If you’ve tried to log on to this blog for the past hour or two, I doubt you succeeded in doing so.
I don’t know what the glitch was (I’m pretty sure it was nothing nefarious, just some internet issue). But it saved me a lot of writing. Because, during that time, I came upon Byron York’s analysis of the FISA memo – which is so well written and complete that I don’t have to re-invent the wheel, just give you this link, and a few key excerpts.
Here they are – and then use the link to read the rest. Please:
* The Steele dossier formed an essential part of the initial and all three renewal FISA applications against Carter Page.
* Andrew McCabe confirmed that no FISA warrant would have been sought from the FISA Court without the Steele dossier information.
* The FBI authorized payments to Steele for work on the dossier. The FBI terminated its agreement with Steele in late October when it learned, by reading an article in Mother Jones, that Steele was talking to the media.
* The political origins of the Steele dossier were known to senior DOJ and FBI officials, but excluded from the FISA applications.
The FBI and Justice Department mounted a months long effort to keep the information outlined in the memo out of the House Intelligence Committee’s hands. Only the threat of contempt charges and other forms of pressure forced the FBI and Justice to give up the material.
Thank you Mr. York. This lays the contents of the FISA memo out, in all its inglory.
The integrity of two bedrocks of our country, the FBI and DOJ, has been severely compromised. That cannot stand.
The fallout from this unhappy and dispiriting explanation of what really happened must be swift and sure.
