search warrants on the Vargas-Hernandez residence as well as the stash houses. During that time, authorities found Vargas-Hernandez and Camacho inside one of the trailers along with 12 unlawfully present aliens. The aliens identified Vargas-Hernandez and Camacho as leaders of the smuggling organization, in charge of documenting alien information in ledgers and collecting payments for the aliens smuggled into the country. They also recovered multiple firearms, “pollo” lists (alien smuggling ledgers keeping track of alien and payment information), money service wire receipts and approximately $224,000 in cash.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/third-human-smuggler-sentenced-prison-operating-houston-stash-house-ring

Department Of Justice Issues Business Review Letter To Monoclonal Antibody Manufacturers To Expedite And Increase The Production Of Covid-19 Mab Treatments

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-issues-business-review-letter-monoclonal-antibody-manufacturers-expedite

Colorado ICE officers remove man wanted for child rape in Peru

DENVER — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed a man July 16 wanted by the country of Peru for raping a child.

David Alava-Valdivia, 66, is a citizen of Peru and illegally present in the United States. He was arrested near his home Aug. 29, 2019 in Evanston, Wyoming.

"Locating and removing criminals who harm children so they can face justice in their home country is a priority for our officers," said John Fabbricatore, field office director, ERO Denver. "We’re thankful for the international partnerships that ensure dangerous criminals like Alava-Valdivia are removed from the U.S."

Alava-Valdivia legally entered the United States through Houston International Airport May 28, 2015 and failed to depart under the terms of his visa.

Alava-Valdivia’s removal was coordinated with the ICE attaché in Peru. He remained in custody at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility prior to his removal.

Alava-Valdivia was removed from the United States via a commercial flight to Jorge Chávez International Airport, Peru's main international and domestic airport. The airport is located in Callao, 11 kilometers from Lima, the nation's capital city.

ERO on occasion uses commercial carriers to transport aliens who have final orders of removal from an immigration judge. Officers escort aliens on these flights to their country of origin.

The Peruvian government has notified law enforcement agencies throughout the world that Alava-Valdivia may be considered dangerous, liable to commit sexual offenses involving minors. Alava-Valdivia is the subject of Peruvian Arrest Warrant number A-7315/7-2019.

Targets are often those who were arrested on local criminal charges or have blatant disregard for U.S. immigration laws. The agency’s arrest statistics clearly reflect this. Nationally, approximately 86 percent of all people arrested by ICE during fiscal year 2019 either had a criminal conviction, a pending criminal charge, had illegally re-entered the United States after being previously removed (a felony charge) or were an immigration fugitive subject to a judge’s final order of removal.

Aliens processed for removal may receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/colorado-ice-officers-remove-man-wanted-child-rape-peru

>>10057827

Corona Virus ID 2019

Report: US fighter jets come close to Iranian passenger plane over Syria

Israel and the United States have long accused Mahan Air of ferrying weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere.

Two American fighter jets came close to an Iranian passenger plane over Syrian airspace causing the pilot to change altitude quickly to avoid collision, which injured several passengers, the official IRIB news agency reported on Thursday.

The agency initially reported a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets which identified themselves as American.

The pilot of the passenger plane contacted the jet pilots to warn them about keeping a safe distance and the jet pilots identified themselves as American, IRIB reported.

Video posted by the agency showed a single jet from the window of the plane and comments from a passenger who had blood on his face.

The Iranian plane, belonging to Mahan Air, was heading from Tehran to Beirut and landed safely in Beirut, an airport source told Reuters.

An Israeli military spokesman had no immediate comment and there was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.

Israel and the United States have long accused Mahan Air of ferrying weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere.

One passenger in the IRIB report described how his head had hit the roof of the plane during the change in altitude and video also showed an elderly passenger sprawled on the floor.

All of the passengers came off the plane and only some had minor injuries, the head of the Beirut airport told Reuters.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/israeli-fighter-jet-comes-close-to-iranian-passenger-plane-over-syria-636162

Thousands mass outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence in latest protest

5 arrested as police prepare to forcibly remove anti-government demonstrators; several hundred at counter-protest; some women remove tops, imitating Tuesday protester

Thousands of demonstrators massed on Thursday night near the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem to protest against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Several hundred pro-Netanyahu protesters held a counter-rally nearby.

