James Comey Unmasked

Again.

The disgraced former FBI Director is once again revealed as an evil, narcissistic, conniver. Just a despicable excuse for a human being.

The context this time, of course, is the complete declassification of Susan Rice's famous email-to-self--written on 1/20/17 (two weeks after the event), minutes before being escorted out of the White House to make way for the incoming Trump administration. In what may be his parting shot to The Swamp--but there's always hope!--Acting DNI Grenell did the deed and declassified the remaining paragraph in the email. Rice had hoped to keep that paragraph hidden until after any Trump second term.

Here is the full email. The previously redacted but now declassified portion is bolded:

On January 5, following a briefing by IC leadership on Russian hacking during the 2016 Presidential election, President Obama had a brief follow-on conversation with FBI Director Jim Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the Oval Office.  Vice President Biden and I were also present.

President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities “by the book”.  The President stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective.  He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.

From a national security perspective, however, President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia.

Director Comey affirmed that he is proceeding "by the book" as it relates to law enforcement. From a national security perspective, Comey said he does have some concerns that incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak. Comey said that could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information. President Obama asked if Comey was saying the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn. Comey replied "potentially. He added that he has no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that "the level of communication is unusual.

The President asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team.  Comey said he would.

This whole email reads very much like an ass covering exercise on behalf of Obama. The reason Susan Rice would have written this would be because--for the conspiratorial mindset--for Obama to have written something like this would have seemed too obviously self  serving. Rice writing it might seem more in keeping with the dutiful subordinate taking notes.


From that perspective--the perspective of the conspiratorial mindset--I'd be very interested to know whether the snake-like Comey took notes of his own. Or even wrote up "notes" at any point between then and now. Further, nothing would surprise me less than to learn that the ambush interview was arranged during the closing days of the Obama administration, but that the arrangement was that it wouldn't take place until Obama was out of the White House. More ass covering. That strikes me as the way Obama and his handlers would operate.

Taking the paragraph at face value, however, the whole thing is an insult to the intelligence of anyone with an IG above, say, 80. Consider: The whole narrative rests on the notion that Comey and the FBI were in possession of specific and articulable facts that gave reason to believe that Michael Flynn was an agent of the Russian government. The whole reason that Peter Strzok intervened with the FBI's Washington Field Office to keep the Flynn case open was to provide a basis for the supposed discussion that we see in the Rice email--or, at any rate, for the meeting at which Flynn was discussed. Without that open investigation, that entire discussion would have been nonsense on its face. Which does make you wonder, whether there was more to the involvement of FBIHQ's 7th floor than Strzok referred to in his text to Pientka. Could it have been that there was more to that decision to keep WFO's Flynn case open than Bob Litt's wild ass theory about the Logan Act? Could it be that the White House itself wanted to be sure that the Flynn case remained open?

At any rate, the notion that there was any basis whatsoever for the Flynn investigation--as set out in the opening and closing ECs of the FBI's Washington Field Office full investigation of Flynn--is simply risible. Here's how Joe Pientka stated the basis for the Flynn case (described in Opening And Closing The Flynn Case) in his closing EC:

The FBI opened captioned case based on an articulable factual basis that CROSSFIRE RAZOR (FLYNN) may wittingly or unwittingly be involved in activity on behalf of the Russian Federation which may constitute a federal crime or threat to the national security. The FBI predicated the investigation on predetermined criteria set forth by the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE (CH) investigative team based on an assessment of reliable lead information received during the course of the investigation. Specifically,

FLYNN was cited as an adviser to then Republican presidential candidate DONALD J. TRUMP for foreign policy issues since February 2016;

FLYNN had ties to various state-affiliated entities of the Russian Federation, as reported by open source information;

and FLYNN traveled to Russia in December 2015, as reported by open source information.

Additionally, FLYNN has an active TS/SCI clearance.

The goal of the investigation was to determine whether the captioned subject, associated with the Trump campaign, was directed and controlled by and/or coordinated activities with the Russian Federation in a manner which is a threat to the national security and/or possibly a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, 18 USC section 951 et seq, or other related statutes.

That is nothing but a string of non sequiturs. Travel to Russia and "ties"--whatever that nebulous term means--to the innumerable "entities"--again, whatever that nebulous term means--of the Russian Federation that are state-affiliated is simply not probative in any way for the proposition that any given person is a Russian agent. If it were, virtually anyone who has ever travelled to Russia would have a full investigation opened on them. And I'm here to tell you that that is not the way the FBI operates.

Whoever wrote that is either an idiot or is corrupt.

We know Comey isn't an idiot, so for him to rely on such twaddle certifies him as corrupt--as if we needed any more evidence. Take away the pretense of predication for investigating Flynn and Comey's words are laid bare as total BS:

incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak

Really? So what? What should an incoming NSA be doing if not sounding out geopolitical rivals of the US? Establishing personal contacts in case deconfliction becomes necessary--like, after the Obama administration tried to foment a crisis by expelling Russian diplomats on trumped up (!) "meddling" claims. Wouldn't that situation have led to frequent contacts with the Russian ambassador? And maybe that was the point.

the NSC should "potentially" not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn?

Because Flynn talks to the Russian ambassador? Could someone please explain that line of reasoning for me? If the NSA talks to the Russian ambassador, we shouldn't provide him with sensitive information related to Russia? Huh?

Do we really want a world in which the NSA for the United States doesn't talk to the ambassador of a major foreign power? Or only as frequently as the FBI Director deems suitable, or not "unusual (see below)? And if those contacts are deemed too frequent, then vital information should be withheld from the NSA? I submit that to have US foreign policy controlled and directed by a counterintelligenc agency is a very bad idea. But I think we all know that that's not what was going on here.

he has no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that "the level of communication is unusual."

Yeah, right. The Washington Field Office wanted to close the Flynn case because 1) they knew they never should have opened it and they didn't want to get caught with such a BS investigation open, and 2) they had discovered NOTHING DEROGATORY about Flynn. And yet we're supposed to believe that this dialogue took place between Obama and Comey. That Comey, with a straight face and in spite of all he knew from the WFO investigation, in effect told Obama that, although "thus far" Flynn hadn't been caught passing classified information to the Russians over the phone (!), the FBI was on the case and would remain alert--and playing it "by the book." You've got to be kidding me.

This whole thing sounds like a totally self serving exercise in prospective ass covering. The setup of Flynn was being planned as well as the cover story. The Susan Rice email is the cover story and may not bear all that much resemblance to the actual discussion that took place in the Oval Office that January 5th.

And then there's this--remember? Microphone Catches a Candid Obama. Did that lead the USIC to withhold sensitive Russia related information from Obama? Kinda gives the game away, doesn't it:

“On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space,” Mr. Obama could be heard saying to Mr. Medvedev, according a reporter from ABC News, who was traveling with the president. 

“Yeah, I understand,” the departing Russian president said. “I understand your message about space. Space for you ... .” 

Mr. Obama then elaborated in a portion of the exchange picked up by the cameras: “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” 

“I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” Mr. Medvedev said, referring to Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, who just won an election to succeed Mr. Medvedev.

Give me "space" and we can "solve" all sorts of things. Can you say "quid pro quo?" Oh, wait--that only applies to Trump and Ukraine, and even then it has to be made up.