What is the Obamagate Scandal? A Timeline of the Trump-Russia Collusion Narrative Hoax, FISA Spygate Abuse and Michael Flynn Setup
What is Obamagate? In short, series events to harm the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, to hamstring the Trump Administration after it took office and the cover up malfeasance and misfeasance. It consists of multiple parts:
- The opening and perpetuation of counter intelligence investigations, which lacked predication, of members of the Trump campaign and the abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The FISA Court is a secret federal court which grants permission to spy on individuals and gain intelligence.
- The strategic leaking of details of multiple federal investigations to news outlets in order to smear and frame the incoming Trump Administration with a false Russia-collusion narrative and delegitimize the 2016 election.
- The set up of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to prevent him from dismantling the Iran Nuclear Deal and, given his intelligence background, to prevent him from discovering abusive surveillance and investigative malfeasance during the 2016 election.
- A large body of malfeasance on the part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team of prosecutors to convert investigations by the FBI’s counterintelligence division into prosecutions, hide evidence, flip investigative targets against Trump, and give the counterintelligence investigations a patina of legitimacy.
To make sense of it all, the following is a timeline highlighting the key events. The numerous sources in this article are hyperlinked in underlined script and include the statement by FISA Court judge Rosemary Collyer rebuking the FBI for their abuse of the secret court, the declassified 53 transcripts to the House Intelligence Committee, the January 24, 2016 interview of Flynn which FBI Agent Peter Strzok edited, the Page-Strzok texts, the Flynn statement of offense and motion to dismiss, the Mueller Report, the OIG Reports, Congressional testimony, and articles from multiple news outlets, including CNN, Washington Post, the New York Times, Politico, The Hill, et al. This may be a Medium article, but it’s more “scrupulously accurate” than the FISA applications submitted to spy on Carter Page!
April 17 2007: Glenn Simpson writes “How Lobbyists Help ex-Soviets Woo Washington”
March 14 2008: Simpson writes “McCain Consultant is Tied to Work for Ukraine Party”
**These two stories, which were written to harm the Presidential campaign of John McCain, will serve as inspiration for the narrative of Trump-Russia collusion**
August 7 2014: Director of Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn forced out by Obama administration over stance on counter-terrorism, opposition to Iran Nuclear Deal, his concerns of abuse of intelligence services and for viewing the CIA as politicized by Obama Administration. Flynn had also intervened on behalf of FBI Special Agent Robyn Gritz who accused FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe of sexual discrimination and started an EEOC case against him.
December 2015: Flynn goes to Moscow to give a speech and is paid $45,000. Flynn is given permission to do this by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and “received a DIA threat briefing prior to and after the travel.” The Treasury Department will begin spying on Flynn.
2016
Early Feb: George Papadopoulos leaves Ben Carson campaign
Feb 26: Michael Flynn joins Trump campaign
March: Treasury Department whistleblower and her intelligence-community colleague become “convinced that the surveillance of Flynn was not tied to legitimate criminal or national security concerns, but was straight-up political surveillance among other illegal activity occurring at Treasury”
March 6: George Papadopoulos joins Trump campaign
March 14: Western Intelligence-connected spy Joseph Mifsud meets George Papadopoulos in Italy and feeds Papadopoulos the idea that the Russians have dirt on on Hillary Clinton. The Mueller Report will later make Mifsud appear to be a Russian agent by simply writing he had “connections to Russia and traveled to Moscow” while omitting all other evidence that indicates otherwise.
March 21: Carter Page joins the Trump campaign
April 1: “FBI HQ advises NYFO [New York Field Office] to investigate Carter Page (opened Apr. 6).”
April: Defense Intelligence Agency renews Michael Flynn’s Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance (TS/SCI) after Flynn takes polygraph and undergoes intense background check, and interviews with associates”. This was renewed even after the Moscow trip, indicating nothing nefarious about the trip.
April 25–26 Obama For America (OFA) pays Perkins Coie $972,000
April: DNC & Clinton Campaign pays Perkins Coie $5.4 & $5.1 million, respectively. Perkins Coie Attorney Marc Elias in turn pays opposition research firm Fusion GPS $1.02 million under authorization from Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook.
May 2: FBI begins drafting statement ending Hillary Clinton server investigation. FBI agent Peter Strzok, part of this email chain, later edits “grossly negligent” to “extremely careless” to side-step language in 18U.S.C.§793
May 9: Andrew Napolitano tells Fox News’ Megyn Kelly “We learn that there’s a debate going on in the Kremlin between the Foreign Ministry and the intelligence services about whether they should release the 20,000 of Mrs. Clinton’s emails that they have hacked into and received and stored.”
May 10: Australian diplomat Alexander Downer and George Papadopoulos meet in a London bar. Papadopoulos parrots Mifsud and tells Downer that Russians have dirt on Clinton. Papadopoulos does not mention emails, according to Downer here and here.
May 11: Australia sends a cable to the US State Dept about the meeting. FBI agent Peter Strzok texts FBI lawyer Lisa Page text about Deputy Director McCabe calling State Dept: ”Dd calling state now”. Page replies “Ooh. Want to hear about it!”
May 23–25: DNC emails are hacked.
June: Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson hires ex-British spy Christopher Steele. Steele will later say Simpson hired him to assist in trying to determine whether there were any ties between Russian gov and Trump and his campaign.
At some point Steele hires Fusion GPS to investigate Paul Manafort on behalf of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has a business dispute with him.
June 8: Natalia Veselnitskaya has dinner with Glenn Simpson.
June 9: Donald Trump Jr. hosts a meeting at Trump Tower hoping to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. Veselnitskaya brings an ex-Soviet intel officer and Anatoli Samochornov, a Russian translator. News outlets will later make hay of this meeting as a collusion bombshell but declassified FBI notes reveal the translator told FBI “There was no discussion of the 2016 United States presidential election or Collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.” When asked by the HPSCI on November 18, 2017 if there was “any mention of anything regarding elections” Samochornov replied “No, sir.” These revelations will also be omitted from the Mueller Report.
June 10: Natalia Veselnitskaya has dinner with Simpson again
Also June 10: James Rybicki emails Comey the future July 5 statement on Clinton’s email server.
June 14: Washington Post publishes “Russian government hackers penetrated DNC”. Later declassified testimony will throw cold water on this narrative. Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussman will later testify that “I recall offering, or asking or offering to the FBI to come on premises, and they were not interested in coming on premises at the time”. FBI Director Comey will later claim that the FBI was denied access to the DNC’s servers. The DNC will hire Crowdstrike to investigate the “hack”.
June 17: Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Russian-American naturalized US citizen Sergei Millian meet in St. Petersburg at the Economic Forum. Christopher Steele will claim his “primary sub-source” Igor Danchenko meets with Millian here, but this is later proven to be false when Danchenko tells the FBI he never met with Millian. Danchenko, who was previously investigated in 2009 and 2010 under a counterintelligence investigation for suspicion of being a Russian spy, will feed Steele information. Steele will edit this information to appear more nefarious and legitimate.
June 20: Steele writes first reports as part of a series of reports eventually comprising the Steele Dossier
June 28: Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton meet on the tarmac of the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and purportedly discuss grandchildren, golf, jobs, etc. They will deny discussing the pending closure of the investigation on Hillary Clinton.
July: William Browder complains about Fusion GPS’s Glenn Simpson failing to register as an agent of Russians. He will later testify that Fusion GPS should have registered under FARA (Note: FARA is the Foreign Agents Registration Act)
July 1: Steele writes Bruce Ohr, DOJ official, “There is something separate I wanted to discuss with you informally and separately. It concerns our favourite business tycoon!” (Note: Bruce Ohr’s wife works at Fusion GPS, who has hired Steele to investigate Trump)
July 2: FBI interviews Clinton w/ 9 lawyers present, including Cheryl Mills and doesn’t write a form FD-302 (A 302 is the FBI notes of an interview)
July 5: Comey announces Hillary Clinton’s server as “extremely careless” rather than the legal standard “grossly negligent” (previously edited by Midyear Exam FBI agent Peter Strzok) and declines to prosecute the “matter”. Comey also adds intention qualifier which is not present in 18 U.S.C. § 793(f). In addition, FBI lawyer Lisa Page will later testify that Comey and the FBI “had multiple conversations with the Justice Department about bringing a gross negligence charge” against Clinton, but the DOJ pushed back each time calling the statute “constitutionally vague” and the charge “not sustainable”
July 5: Steele meets FBI agent Michael Gaeta (Handling Agent 1) in London and gives Gaeta his memo
July 13: Gaeta calls ASAC 1 at New York field office to ask what to do with Steele memo
July 19: Steele give Gaeta another memo claiming Carter Page met with Igor Sechin & discussed lifting sanctions in exchange for a stake in Rosneft worth billions (it is later revealed that the sub-source that gives Steele this information has connections to Russian Intelligence and hence was Russian disinformation. Discussion of sanctions was a lie and deemed preposterous by US Intel officials). Report 94.