As an 11 p.m. deadline to end both events passed. police were reportedly preparing to forcibly evacuate those gathered. Channel 12 news reported that five people had already been arrested, though some of them reportedly for selling alcohol to demonstrators without a permit.

Anti-Netanyahu protesters have been holding regular rallies outside his official residence on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street, calling on the premier to resign due to his indictment on corruption charges. Rallies against Netanyahu’s economic policies during the coronavirus pandemic have also been held, though mostly in Tel Aviv.

The large counter-protest in support of Netanyahu was the first of its kind since the start of the recent wave of demonstrations against the premier.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, some scuffles broke out between the two sides.

Police had granted permission for the protests to continue until 11 p.m., with acting police chief Motti Cohen urging the sides to “maintain a protest free of violence and unrest and to adhere to police instructions.”

The two crowds were separated by several hundred meters, with a large number of policemen on scene to keep them apart and to protect the premier’s residence on Balfour street. The streets around the demonstrations were blocked to traffic.

A number of women removed their shirts at the anti-Netanyahu protest near the prime minister’s residence, following the example of a protester who raised a firestorm by removing her shirt on Tuesday while on a menorah statue near the Knesset.

The women held up signs with the words “breasts photograph better than…” followed by various words written on their chests, including “occupation” and “police violence.” One held a sign calling for “Justice for Iyad,” in reference to Iyad Halak, an autistic Palestinian man killed by police in Jerusalem in late May.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-mass-outside-netanyahus-jerusalem-residence-for-dueling-protests/

>>10058215

ISRAEL BLAMES US

Declassified Memo: FBI Planted A Crossfire Hurricane Agent In Trump, Flynn Briefing

The director of national intelligence declassified an August 2016 FBI memo which detailed the bureau’s use of an agent to provide a counterintelligence briefing to Donald Trump and Michael Flynn in order to collect evidence for the Russia probe.

Joseph Pientka, a supervisory special agent, conducted the briefing.

The Justice Department’s inspector general criticized the FBI for sending an agent into the briefing, saying that it could erode trust that presidential candidates have in future dealings with the FBI.

John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, on Thursday sent Congress a newly declassified memo related to an FBI briefing given to Donald Trump and Michael Flynn in August 2016 that was used as cover to collect evidence for the Russia probe.

Joseph Pientka, a supervisory special agent, wrote the memo following his Aug. 17, 2016 briefing to Trump, Flynn and Chris Christie, a Trump campaign adviser.

Pientka, who was one of the top agents on Crossfire Hurricane, developed the briefing materials in coordination with Peter Strzok, the lead investigator on the Trump-Russia probe. Kevin Clinesmith, an FBI lawyer found to have altered an email related to Carter Page, also worked on the plan to use Pientka in the briefing, according to the memo.

Ratcliffe sent the memo and Pientka’s notes to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, who have for months pressed for the declassification of documents related to the Trump campaign briefing.

The FBI’s covert use of the briefing was revealed in a Justice Department inspector general’s (IG) report released on Dec. 9, 2019. Investigators provided a briefing to Hillary Clinton on Aug. 27, 2016, but did not use it for purposes of collecting evidence on the candidate.

The FBI opened an investigation of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia on July 31, 2016. Investigators opened a counterintelligence probe of Flynn on Aug. 16, 2016, a day before the campaign briefing.

The IG report said that FBI “viewed that briefing as a possible opportunity to collect information potentially relevant to the Crossfire Hurricane and Flynn investigations.”

Pientka told the IG that he saw the briefing as an opportunity “to gain assessment and possibly have some level of familiarity with [Flynn]. So, should we get to the point where we need to do a subject interview….I would have that to fall back on.”

Pientka’s memo does not indicate that Trump or Flynn made any incriminating statements. According to Pientka, Trump asked about Russia’s spy activities in the United States compared to other hostile nations, such as China.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/07/23/fbi-memo-michael-flynn-briefing-trump/