March 26, 2019

"Well, I don't know if I received bad information, but I think I suspected that there was more than there actually was."

Said John Brennan, who once led the CIA, quoted at "$25 Million Later, 3 Pundits Kind-of-Sort-of Change Their Minds on Collusion/Shockingly, most people are sticking to their guns" (Reason).

Doesn't it seem wrong that the former director of the CIA is now a "pundit"? And why wasn't he a better pundit? He's just... people gave me information and I was kinda confused by it. But at least he's not digging in, like the rest of the embarrassed clowns.

Who are the other 2 pundits? Jeffrey Toobin ("Certainly the most important thing is the total vindication of the president and his staff on the issue of collusion. There's just no way around that") and Joe Scarborough ("the release of Robert Mueller's report was the best day of [Trump's] presidency. But also another big headline: It is good news").

105 comments:

wendybar said...

Brennan isn't "just a pundit". He is complicit (along with many other Obama administration higher ups) in the failed coup of a sitting President

rhhardin said...

Earth orbits the sun, clergy digs in.

TrespassersW said...

For Brennan, who in no uncertain terms accused Trump of treason, to now say "Whoopsie!" is both laughable and infuriating.

Humperdink said...

"Joe Scarborough ("the release of Robert Mueller's report was the best day of [Trump's] presidency."

Watched Morning Joe this morning. The above WaPoo op-ed apparently was a "one of". He's back on his horse trying to destroy Trump. His current mantra is Trump lying about Russia, Russia, Russia.

Rob said...

So maybe Brennan was so partisan that he was willing to say anything to undermine Trump. But there’s another possibility, that he really is that dumb and that incapable of reasoned analysis. And this doofus was running the CIA. The mind boggles.

Lucid-Ideas said...

That this guy was a anything other than a nightshift maintenance man at Langley is fucking atrocious and a slight and insult to every single 'star' on the wall of that building.

Read the guys tweets. You want to talk Russian agents? He should be in the top 10 for a date with a wall, cigarette, and firing squad. No blindfold.

Quaestor said...

"the release of Robert Mueller's report was the best day of [Trump's] presidency. But also another big headline: It is good news..."

Mika, however, had a cow.

tim in vermont said...

I understand that Brennen was also one of those taken in by the Gorilla Channel hoax. Not to worry though, I am sure a man with judgement like that made a cracking good CIA director! It couldn’t possibly have been his unquestioning party loyalty that got him the job!

Skeptical Voter said...

John Brennan--ace boon coon supreme evaluator of intelligence! How did someone this dumb get to be head of the CIA? And now he backs away after being one of the most vicious of the anti Trump mob. Brennan is apparently often wrong but never in doubt.

Naturally a real smart guy like this was feeding his "evaluations" to Obama--and Obama accepted them, I suppose I can understand how Obama was clueless re foreign policy.

iowan2 said...

How great is this. Obama's CIA director "claims" he had bad intell. No no, he would never lie for raw political motivation. It's bad intell. Who knows how to read that stuff?? All I do is run the CIA, just do what my underlings tell me. They are the experts on intell, I just run the place.

mccullough said...

And they rip Trump for not agreeing with the conclusions of the Intelligence Community.

Brennan, like Comey, was a typical incompetent promoted upward by the GOP and Dem coalition of ineptness. And like Comey he is a shrill idiot.

Comey and Brennan make W. and Obama look really bad. And the Senate looks really bad for confirming these guys.

The Best and the Brightest

CWJ said...

Brennan is not merely a pundit. He may be knee deep in this attempted coup. And we may see some serious investigation into the coup itself. As such, he's wise to be working on his fall back position. Weaselly yes, but nonetheless wise.

Kay said...

I’ve been trying really hard to ignore this story, as much as one can, and I feel embarrassed to even be chiming in on it, but what the heck. The whole collusion saga strikes me as birtherism for Democrats. And like with the case of the birth certificate, people still found enough plausible deniability to continue to stick to their guns even after the issue had seemingly been resolved.

That’s just my take. I’ll go back to my bubble now.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Brennan is a disgusting fraud. Brennan is a poisonous toad.
How sad for our nation that he was the head of the CIA. What a fraud. He is a corrupt fraud.

He should be investigated for fraud and conspiracy and collusion with the corrupt democratic hack press. He was also in line to pocket millions from Hillary's reign.

Quaestor said...

Brennen is working on an I didn't know it was loaded defense.

