The Inspector General’s Report on 2016 FBI Spying Reveals a Scandal of Historic Magnitude: Not Only for the FBI but Also the U.S. Media

Just as was true when the Mueller investigation closed without a single American being charged with criminally conspiring with Russia over the 2016 election, Wednesday’s issuance of the long-waited report from the Department of Justice’s Inspector General reveals that years of major claims and narratives from the U.S. media were utter frauds.

Before evaluating the media component of this scandal, the FBI’s gross abuse of its power – its serial deceit – is so grave and manifest that it requires little effort to demonstrate it. In sum, the IG Report documents multiple instances in which the FBI – in order to convince a FISA court to allow it spy on former Trump campaign operative Carter Page during the 2016 election – manipulated documents, concealed crucial exonerating evidence, and touted what it knew were unreliable if not outright false claims.

If you don’t consider FBI lying, concealment of evidence, and manipulation of documents in order to spy on a U.S. citizen in the middle of a presidential campaign to be a major scandal, what is? But none of this is aberrational: the FBI still has its headquarters in a building named after J. Edgar Hoover – who constantly blackmailed elected officials with dossiers and tried to blackmail Martin Luther King into killing himself – because that’s what these security state agencies are. They are out-of-control, virtually unlimited police state factions that lie, abuse their spying and law enforcement powers, and subvert democracy and civic and political freedoms as a matter of course.

In this case, no rational person should allow standard partisan bickering to distort or hide this severe FBI corruption. The IG Report leaves no doubt about it. It’s brimming with proof of FBI subterfuge and deceit, all in service of persuading a FISA court of something that was not true: that U.S. citizen and former Trump campaign official Carter Page was an agent of the Russian government and therefore needed to have his communications surveilled.

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https://theintercept.com/2019/12/12/the-inspector-generals-report-on-2016-fb-i-spying-reveals-a-scandal-of-historic-magnitude-not-only-for-the-fbi-but-also-the-u-s-media/

SYRIA UPDATE

Syria: U.S. administrations have committed systematic violations of human rights

The Ministry, in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of International Human Rights Day, called for conducting an international investigation into the crimes against humanity perpetrated by those administrations all over the world.

“The government of the Syrian Arab Republic reminds of the crimes committed by the illegitimate US-led “International Coalition” against the Syrian civilians, including the killing of thousands of citizens in Raqqa city and destroying it completely in a blatant violation of human rights conventions and rules of international law and international humanitarian law, and using internationally-banned phosphorous bombs against Syrian women and children,” said the Ministry.

“Raising the context of the International declaration of Human rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10th, 1948 requires conducting an international investigation into the crimes against humanity and human rights perpetrated by the US administrations all over the world, including Laos, Iraq, Libya, Guantanamo and many other countries,” the Ministry said.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=180387

Hundreds Of Iranian-Backed Troops Arrive In Syria’s Al-Bukamal – Report

Around 300 “Iranian-backed” fighters have arrived in the city of al-Bukamal in the southern countryside of Syria’s Deir Ezzor, the Deir Ezzor 24 blog reported on December 12 citing a local source.

https://southfront.org/hundreds-of-iranian-backed-troops-arrive-in-syrias-al-bukamal-report/

ISIS claims responsibly for Homs hospital attacks that killed at least 16

The casualty count is not yet final as emergency services are responding to the attack. RIA Novosti has already reported 22 people were killed and 70 more sustained injuries, citing medical sources. Unconfirmed reports on Twitter put the number of those wounded at 140.

Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the double attack. In a statement published online the group said that their fighter, who they identified as Abu Ahmed al-Homsi, parked his car in the Zahra neighborhood and “exploded it …before detonating his explosives belt.”

https://www.rt.com/news/325708-homs-syria-blast-dead/

Syria, Democratic Korea sign agreements in fields of work and scientific research

The protocol was signed by finance Minister Mamoun Hammdan on the Syrian side and Economy Minister Kim Yong-Jae on the Democratic Korean side.