July 22: Wikileaks dumps DNC emails. Alexander Downer later concludes this is the dirt Papadopoulos mentioned at the meeting in May.
July 24: Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that Russians stole DNC emails to help Trump. This plants the seed of the Russian collusion narrative.
July 26: Hillary Clinton allegedly approves “a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services”.
Same day: Christopher Steele authors Report 95 which alleges that “[Carter] Page was an intermediary between Russia and the Trump campaign’s then manager (Manafort) in a “well-developed conspiracy” of cooperation, which led to Russia’s disclosure of hacked DNC emails to Wikileaks in exchange for the Trump campaign’s agreement to sideline Russian intervention in Ukraine as a campaign issue OIG Report
July 26: Downer goes to US Embassy in London with the assumption that the “dirt” Papadopoulos mentioned at their May meeting was the DNC “hack”.
July 27: In reference to the Clinton server which have been deleted, Trump says during a press conference in Florida “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”
late July: FBI agent emails his supervisor that “he had been contacted by a former CHS who ‘was contacted recently by a colleague who runs an investigative firm’. The firm had been hired by two entities (the Democratic National Committee as well as another individual he did not name to explore Donald Trump’s longstanding ties to Russian entities.” (Footnote 281 in OIG Report)
July 28: Gaeta gives both Steele memos to ASAC 1 in New York who forwards them to SAC 1
July 28: CIA Director John Brennan briefs President Obama on Russian hacking and election interference in the Presidential campaigns. According to Brennan, “on the afternoon of July 28, 2016, I informed him in a hurriedly scheduled meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorized his intelligence services to carry out activities to hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost the election prospects of Donald Trump.” However, a September 29, 2020 letter from Director of National John Ratcliffe to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham will state that Brennan briefed Obama about the Clinton scheme to smear Trump.
late July: CIA, NSA & FBI convenes “fusion cell” on Russia interference. Brennan gives the FBI leads.
July 30: Steele meets Bruce Ohr and his wife Nellie Ohr in Washington, tells them Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s attorneys are investigating Manafort
July 31: FBI Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director E.W. “Bill” Priestap opens Crossfire Hurricane as as a FARA criminal investigation. McCabe will later claim that they opened this in response to receiving the friendly foreign government (FFG) tip on July 26 from Australia about Papa/Downer meeting, not May 11 as potentially indicated by the Strzok-Page texts (“Dd calling state now”). Clinton server “Midyear Exam” agent Peter Strzok is reassigned here by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe over Strzok’s boss Bill Priestap and FBI Deputy Director Michael Steinbach’s objections.
Aug 2: Steele’s info passed along to Crossfire Hurricane team
Aug 5: Obama calls Trump’s assertions on election rigging “ridiculous”.
Aug 5: Peter Strzok texts Lisa Page “the White House is running this”
Aug 6: Lisa Page texts Strzok “And maybe you’re meant to stay where you are because you’re meant to protect the country from that menace” in reference to Trump
Aug 10: Counter-intelligence FARA investigations opened on Carter Page, Manafort, and Papadopoulos. But not Flynn, because they don’t have enough info yet. Like magic, they acquire a memo dated August 10 from Steele naming DIA Director Michael Flynn, whose name is not capitalized like the others. FBI Supervisory Intel Analyst Dennis Thrasher and Deputy Assistant Director Jonathan Moffa meet with Obama’s Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
Aug 11: Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma meets with Source 2 (Stefan Halper). Somma later testifies to IG Michael Horowitz that, curiously, this was “serendipitous” and they “couldn’t believe [their] luck” that Source 2 had contacts with three of their four subjects, including Carter Page, Manafort and Flynn.
August: First attempt at FISA application on Carter Page fails. Office of General Counsel (OGC) lawyers tell Crossfire Hurricane team they need more info for probable cause that Carter Page is: (1) a foreign agent who has (2) committed a crime
Aug 15: Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma discusses Page FISA w/ other Crossfire Hurricane team and “the Crossfire Hurricane team requested assistance from the FBI’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) to prepare the FISA Application
August 15: Page/Strzok text “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take the risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before 40”. Lisa Page will later testify that this concerned “how aggressive or not aggressive” their investigation should be.
This may actually regard several possibilities: 1. using the Papadopoulos/Downer meeting in May as an excuse for building the case against Carter Page, 2. realizing the need for a warrant from a FISA court as a backup to spy on Trump team and using Stefan Halper as a confidential human source (CHS) to accomplish it, or 3. opening a FARA on Flynn just in case they need it later.
McCabe later testifies to Trey Gowdy that “we did not rely on the Steele reporting for the opening of the investigation in possible Russian influence on the 2016 election, but we did rely on that reporting in the FISA application”. He tells Gowdy “what prompted the initiation of the investigation was information ..from the State Department” (FFG friendly foreign government tip on Papadopoulos/Downer meeting, which McCabe claims came in July but he likely knew about back around May 11)
Aug 15: NYT publishes “black ledger” story about Manafort transferring Ukrainian cash from 2007–2012. The Ukraine prosecutor will later tell investigative reporter John Solomon he warned FBI “It was not authenticated. And at that time it should not be used in any way to bring accusations against anybody.” Konstantin Kilimnik (who had numerous interactions with the Obama Administration) will also tell deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz on August 22 that “It does not match my records. All fees Manafort got were wires, not cash.” This exculpatory information will be omitted from the Mueller Report.
Aug 15: Comey receives first formal briefing about the FFG (friendly foreign government) tip from Australia
August 16: Crossfire Hurricane team opens a FARA investigation on Mike Flynn named Crossfire Razor. FBI makes EC (electronic communication) using four weak excuses to open FARA: 1. He’s a Trump advisor, 2. He has Russia ties (Note: he was head of the DIA!), 3. He travelled to Russia in Dec 2015, and 4. he had active Top Secret/SCI security clearance
Aug 17: CIA sends Crossfire Hurricane team memo says Carter Page is their guy, and approved as an “operational contact”. This undercutting evidence is excluded in FISA application’s “Woods file” on Page.
Also Aug 17: Trump campaign receives fake “defensive briefing” by FBI agent Joseph Pientka about Russian meddling efforts. This briefing is instead used as opportunity to investigate Trump and Flynn & write up a 302 to add to Crossfire Hurricane documentation.
Aug 19 Manafort resigns from Trump team
August 20 FBI’s Joe Pientka sends a wired Stefan Halper to talk to Carter Page who gives him exculpatory evidence. Page tells him he “literally never met” Manafort, and didn’t know if Russians had Clinton’s emails. Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma doesn’t include this in FISA application’s Woods File, later telling the Inspector General he “may have overlooked” it.
Aug 22: Bruce Ohr meets with Glenn Simpson
Aug 25: Results of Halper/Page Aug 20 meeting given to McCabe, Priestap, James Baker, Strzok, & Anderson
Aug 25: Brennan briefs Senator Harry Reid privately about a Trump advisor (Carter Page, his own CIA guy) and claims he gave this briefing to all “Gang of eight” members. Congressman Devin Nunes later claims this wasn’t true and that “Whatever Brennan told Reid, he didn’t tell me.”
Aug 27: Reid writes Comey that Russia may be trying to “influence the Trump campaign and manipulate it” for Vladimir Putin.
late Aug FBI’s Office of General Council (OGC) & Office of Intelligence of the National Security Division (OI NSD) informs Crossfire Hurricane team they have insufficient probable cause for getting a FISA warrant on Carter Page
Sept: FBI or CIA sends a wired confidential human source “Azra Turk” to meet with Papadopoulos in London who asks him if the Trump campaign is working with Russia. Papadopoulos suspects Azra Turk is CIA.
Sept: FBI interviews Oleg Deripaska about Manafort. Deripaska tells them “I just don’t believe that he would represent any Russian interest”
Sept: Steele tells Bruce Ohr he’s “desperate that Donald Trump not get elected”
Sept 2: Lisa Page texts “potus wants to know everything we’re doing”
Sept 5: Obama tells Putin “cut it out” on election meddling at G20 summit
Sept 7: According to DNI Ratcliffe, the Intelligence Community forwards to FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok an investigative referral to look into Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan to smear Trump with a Russian collusion narrative. Comey will later deny receiving this investigative referral during a Sept 30, 2020 Senate hearing. The Crossfire Hurricane team will instead investigate the Trump campaign on the assumption that there is, in fact, collusion.