Fatbutt Brennan was his name
In the CIA he won his fame
Being chummy with the Clintons
But he drove the press insane

'Cause he'd whip out a lie
And smear most any guy
And sing out this alibi

I didn't know the gun was loaded
And I'm so sorry, my friend
I didn't know the gun was loaded
And I'll never, never do it again

rhhardin said...

The bright side is that collusion all kept whatever was the second-place ridiculous narrative off the air. There's a whole spectrum of clickable idiocy ready to go.

Wince said...

My honest advice to you, Mr. Brennan, is to hire a lawyer.

A good one.

robother said...

No one seems to know what to make of Comey's weird "I Talk to the Trees" and "I'm taking the long (geological) view" tweets. Change of heart, or a spiritual doubling down? Only the phantom knows.

traditionalguy said...

The CIA has owned and operated the Media controlling the narrative with their specialty of dis-information since the early 1960s. Which is why Trump calls the Mockingbird Media the enemy of the people. Schumer warned Trump that the CIA could and would eliminate him if he opposed them. And two years later the winner is our beloved President. Trump is alive and well and the CIA assassins are dead or being arrested in the Trump Storm.

Quaestor said...

...but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was.

Let me get this straight, Brennan is sure what he suspected? Forget the I didn't know the gun was loaded defense. Brennan's working on a diminished capacity plea.

In a week or two he'll be founding wandering Consitution Avenue in a bathrobe.

Scott Gustafson said...

Have they pulled his security clearance yet?

gilbar said...

"Well, I don't know if I received bad information, but I REPORTED that there was more than there actually was."

fixed it for him

Big Mike said...

Doesn't it seem wrong that the former director of the CIA is now a "pundit"?

Yes. On second thought, make that "Hell Yes."

And why wasn't he a better pundit?

There's an old saying in business, that A managers hire A subordinates but B managers hire Cs. Who was his former boss?

He's just... people gave me information and I was kinda confused by it.

We expect former heads of the CIA to dissemble. Just not quite so obviously.

daskol said...

He's a worse pundit than your comment suggests: he didn't even come up with that excuse. Scarborough fed it to him, and he merely regurgitated.

Heartless Aztec said...

As Wretchard said: The torpedoes are in the water. They've missed their intended targets and are circling back around.

Dave Begley said...

For entertainment purposes only, I watch a little of Morning Joe each day. Mika just sputtering mad and Joe bloviating.

Those two sickos deserve each other.

The head of the CIA was totally and completely wrong OR he was one of the conspirators. This guy needs to be investigated.

And we pay the CIA how much each year to find out stuff about our enemies?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Brennan is a hack and a fraud. Correct Ann, aa "Pundit" now - for CNN and MSMBC - that smells to high heaven.
This is banana republic territory.

Flash back - Brennan called Trump a traitor. Not that Brennan, the former head of the CIA, needs confirmation in order to say it.
He is a good & loyal leftwing fascist and he knows what is true in his heart. Just like any idiot on the street or in Hollywood. They know it all.

Bob Boyd said...

The only one of the three capitulations I have any respect for is Toobin's, barely.
Scarborough has irredeemably bedouched himself and Brennan needs to be investigated.

Big Mike said...

Also on Friday District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional. Yesterday the DOJ agreed not to contest the ruling, which is going to be appealed to the Fifth Circuit anyway.

Today McConnell has scheduled a vote on the Green New Deal in the Senate. The many Democrat candidates for the Presidential nomination who are also sitting senators are going to be made very uncomfortable. About time.

Scarborough was wrong (he often is). It's been a great week, and it's only Tuesday.

daskol said...

Suggest you all watch the Brennan clip. It's the one I referenced yesterday in the cafe thread: he looks miserable, abashed and, I think, afraid. It's also strange that he gets exactly one question from the host. The transcript doesn't capture the drama of that moment.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

At what point will Brennan lose so much credibility he'll even be toxic to the leftwing media / Corporate democratic media complex?

oh right - never. He's still a star on MSDNC and CNN. Still their go-to pundit. The fraud.

glenn said...

Trying to get off the hook. Brenna (and Clapper) know that if justice prevails somebody is going to jail. They just want it to be somebody else.

Browndog said...

Brennan didn't get 'bad' information. He was getting it straight from the horses mouth, Andrew Weissmann.