The two sides also signed an agreement of cooperation in the fields of work and social care, Agriculture and fish in addition to an executive program in the field of scientific research.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=180319

Speaker Sabbagh, Indian Ambassador discuss enhancing relations, forming Parliamentary friendship committee

Sabbagh hailed India’s stance in support of Syria in its war against terrorism, indicating that Syria managed to eradicate terrorism from wide areas thanks to steadfastness of its people, the army’s sacrifices and the leadership’s wisdom, and it is still confronting this ongoing aggression with its various forms of terrorism , economic and political siege aimed at undermining the will of the Syrians and their independent decision.

For his part the Indian Ambassador praised the historic friendship relations binding the two countries, affirming his country’s readiness to develop cooperation relations with Syria in various aspects.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=180381

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New Wave Of Russian Airstrikes Targets Greater Idlib Militants (Video)

Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out on December 12 several airstrikes on terrorists’ positions in the southern Idlib countryside.

https://youtu.be/axhFu8MtTiw

https://southfront.org/new-wave-of-russian-airstrikes-targets-greater-idlib-militants-video/

In Video: Idlib Militants Shell Syrian Army Positions From Turkish Observation Post Area

On December 11, al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) released a video showing its terrorists shelling Syrian Arab Army (SAA) positions in southeast Idlib from the vicinity of a Turkish observation post.

https://southfront.org/in-video-idlib-militants-shell-syrian-army-positions-from-turkish-observation-post-area/

Military Situation In Syria And Iraq On December 12, 2019 (Map Update)

A brief overview of the recent developments in Syria and Iraq:

15 rockets reportedly hit Qayyarah Military Airport that houses US troops;

2 rockets hit the area near Baghdad International Airport. No casualties were reported;

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that its security forces had neutralized a weapons and logistics smuggling network working for ISIS;

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) uncovered a number of weapons, including a car bomb, in al-Musayfrah and Oumm Oualad;

The SAA shot down militants’ attack UAV near Furaykah;

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham recaptured al-Katibat al-Mahjura from the SAA;

The SAA and the Russian Military Police reopened the M4 highway in northeastern Syria after the withdrawal of Turkish proxies from the area.

https://southfront.org/in-video-idlib-militants-shell-syrian-army-positions-from-turkish-observation-post-area/

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Scot free? FBI declares it has no records of discipline against lawyers in Russia FISA case

Just days after it was sharply rebuked for its conduct in the Russia collusion investigation, the FBI is declaring it possesses no records of any disciplinary action taken against lawyers who pursued a deeply flawed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant targeting the Trump campaign.

The declaration was made Thursday in a U.S. District Court motion seeking to dismiss an open records lawsuit brought by the Southeastern Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that frequently argues cases before the Supreme Court.

The foundation’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit sought any records from the FBI of actions taken with or communicated to the FISA judges or other disciplinary bodies against lawyers involved in the surveillance warrant that was obtained against Trump adviser Carter Page in October 2016 and renewed three times in 2017.

“The FBI informed Plaintiff that it was ‘unable to identify records responsive to’ the FOIA request,” the government’s motion seeking dismissal states. “Because the search requested by Plaintiff in the FOIA request and the Complaint has been conducted, Plaintiff’s claim is now moot.”

The FBI’s claim is certain to touch off new concerns amongst civil liberties experts and conservatives, who fear the bureau has not taken any disciplinary action against the lawyers and supervisors who submitted a deeply inaccurate, flawed application for the warrant.

The declaration comes just four days after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz excoriated the FBI’s handling of the FISA warrant, identifying 17 significant acts of misconduct, false statements and omitted information. That included one instance in which an FBI lawyer falsified a document in the FISA process.

Horowitz’s report identified a total of 51 violations that rendered the FBI’s search warrant request improper, including nine false statements, nine misleading statements and 33 claims that were not properly documented.

The magnitude of the false information and misconduct was so sweeping that Horowitz suggested Wednesday in congressional testimony that the FBI may have engaged in “illegal surveillance” by deceiving the court.

Todd Young, executive director of the foundation, said the FBI’s claim of no responsive records “does not pass the straight-face test.”