Sept 15: Stefan Halper (“Source 2” in the OIG Report) is wired with a recording device and meets with Papadopoulos; Unaware of the recording device, Papadopoulos gives him exculpatory evidence which is not included in FISA application on Carter Page
September 19 Official FBI story of when Crossfire Hurricane team claims they received Steele reports. “The Crossfire Hurricane team received a set of six reports prepared by Christopher Steele concerning Russian interference”. Report 95 alleges “well-developed conspiracy” et al which complete the two requirements for a FISA, acting as foreign agent and committing a crime. Team goes to FBI OCG to work on another FISA application. Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma makes many errors in FISA Woods File.
Sept 23: Steele leaks to Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff, commencing circular reporting used by Crossfire Hurricane team in FISA application
Sept 25: Carter Page writes a letter complaining about leaks and negative media to Comey
Sept 26: FBI NY Office acquires the Anthony Weiner’s laptop and 340,000 Clinton emails. Forensic analyst discovers Clinton emails, calling it an “oh shit” moment
Sept 26: Carter Page leaves the Trump campaign. Strzok texts Page that the Carter Page “letter gives us a pretext to interview”
Sept 28: Bill Sweeney informs McCabe of Weiner laptop. Strzok, McCabe and Priestap discuss it.
Sept 29: Obama For America PAC pays Perkins Coie $700,000
Sept 30: Pentagon strategic affairs analyst and lawyer at the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) Adam Lovinger sends an email to the Director of Office of Net Assessments James H. Baker complaining about “sweet-heart contracts”. One such contract it will later be revealed is hundreds of thousands of dollars for “research” being paid to Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.
late Sept-early Oct: Comey learns of the Weiner laptop and takes no action though New York field office is asking for help with it
Oct 3: Steele tells his FBI handler that one of his sub-sources for the Dossier memos is a boaster and “may engage in some ‘embellishment’”. Supervisory Intel Analyst Brian Auten writes a summary of this interview.
Oct 4: Brian Auten emails the Steele interview summary to Strzok, Intel Section Chief Jonathan Moffa, and SSA 1 Joseph Pientka. They do not attempt to verify Steele’s claims and do not include this exculpatory info in the application on Carter Page.
Oct 7: Access Hollywood tape released. That same day the DNI & DHS reveal Russian hacking of the DNC. Crowdstrike’s CEO Shawn Henry will later testify “We did not have concrete evidence that the data was exfiltrated from the DNC”, casting doubt that there was any hacking by Russia at all.
Oct 11: State Dept’s Kathleen Kavalec red-flags Steele’s credibility in handwritten notes . (there’s no Russian consulate in Miami). DOJ Attorney Stu Evans asks FBI 3 times about Steele. FBI finally responds that Steele “had been paid to develop political opposition research”.
Oct 13: Kavalec emails notes to FBI, adding that Steele’s client “is keen to see this information come to light prior to November 8”.
Comey and McCabe are briefed about DOJ Attorney Stu Evans’ concerns but continue to be “‘supportive’ of moving forward despite those concerns.”
Oct 14: Strzok texts Page “… hurry the F up pressure on him [Andy McCabe]”
Oct 18: Obama talks about Trump “whining before the game is over”
Oct 19: Steele gives FBI 7 reports. Report 134 alleges the Carter Page bribe and thus provides a crime.
Oct 21: First FISA application on Carter Page, marked “VERIFIED”. It is not “scrupulously accurate”. Sally Yates and Andrew McCabe sign off without it even reaching FBI Deputy Counsel Trisha Anderson’s desk (which is unusual). “Carter W. Page, an agent of the Government of Russia”. The Two-hop rule allows FBI to go back through Page’s communications and monitor in real-time while also dragnetting people around Page AS WELL AS people around those people (two-layers deep). Trump Campaign is infiltrated. The Woods File for the Carter Page FISA will eventually go missing, and will be later reconstructed by the prosecutors under Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his chief prosecutor Andrew Weissmann. According to investigative reporter Sara Carter, the Woods File with this FISA will eventually go missing, and will be “recreated” for the Special Counsel Office’s prosecutors.
Oct 28: Comey is compelled to reopen Clinton email server investigation because of discovery of her emails on the Weiner Laptop
Oct 31: Confidential Human Source 3 Jeffrey Wiseman, whose handler is FBI Special Agent Curtis Heide, is wired with a recording device and meets with George Papadopoulos in a casino. Unaware of the recording device, Papadopoulos gives him exculpatory information. This is omitted from the FISA application on Carter Page.
Oct 31: Christopher Steele leaks to Mother Jones’s David Corn.
Nov 1: Steele’s handling agent at FBI finds him not suitable for use due to leaks. “Upon learning of Steele’s actions, then Assistant Director E.W. ‘Bill’ Priestap decided that Steele had to be closed immediately.” FBI “cuts off” relationship with Steele unofficially.
Nov 1: NYT publishes “Investigating Donald Trump, FBI sees no Clear Link to Russia”. Also, the New York Intelligencer publishes “Final ‘October Surprises’: FBI Probing Trump’s Russia Ties
Nov 9: Trump is declared winner after midnight. Office of General Counsel lawyer (“FBI Attorney 2” in June 2018 OIG Report) lawyer Kevin Clinesmith texts “my god damn name is all over the legal documents investigating his [Trump’s] staff”.
Nov 10: Obama hosts Trump at the Oval Office. Obama warns Trump against hiring Flynn.
Nov 17: Strzok and Page text about “Charlie” and sending a “CI guy” (counterintelligence or confidential informant) to the White House, a possible reference to Eric Ciaramella (pronounced Char-a-mella), the future alleged Ukraine “whistleblower”.
Also, FBI officially cuts off all communication with Steele. However, Bruce Ohr will serve as a backchannel to pass information from Steele to the Crossfire Hurricane team. Inspector General Michael Horowitz will later testify, “While he was cut off officially in FBI records they continued to meet with him through Bruce Ohr as the conduit on 13 different occasions.”
Nov 18: State Dept emails Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma about the Kathleen Kavalec derogatory notes on Steele as a source.
Also Nov 18: Trump names Flynn as National Security Advisor. Strzok-Page text about this and that Clapper and Brennan will be having dinner with Cohen later (they will likely discuss the Flynn appointment at this dinner)
Nov 22: FBI Attorney 1 Sally Moyer texts FBI Attorney 2 Kevin Clinesmith “Is it making you rethink your commitment to the Trump administration?” Clinesmith responds, “Hell no.” and “Viva le resistance.”
Dec: Inter-agency work on Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference in 2016 election commences. Moffa and Priestap will write the CIA to tell them Steele is “reliable”, and Comey and McCabe will press to have the dossier included in the Intelligence Community Assessment. The CIA expresses concern about Steele (Dossier is an “internet rumor”) and will propose placing it in the appendix while McCabe will say “it needs to appear in some fashion in the main body of the reporting.” Ultimately, the Dossier is summarized and included the appendix as “Annex A”.
Meanwhile, according to two senior US intelligence official, CIA Director John Brennan will scrub “conflicting evidence about Putin’s motives from the report. Over the the objections from some intelligence analysts who argued Putin counted on Clinton winning the election and viewed Trump as a “wild card”, Brennan will instead press to include only that Russia wanted Trump to win.
In addition, sometime between Nov 8 and Jan both incoming National Security Advisor Flynn and outgoing National Security Advisor Susan Rice simultaneously receive a letter from the British Embassy that “apparently disavows former British Secret Service Agent Christopher Steele, calls his credibility into question and declares him untrustworthy.” Therefore, both Susan Rice and Michael Flynn both know about Steele’s credibility problem and Rice knows that Flynn knows about Steele. Flynn asks about Steele at a later briefing. Steele’s primary sub-source Igor Danchenko will be identified by the Intelligence Community. Danchenko had previously been subjected to a counterintelligence investigation in 2009–2010 under suspicions of being a Russian spy, yet the FBI will fail to shut down the investigation on Carter Page. Steele will delete his Hushmail account this month.