Two weeks ago, Weissmann,Mueller,and Barr had a meeting. Weissmann was set to indict Don Jr. on obstruction that Friday (which is why Brennan said what he said). Mueller wanted more time to shore up his cases against Kushner and Eric Prince.

Barr asked for their evidence. Upon review, Barr said the evidence against Don Jr. didn't meet the minimum standard, the Kushner and Prince investigations were fishing expeditions, and shut it down.

Weissmann resigned in protest that same day. Mueller couldn't get what he wanted--a Trump family member--and closed up shop a week later.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Comey-Clapper-Brennan - the nexus of above the law spook liars.

narciso said...

Remember jeh Johnson as DOD counsel leaked the Petraeus investigation in order to make way for brennan

mockturtle said...

Since 'pundit' is derived from the Hindu word 'pandit', which means 'wise person', none of these nitwits qualify.

Hagar said...

It is still scary that this crackpot was head of the CIA.

JRoberts said...

I've served in leadership roles on multiple non-profits, managed teams and budgets, hired and fired more than a few employees over the last 40 years. I've made some good hires and some bad hires.

However, I look at guys like Brennan and Clapper and I see nothing that impresses me. Neither come across as accomplished or bright or articulate or visionary. I wonder why and how they attained their high offices and responsibilities.

Unfortunately, we could ask the same questions about most of those who inhabit government responsibilities and it makes me sad.

narciso said...

Here's a fascinating detail you know who was a PhD student at kings college the same time as Paula Broadwell, none other than Nawaf obeid, mifsuds coauthor

Sebastian said...

"Doesn't it seem wrong that the former director of the CIA is now a "pundit"?"

You mean, more wrong than a CIA director running operatives at the campaign of a candidate he dislikes, organizing the subversion of that candidate and president?

"And why wasn't he a better pundit? He's just... people gave me information and I was kinda confused by it."

It is a puzzle that someone who should know better didn't. But then, with Steele and Downer et al. working for him, he thought something, anything would turn up. Prog true believers believe truly. And what is not believable they try to fabricate. And what they try to fabricate they try to insinuate into the body politic with the active help of prog MSM.

Brennan's faux gullibility is a mark of prog arrogance. For the moment, facts get in the way. But what will be their next maneuver, prompting more outrage, more fiskings, more did-he-or-didn''t-he? Or won't that work, now that even the Althouses are on the verge of concluding that progs and their MSM allies are in fact evil?

Kevin said...

Watched Morning Joe this morning. The above WaPoo op-ed apparently was a "one of". He's back on his horse trying to destroy Trump. His current mantra is Trump lying about Russia, Russia, Russia.

Joe had a chance early on to keep his show on the side of sanity even as his girlfriend Mika worked to push it off the rails.

"We were wrong, keep watching," isn't an option.

Kevin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dust Bunny Queen said...

Brennan....hilarious if it weren't so sad and frightening that people like him were and ARE STILL in the government.

"Hi. I'm John Brennan, the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Here to protect the safety of the US. I got a lot of information. From somewhere...given to me by someone...not sure who though. I guess it was correct. Maybe it was bad, but I'm sure there was MORE . If only there were someway or some people I could ask to verify the information.

But...Oh well. I suppose I should do something. I know. Spy!!!!... that's what we do here!!!. Let's spy on Trump and anyone else who is associated with him. We'll get some dirt on the dirty rat. After all, no one that "I" know likes him. Those deplorable types...you know.... not our kind dear.

Once we get the goods on him...or make up something that will stick to the wall....then we can put someone who will do our agenda BACK into the office. What do those stupid voters know anyway.

.......Oh CRAP.....the whole thing fell apart.....

Ah well...I'm still the uber smart John Brennan...EX CIA top dog. Nothing left to do but go on TV and continue to gas bag and try to get rid of that awful Orange Man"

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The reason we should all refer to the media as the CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX - is the take-over of the media by Obama and Clinton Staffers.

Yep.

madAsHell said...

I don't recall a chief spook calling so much attention to himself. He must have something to hide.

tim in vermont said...

There’s a saying in the NFL, “Think like the fans, sit with the fans.” One would have hoped that our CIA director was one of those people who saw through the bullshit. Alas no.

Kevin said...

Remember when Trump pulled Brennan's security clearance and the media went nuts?

Good times.

Kevin said...

There is only one question to be answered today:

Where is Hillary?

If this were a mob movie she'd be getting buried somewhere upstate.

traditionalguy said...