“Horowitz laid out a clear pattern of ‘errors and omissions’ – more than 17 such errors – committed by the FBI before the FISC on four separate warrant applications on Carter Page,” he said.

The FOIA lawsuit sought a broad set of document meant to capture any communications between the FISA judges or other disciplinary bodies.

Kimberly Hermann, the foundation’s chief counsel, said she plans to fight the FBI’s effort to dismiss the FOIA lawsuit.

“The FISA court has stringent rules governing behavior because it makes decisions on whether a federal agency can spy on Americans. Further, the burdens to tell the truth, disclose timely, and update the FISA court are even more critical because there are no other parties than the government providing evidence to the court – it’s unlike any other court in America

As a matter of disclosure, Southeastern Legal Foundation has represented me in several open records cases in 2019, including a motion asking the FISA court if it has any disciplinary concerns about the FBI conduct in the Russia case. Those legal matters are pending.

https://johnsolomonreports.com/scot-free-fbi-declares-it-has-no-records-of-discipline-against-lawyers-in-russia-fisa-case/

US convening UN Security Council was a ‘foolish thing,’ North Korea ‘has nothing to lose’ – Pyongyang

The North Korean government has rejected pressure from the United States, saying Washington convening a UN Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea was ‘a foolish thing’ to do.

“It is clear that even if we talk, the United States has nothing to offer to us,” a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang said Thursday, as cited by the state news agency KCNA.

“The United States talked about a corresponding measure at the meeting, as we have said we have nothing to lose and we are ready to respond to any corresponding measure that the US chooses,” the official added.

During the UNSC meeting on Wednesday, US Ambassador Kelly Craft said Washington was willing to be flexible in its talks with Pyongyang, but ultimately it was up to North Korea to take “the difficult, but bold decision” to move the talks forward.

The situation is viewed in a different light in Pyongyang, where officials say Washington’s unacceptable demands for full denuclearization were a roadblock in the talks as they compromised North Korea’s national security. Pyongyang says tangible progress must be made before the end of the year, but Washington rejects the deadline.

https://www.rt.com/news/475689-north-korea-us-foolish/

US tests ground-launched ballistic missile that would’ve been banned by INF treaty (VIDEO)

The Pentagon has conducted a second test of a missile that would have been banned under the INF treaty with Russia, which the US abandoned earlier this year. A ground-based ballistic missile flew for over 500 kilometers.

The conventionally configured test missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday, the US Department of Defense confirmed in a statement, giving no further details.

"Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense's development of future intermediate-range capabilities," the statement said.

Thursday’s test follows the cruise missile launch in August, just days after the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty expired due to the unilateral US exit.

Signed in 1987, at the height of the Cold War, the INF banned the US and the Soviet Union – later Russia – from fielding missiles with a range between 500 and 5,000 kilometers (310 and 3,400 miles).

The Trump administration accused Russia of possessing a missile that violated the treaty, something that Moscow has denied. Russian offers for NATO to inspect the allegedly offending missile system were ignored. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and his advisers further rationalized their exit by calling the INF a “relic” of the Cold War, an “obsolete” treaty that no longer reflected strategic reality, because it did not apply to China or other countries with ballistic missile capabilities.

The new test comes just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Washington and discussed the possible extension of the New START nuclear reduction treaty with Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Moscow has said it was willing to extend the treaty, which expires in February 2021, by five years to allow time for a new deal to be negotiated.

Washington has not signaled any interest in doing either, however. Trump has talked about a potential new nuclear deal that would include Russia, China and other countries, but the US has not offered a specific proposal to that effect.

https://www.rt.com/usa/475724-inf-treaty-banned-missile-test/

North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station: More Activity at the Vertical Engine Test Stand

A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Jack Liu and Peter Makowsky

New commercial satellite imagery from December 11 indicates that activity continues at the Vertical Engine Test Stand at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, where North Korea announced an “important test” was conducted on December 7. A 10-meter-long truck is present adjacent to one of the newer fuel/oxidizer bunkers that may be the same vehicle as seen before in this area, although moved to a new position. A possible crane is nearby, but the limited resolution of this image precludes a more definitive assessment.