Dec 15: President Obama exercises a “pocket veto” over a renewal of sanctions against Iran as a symbolic gesture expressing disapproval of the sanctions, though the sanctions were indeed renewed. Many unmasking requests of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn take place, particularly by CIA director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and many members of the US Treasury Department. Strzok-Page text “Think our sisters have begun leaking like mad” in reference to the CIA.
Dec 28: Obama signs Executive Order 13757 which blocks “property and interests in property” significantly compromising computer networks in critical infrastructure. This is posted on Treasury website the following day.
Dec 29: The White House announces the the closing of two Russian compounds and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, declaring them “personal non grata”. Russian Ambassador Kislyak texts Flynn to call him and the resulting series of calls (multiple calls due to poor reception) is surveilled by the FBI. Declassified phone calls here. Regarding the expulsions, Flynn asks Kislyak to keep Russian retaliation “reciprocal” and “don’t go any further than you have to” in order to avoid escalation as the US and Russia go back and forth acting as the “tough guy”. Note: it is standard practice to surveil the communications of the Russian ambassador, but American citizens are supposed to have their names blacked out (masked) in transcription as a 4th amendment protection. Flynn’s name was never masked in this transcript and no unmasking requests were placed on Flynn from Dec 29 through Jan 4). However, Flynn was also not under a warrant, either criminal or FISA. Another method to surveil an individual is by direct authorization of the President through the Attorney General such that the “premises or property to be searched is being used or controlled exclusively by a foreign power”. Flynn was in the Dominican Republic at the time of the phone calls. He was also easily capable of being “reverse targeted” without any need for unmasking because he was the only person Kislyak called who was in the Dominican Republic that day. However, this is likely not how Flynn was surveilled. According to McCabe’s book The Threat “The [Presidential Daily Briefing Staff] issued a request to the intelligence community”. “The PDB request brought it to our attention.” The FBI far more likely acquired the transcript of this phone call by surveilling Kislyak, created a “tech cut” (or technical coverage) of it and gave it to McCabe, who briefed to Comey, who briefed it Clapper, who briefed it to Obama. They did not mask Flynn because the FARA operation Crossfire Razor was currently open. McCabe will later testify “we found them through an effort … in an effort to respond to a tasking from [redacted] and so the results of what we found were communicated to the Agency, who I think had the pen on that response” For a full explanation of what happened on Dec 28-29, see here, here and here.
late Dec: sometime between Christmas and New Years Day, Supervisory Special Agent (SSA 1) Joe Pientka calls FBI Special Agent William Barnett and tells him that Strzok “told them to close the RAZOR investigation” on Michael Flynn.
2017
Jan 3: Attorney General Loretta Lynch signs “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency under Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333”.
Jan 4: Kislyak call transcript in hand, the FBI clears Flynn of wrongdoing and files a closing communication. “The [redacted] ‘found no derogatory information in their holdings on Crossfire Razor’. In addition to [redacted], the FBI requested that [redacted] ‘conduct a search of its holdings for any derogatory information on CROSSFIRE RAZOR. No derogatory information was reported back to the FBI.’ . With nothing on Flynn & as the case is about to be closed, Strzok intervenes by texting Flynn’s case agent: “if you havent closed RAZOR, don’t do so yet”, “Pls keep it open for now” and “7th Floor involved” (aka FBI leadership Comey and McCabe). Strzok texts Lisa Page “serendipitously good” the case is still open and “our utter incompetence actually helps us”. Page responds “Phew”.
Jan 5: Obama briefed on Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) in Oval Office. In attendance are Sally Yates, Joe Biden, John Brennan, James Clapper, and James Comey and other members of National Security Council. After the briefing, Obama asks Yates and Comey to stay behind (and possibly Biden). According to an FBI interview of Yates, Obama says he “learned of the information about Flynn” and his conversation with Russia’s ambassador about sanctions. Sally Yates is shocked because she never heard this before and was therefore out of the loop.
The Logan Act, a 1799 law which has only been charged twice in and never successfully prosecuted in over two hundred years, is raised as a method to prosecute Flynn. As Professor Jonathan Turley will write, the “Logan Act is the last refuge for the American prosecutorial scoundrel”. Comey will later testify to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham that neither Obama nor Biden mentioned prosecuting Flynn with the Logan Act, though Peter Strzok’s notes indicate Biden did.
Yates will later tell the FBI that Obama brought up Flynn at this meeting. An email written later by Susan Rice to herself on Jan 20 will indicate that Comey brought up Flynn and it was Comey’s idea to “potentially” withhold sensitive information on Russia from Flynn. According to Strzok’s notes, Obama questioned if there’s anything he shouldn’t be telling the transition team, to which Comey responded the Flynn-Kislyak calls, but that these calls “appear legit.” According to Strzok’s notes, Obama directed that the “right people” investigate Flynn.
In addition, Obama’s Chief of Staff Denis McDonough makes a request to unmask Flynn.
Also Jan 5: Steeles’ Orbis firm scrubs its computer network of communications with Fusion GPS
Jan 6: Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) is published. It summarizes Steele Dossier and admits “only limited corroboration of the source’s reporting” and not used ‘to reach analytic conclusions of the CIA/FBI/NSA assessment”. It places the Steele Dossier summary as an Annex. (Annex A)
Jan 6: Comey and Clapper meet president-elect Trump at Trump Tower. Comey tells Trump about Russians having tapes of him having hookers perform golden showers in a hotel. He informs Trump that CNN has this story, but that he is keeping a “close-hold” on it. Once the meeting is over, Comey will return to his car, memorialize the meeting in a memo. This meeting is later leaked to the news media. Since the Dossier was briefed to POTUS this lends the Dossier journalistic credibility.
Jan 10: CNN publishes “Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russia effort to compromise him”. BuzzFeed publishes Steele Dossier. Christopher Steele goes into hiding. Also, see Dossier here.
Concerned with criminal exposure due to conduct during investigation, an FBI analyst on the Crossfire Razor team texts a colleague: “[W]e all went and purchased professional liability insurance,”. The recipient responded: “Holy crap,” and “All the analysts too?” The analyst responded “Yep,” and “All the folks at the Agency [CIA] as well.”
Jan 11 (at latest): Per OIG Report Footnote 281, SSA 1 Joe Pientka and the Supervisory Intel Analyst Brian Auten, who claim to have initially not made a connection between the “firm hired by the DNC” and the “firm that hired Steele”, aka Fusion GPS, finally make the connection at latest by this date but don’t tell the Office of Intelligence.
Jan 12: FISA on Carter Page is renewed, signed by Comey and Yates despite lack of corroboration plus accumulation of evidence undercutting their theme. Two-hop rule continues. This warrant request contains blank sheets of paper used as placeholders for evidence. Vice President Joe Biden makes an unmasking requesting on Michael Flynn.
Also Jan 12: New York Times publishes “NSA Gets More Latitude to Share Intercepted Communications”, “In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections”. This article is based on Obama signing Executive Order 12333 with the “Raw SIGINT Availability Procedures” revision.
Also Jan 12: Members in the FBI or Presidential Daily Briefing staff leak to Washington Post’s David Ignatius (a federal crime) and WaPo publishes “Why Did Obama Dawdle on Russia’s Hacking?”. In the article, Ignatius writes that Flynn called Kislyak “several times on Dec. 29” and mentions the Logan Act.
Jan 19: Clapper, Yates, Brennan discuss Michael Flynn and propose warning the Trump administration that Flynn “lied” to Mike Pence and Sean Spicer that he did not discuss sanctions with Ambassador Kislyak. Comey vetoes telling Trump, saying it would compromise his investigation.
Jan 20: Trump is inaugurated. New York Times publishes, ‘Wiretapped data used in inquiry of Trump aides” in its print version and a different headline in its online version.
Also Jan 20: 15 days after the Jan 5 meeting and about to vacate her position, National Security Advisor Susan Rice sends email to herself memorializing the January 5 Oval Office meeting, writing that Obama stressed his “continued commitment” and wants this to proceed “by the book”.
Jan 23: Bill Priestap writes notes on upcoming Flynn interview: “What’s our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” “If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ & have them decide. Or, if he initially lies, then we present him [redacted] & he admits it, document for DOJ, & let them decide how to address it” Lisa Page questions how Flynn is to be given warning of federal crime to make false statements to FBI agents (18USC Section 1001).
Also on Jan 23: Washington Post publishes “FBI Reviewed Flynn’s Call With Russian Ambassador but Found Nothing Illicit.” This article was written by Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller. In the article, they write “Flynn himself is not the active target of an investigation, U.S. official said”. Therefore, the day prior to the Flynn interview, members of the FBI leak to the press that Flynn is not under investigation and there was nothing illegal about that call.
