Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Former CIA Director John Brennan's Testifies On Trump-Russia Ties



New York Times: Former C.I.A. Chief Tells of Concern Over Possible Russia Ties to Trump Campaign

• John O. Brennan, the former director of the C.I.A., said publicly for the first time Tuesday that he was concerned about possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

• President Trump asked two top intelligence officials to deny the existence of any evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russia, former officials said. Both of the intelligence officials are testifying before lawmakers on Tuesday.

The former C.I.A. chief speaks publicly about his worries.

Mr. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director, said Tuesday that he became concerned last year that the Russian government was trying to influence members of the Trump campaign to act — wittingly or unwittingly — on Moscow’s behalf.

“I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals,” Mr. Brennan told lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: As far as I know it is not against the law to talk to talk to Russians (or anyone else from abroad) .... and if you are involved in U.S. politics .... it is a guarantee that you will meet people from all over the world who want to meet you and to influence your opinion. This is what diplomats, lobbyists, and yes .... spies .... do all the time. So listening to former CIA Director John Brennan telling this committee that Russian officials went out of their way to meet Trump officials does not surprise me .... I would be shocked and surprised if they did not. But that is not why former CIA Director John Brennan showed up at today's committee .... he showed up because this Congressional committee wanted to know if he has tangible evidence and proof that Trump campaign officials and Russian officials colluded to influence the U.S. election. Not surprisingly .... he had nothing to offer but his own opinion and concerns. In short .... he has nothing .... but he is still recommending that the FBI continue their probe and investigation.

More News On Former CIA Director John Brennan's Testimony On Trump-Russia Ties

CIA director warned Russian security service chief about interference in election -- Washington Post
Brennan says he saw intel linking Russia to Trump campaign associates -- FOX News
Ex-CIA chief John Brennan: Russians contacted Trump campaign -- CNN
Former CIA chief says there were contacts between Russia and Trump aides -- CBS
Former CIA director: I was concerned about 'interactions' between Russians and the Trump campaign -- Business Insider
Former CIA Director 'Concerned' About Contacts Between Trump Campaign and Russia -- TIME
Ex-CIA head: Intel showed contacts between Russians and Trump team -- The Hill
Ex-CIA director John Brennan: 'Unresolved questions' about Trump campaign ties to Russia -- USA Today
Former CIA director says he warned Russia against meddling in the 2016 election in Aug. 4 call to Russia intel chief -- Washington Post
Ex-CIA chief Brennan says Trump-Russia inquiry 'well-founded' -- BBC
Former CIA director defends FBI investigation on Russia -- Axios

23 comments:

fred said...


Ex-CIA Chief: There Was Intel About Trump Campaign-Russia Contacts That FBI Needed to Probe

Anonymous said...

Federal rules require that any contact or actions that could place a federal employee in any actual or perceived conflict of interest must be avoided (or reported).

So, if Russian government employees or their representatives were to try and develop a relationship with a person who could influence policy or people in the government then they must report that fact and follow further instructions.

Taking money from foreign governments or being an agent of a foreign government without reporting it is are likely grounds for dismissal.

Federal government employees are not free to make their own rules or make their own policy.


Likely the penalty in Russia for such actions by Russian state employees would be more severe.

I am sure if the editor were to have conducted himself like the federal government people under scrutiny he would have found himself in Siberia or worse.



War News Updates Editor said...

Anon.
Yes ... if you know you report. That's the problem .... no one walks around and say that they are a spy. So how can anyone know that the person you are talking to works for another government .... unless you are told to by someone else.

If you accept money from a foreign agent (or anyone else for that matter) while working for the government .... that is a big no-no .... and that is where Michael Flynn is at the moment.

But if you are not working for the government .... but you are working for a campaign .... I could be wrong but the impression that I am getting is that this is a grey area. Legally it is OK (you are not a federal employee) .... but politically .... that is another story.

In Russia .... any violations of these rules will result in immediate dismissal.

Anonymous said...

The way you find out if you are a target of a foreign country is:

1. They continue to show up at venues and talk to you.

2. They seem to show up at odd places where you are working.

3. They ask you things about your job that get into substance.

4. They are unduly interested in having social interactions with you including physical contact.

5. They contact you at work and ask for information or ask you for contacts to answer their questions.

6. You take instruction from your government on how to avoid becoming entangled with foreign agents.

7. The people you interact act with from a foreign power act outside the parameters that one would consider normal or routine.

8. Foreigners ask for inside information.

9. Foreigners are too easy with the money that they actually or want to spend on you during interactions.

10. You detect something is going on with a foreigner that does not make sense.

You get the idea. It is informed common sense and using your spidey sense to determine when a casual interaction goes beyond simply good company. Government officials can tell when this is occurring. Or you can watch U.S. government films from as far back as WW2 to learn when a casual interaction or professional acquaintanceship does not feel right. When in doubt, a government staffer can contact security personnel to make sure that they are safe in what they are doing or intend to do with a foreigner.

