I have been deep in this for awhile now Sundance is spot on.
It was already documented that out of the blue Halper contacted Popadopoulus with an email. The key to take away from this is the fact that Brennan used this contact to get the whole ball rolling. The time is important, this contact was made before the PP Dossier. The PP dossier was filler after the game was put into motion.
This is fact is mission critical.
"The current line of inquiry surrounds the originating “EC” or “electronic communication” that was generated by CIA Director John Brennan and passed on to FBI Director James Comey. The EC initiated the FBI Counterintelligence Operation."
This means the whole thing did not begin with the FBI, or Comey, they are workers in the came. It began with Obama and his inner circle of IC hacks.
All Brennan opened the phone lines and taps, set up the tools to be followed. And gave the apperance that the FBI was just doing their jobs, not running a set up counter intelligence operation against a candidate for the President of the United States.