Jan 24: Supervisory special agent Joe Pientka and Peter Strzok “casually” interview Mike Flynn without lawyer or letting him know he’s under investigation. They also don’t present him with a transcript of his December phone call with Kislyak which sets the conditions for a perjury trap. All these are violations of FBI policy. However, as is normal procedure, Strzok asks the questions and Pientka writes Flynn’s answers in a form 302. According a later 302 heavily edited by Strzok, when asked if he encouraged Kislyak to not escalate the situation after Obama’s Dec 29 persona non grata Russian expulsions of 35 Russians, Flynn replies, “Not really. I don’t remember. It wasn’t ‘Don’t do anything.’” Strzok would later do a readout of the interview for Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Matthew Axelrod and others. A Mueller memo indicates “Strzok provided his view that Flynn appeared truthful during the interview”.
A later memo will reveal that McCabe and other FBI officials “decided the agents would not warn Flynn that it was a crime to lie”. Comey will later testify that shortly after this interview, Priestap and Strzok “came back and drafted a 302 and reported to me and the Deputy Director”. (This original 302 is now missing). In addition, Comey will later admit to Nicole Wallace regarding the newly-minted and disorganized Trump Administration “I thought, its early enough , let’s just send a couple of guys over”, bypassing all sorts of long-standing DOJ and White House procedures (aka, not “by the book”). According to an FBI interview of Acting Attorney General Yates, Yates “was ‘flabbergasted’ and ‘dumbfounded,’ and other senior DOJ officials ‘hit the roof’ upon hearing of Comey’s actions [and felt] that “an interview of Flynn should have been coordinated with DOJ”
Jan 24–26: Crossfire Hurricane team (including Somma and Auten) interviews Steele’s Primary Sub Source (PSS) Igor Danchenko. Danchenko “raised doubts about the reliability of Steele’s descriptions” and that “Steele misstated or exaggerated”. Danchenko will also indicate Steele passed rumor as fact. The story of the Carter Page — Rosneft bribe in Moscow is proven false. The Steele Dossier is thoroughly discredited. However, FBI Case Agent 1 Stephen Somma doesn’t alert the FISA judge of this new information, and the FBI will tell the FISA court merely that “the FBI found the Russian-based sub-source to be truthful and cooperative” without elaborating.
Jan 27: FBI interviews George Papadopoulos.
Jan 30: Trump fires Sally Yates for insubordination. Steele texts Ohr about this firing. The lawyer for the future Ukraine whistleblower Mark Zaid tweets “Coup has started”
Early Feb: Flynn holds an All Hands meeting with 100+ NSC staffers to discuss the meaning of “American First” foreign policy. Per RealClearInvestigations Paul Sperry, “After Flynn briefed [the staff] about what ‘America First’ foreign policy means, [Eric] Ciaramella turned to [Sean] Misko and commented, ‘We need to take him out,’ ” the staffer recalled. “And Misko replied, ‘Yeah, we need to do everything we can to take out the president.’ Eric Ciaramella would go allegedly go on to become the Trump-Zelensky Ukraine phone call “whistleblower”. Sean Misko would later join Adam Schiff’s staff the day after Trump’s 2019 call to the Ukrainian President.
Feb 1: FBI Special Agent Curtis Heide interviews Papadopoulos who says Mifsud is planning to come to the United States in two weeks and he “could potentially meet with Mifsud” to help them. This offer for help is omitted from the later statement of offense against Papadopoulos filed by Mueller’s prosecutors. He also tells the interviewing agent he’d got a new cellphone offered to give the FBI his old cellphone for analysis
Feb 9: Washington Post publishes “National Security Advisor Flynn Discussed Sanctions with Russian Ambassador, Despite Denials, Officials Say”. This is the article that leads to Flynn’s resignation and reports that Flynn discussed sanctions with Kislyak. This article was written, just as the prior WaPo article saying there was nothing illicit in the Kislyak call and Flynn wasn’t an active target, by Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller. For the second time, these two reporters receive leaks from the FBI as part of a manipulative media strategy.
Feb 10: FBI interviews Papadopoulos who says when he asked Mifsud “how he knew the Russians had [Clinton’s] emails”… “Mifsud strangely chuckled and responded, ‘they told me they have them.’” This is likely a lie by Papadopoulos about the emails. Papadopoulos also tells the FBI that Mifsud is currently in Washington D.C. However, Mueller’s prosecutors will omit from the Sentencing document that Papadopoulos tried to help the FBI find Mifsud and instead claim that he “undermined investigators” from detaining Mifsud.
Feb 10: Strzok texts Lisa Page he is heavily editing Pientka’s original 302 to the point where he’s “trying not to completely re-write” it. Page will also provide suggestions. These are violations of FBI policy where the interviewer does not edit the transcriber’s 302 and no one outside the interview can alter a 302 either. In addition, the original 302 which indicated Flynn did not lie, goes missing.
Feb 11: FBI interviews Mifsud who denies having knowledge of Clinton emails. Mueller report will later say Mifsud “denied”, “falsely stated” and “omitted” (but Mueller curiously does not charge Mifsud for false statements, though Mueller’s team of prosecutors would charge George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, Rick Gates, Michael Cohen, & Paul Manafort with same later on). When Mueller is asked about this by Jim Jordan at July 2019 House hearing Mueller replies he “can’t get into it”
Feb 11: Joseph Mifsud exits the United States and will later hide in Europe
Feb 13: Flynn Resigns
Feb 14: Trump tells Comey “I hope you can let [Flynn] go”.
Feb 14: Lisa Page texts Strzok “Is Andy good with the 302?” Also on this day, Stzrok also texts Page [He] “ran through boss’ thinking/timeline/narrative on this” regarding media strategy
Feb 15: Strzok finally submits his edited 302 over 3 weeks after Jan 24 which is labeled “Draft Document” and therefore harder to locate in the files. FBI policy mandates 302s be submitted within 5 working days of an interview, or 5 working days from January 24. In addition this edited version of the original 302 contains no references to sanctions in the traditional economic sense (blocks on usage of property), but sanctions on in the sense of “expulsion of Russian diplomats”. The statement of offense produced by the Mueller prosecutors will say Flynn lied about “U.S. Sanctions” in the form of Executive Order 13757, not the expulsion. But only the expulsion was discussed during the Jan 24 interview. Mueller prosecutors will henceforth engage in legerdemain to combine the E.O. 13757 “sanctions on property” with the “sanctions as expulsions” in order to claim Flynn lied during the interview. Flynn will tell the Daily Caller he was only asked about expulsions. “It wasn’t about sanctions. It was about the 35 guys who were thrown out.”
Also on Feb. 15: After interviewing primary sub-source Igor Danchenko in January, Strzok emails Priestap and states that “recent interviews and investigation [] reveal [Steele] may not be in a position to judge the reliability of his sub-source network.”
Feb 27: Regarding the resignation of Flynn over “lying about sanctions” during the Dec 29 Kislyak calls, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes questions the whether or not the definition of “sanctions” used against Flynn is appropriate and that expulsions are not the same as economic sanctions. Nunes will later be vindicated when these calls are declassified.
late Feb: Supervisory Intel Analyst Brian Auten emails Bill Priestap and others a 2-page summary of the January interview of Igor Danchenko. This memo will provide “some details concerning what the Primary Sub-source said about his/her own sources, but the memorandum did not describe the inconsistencies”
Mar 2: Wall Street Journal publishes “Investigators Probed Jeff Sessions’ Contacts With Russian Officials”. Jeff Sessions recuses himself over Trump-Russia Inquiry
Mar 2: Mark Levin raises alarm on his radio show about abuse of the FISA court to spy on Trump
March 3: Breitbart publishes “Mark Levin to GOP: Investigate Obama’s ‘Silent Coup’”
March 4: Trump tweets “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’”
March 5: Levin goes on Fox & Friends laying out news reports indicating spying on Trump campaign
March 5: Clapper tells Chuck Todd “There was no such wiretap activity mounted against … the President-elect or his campaign”. Todd asks him “If the FBI for instance had a FISA court order … would that be information you would know or not know?” “Yes…I would know that …I can deny it”
March 6: CNN’s Brian Stelter has segment calling Levin a conspiracy-theorist. Levin writes an open letter in reply. The stage is set for two competing narratives: Trump really colluded with Russians vs Trump was illegally spied on by hostile intelligence agencies
Mar 9: With help from the Covington and Burling law firm, Flynn retroactively registers as foreign agent for work on behalf of a client in Turkey.
