Here are some of the most
shocking bombshells outlined in the memo, which summarizes information compiled
by congressional Republicans.
A four-page memo compiled by House Intelligence
Committee Republicans says the FBI relied on information collected by an
unreliable source, whose work was funded by the Democratic National Committee
and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, to obtain a warrant to surveil a
Trump campaign associate named Carter Page.
Here are
some of the most shocking bombshells outlined in the memo, which summarizes information compiled by
congressional Republicans.
1. FBI Used News
Articled Sourced By Steele To Corroborate His Dossier
The memo, which President Trump agreed to declassify Friday,
states that the FBI did not tell the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
(FISC) a lot of crucial information about the dossier it was citing as evidence
when the bureau sought a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant
to monitor Page
In September 2016, ex-British spy Christopher Steele–who compiled
an infamous dossier filled with unfounded claims about President Trump–told
Yahoo News about Page’s visit to Moscow. Yahoo News subsequently published a
story about this trip. The FBI then cited this Yahoo News report, sourced
entirely by Steele, as evidence in its initial FISA warrant application to
corroborate information the ex-British spy compiled in his dossier. The FBI
incorrectly asserted to the court in its application that Steele did not
provide information to Yahoo News about Page’s Moscow trip. British court
filings, however, show Steele admitted he met with Yahoo News in September
2016, two months before the FBI got its initial warrant, to discuss the trip at
the direction of Fusion GPS.
2. FBI Knew Steele Was
Being Paid By DNC, Hillary Clinton, Chose Not To Tell The Court
The FBI did not tell the court that information cited in its
warrant application was gathered by an individual who was being paid by Trump’s
political opponents.
The bureau was aware that Steele was working for Fusion GPS, a
research firm that was hired by Perkins Coie, a law firm Hillary
Clinton and the DNC were making payments to. The DNC and Clinton campaign paid
Steele $160,000. The FBI knew about these financial connections and chose not
to reveal that to the court when seeking the warrant.
3. Without The Steele
Dossier, FBI Wouldn’t Have Sought the Warrant To Spy On Carter Page
In December 2017, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe testified
before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI wouldn’t have sought a
warrant without Steele’s dossier.
4. FBI Spied On Trump’s
Associate For Nearly a Year
The FBI obtained the initial FISA warrant to surveil Page on
October 21, 2016 after he visited Moscow and reportedly spoke to a Russian
official who had expressed support for Trump in July 2016. The warrant was
renewed three times for the full extent allowed of 90 days each, totaling 360
days under surveillance.
Former FBI director James Comey signed one of the three renewal
applications on behalf of the FBI, and McCabe signed one. Then-Deputy
Attorney General Sally Yates, then-acting-DAG Dana Beonte, and DAG Rod
Rosenstein each signed at least one or more of these renewal applications on
behalf of the DOJ.
With each of these renewals, the FBI choose not to disclose to the
court that it had relied on information funded by Trump’s political opponents
in its quest to surveil a Trump campaign member.
5. FBI Dismissed Steele
As a Source Soon After It Secured The Initial FISA Warrant
The FBI
dismissed Steele as a source for violating FBI protocol by bragging about is
relationship with the bureau to reporters. On October 30, 2016, just nine
days after the bureau obtained a warrant to surveil Page, Mother Jones published a story revealing Steele’s
relationship to the FBI. The bureau then dismissed Steele for bragging about
his connections to reporters — a clear violation of FBI protocol — which made
him an unreliable source.
6. FBI Did Not Tell The
Court It Had Dismissed Steele
When the bureau sought the aforementioned 90-day renewals,
however, the FBI did not tell the FISC the initial warrant relied on
information from a terminated source who flouted his connections with the
bureau to media.
7. DOJ Official’s Wife
Was Getting Paid By Fusion GPS
Throughout
the process of obtaining the initial warrant, then-Associate Deputy Attorney
General Bruce Ohr’s wife worked for Fusion GPS, the firm that hired
Steele to dig up dirt on Trump. At the firm, she helped conduct opposition
research on Trump and his associates. The FBI did not disclose this to the
court.
Ohr was demoted within the DOJ in December 2017 after it was
discovered he had concealed meetings with Steele and Fusion GPS founder Glenn
Simpson. During these meetings, Steele confided in Ohr that he was “desperate
that Donald Trump not get elected.” The FBI knew about Steele’s political bias
against Trump, but did not make this known to the court.
Bre Payton
is a staff writer at The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter.