[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ewly-examined emails among high-ranking U.S. intel officials at the time—including then-Director James Comey and his chief of staff James Rybicki—reference a “sensitive matter team.”
Based on the context of the emails, the “sensitive matter” appears to be the Trump-Russia narrative, and political opposition research funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The research— known as the “Steele dossier”— was peddled to the press and secretly used, in part, to justify controversial FBI wiretaps against at least one Trump associate.
The emails were first obtained by the Justice Department Inspector General and recently turned over to the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray Monday asking for the identity of all members of the “sensitive matter team.”
According to Sen. Johnson’s letter, Comey chief of staff Rybicki emailed unidentified recipients on the morning of Jan. 6, 2017 stating, “[Director Comey] is coming to HQ briefly now for an update on the sensitive matter team.”
Later in the day, Comey briefed President-elect Trump on a few of the salacious, unverified allegations in the Steele dossier. The next day, Comey reported on his briefing in an email to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, FBI General Counsel James Baker and Chief of Staff Rybicki. (All four men have since resigned or been fired from the FBI.)
“I said there was something [Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper wanted me to speak to [President Elect Trump] about alone or in a very small group,” Comey wrote in the email. “I then executed the session exactly as I had planned…I said media like CNN had them and were looking for a news hook.” (Clapper now works as a CNN contributor.)
“Flood is Coming”
A day later, Jan. 8, FBI Deputy Director McCabe emailed Comey and Rybicki with the subject title: “Flood is coming.”
“CNN is close to going forward with the sensitive story,” McCabe wrote. “The trigger for them is they know the material was discussed in the [presidential] brief and presented in an attachment.”
Also included on that email were FBI associate deputy director David Bowdich and FBI assistant director for public affairs Michael Kortan. (Bowdich was recently appointed FBI Deputy Director. Kortan retired in February and had also served as an aide to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who’s investigating alleged Trump-Russia collusion.)
Within an hour of the “Flood is coming” email, McCabe emailed then-Deputy General Sally Yates and her top aide, Principal Deputy Attorney General Matthew Axelrod, with the subject title “News.” (Yates has since been fired and Axelrod resigned.)
“Just an FYI, and as expected, it seems CNN is close to running a story about the sensitive reporting.”
On Jan. 10, CNN published a story headlined, “Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him.” The same day, BuzzFeed News published the contents of the “Steele dossier.”
Sen. Johnson’s letter to FBI Director Wray about all of this also asks for details about President-elect Trump’s briefing and communications between Comey and Clapper.
Clapper reportedly told Congress he never discussed the Steele dossier or any other intelligence related to Russia election interference with journalists. [Note added May 22 10:40p ET]: There are conflicting reports as to whether Clapper subsequently acknowledged discussing the dossier with CNN’s Jake Tapper or other journalists. [hr]
Watch Sharyl’s TEDx Talk: Is Fake News Real?
Unreal.
Convict these people.
When the flak is heaviest you know you are over your target. God bless Devin Nunes and those who have his back. For the opposition, if there is no “there, there” you have nothing to fear from the release of the documents. The resistance is trying to slo-walk this to the mid-terms in hopes the Democrats retake the house and can kill off this investigation.
Ms. Attkisson: You are providing a great service to the Republic. Please do not let up. Dig more. This really stinks. I am, admittedly, a Republican and although I voted for Trump I was not an early backer nor am I a blind follower of any person or creed. I heartily back his policies at this time. But if this was happening to a Democrat, I’d be just as outraged.
The abuse of power by the Obama administration is something like we’ve never seen before. Using the IRS for political purposes is bad enough, but to utilize the intel agencies for political gain is a call for action. If we do not address this it will lead to the downfall of our great country. Everyone involved, including the former president needs to go to jail, and it’s imperative that a message be sent to those working in our government that laws must be observed, and those that fail to do so will pay a much higher price than the average citizen for abuse of power.
Clearly the leak was orchestrated with CNN once the breifing concluded…designed to get the Russian disinformation into the American political bloodstream…Clapper and Comey, among others, should go to jail for this.
Why the “drip, drip, drip”?
It’s organized & orchestrated; providing time to desensitize, rationalize & obfuscate one drip after another.
Public response: “That one Stinks”, then “this one really stinks”: “Just wait until the IG report/s come out real soon now; or the Senate Committee reports, or the Congressional committee reports or the…”
Result? Wait until, wait, wait…
I recently find it particularly interesting that “in the know” Progressive acquaintances remain upbeat, even smug in their usual condescension.
Their November ground game is well underway; there is conjecture it involves massive voter fraud.
I strongly recommend signing up to be an “Election Worker” in your area.
Ex. my state recruits for: Poll workers, Early & Absentee voting, Absentee & Questioned Ballot review, Absentee & questioned ballot logging, regional AccuVote board, AccuVote Field workers, Election Night workers.
This November is the Big One.
They don’t bus them in anymore, too easy to spot. Instead, they rent cars/vans from used car wholesalers, load ’em up & send ’em out.
A few weeks ago Jeff Sessions told us that he assigned a guy named Huber (a US Attorney from Utah) to assist the DOJ Inspector General and that he (Huber) can indict even if the creep suspect had left the DOJ or the FBI. I never hear anybody mention this. May 22, 2018
Thank you, Sharyl, for all your great work!
Thank God for journalists like Sharyl Attkisson. When I read some of the things printed in the New York Times or the Washington Post, I feel like the reporters think the public is stupid. They think we can’t see their bias and their attempts to further a particular agenda. We can. No wonder more and more people are getting their news from the Internet, talk radio or Fox News. The mainstream media is pretty much an arm of the Democratic Party. I’m amazed at the drivel they write, and the fact that they attack Fox as “propaganda.” What do they think they are? Some of the most flagrant propaganda I’ve read appears in the New York Times and WaPo.
America is screwed when these people regain power over the “justice” and intelligence apparatuses. They are not going to let a failed coup attempt like this happen again.
Someone also needs togo after their agents who have infiltrated the media.
It’s not true that it will NEVER allow a failed anything happen again because “whatever they do in the dark, will come out into the light.” It is a spiritual truth, everything becomes known at some point in time, nothing is ever secret for long……that’s why we have leakers.
Ms. Attkinson,
be careful these corrupt people in Washington go after reporters, and we know that you were already targeted by hacking before. During Obama’s reign of terror, we lost 2 really good journalists under sketchy circumstances.
Patience.
IG Horowitz is the right man to investigate at this stage. He has been looking at all the players for some time now & has the best vantage point to separate the good guys from the bad. And Huber can subpoena anyone he wants, with 80% of the case already laid out by the IG.
The plot thickens and the cabal’s best efforts are in vain. Trump had the last laugh in the primaries and the Presidential election. His streak continues.
I have a feeling that a grand jury will be required to bring the Obama administration law enforcement and intelligence officials to justice for abusing their official offices to favor one candidate (Hillary) over another (Trump).
Obama and Brennan laid the “Logan act trap” for General Flynn and several others with the expectation that they would fall for it and when exposed would resign when threatened with charges of treason and that the whole Trump administration would collapse leading to a constitutional crisis which would allow Obama to step forward and rescue the nation. When that ridiculous idea failed, plan B was to get the KGB to cook up a salacious document about Trump’s trip to Russia and charge him with moral turpitude if not outright treason. This Has now fallen on its face as well. Brennan, Comey, McCabe, Susan Rice and the rest now look like fools and Traitors themselves. What a sorry situation for America.
This information is hopefully going to lead to criminal referrals from the IG for the top 3 (Clapper, Brenann, Comey) at the very least. The IG may not have subpoena powers, but can present a case that will trigger a grand jury.
A very revealing report Ms. Attkisson. Thank you.
Thanks for the excellent reporting, Sharyl. You’re the best out there. Will the MSM ever cover this?
It’s amazing how the NYT and WP spin this corruption. Can you imagine if the parties were reversed?
Of course, as with the IRS abuses and everything else, Obama knew nothing about it.
Chief of Staff, it has been reported, will be MIA at Thursday meeting with Intel, Nunez, and Gowdy. What’s going on here. No Kelly no clout! [email protected]
The President should suspend the authority of the NSA, CIA, DOJ, and FBI to redact any portion of any document unless the redaction has been cleared with an independent, non-government commission after proof of the need for redaction.
This is actually rather terrifying. This, right now, is a moment of existential peril for our country. If this flies, if this is allowed to happen without major repercussions, then we are well on the road to being a sort of bureaucratic dictatorship.
Does this remind anyone of the praetorian guard of Rome removing emperors they found objectionable? This needs to be squashed, and before the election. DOJ is dragging its feet in hopes a Dem win of the House will make all this moot. I’m beside myself.
All enemies, foreign or domestic…
David Corn reported the allegations contained in the dossier in “Mother Jones” on 10/31/16. Long before President Trump was briefed.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/veteran-spy-gave-fbi-info-alleging-russian-operation-cultivate-donald-trump
Thank God for the persistence of those who have pursued this until the truth is finally coming to light, despite all the stonewalling and intransigence of the guilty parties and their facilitators, the liberal media.