Same day: Confidential Human Source 3 Jeffrey Wiseman, who is handled by FBI SA Curtis Heide (who previously interviewed Papadopoulos), offers Papadopoulos a “burner phone” in an apparent entrapment scheme. Papadopoulos rejects the offer.
March 20: Comey tells House committee there’s an investigation into Russia and Trump campaign. Elise Stefanik asks Comey why he didn’t tell Congressional Leadership there’s was an counterintelligence investigation in the quarterly briefings, Comey replies that’s “decision of our head of our counterintelligence division” Bill Priestap, throwing Priestap under the bus.
March 22: Devin Nunes holds a press conference. He says the intelligence community “incidentally collected information on U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition”, that details were “widely disseminated”, and “names of Trump transition team members were unmasked.” He also says that “none of this surveillance was related to Russia” and that he thinks it “was all done legally.”
March 30, April 11: Trump-Comey phone calls; Comey states FBI is not investigating the President personally. Trumps asks him to “lift the cloud on the Russia investigation”. Comey declines and doesn’t tell news media and media continue to publish negative leaks and speculation about Russia collusion
April 6: The House Ethics Committee opens up a investigation on Nunes over his March press conference. Nunes steps aside from the Russia Investigation.
April 7: Comey and Dana Boente sign off on another Carter Page FISA renewal
April 10: Strzok texts Page wanted “to talk to you about media leak strategy with DOJ.”
May 1: After complaints from Stefan Halper, Pentagon analyst Adam Lovinger, who was selected to join the National Security Council by National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, is notified that his Top-Secret, Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) clearance has been suspended for alleged leaks as part of whistleblower reprisal. A later internal investigation will declare Adam Lovinger “did not reveal any potential CI [counter intelligence] concerns” and “did not yield any classified or sensitive information”. However, this exoneration will be withheld from Lovinger’s legal defense team.
May 3: Comey attends Senate hearing; Comey mentions Trump campaign- Russia collusion investigation and also suggests Putin preferred Trump over Clinton in 2016 election
May 7: Trump meets with Rosenstein and Sessions about firing Comey over his May 3 hearing
May 9: Trump fires Comey. Comey loses security clearance and is therefore no longer able to be questioned about classified information. “Comey chose not to have his security clearances reinstated for [the 2019 Inspector General interview]”
May 9: Trump asks Rosenstein to write a memo. “the way the Director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong”. Trump will later use this memo as reason for firing Comey. Rosenstein will feel used. In addition, Andrew McCabe tells Trump he “worked “very closely” with Comey and was part of all the decisions that had been made in the Clinton investigation.”
May 10: Lisa Page texts Strzok: “We need to lock in typhoon. In a formal chargeable way. Soon.” Strzok replies “I agree. I’ve been pushing and I’ll reemphasize with Bill [Priestap]” Note: Typhoon is the code name assigned to George Papadopoulos. They are attempting to charge him with a crime.
May 16: Comey asks Columbia University law professor friend to leak memo to New York Times
May 17: Based on leaked Comey memo, Rosenstein appoints Robert Mueller to investigate Trump-Russia links/coordination.
May 23: At a House hearing. Brennan lies to Trey Gowdy, telling him the CIA did not rely on Steele Dossier, saying it “wasn’t part of the corpus of intelligence.” (it was, in fact, in the Intelligence Community Assessment. albeit placed in an Annex)
Early June: Special Counsel Robert Mueller appoints abusive prosecutor Andrew Weissmann as his chief prosecutor.
June: Carter Page goes public to deny Steele Dossier allegation. Shortly thereafter, OGC lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who has been reassigned to work under Wiessmann, asks the CIA about Carter Page. CIA refers to their Aug 2016 memo. Clinesmith finds that memo, alters it to indicate that Carter Page is not a CIA operative, and lies to FISA agent about it.
June 8: Comey testifies to Senate committee.
June 8: George Papadopoulos is in Israel. Charles Tawil, whom Papadopoulos suspects is a spy, gives him $10,000 cash in Tel Aviv.
June 9: Papadopoulos flies to Cyprus with the $10,000. Suspicious of the money, Papadopoulos turns it over to lawyers in Greece before returning to U.S.
June 13: Andrew Weissmann goes to Cyprus and holds meetings with FBI. In addition, per a later FBI interview of Special Agent William Barnett, Weissmann said there was a “meeting on a yacht near Greece that was going to be the proof of collusion.”
June 29: Carter Page FISA renewed again by Andrew McCabe and Rod Rosenstein
Summer 2019: Special Counsel Mueller begins prosecuting Michael Flynn’s son for FARA violations, making “extreme threats and placing enormous pressure on General Flynn to enter a guilty plea”
July 12: FBI interviews Trump Tower meeting Russian translator Anatoli Samochornov. Samochornov backs up Donald Trump Jr. and says “there was no discussion of the 2016 United States presidential election or Collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign”
July: Strzok and Page join Mueller’s Special Counsel Office. Office of Inspector General obtains Stzok-Page text messages.
July 19: An interview with this date of Peter Strzok of the Flynn interview is documented in 302. It says, “Flynn had a very ‘sure’ demeanor and did not give any indicators of deception. Strzok and Pientka both had the impression at the time that Flynn was not lying or did not think he was lying”. This exculpatory 302 is withheld from the Sullivan court until May 16 2019 until after Flynn has already plead guilty
July 27: McCabe learns of Strzok’s anti-Trump text messages to Lisa Page. “Strzok was removed from SCO-related work in late July 2017” . McCabe later testifies to doing this to Representative Jamie Raskin
July 27: Papadopoulos flies back to Chicago from abroad. During layover in Washington Dulles he is arrested by FBI agents who search for the $10,000 cash in his bags & don’t find it. They charge him with false statement instead.
August 2: Rosenstein issues Scope Memo authorizing Mueller to investigate Flynn, Papa, Page, and Manafort
Aug 17: Mueller’s lawyers file Statement of Offense on George Papadopoulos about lying during Jan 27 interview
Aug 22: A final 302 based on the January 24 interview is submitted. Except it is not a direct 302 of the interview of Flynn, but a 302 of the interview of FBI agent Peter Strzok that took place on July 19. The original 302 is missing.
Oct 26: FBI Assistant Director Gregory Brower responds to Grassley, saying that they did give a briefing. A briefing was indeed given, but it was investigative in nature on both Trump and Flynn and the FBI agent who gave it wrote up a 302.
Oct 26: James Clapper tells CNN’s Erin Burnett “we were able to corroborate” content in the Steele Dossier.
Oct 30: Papadopoulos enters guilty plea to “false statements and omissions” that “impeded the FBI’s ongoing investigation.” In reality, he cooperated but Mueller’s prosecutors hid this evidence from judge.
Nov: Trump attorney John Dowd leaves voicemail w/ Flynn attorney Rob Kelner. Mueller Report selectively edits this to make it appear like obstruction of the Mueller investigation.
Nov 1, Nov 3: Flynn lawyers at Covington and Burling, adamant that Flynn is innocent, ask the prosecutors at Mueller’s Special Counsel Office to hand over the 302s that Mueller’s team claims justify charging Flynn for false statements. Mueller’s team refuses, and instead threatens Covington & Burling that they are fact witness in how they helped Flynn file his FARA registration.
Nov 5: Mueller’s team leaks to the press. “Three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News” that they have enough evidence to charge Flynn and his son. “If the elder Flynn is willing to cooperate with investigators in order to help his son, two of the sources said, it could also change his own fate, potentially limiting any legal consequences.” After reading this, Flynn’s lawyers agree to bring Flynn in for a proffer.
Nov 30: Mueller prosecutors vaguely inform Flynn’s lawyers of FBI agent texts without letting them know the details, and therefore hide potentially exculpatory Brady information from the Flynn’s defense team.
Dec 1: Near bankruptcy and under pressure from his own lawyers at Covington Burling, Flynn pleads guilty to false statements to the FBI during the Jan 24 2016 interview & cooperates with Mueller to save his son. However, the false statements charge Flynn pleads guilty to results from SCO legerdemain with the word “sanctions”.
Dec 2: Washington Post publishes story on the anti-Trump Strzok-Page texts. Special Counsel Office puts out statement saying “the Special Counsel’s Office removed Peter Strzok from the investigation”. McCabe will claim that it was his decision alone to remove Strzok.