For people who are part of the upper echelon of a campaign, they should be aware that they could be in power following the election and act accordingly. We are not talking about run of the mill staffers. These are supposed to be savvy people.

If you are in the military and are a senior officer you know that you need to be careful. You are a target of foreign spies, military or industrial. Unfortunately, high ranking military officers are often on the make thinking that their 250K plus pension just is not enough.

Then again some people are just stupid or greedy or both. Nobody can provide them with common sense.

For those of you who do not work or live in the U.S. you should know that the length and breadth of federal law is such that the feds make it difficult not to violate laws. Within the last few years analyses done on this topic made it very clear...even innocent people can break federal law with numerous consequences.

So, American's need to be very careful about their interactions with foreigners especially when the information or access you have could make you a target of foreign nationals.

Jay Farquharson said...

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2017/5/23/152350/802

In other news:

https://wonkette.com/617544/trumps-personal-lawyer-sheri-dillon-you-are-going-to-be-a-wonkette-star



jimbrown said...

Bremnan used the report from ex mi 6 as carte blanche to monitor Trump campaign. Which begs the question, why wasnt he so concerned about what he did not seem to know: HRC's connections with Russians et al. This gets to their conclusion reached in the lame CIAFBINSA report from January. If it w
As anti Clinton, it must have been pro-Trump. My head feels like it's going to explode by this convoluted rationale. This whole effort distracts from the very real violation of many laws by HRC.

Jay Farquharson said...

BTW,

https://wonkette.com/617573/trey-gowdy-eats-own-dick-in-front-of-former-cia-director-how-embarrassing

Jay Farquharson said...

LMFAO,

Your heads not going to explode,

The Ususal Suspects fed you over 2 decades of BS over Emails, Benghazi, Seth Rich, Vince Foster, PizzaGate, Uranium, The Birth Certificate,

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/taibbi-roger-ailes-was-one-of-the-worst-americans-ever-w483013

Trump made "lock her up" front and center of his campaign.

Hillary's not going to jail, some of Team Trump probably will,

in the end, like Bush II, you'll pretend that you never heard of Trump, or he was a secret Democrat, or it was some secret Deep State, Illuminati Cabal,

https://www.google.ca/amp/www.thefader.com/2017/05/22/trump-glowing-orb-photo-tweets-best/amp

you favorite Grifters will have a new grift selling you fear, anger and hate,

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/redmillennial.com/2017/02/21/its-time-to-abandon-clickbait-conservatism/amp/

And you will be fine with the new grift.

On the bright side, as Alex Jones and Faux News are starting to find out, all the protits from the Fake News has attracted the Other Lawyers, who have figured out that the best way to go after the Fake News pimps, is to hit them in the wallet.

Over the next decade, you are going to have to consume more and more foreign fake news, as domestic purveyors shut down, to keep their hard grifted money, and even Facebook Uncles start to get targetted.

Chase jones said...

Lmfao keep dreamin

Anonymous said...

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/15/politics/russia-spy-recruitment-tactics-fbi-carter-page/
Step 1: Building a relationship
The beginning stages of the recruitment process are built on the same principles as positive human interactions like friendship or dating.
The first step of the process involves determining whether an individual qualifies as a likely target based on his or her personality, occupation or connections and then initiating a relationship, according to the former counterintelligence official.
Carter Page now a 'no comment' on FBI investigations
Carter Page now a 'no comment' on FBI investigations
In the case of Page, Russian agents allegedly opened a line of communication over email after meeting him at an energy symposium in 2013, according to FBI documents.

Step 2: Suitable target?
Ultimately, the Russian agents determined that the combination of Page's professional ambition, connections to Russia and general enthusiasm for communicating indicated he was a suitable target to pursue as an intelligence source, according to the FBI's assessment in the filings.
The discussion then shifted to methods of enticing Page into sharing information with them, according to the documents.
While the sharing of publicly accessible documents is legal, the willingness of a target to share signals a willingness to cooperate and an openness to proceeding with the relationship, the former official told CNN.

etc......

Jay Farquharson said...

“I don’t know – it’s hard for me to see any U.S. ties to Russia…
except for:

the Flynn thing,
and the Manafort thing …
and the Tillerson thing
and the Sessions thing
and the Kushner thing
and the Carter Page thing
and the Roger Stone thing
and the Felix Sater thing
and the Boris Ephsteyn thing
and the Rosneft thing
and the Gazprom thing
and the Sergey Gorkov banker thing
and the Azerbajain thing
and the “I love Putin” thing
and the Donald Trump, Jr. thing
and the Sergey Kislyak thing
and the Russian Affiliated Interests thing
and the Russian Business Interests thing
and the Emoluments Clause thing
and the Alex Schnaider thing
and the hack of the DNC thing
and the Guccifer 2.0 thing
and the Mike Pence “I don’t know anything” thing
and the Russians mysteriously dying thing
and Trump’s public request to Russia to hack Hillary’s email thing
and the Trump house sale for $100 million at the bottom of the housing bust to the Russian fertilizer king thing
and the Russian fertilizer king’s plane showing up in Concord, NC during Trump rally campaign thing
and the Nunes sudden flight to the White House in the night thing
and the Nunes personal investments in the Russian winery thing
and the Cyprus bank thing
and Trump not releasing his tax returns thing
and the Republican Party’s rejection of an amendment to require Trump to show his taxes thing
and the election hacking thing
and the GOP platform change on the Ukraine thing
and the Steele Dossier thing
and the Leninist Bannon thing
and Sally Yates prevented from testifying thing
and the intelligence community’s investigative reports thing
and Trump’s reassurance that the Russian connection is all “fake news” thing …
and Spicer’s Russian Dressing “nothing’s wrong” thing …
and the Chaffetz thing,....
and Session's non-recusal from the Russian thing after promising to recuse himself after lying to Congress about the Russian's thing,
and the Yate's firing,
and the Comey firing,
and the Bharara firing,
and the Larov/Kislyak/Trump meeting,
and the Russian Photographer thing,
and the Indicted Stone for the Russian Thing talking to Trump about firing Comey thing,
and Trump's Spokeswoman, Saunder's saying the Comey Firing was about shutting down the Russia/Trump Investigations thing,
and Lying Spice in the bushes with the candlestick,
and the Trump Lawyer's "No Russians" letter by the Russian Law Firm of the Year,
and the Comey/Trump/Tapes threat,
and the Larov/Russia trolling the US thing,
and Trump's Dirty Fucking Hippie "Peace in the Ukraine" Flower Power tweet after meeting Larov thing,
and the Guelen kidnapping and rendition thing,
and the Cohen/Artimenko/Sater Ukraine deal thing,
and the Eric Trump/Golf Courses/Russian Backers thing,
and the "Comey told me three times" thing,
and the 180 current and former Attorney General's letter calling for a special prosecutor,
and the Dutch TV ( Zembla) Investigative documentary, "The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump: Part 1, The Russians",
and Deutsche Bank executive William S. Broeksmit's "suicide",
and the sudden settlement of the Prevezon LLC money laundering case, in the wake of Attorney General Preet Bharara's firing by Trump,

Jay Farquharson said...

and the "thinking" then publicly saying that "Loyalty Oaths" to Hair Furour by Government Bureaucrats in violation of the Constitution is "normal" thing,
and Trump sharing classified intel with the Russian's during their meeting that was not cleared to be shared with the Russians,
and the War Zone Blood Diamonds thing,
and the Putin asked and Trump "couldn't say no" Kislyak thing,
and the Manifort tax free, $3.5 million dollar open term "loan" from the Russian Mob connected Bank of Cyprus Numbered Account,
and the Comey Meeting Memo noting that Trump tried to shut down the Flynn Investigation the day after Flynn was fired.
and the last minute Trump Toronto VEB/Schnaider bankruptcy bail out, while Putin was Chairman of the VEB Board.
and "the Family"/McCarthy/Ryan tape leak
and the SGM/Williams/IRI/Pence Political Consulting thing,
and the Flynn/Turkey cancellation of the US Militaries' anti-ISIS plan
and Flynn's lawyer rejecting the Senate subpena,
and the Dana Rohabatcher thing,
and the Coates/Rogers thing,
and the Flynn/Svetlana Lokhova/GRU thing,

http://timeline.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/#event-timeline

Nope, nothing to see here,

LMFAO

Anonymous said...

In modern terms, "the co-called proof thing."




Jay Farquharson said...

LMFAO,

By now, the Ususal Suspects here, the Fake News consumers, assured us that the Russian Thing would have blown over by now, and Killary would be in jail,

Are you tired of all the winning yet?

LMFAO

Anonymous said...

The win will come when Trump's supporters have their Medicaid reduced or removed, food support for the poor cut down to Ramen noodles, removal of cost of living provisions of pensions, elimination of all consumer protections, and air you can cut with a Trump All Steel Ninja Knife.

Victories you can savor.

Jay Farquharson said...

Yup,

http://driftglass.blogspot.ca/2016/11/?m=1

Modern American Conservatism has fallen to the Locke Rule*

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/23/conservatism-turned-toxic-donald-trumps-fanbase-has-no-actual-ideology-just-a-nihilistic-hatred-of-liberals/

A blogger who noted in 2002 that Conservative's had only two actual core policies,

- anything that pisses of a Liberal,

- tax cuts for the Ogliarches and Corporations.