And think about this dumb as a rock man being who basicly decides whether or not we to go to war with Russia. I know Russia thinks about that all the time.

JPS said...

Former CIA Director Brennan: "Well, I don't know if I received bad information."

Richard Feynman: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool. After you've not fooled yourself, it's easy not to fool [others]. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that."

Michael K said...

I'm waiting for Horowitz. I just hope his real name is not Godot.

mockturtle said...

Tulsi Gabbard: "“What we know is that Mueller reported that his investigation revealed no such collusion. Now we all need to put aside our partisan interests and recognize that finding the president of the United States not guilty of conspiring with a foreign power to interfere with our elections is a good thing for America,”

Hear, hear, Tulsi!

Trumpit said...

There was, at the very least, attempted collusion with Russians. Trump was aware of the meeting that Don Jr. arranged with Russian officials to obtain dirt on Hillary. The Gustav Mahler probe ensnared many criminals in the Republican party, and in Trump's inner circle, and made them dance. Trump's personal lawyer, on his way to jail, revealed Trump's corrupt character and crimes. Is the investigation into income tax evasion complete? Trump may be a billionaire, but he is morally bankrupt.

MBunge said...

What's happening now is with the Mueller Report in, to continue pushing the collusion nonsense is no longer just about trashing Trump. It's now about challenging Established Authority. Mueller is one of the Very Important People and questioning his judgment is questioning the whole rotten structure of American elite society. That's why Clapper and the others flipped so quickly. Sadly, no one clued Rachel Maddow in.

Mike

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Isn’t $25 million a small price to pay to clear Trump of collusion and jailing the bad acters such as Manafort and Cohen who had wormed their way into Trump’s confidence?

Curious George said...

"But at least he's not digging in, like the rest of the embarrassed clowns."

You mean like our resident dullard, and Ben Wikler, who is running to head the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and who has twice accused Barr of falsifying the Mueller report, in cahoots with Trump.

Now we can add Eric Holder who is joining Benjy in the accusation.

MayBee said...

It's horrifying.
Made worse by the fact that he was in charge when all of it started. He was a source to the press, which now claims it was just following its sources.

Head of the CIA calls the sitting president treasonous, then tries to wipe it away by saying, "My bad. Had bad sources" Well...who? Who were his sources? When were other times he relied on them? When were other times the press relied on him? Why did he feel so comfortable talking about POTUS this way? How did he treat Barack Obama? Did he hold things like this over Obama's head? Did he give Obama terrible information?

rcocean said...

The former head of the CIA - in public- called the President of the United States a traitor and tool of the Russian Government. Comey and McCabe insinuated the same thing.

Now, its "oh, i was misinformed" - Really. Hopefully, this will destroy their credibility in the future, but the Dumbo Republicans always forgive and forget, so no doubt 6 months from now we'll all be acting like all these characters are fine, upstanding men who should be believed.

iowan2 said...

Reading through the comments (Thanks Althouse) upthread someone made the observation that the media has run the CIA since the 50's. I will add a small pinch of that thought process into my mix and see how it plays. I don't know yet.
It did get me thinking about this whole spying on President Trump's campaign, transition, and well into his first term.
I had forgotten about the role the CIA, FBI, State Dept, and DoJ played in pushing propaganda into the media, through spoon fed "leaks"
The media needs to explain to their consumers, their embrace of govt sponsored propaganda passed off to the media and their total embrace of the propaganda without any critical investigation of the information presented to them. Propaganda can only work with a media that is a full partner in that propaganda.

Let that concept ferment in your brain today.

The media as an active willing partner to govt created propaganda.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

@ Mockturtle.
Tulsi - a sane democrat? Good. Rare.

Retail Lawyer said...

Voted for Communist for President, appointed CIA director by Obama. What were we expecting?

ColoComment said...

It's disgusting to me that the ordinary* working men and women of our domestic and international security agencies, who serve in the trenches honorably, courageously, and with dedication, are and have been so dis-served by these despicable people: Comey, Brennan, Clapper, et al.
There should be a 10th Circle for such as these.
...because they not only betray the higher interests of the nation they purport to serve, but also the trust and reliance of those whom their words and position represent and who cannot speak out to the contrary.
* using "ordinary" in the sense of not a political appointee.

Yancey Ward said...

Brennan knew how the story came to be- he was deeply involved in its creation as the CIA Director in 2015 and 2016.

