Joe DiGenova has an important article at Fox News, in which he considers what Christopher Steele's emerging agreement to testify to US investigators--probably led by John Durham--could mean for AG Bill Barr's crusade to get to the origin of the Russia Hoax. Bear in mind two things:
1) The announced--or, at least, projected--cooperation deal with Steele may be only the public version of what could be a broader US/UK deal for cooperation on the Russia Hoax--including protection of British interests (recall Trump's jest about May being a good negotiator?), and
2) While DiGenova rightly warns of the potential consequences for the Democrat Party, the spectacle of the Republican Party revealing itself as a virtually wholly owned subsidiary of the US Chamber of Commerce (in case you had any doubts) shows that Republicans are not immune to suicidal impulses. The calculated attempt to cut the legs out from under Trump while he is absent from the country, on a triumphal tour of the UK, with wind at the back of conservative movements around the world, is one of the most despicable displays in US politics--ever.
In what follows, note that DiGenova walks back his statement last night that for sure Steele will be talking to Durham rather than to IG Horowitz. For my part, I agree with the implication in DiGenova's statement--that it doesn't really matter who Steele talks to because they'll all be on the same page. Horowitz is every bit as experienced a prosecutor as Durham, and deeply knowledgeable about the DC Swamp. Durham's advantage in having Grand Jury powers at his back aren't really relevant in this context, and if Horowitz does the interview the results will go straight to Durham and his team.
From what we've seen thus far, Steele seems to have been kept insulated from the highest levels of the conspiracy. However, that doesn't mean that he won't have information that can lead higher. His close relationship with Bruce Ohr and Glenn Simpson are certainly tantalizing indicators in that direction. So, too, as I pointed out yesterday, that he met at least once with Andrew Weissmann before the election. What does he know about the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians, and who might have been behind it? There's a lot of potential here beyond just the dossier.
With that said, DiGenova:
Democrats must be scared stiff by reports Tuesday that federal investigators will soon interview former British spy Christopher Steele, whose discredited dossier was integral to getting the Russia collusion witch hunt started.
...
Steele could be the key to exposing the whole corrupt cabal ...
This should have come as no surprise to the FBI, since agents were well aware that the [Steele dossier] was thoroughly political in nature when they used it as the basis for a series of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page – not once, but four times.
...
And now Attorney General William Barr’s investigators are hot on the trail of former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and others who played a role in concocting the conspiracy to take down our duly elected president.
If investigators conclude that Comey, Clapper and others engaged in a criminal conspiracy – as seems increasingly likely – then Christopher Steele could easily be named as a co-defendant, which would trigger an extradition request that Britain would almost certainly honor.
Steele obviously doesn’t want that to happen, which is probably why he declined a previous request for cooperation from U.S. Attorney John Durham, one of Barr’s top investigators looking into the FISA warrants scandal.
We don’t yet know which investigators will be interviewing Steele in the coming weeks, but it’s a pretty safe bet that they’ve offered him some form of immunity in exchange for his candor. That should terrify the Democrats who enlisted him in their attempts to execute a Deep State coup against Trump.
If Steele spills the beans on his former handlers, the resulting prosecutions of former high-level federal officials would make Watergate seem trivial by comparison.
In addition to Comey, Clapper and Brennan, it’s entirely possible that Steele’s testimony will yield new insights that could eventually help to implicate even higher-ranking officials in the Obama administration.
...
The bell is tolling for the corrupt Democratic Party. The upcoming Steele interview proves that Attorney General Barr’s investigators are closing in on the creators of the collusion hoax, and that should absolutely terrify every Democrat planning to run for office in 2020. as the stench of corruption is revealed and seeps into the political campaign season in earnest.
DiGenova expects a lot more from Steele's testimony than I expect.
ReplyDeleteHe's probably expecting that Barr and his guys will be able to leverage Steele's testimony against several important players, rather than that Steele himself can provide all the details. When you realize that his payments were coming from Hillary's lawyer and his handler was the #4 guy at DoJ you can understand that hope/expectation.
DeleteBTW, I'm working my way through some of the material at Liberty Unyielding. I know you've linked stuff there in the past. You can imagine it's taking some time.
DeleteI don't want to say this because it will sound insulting. But DiGenova sounds pretty much like Trey Gowdy these days. All talk, no cattle.
DeleteWorse than that, pinning any hopes on testimony of an admitted Trump hater is a sign of desperation. Why would we allow our actions to be affected by Steele at this point? We don't need him when we have Barr and Trump and Nunes etc.
What they hope to get from Steele is the connections between the Clinton campaign and the US Deep State. He should be able to provide some of that.
DeleteInterviewing Steele raises, again, the question of what was going on in London during the summer and fall of 2016...
ReplyDeleteThis article is a good reminder of the many ways London plays into the story, many of which are still poorly understood:
https://spectator.org/who-ran-crossfire-hurricane/
--Cassander
I'm about to read it, but I'll say this--I've always had grave concerns about Haspel following on from Pompeo. Similar to Chris Wray.
DeleteOh--thanks!
DeleteExcellent. I'll need to do a write-up of it. Tx again. So hard to read and write at the same time. :-)
DeletePlus...you have a tiger by the tail!
Delete"I'm about to read it, but I'll say this--I've always had grave concerns about Haspel following on from Pompeo. Similar to Chris Wray."
ReplyDeleteDoes your quote mean that you have concern about Haspel and Pompeo or only Haspel? I thought that Pompeo was loyal to the President but I have seen comments on this blog suggesting that Pompeo stonewalled just like Wray.
Wray is definitely a Deep Stater. If Pompeo is one too, oy gevalt.
I regard Pompeo as a total Deep Stater and not loyal to Trump or his agenda. Like Bolton. They're both committed to regime change and forever war around the globe. That is not Trump's policy goal.
ReplyDeleteDespite appearances, Steele is no dummy. He and his cohorts at MI6 have spent two years preparing for this eventuality. They will try to thread the needle with a limited hangout, i.e. make a few carefully limited admissions about his role in RussiaGate, which essentially amounts to identifying Glenn Simpson and Fusion GPS as the main culprits. He will largely claim ignorance with respect to the corrupt acts within the DOJ/FBI/CIA. His role now is to act as a firewall and protect British Intelligence, and also avoid incriminating Brennan or Comey to the best of his ability. This is the reason that Horowitz will do the interview. He really can't threaten Steele in any meaningful way, whereas Durham would have beat him down until he cracked. Horowitz would well to video and transcribe the interview (the Brits always do this with their targets), and then threaten to release the video if he won't come clean about everything.
ReplyDeleteSteele was the point man for British Intelligence on this caper, and he knows all about the other British players supporting this operation. In particular, he knows about the involvement of British Embassy staff in DC and their handling of Nellie Ohr as the lamplighter.