Trump’s green light on FBI memo risks sparking ‘constitutional crisis’ – ex-CIA chief Panetta

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… from Russia Today, Moscow

Whereas Panetta has earned his credibility, Trump has not – not by a long shot

Senior Editor’s note:  The deal here puts the US in governmental free fall.  In order to “ex post facto” cover Nunes for seeding highly classified material into his GOP “report,” the White House Counsel inadvertently dropped a much bigger bomb.

The GOP and White House are attacking FISA and all other judicial processes involving sources and witnesses.  We mean all, no more undercover police, no more confidential informants, those investigated are to have advance prior knowledge of any warrant of any kind for any reason and full access to fight a warrant, the new “Trump Protocol.”

The constitution guarantees, to a very limited extent, that those on trial have a right to both a jury and to “face their accusers.”  Investigatively, a source is not a witness or accuser.



What do we mean by this:

Carter Page is the witness against Carter Page.  He is the idiot who made the calls setting up election rigging deals with Russian intelligence services, that were overheard by the NSA under the FISA warrant.  Page is the witness and he can confront himself all day about what an idiot he is.  Even Tony Soprano knew enough not to use a friggin’ phone.

And so it goes.g

[ Editor’s Note: The “Checks and Balances” term use by ex-CIA Director Panetta has now entered the Trump-FBI battle, which even the Department of Justice has joined the Trump firing line. Panetta may be a Democrat, but he is also a highly regarded public servant.

Donald has to be getting some warnings that he could be risking his presidency on one roll of the dice here. I sense a shift in thinking that he would only be taking such a risk because he feels vulnerable to being charged, so he has nothing to lose. I might be the first to say this.

Trump is using his age-old tactic of attacking rather then going on defense. This has worked for him in the past, so it is an instinctive move for him.

Congressman Nunes is on point, giving Trump cover in Congress with his aggressive statement below, pitching the American people as the victims via their not being able to see the still classified information. He said he was not surprised “to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies.” 

This is smoke and mirrors, as the American people have always had to wait until an indictment was filed, and then the trial to see if the evidence substantiated the charges. Nunes tipped his hand at being at the center of this ploy to save Trump by extending his attempt to turn the public against the FBI even to the Justice Department.

Congressman Nunes is also taking a big gamble here

I pose that was a really bad move. He just lined up a whole new bunch of talented enemies, the last thing you would ever see Gordon and I do. Life is tough enough with the regular kind. They will fight like hell to defend the Constitution, which Trump has probably never read.

And last, with the investment the Israelis and friends have in Trump, he will have access to all of their persuasive talents and blackmail files to keep many in Congress in line.

I can see this getting really nasty. If I were the counter Intel officer running this, I would be collecting all the obstruction evidence that I could, as that could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

The risk of a major Constitutional blow up is growing daily, and if Trump goes off the rails, the Republican leadership will have to make a big decision to sink or swim with Trump, or the Constitution. All the Democrats will have to do is stick to the basics on separation of powers, and the midterms could fall right into their lap… Jim W. Dean ]

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– First published … February 02, 2018

Stark warnings continue to be issued over the White House’s decision to release a Republican memo alleging FBI bias and surveillance abuse, with the latest coming from a former CIA director who forecast a “constitutional crisis.”

Leon Panetta joined a chorus of protesting voices in an interview with MSNBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ show. He said recent developments surrounding the memo are a clear reminder that checks and balances failed to work properly.

“When that starts to break down, when the president says, ‘I’m going to release it no matter what the FBI says, or what the Justice Department says,’ then it creates what I consider a constitutional crisis,” he said.

The FBI, Department of Justice (DOJ) and a number of top Democrats have already spoken out against the release of the memo, saying it could be inaccurate and “harmful to national security.”

The four-page Republican memo reportedly contains information on the FBI having sought a warrant to spy on the president’s associates based on the infamous Trump-Russia dossier, also known as the Steele dossier, funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Trump, who is expected to clear the memo for release Friday, started the day by lashing out at the leadership and investigators at both the FBI and DOJ, saying on Twitter that they politicized “the sacred investigative process” in favor of Democrats and against Republicans.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who commissioned the memo, said he was not surprised “to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies.”

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10 COMMENTS

  1. Exactly right la C.

    All of the worst events of human history happened because nation states were able to misuse the power and productivity of peoples everywhere to prosecute wars and commit genocide. If the monstrosities of nation states did not exist there would be no foreign policy, no wars and no need for standing armies.

    The modern state is merely a evolved form of an archaic kingdom. Is it not time for all humans to take back their power and develop a new power structure, a system based on respect for the rights of every individual?

    Of course, we will have to move on from our present hierarchical organizaion of power to a system where all decide how human society develops.

    Some are playfully calling this approach, “Lowerarchy”.

  2. Comrade Panetta deserves credit for one altruistic action during his occupancy of the Director, CIA slot. He revealed that during the staged photo of the alias, BHObama and cabinet, who were allegedly viewing the alleged “murder of Osama bin Laden”, NO SIGNAL from Pakistan was being received in the White House.
    Perhaps it wasnt altruism, but rather a display of narcissism, similar to “wet-start” McCain´s wet start on the USS Forestall, Saturday, July 29, 1967, that killed 134 sailors and maimed an additional 161. Perhaps, one reason Panetta was sacked.

  3. All of the high and mighty will weigh in on this dung heap. Thus the monkey business, murder, and mayhem from the past is never exposed because it’s not so much what they say. What they don’t say is sickening as those who are hearing impaired yet can see can read lips,hw said so.

  4. Let’s face it: The single and only sole reason for insidious secrecy in our government has nothing to do with so called “national security” and all that BS hot air: It has to do with all the secret evil machinations every day 24/7 plotted and conducted by these despicable criminals in all the secret agencies, engaged in unspeakable and unimaginable crimes against humanity world wide but hidden from the ignorant and duped public and citizens forced, by the full military armed force of government to pay and suffer for it all. If the general population were informed of these horrible secret activities by these criminals paid by our tax money, there would be a massive revolution to remove every one of these criminals and shut down this totally outlaw government in unimaginable ways no matter the cost. This is why they enforce secrecy to cover up their massive crimes everyday. It has nothing, zero , to do with so called “national security”. It has to do with their “security” from a massive revolution against evil criminal deeds by them against humanity world wide.

  5. I disagree with the assessment of Panetta by the editors. This arrogant, insolent, conceited so and so demanded to be flown on his personal U.S. Air Force Jet every week to California instead of using scheduled airlines like so many of the other elitists even do today in the corrupt Trump administration too. Just think of the enormous cost of this to the taxpayers! Who does Panetta think he is anyway, God Almighty? This also meant he did not have to be forced to put himself through the body scanner and expose his balls to the unknown amount of radiation every other American and former U.S. Marine Ken O’Keefe was forced, but refused, to do in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPofDjY0og. I thought an aristocracy was prohibited in our Constitution didn’t you? And what did former Defense Secretary Panetta do to rein in our corrupt military all over the planet or bring any four star generals to justice for doing nothing, zero, to “defend” the country on 9/11/01? Answer: ZERO.

  6. Lot’s of noise and nobody in jail. The only real scrum so far was Rand Paul tackled off his mower for piling sticks too close to his neighbors lawn.
    Big change requires bold decisions. All I see is a minor standoff between two mobs. At this rate, we will not see a 9/11 investigation until 2070
    The Democrats have a beautiful opportunity and they are wasting it. Pretending they care about law.
    Pretending the law is sacred when they trample on it whenever they feel it suits them. Take the buffoon out and stop whining, clean up the mess later….. and please , don’t tell us we don’t understand, it’s insulting

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