What Brennan is doing is trying to escape prosecution. He has to claim he was mistaken- the alternative, that he was lying, makes him guilty of obstruction because of his former position in government. All the journalists, even if they are lying, are just guilty of lying which is no crime, but Brennan's position really is different, so he has to start making the case he was just mistaken.

iowan2 said...

I forgot to sum up.

Brennen was doing exactly what he meant to do. He was pushing the Obama Administration propaganda to the media. He knew it was a lie. The media, knowingly took what they understood to be propaganda and put it out to the public. Don't fall for this "bad intell" lie. Start today to call it what it is. Propaganda.

narciso said...

Yes but tulsi thinks Maduro is misunderstood whereas he is a proxy Russian cuban poet,

narciso said...

Brennan was also one of the contacts with the Castro regime, whose no 1 was sideline in the latest power shift.

narciso said...

Have you read the Georgetown set it describes the mindset that formed the 50s consensus wisner Dulles kennedy Graham et al.

JZ said...

All three of these pundits were described in the Reason piece as being somewhat contrite. Not that they apologized. They just admitted that they had not been correct about their predictions. I happened to see a little of Joe Scarborough this morning and he had a wildly different tone. He had bulging blood vessels as he ripped Donald Trump for saying terrible things about the press. So, the contrition part is over. Let the wars continue!

tim in vermont said...

Isn’t $25 million a small price to pay to clear Trump of collusion and jailing the bad acters such as Manafort and Cohen who had wormed their way into Trump’s confidence?

Two years of national attention on a false charge a “small price”? Two years to clear Trump of a smear made up by Hillary Clinton a “small price” A Republican softball practice gets shot up by a Maddow viewer who ranted on social media how Trump was a traitor, a “small price”? There are people going to jail for getting tripped up on questions about a crime that never existed, for “crimes” that wouldn’t have existed but for this baseless and irresponsible charge by Hillary and the people in the Clinton/Obama machine.

It will be a “small price” if it leads to a serious investigation into the abuse of the Patriot Act by Obama administration officials though.

iowan2 said...

Left Bank of the Charles said...
Isn’t $25 million a small price to pay to clear Trump of collusion and jailing the bad acters such as Manafort and Cohen who had wormed their way into Trump’s confidence?
f

NO!

This is bass ackwards.

Do not celebrate the coordinated actions of 4 to 6 govt agencies to overthrow an election. That's what is at stake here.

We cannot allow these govt actors participating in a coup to think we claim victory because they came up a little short.
The Mueller report is a whitewash attempting to cover up the actions of all those bad govt actors. NOT a vindication of President Trump. That's the smoke and mirrors effect.

mockturtle said...

@BB&H@ Mockturtle.
Tulsi - a sane democrat? Good. Rare.


Yes. I've heard her in several interviews and am impressed by her sanity. While there are issues on which I disagree with her, I think she would be a great first woman candidate for President in the future. She has military experience and is very shrewd about foreign policies. Of course, she stands zero chance of getting her own party to support her.

MayBee said...

Obama fans: Do you think Brennan and Comey ever had similar "bad information" about Obama? Do you think Obama ever felt he had to do something on their behalf or otherwise they would call him a traitor, too? Or do you think Brennan just started this behavior two years ago.

Keep in mind: Brennan's company was found to be looking at Obama's passport records when Obama was running for President. And then Brennan got placed in charge of intelligence apparatus throughout Obama's presidency. Don't you want to know how Brennan treated Obama?

mockturtle said...

Nobody: Why is it that, when I read your posts, I hear a horse whinnying in the background?

tim in vermont said...

What was Manafort guilty of that John Podesta wasn’t, I wonder. Oh, having an ‘R’ after his name, that’s right.

Maillard Reactionary said...

BleachBit-and-Hammers said:

"Brennan is a poisonous toad."

I read a story last night that right now in southern Florida, uncounted thousands of poisonous "cane toads" are hopping out of the ponds and basically taking the place over.

Brennan is one nasty old bastard, but he's apparently still got what it takes in some respects, at least.

Bay Area Guy said...

Brennan is a Commie sleezebag. We need to get him under oath to ask him when and how he first learned of the Bullshit Steele Dossier. Odds are British Intelligence inserted Steele into Fusion/GPS and kept Brennan apprised of his ongoing shenanigans to push the Bullshit Steele Dossier into willing media outlets, willing politicians (cough, McCain, cough) and, worse, a politically weaponized FBI.

And, lest we forget, Hooray, Hillary is still not President.

Oso Negro said...

If Buwaya was here, he would remind us that this is all for show. Behind the Clappers and the Brennans are the real hands that manipulate the country. Their minds and motives are unknown to us, other than the general deduction that they will do all they can to secure every advantage for themselves and their offspring.

The situation we are in now, to a modestly honest and thoughtful person, is rather like a stage in divorce. It's not the loss of the person you were married to that hurts, it's the loss of your dream of happiness. In the United States, I do not mourn the fact that our leadership is as corrupt and inept as that of any other country, and certainly no more moral: I mourn the vision of the United States that I held as a boy. Unfortunately, it was all theater and propaganda.

Unknown said...

Brennan is a good example of what Ann alluded to yesterday, the person who has realized he was wrong but has so much invested in being wrong for so long he can't let it go!

Gojuplyr831@gmail.com said...

Of course this isn't over. Any minute now Adam Schiff (for brains) is going to release all that evidence has has been telling us he has seen that proves Trump colluded with the Russians.

We await on pins and needles.

Maybe Brennan got his bad info from Schiff.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Agreed - Mockturtle. I don't agree with Tulsi on much, but that she shows genuine integrity, while on the left, is a rare quality.

The collective left are a rotten sea of corruption and lies. Maddow is their leader.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Indeed, Nobody. Podesta should be investigated for financial crimes that far out-maneuver anything Manafort ever did.

Alas - Instead, Podesta is a member of the hack press.

tim in vermont said...

Nobody understands, Mock.

Ray - SoCal said...

Typical Republicans would rise above this, but it’s Trumps Party now.

And Trump hits back.

Right now he is using surrogates...

narciso said...

well no because they would have gone after vin weber, just like disgraced david Vitter, took up his portfolio, he was defeated with miss daniels, for his gubernatorial run because he was looking too much into chowdery and other Clinton foundation looters of Nigeria, speaking of which they were folks like Abubaker who gave 500 k to William Jefferson, who was defended by
amy berman Jackson before judge ellis,

Maillard Reactionary said...

EDH said:

"My honest advice to you, Mr. Brennan, is to hire a lawyer."

Mark Geragos should have some extra time these days since CNN dropped him.

Michael K said...

Isn’t $25 million a small price to pay to clear Trump of collusion and jailing the bad acters such as Manafort and Cohen who had wormed their way into Trump’s confidence?

Ask Flynn and Poppadopoulis.

Manafort doesn't count although, had he not met Trump, he would be as free as Podesta,.

Mike Sylwester said...

CIA Director John Brennan was the key person in framing George Papadopoulos so that the FBI leadership could obtain a FISA warrant to collect and analyze all of Papadopoulos's communications.

Papadopoulos became an official advisor to Donald Trump's campaign in March 2016. A FISA warrant against Papadopoulos would enable the FBI to collect and analyze many communications within Trump's campaign staff and also throughout Trump's sphere of associates.

Brennan arranged for the British and Australian Intelligence services to frame Papadopoulos. To start the frame-up, Papadopoulos was directed to travel to Rome to become acquainted with Joseph Mifsud, a Malta citizen who worked as a secret agent of Britain's MI-6 Intelligence service. In Rome, Mifsud informed Papadopoulos that Russian Intelligence possessed political dirt about Hillary Clinton. Later, in London, Mifsud introduced Papadopoulos to a woman who, according to Mifsud, was Vladimir Putin's niece.

Later, Papadopoulos was directed to become acquainted with Alexander Downer, who was working for Australia's Intelligence service. Downer asked Papadopoulos whether he had heard anything about Russian Intelligence possessing political dirt about Hillary Clinton.

Thus Papadopoulos was framed -- by British and Australian Intelligence, acting at the Brennan's behest -- as an agent of Russian Intelligence. Papadopoulos had no professional relationship with Russia; he was an expert on petroleum issues in the eastern Mediterranean.

Apparently, FBI used Brennan's scheme to try to get a FISA warrant against Papadopoulos, but the FISA judge turned it down. One FISA warrant reportedly was rejected in the early summer of 2016, and it's likely that the target had been Papadopoulos.

Because Brennan's frame-up of Papadopoulos failed, the FBI's leadership moved on to frame Carter Page and get a FISA warrant against Page.

etbass said...