A vehicle is now present at the tracking and observation facility located west of the engine test stand.

https://www.38north.org/2019/12/sohae121219/

SEX SLAVE FILES Jeffrey Epstein ‘sex slave list’ soars by hundreds as new 10,000 page document is made public in Virginia Roberts trial

HUNDREDS more people are implicated in new documents in a legal case involving Prince Andrew’s alleged sex slave accuser Virginia Roberts.

Around 10,000 pages of files, five times the number already made public, identify individuals who were allegedly involved with Jeffrey Epstein, 66.

Among them is an unnamed man who wrote to Manhattan’s Federal Court saying that disclosing his name would cause him “permanent and unjustifiable harm”.

The files relate to a US defamation case involving Roberts, who claims she was a sex slave supplied to paedophile Epstein’s pals including Prince Andrew, 59. He denies it.

The hearing was part of a defamation case brought by Miss Roberts against Epstein’s alleged ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell for calling her a liar.

The case was settled but a higher court has ruled that the files should be made public.

Miss Maxwell’s attorney Jeff Pagliuca – in an effort to block or at least delay the court paper’s release - said that among the documents were 29 depositions, most of them on video.

It also included Epstein’s black book of contacts. Epstein hanged himself in jail last month while on a sex traffic charge.

Prosecutors have said their investigation into his alleged accomplices continues.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9864975/jeffrey-epstein-sex-slave-list-soars-virginia-roberts/

NATO Summit – and 2020 Planned Aggression

A recent article “NATO is Brain Dead” described the obsolescence Of NATO and NATO’s defense mechanisms against non-existence enemies. Amazing – with pretense of protection and security in Europe and the world, against Russia and China and fighting against “terror” – as the endless war against endless terror fought by the same forces which create the endless terror – is a very lucrative absurdity.

Now we learn from the French Peace Movement which was present at the 70th Birthday at Buckingham, London – that the horrors of NATO planned for the coming year – and if not stopped – they will be sowing destruction way beyond – are even more horrific than originally imagined. We also lean that Macron – who coined the by now legendary phrase “NATO is Brain Dead” is intimately part of the new NATO deal, Macron, again has launched a “nasty boy” propaganda, while in reality embracing NATO wholeheartedly.

Where is Charles De Gaulle when the world needs him!

Please read below – and spread this message to friends and foes – so as to divulge another lie of one of our European leaders – and be sure that there is NO truth that can ever be expected from the west.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-summit-2020-planned-aggression/5697496

Trump May Use Documents Exposing US Lies About Afghan War to Justify Exit - Ex-Official

The release of secret US papers revealing widespread disillusion about the Afghanistan War will make it easier for President Donald Trump to end US military involvement there, said former State Department Political Officer Matthew Hoh.

Earlier this week, the documents, whose existence was revealed by the Washington Post newspaper, were mainly generated by a multi-year government project called Lessons Learned to pinpoint US mistakes during the 18-year long Afghan War, the longest in American history, in order to avoid them in the future.

"Trump may point at it and use it to strengthen his arguments to end the US military involvement in Afghanistan," Hoh said.

Hoh also said it could be used to advance the peace talks with the Taliban and the implementation of a ceasefire.

The former diplomat said the documents amount to a "smoking gun" that exposes how hundreds of people, filling a variety of roles and responsibilities, all engaged in "deception and malfeasance in order to keep the war going."

"US generals, diplomats and officials on all levels up to the Oval Office have spun facts and misrepresented the actual progress being made with the war in Afghanistan in order to keep the American empire in power and, presumably, in order to keep and further their careers," Hoh said.

The documents were obtained by the Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year-long legal battle. They include interviews with around 400 former servicemen, commanders, generals, diplomats, and intelligence officials involved in Afghan operations.

On Wednesday, US military officials told Congress the United States is considering leaving a small footprint in Afghanistan, although they did not give specific numbers. The United States has around 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, with most of them training and assisting local forces.\

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201912131077559995-trump-may-use-documents-exposing-us-lies-about-afghan-war-to-justify-exit—ex-official/

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1205276472782606344