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I don't have a title for this, because I can't figure out what to call it.
I just spent 5 minutes
of my life reading Devin Nunes's memo (it's here) alleging...something...What's
interesting is that even the Wall Street Journal has reported that the FBI became interested in
Page's contacts with/ties to the Russian government and businesses long before
the 2016 presidential campaign began. At
least one report indicates he was under surveillance
under a FISA order as early as 2014. Apparently whatever first lead the FBI to
be concerned about Page's Russian contacts and dealings long predates the
Steele dossier (which Nunes implies was the only reason the FBI asked
for a surveillance warrant in October 2016).
The memo’s focus is on the final
FISA warrant received by the FBI for surveillance of Page, despite evidence
that his activities had attracted their interest much earlier..
I will admit to very mixed
feelings about the FBI. For most of its
existence, it seems to me to have been a proto-fascist organization with an
obsession with communism (and, as a result, with Russia). In a geo-political context, the communism
obsession strikes me as weird; the Russia obsession, not so much. These days. of course, we have a proto-fascist
as president--which would, I suggest, generally lead the FBI to look warmly
upon him--with ties to and apparently (covert) political support from
Russia--which would cause the FBI to be leery of him. I suspect the FBI, institutionally, is
confused by all this.
What seems clear is that the
Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
are using the Russian connection to obscure proto-fascist inclinations of this
president (and, I think, these Republicans). (I would note, as well, that the memo was
originally intended for the Republicans on the Committee--the "Majority
Members" and is described as being sent by the Committee's "Majority
Staff." That is we have, not a
Committee document, but a plainly and clearly partisan document.)
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