Dec 12: Nunes is cleared of wrongdoing by the House Ethics Committee. He will say “the allegations against me were obviously frivolous and were rooted in politically motivated complaints”
Dec 18: James Clapper tells CNN’s Jim Sciutto “what a great case officer Vladimir Putin is. He knows how to handle an asset, and that’s what he’s doing with the president.”
2018
Feb 2: Nunes Memo released about FISA abuse. Bill Preitap and FBI lawyer Sally Moyer complains it is misleading. It is not.
Feb 19: Trump tweets “why didn’t [Obama] do something about Russian meddling?”
Feb 20: U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issues a standing order for Mueller’s team of prosecutors to provide all Brady material (exculpatory evidence) to Michael Flynn’s defense team. Records unsealed in April of 2020 reveal this standing order was not complied with. There was a considerable amount of Brady material withheld from the Flynn defense including the original 302 and Strzok-edited 302, the electronic communication to close Crossfire Razor on Jan 4, 2017, the Kislyak transcript, the anti-Trump Strzok-Page texts, and that no electronic communication was made to probe Flynn over violating the 1799 Logan Act.
Feb 24: Schiff Memo released to “correct the record” of the Nunes Memo. “FBI and DOJ did not ‘abuse’ the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process, omit material information, or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump Campaign.” This memo is utterly destroyed by the December 2019 Inspector General report
March 16: McCabe is fired. He will later join CNN the following year as a contributor.
March 21: Brennan tells MSNBC’s Morning Joe that Putin may blackmail Trump
March 27: Covington lawyers Stephen Anthony and Robert Kelner email about a undisclosed side deal they made with the Mueller prosecutors to not prosecute Flynn Jr. (Giglio Disclosure). This deal was withheld from Judge Sullivan’s court.
May 4: FBI lawyer Lisa Page resigns
June 14: DOJ IG Horowitz releases report on FBI and DOJ actions prior to 2016 elections expressing “profound concerns about the volume and extent of unauthorized media contacts by FBI personnel” Also raises issues with Hillary Clinton interview process and lawyer Cheryl Mills
July 16: Brennan calls Trump’s Helsinki meeting with Putin “nothing short of treasonous”
August 10: FBI fires agent Peter Strzok
Aug 17: Mueller’s lawyers suggest Papadopoulos should get 6 months in jail
Aug 21: Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen pleads guilty to tax evasion in a NYC taxi medallion scheme
Sep 7: Mueller team gets Papadopoulos sentenced to 14 days on false statements. But, Mifsud is never charged even though the Mueller report indicates he too made false statements.
Dec 11: OIG Michael Horowitz releases report on Recovery of FBI Messages. It states that a technical failure caused the a text collection application to not retain text messages of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page between June 18 2016 and July 5, 2017. It also notes that after leaving Mueller’s team, Strzok’s phone was factory-reset and given to another agent to use, and Lisa Page’s was left behind in an office. It was found in September 2018 and given to the OIG. But the OIG determined that it had been reset to factory settings on July 31, 2017 and wasn’t reissued to another user. Nevertheless, forensic teams recovered thousands of their text messages.
Dec 18: Mueller prosecutors submit a memo in aid of sentencing Michael Flynn. “The defendant falsely stated that he did not ask the Russian ambassador to refrain from escalating the situation in response to the sanctions”. However, the 302 of the January 24 interview only mentions expulsions, not the Dec 28 sanctions on property (Executive Order 13757)
2019
Feb 14: William Barr confirmed as Attorney General
Feb 19: Andrew McCabe tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “I think it’s possible [that Trump is a Russian asset].”
March 17: CNBC interview: Deripaska says his relationship w/ Manafort ended 7–8 years ago and calls allegations of ties to Manafort absurd.
March 22: Muller Report given to Bill Barr.
March 24: Bill Barr releases a 4-page “Barr Summary” of Mueller Report
March 27: Rather than call Barr, Mueller team writes a letter to Barr about the color of the narrative in Barr’s summary & leaks it to Washington Post, saying it “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions”. Barr later calls the letter “a bit snitty.”
late March: AG Bill Barr appoints John Durham to investigation origins of the Trump-Russia investigation
April 10: Barr tells Congress “I think spying did occur”. News media freaks out and starts playing word games by eschewing the word “spy” and “spying”
April 18: The redacted Mueller Report is released, stating, “Ultimately, the investigation did not establish that the Campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.” However, the report does several things at once. It abandons the Justice Department rules on grand juries to prevent a prosecutor to score points on a defendant by airing damaging information. Mueller will also invert the standard of American justice (innocent until proven guilty) by saying that he cannot exonerate Trump.
Mueller Report makes Mifsud to look like Russian asset & hides exculpatory evidence on Flynn and Papadopoulos. Barr holds press conference disagreeing with Mueller’s obstruction theories and mentions “relentless speculation in the news media about the President’s personal culpability”.
April 25: Senators Grassley & Johnson write Barr asking about “CI guy” and “Charlie” in Strzok-Page texts
April 25: Investigative reporter John Solomon reports Kavalec’s previously-unclassified red-flag notes on Steele are now to be redacted/classified. Her notes are marked “Declassify on 12/31/2041”
June 6: Flynn lawyer Sidney Powell writes AG Barr saying government targeted Flynn to get Trump
June 12: Flynn hires attorney Sidney Powell after dropping Covington and Burling who fumbled his case
Mid 2019: FBI Director Christopher Wray promotes SSA1 Joe Pientka and moves him to the San Francisco field office. The website there will update to reflect he is stationed there. After the release of the Inspector General report, his name will be scrubbed from that website.
July 16: John Solomon publishes “FBI’s spreadsheet puts a stake through the heart of Steele’s dossier”
July 24: Mueller testifies to Congress. Incredibly, Mueller indicates he’s “not familiar” with the name Fusion GPS. Indeed, his testimony seems to indicate he’s not familiar with his own report, leading one to surmise that Andrew Weissmann actually led the team. During testimony, Mueller “can’t get into” questions about Mifsud and responds to numerous questions “that’s beyond my purview” and “I can’t get into that”. Congressman Ted Lieu trips him up on OLC guidance regarding charging a sitting President & Mueller corrects himself later that afternoon. “I want to go back to one thing that was said this morning by Mr. Lieu: “’You didn’t charge the President because of the OLC opinion.’ That is not the correct way to say it….. we did not reach a determination as to whether the President committed a crime”. John Ratcliffe asks Mueller “which DOJ policy or principle sets forth a legal standard that an investigated person is not exonerated if their innocence from criminal conduct is not conclusively determined?” Mueller responds “I cannot but this is a unique situation.” Testimony falls flat and Democrat hopes are dashed.
July 25: Trump holds phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
July 26: Sean Misko, friend of future Ukraine whistleblower, joins Adam Schiff’s staff.
August 12 Anonymous Whistleblower files complaint over Trump-Zelensky phone call
August 14: Pentagon analyst Adam Lovinger gets cleared of wrongdoing after discovery of exoneration memo that was withheld from his legal defense.
Sept 24: Trump declassifies phone call to Ukraine Pres. Zelensky
Nov 4: Flynn lawyer Sidney Powell files motion to compel Mueller prosecutors to provide exculpatory Brady information
Dec 9: OIG Horowitz releases report on FISA usage citing multiple internal FBI process failures and 51 violations of Woods Procedures which Supervisory Special Agent (SSA 1) Joe Pientka III was responsible for to check for accuracy and completeness. MANY commentators on news media outlets proven wrong about use and substance of Dossier and FISA process. Not only did the unverified Dossier memos play a “central and essential role” in the FISA application on Carter Page, but the FISA application contained 17 significant errors or omissions which misled the FISC (FISA court). “We determined that prior to and during the pendency of the FISAs the FBI was unable to corroborate any of the specific substantive allegations against Carter Page contained in the election reporting and relied on in the FISA applications”. That same day, John Durham, whose investigation is not limited to just the DOJ, releases statement: “We do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened”. The OIG Report vindicates the Nunes Memo; Schiff Memo proven to be substantially false or misleading. Democrats and news media seize on portion that states “We did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the decisions to open the four individual investigations”
The FISA Court will subsequently order an audit of other FISA applications. Inspector General Horowitz will proceed to review 29 randomly-selected FISA applications for errors and omissions. The errors and omissions in the Carter Page FISAs will stand out as singularly catastrophic when the results of this review show that the errors in the 29 FISAs were almost entirely immaterial and insignificant.