Anonymous said...

JF: Do you have any idea how your fellow Canadian is able to ignore or refute the significant evidence you have presented?

Jay Farquharson said...

Look at the some of the headlines stories, ZeroHedge, Faux News, Global Research, Daily Mail, the DailyTorygraph,

I'm surprised he's even reporting on Trump/Russia, because Faux isn't.

It's a trend I've noticed for a while.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html

https://forwardprogressives.com/how-right-wing-propaganda-causes-cognitive-dissonance-in-the-conservative-brain/

More and more, he's staking his reputation on Trump.

Just in this thread, in comments he admits that Flynn shouldn't have been Flynn and admits that there are rules and regulations covering foreign contacts,

And that in Russia, the penalties would be much more severe,

Tomorrow, he'll opine the contacts were "innocent".

It's an interesting "experiment", to see how far down the hole he will go defending Trump.

Lot's of Faux Consumers have gone full flat earth.

I've seen it from the otherside, when BushIIFail eventually "drove" Balloon Juice and LGF from being Rightwing "Faux Consumers" to liberalism, and I'm watching Trumpism tear RedState apart, just as Hillary's rabid fans blew up DKos twice. Seen the studies both scientific and allegorical, that note if your sweet old conservative Granny turns into a Rushaholic Racist Rage Queen, all you have to to is enable the Parental Controls, block Faux et al, ( Animal Planet's the suggested prime channel), and she'll be back to your sweet old Granny in under a month.

It's been interesting watching so far.

One further note, he grew up and lived for many years in a political, justice and economic regime based in the Rule of Man, not the Rule of Law, and where Parlementary traditions and Separation of Powers was almost non-existent. He also had to live under the Yeltsin Years, when millions of Russian lives, and a collapsing ecomonic, military and political system could have been, in the first case saved, in the second case, reformed, by the Right Strongman at the Right Time.

I on the otherhand, grew up deeply schooled in the Rule of Law and Parliamentary process and traditions, and in Canada, the failures of Government are all rooted in a Party or Person, undermining those rules and traditions.

I'm lso a Red Tory, an extinct species, as the party we were once the majority of, went far right, abandoning all principals. Those of us left ususally vote Dipper, because almost everything we believe in, re now far to the left of the Lib's and Con's platforms of the 50's, 60's and '70's.

Many of us didn't even vote Dipper in the last election, as even the Dipler's moved to the right on key issues.



Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info.

Here in deep red America the radio provides two choices...music and far right radio. National Public Radio is only found in limited areas and is set for defunding by Trump et al.

Far right radio is rabid scree. However, it is listened to and believed as gospel by the majority of those that drive cars and listen to talk radio.

How does a failing school system where teachers are paid low wages compete with far right radio messages? Apparently it does not.

The progressive community has abandoned AM radio to the right. As a result, your average AM talk radio listener only gets one point of view and, by the time they reach voting age, are hooked on one myopic world view.

We are at the point where people indoctrinated by the right cannot tell truth/facts from fiction. I think that the Faux folks know this and are very skilled at using their ignorance to their benefit.

Jay Farquharson said...

As Tabbi at Rolling Stone noted, that was Ailes chief achivement, first as a Nixon Ratfucker,

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/taibbi-roger-ailes-was-one-of-the-worst-americans-ever-w483013

On the brightside, Badtux notes the end results of scorning booklearning,

https://snarkypenguin.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/love-will-keep-us-together/



Anonymous said...

Excellent post by snarkypenguin.

You cannot imagine the pressure that lack of access and affordability of health care has on Americans. I am always amazed when I cross into Canada knowing that people there do not have to fear about dying or languishing until they die. In contrast America does not consider health care a human right. It does terrible things to the mind and family health.

I currently pay 6.5K USD per year for basic health care insurance and my limit for covered items is 10K additional. Dental insurance is another 1.2K USD and then there are the co-pays and lots of things not covered. Add more for eyecare and other non-covered expenses. I am considered one of the lucky folks. Just imagine that.

The poor white people in the U.S. consistently vote against their interests...that is, single payer with affordable rates. With Trump breaking all his promises, we are looking at some real third world action.

The poor whites and other dogmatic individuals in the U.S. have set up a change that will likely increase the rate of death in the white population and take the people that just started to get health care with them.

This is the way that empires die.

Jay Farquharson said...

The Austro Hungarian Empire died because Hungarians hated Austrians more than anybody else, and everybody ( Austrians and Hungarians) could only agree on hating everybody else.

Jay Farquharson said...

BTW, AM 94.1 for me:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/surviving-post-capitalism-coping-hoping-doping-shopping-1.3974662?autoplay=true

Lighter:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/laughoutloud/festivals-zombies-and-anne-of-green-gables-1.4120233?autoplay=true