I really don't care that the media fools still won't let up on Trump. And I really didn't expect the public to change their minds. After all who elected this Demo congress we now have? What I do care about is that the people in government who directed, led or perpetrated the Russian hoax are brought to justice. That means if they broke laws, they must pay for that as lawbreakers. If they broke policy as employees, they must be fired.

What is important is not changing minds of numbskulls who don't now or never did pay much attention to facts. What is important is restoration of justice and trust in government. Obama is not exempt; Hillary Clinton is not exempt, Brennan is not exempt, Comey is not exempt. Strozk, Page, and the others are not exempt. Go after them all and if it takes the remainder of Trump's term(s), that is the most important thing he can do as head of our federal executive branch of government.

bgates said...

The whole collusion saga strikes me as birtherism for Democrats.

You think a concerted effort by a presidential administration to use the national security apparatus to overthrow its legitimately elected successor is comparable to some number of private citizens who thought Obama was born in his father's native country instead of his mother's?

Isn’t $25 million a small price to pay to clear Trump

How much are you willing to pay to find out if Obama can be convicted of treason?

Mike Petrik said...

Brennan's willingness to debase himself as a professional pundit is a reflection of decline. I am old enough to remember a world that included serious men -- men who lived lives of dignity and probity. Now it seems all men wear short pants.

Maillard Reactionary said...

JPS: Re your Feynmann quote, very few people in general, and vanishingly few politicians, are capable of the radical honesty that science requires for success.
All the weaknesses of human nature and reasoning get in the way.

Confirmation bias being among the most troublesome of all in this regard.

Maillard Reactionary said...

You know, being "misinformed" about the waters was how Rick Blaine ended up in Casablanca.

That story had a more satisfactory ending, though.

narciso said...

From my earlier speculation, Petraeus may have been the first player knocked off the board thanks to mifsuds associates. So brennan could move up.

TobyTucker said...

Here's a fun drinking game that is guaranteed to get you falling down drunk early in the morning. Every time Scarborough calls somebody a "liar", take your drink. Pretty much every person Joe talked about this morning was "lying" about meeting up with those nefarious Russians, so you'd better have a good supply of booze on hand!

And FYI, during the time I watched, not a single mention of creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti being arrested in NY for extortion and indicted for bank fraud and other crimes in California.

Jeannebee said...

When he made these accusations and predictions, he did NOT call them suspicions. It was a FACT that Trump had Russia ties. That the Trump kids were going to jail. And so on. He can’t just slough it off now as his being too suspicious . If sources gave him false information, for him m to report to the world, he should reveal who they are. If not, the discredit is on him and cnn. —- BTW, I don’t think he had sources. I think he and ben Rhodes scripted this whole classic disinformation campaign.

pacwest said...

I think the last line of defense for Comey and crew is that they saw a threat to the Republic, and had no other option than to investigate, being the Patriots they are. It was for the good of the country. They are the true hero's in this. I'd love to believe that. But since Comey is a bought and paid for Clinton operative it makes that explanation a little hard to swallow.

narciso said...

Michael Walsh wrote a prequel sequel he had Blaine and lazlo join the Czech underground against heydrich.

narciso said...

Brennan was likely recruited by the sahwa imams when he was in Riyadh back in the 80s, he was running interference for Qatar turkey and Iran in the last few years.

The Dude Abides said...

If Brennan is indicative of the "quality" of person we have inhabiting trusted positions in Washington, perhaps we'd be better off under Russian rule.

JaimeRoberto said...

If Brennan had bad information, then who was writing his script?

iowan2 said...


I think the last line of defense for Comey and crew is that they saw a threat to the Republic, and had no other option


Careful there. Going soft and allowing them to lie is no way to get to the truth. I have asked literally 100's of people what event, circumstance or fact launched the FBI into spying on the political campaign of Trump. No person has ever been able to identify a single thing.

narciso said...

Brennan reminds of mundt the ex nazi turned stasi operative that leamas was tasked with protecting.

mockturtle said...

Brennan was likely recruited by the sahwa imams when he was in Riyadh back in the 80s, he was running interference for Qatar turkey and Iran in the last few years.

That would not surprise me, narciso. He's been playing on their team all along.

walter said...

The poor guy. It was during the week and a half or so run up to the report release that many witnessed the presumed extinct smile of John Brennan.
Sad!
He. you know, "frames" it as an Intelligence failure.
Looks more like an intelligence failure.

walter said...

A li'l afta midnight,last pot here 5:05.
Post a moderator log log out clock, SVP