Dec 11: Horowitz gives testimony to the Senate: “The activities we found here don’t vindicate anybody who touched this” and the FBI failed to ensure “the FISA applications were scrupulously accurate”. In responding to Josh Hawley whether political bias never affected Crossfire Hurricane investigation at any point, Horowitz replied, “We did not reach that conclusion”
Dec 15: Comey admits “There was real sloppiness”. “[Horowitz] was right, I was wrong”
Dec 17: FISA court Judge Rosemary Collyer issues a rebuke to the FBI that responds to the OIG Report findings that the FBI “provided false information to the National Security Division” and “withheld material information from NSD which was detrimental to the FBI’s case”. It states, “When FBI personnel mislead NSD in the ways described above, they equally mislead the FISC” and “The FBI’s handling of the Carter Page applications… was antithetical to the heightened duty of candor.”
Dec 18: House Democrats impeach Trump over the July Zelensky phone call. Pelosi withholds the articles from the Senate for a month. In the Senate, IG Horowitz testifies on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation that “I can’t tell you as I sit here whether it was gross incompetence. And I think with the volume of errors, I think you could make an argument that that would be a hard sell as to gross incompetence, to intentional, or somewhere in between, and what the motivations were.”
2020
Jan 14: Flynn attorney Sidney Powell files motion to withdraw his original guilty plea for lying to the FBI. On Jan 29 Flynn will follow up with a statement that “Had I been informed of these disclosures, I never would have pled guilty.” (The disclosures are that the FBI agents noted he a “sure demeanor”, “did not give any indications of deception”, and that the FBI agents didn’t believe he was lying.
Jan 16: House managers finally deliver impeachment articles to the Senate after holding them for month
Feb 4: Senate votes acquits Trump after Senate Trial.
late April: Multiple releases of Flynn-related documents from Flynn’s lawyer Sidney Powell exposing exculpatory Brady evidence withheld the government.
May 7: Acting DNI Richard Grenell forces Adam Schiff of the House Permanent Select Commit on Intelligence (HPSCI) to release all 53 transcripts regarding Trump-Russia collusion. Schiff is exposed as a liar for claiming “ample evidence in plain sight. Testimonies which he concealed now reveal otherwise. In addition, multiple officials in the Obama Administration, including James Clapper, John Brennan, Andrew McCabe, Loretta Lynch, Ben Rhodes, Susan Rice, and Evelyn Farkas are shown to have given public statements that are misleading or in stark contrast to testimony they gave under oath to Congress.
Schiff, for his part, continues to insist there is evidence of Trump-Russian collusion in plain sight by pointing to the Mueller Report and Congressional testimony. Both the report and testimony transcripts ultimately contradict Schiff’s assertions, especially in light of new revelations on how instances pointed to in Mueller’s report are in fact obfuscations, how prosecutors conducted themselves during the Special Counsel Investigation, and how key witnesses declared they did not have evidence of collusion when they were under oath. He still refuses to release the transcript of the 18th impeachment witness ICIG Michael Atkinson. Atkinson’s testimony allegedly does not help Schiff’s narrative.
Also May 7: On the recommendation of U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen, the Justice Department files motion to dismiss case against Flynn. “The United States of America hereby moves to dismiss with prejudice the criminal information filed against Michael T. Flynn”. Mueller lawyer Brandon Van Grack withdraws from the case. He also withdraws from other cases simultaneously. However, it unlikely Van Grack has criminal exposure over the withholding of exculpatory Brady evidence, since it was the FBI, not the SCO, that withheld it.
May 8: Bill Barr tells CBS’s Catherine Herridge the FBI was trying to “lay a perjury trap for General Flynn”. “They didn’t warn him the way we usually would be required by the Department. They bypassed the Justice Department. They bypassed the protocols at the White House… These were things that persuaded me that there was not a legitimate counter-intelligence investigation going on.”
May 13: CBS’s Catherine Herridge obtains the names of those who performed “unmaskings” of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn from a list recently declassified by ODNI Richard Grenell. It reveals that Clapper, Brennan, Biden, and Obama’s Chief of Staff, among many others placed an unmasking request on Flynn. (Note: unmasking is not itself a crime, but sharing classified intelligence with those without a need-to-know authorization is)
It also reveals UN Ambassador Samantha Power misled under oath to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence by saying “I have no recollection of making a request related to General Flynn” despite proof she made unmasking requests on Flynn 7 times.
August 19: Office of General Counsel Kevin Clinesmith pleads guilty to one count of false statements over altering the email from CIA saying Carter Page was their source.
September 10: A FOIA request response by the Justice Department reveals that members of the Special Counsels Office under Robert Mueller wiped their phones before the Office of Inspector General could examine them. Chief prosecutor Andrew Weissmann wiped his phone twice. At least 33 phones were wiped before they could be checked by the Inspector General’s office.
Sept 17: US Attorney Jeff Jensen interviews FBI Special Agent William Barnett who was assigned to investigate Flynn. He states during this interview that the predication to open an investigation on Flynn was “not great” and that he questioned the purpose of investigating Flynn multiple times. He also states that the Crossfire Razor investigation was conducted “top down”. He also states that he saw no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and did not see any criminal activity on the part of Flynn. Barnett was asked in early 2017 to brief several individuals including Special Counsel attorney Jeannie Rhee about Flynn. He told them that he saw no evidence of Flynn committing a crime, but Rhee was dismissive. “Barnett though Rhee was obsessed with Flynn and Russia and she had an agenda”. He states that the appointment of the Special Counsel changed “everything”, the operations of the Special Counsels Office were run upside down, that many in the SCO had a “get Trump” attitude and were convinced there was wrongdoing and they simply needed to find the evidence. He also states that the SCO investigator/attorney relationship was not 50/50, and that the investigators were viewed as “speed bumps” by the attorneys.
Sept 29: Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe sends Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Lindsey Graham a letter declassifying that Brennan briefed Obama over the Clinton campaign effort to smear the Trump campaign with Russian collusion.
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At this current time, there no evidence definitively and clearly tying either Obama or Biden directly to the nefarious activity that occurred over the last four years. Even if provable it will likely not be criminally prosecutable.
Ultimately, one thing should be clear. Do not trust certain news outlets such as NBC, NYT, WaPo, and MSNBC. They accepted leaks from hostile actors and published stories which suited those actors’ strategic narratives and purposes. News outlets first pushed the idea that the Trump campaign or Trump himself colluded with the Russians to steal the 2016 election. They also developed the narrative that the Steele Dossier was legitimate. When it appeared that the Steele Dossier was appearing less legitimate by the day, they pinned their hopes on Special Counsel Robert Mueller to uncover collusion. When this investigation ultimately did not bear the fruit they had hoped for, they freaked out over Attorney General William Barr’s assertion that “spying did occur” on the Trump campaign. They then insisted that that the surveillance was legitimate, there was no malfeasance on the part of the FBI and the Dossier did not play a “central and essential role” in predicating the spying. When the OIG report exposed that all of their narratives were false, they hung their hat on an incredibly partisan impeachment investigation. They then insisted that there was no malfeasance on the part of the Mueller team prosecuting Lt General Michael Flynn and that there was no scandal surrounding the January 5, 2017 oval office meeting; evidence to contrary continues to mount. Several declassifications throughout 2020 continue to build the case that an astounding amount of malfeasance and misfeasance occurred to “get Trump” during the 2016 Presidential election and throughout Trump’s Presidency.
To Be Continued…
This timeline is continuously updated from time to time with links added for you to see for yourself. Last update: October 4, 2020
You can follow me on Twitter here @shmagagie_u
Note on this article: You will find many abbreviations and incomplete sentences because the original version of this was designed to fit into 8 pages of a word document for Twitter distribution purposes.
Special shoutout to the special corner of Twitter that, in the absence of a functional, unbiased new media, actually does the heavy lifting in finding the truth on Spygate:
https://twitter.com/HansMahncke, https://twitter.com/Hmmm57474203, https://twitter.com/ClimateAudit, https://twitter.com/FOOL_NELSON, https://twitter.com/Techno_Fog, https://twitter.com/almostjingo, https://twitter.com/codyave, https://twitter.com/themarketswork, https://twitter.com/ChuckRossDC, https://twitter.com/jsolomonReports, https://twitter.com/SaraCarterDC, https://twitter.com/JohnWHuber, https://twitter.com/ProfMJCleveland, https://twitter.com/seanmdav, https://twitter.com/MZHemingway, and https://twitter.com/CBS_Herridge, https://twitter.com/walkafyre, https://twitter.com/LeeSmithDC, https://twitter.com/paulsperry_ https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy
