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CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA CONNIVE TO DOWNPLAY IMPORT OF NUNEZ MEMO
PART TEN
A NATION UNDER SIEGE
Once President Trump declassified the House Intelligence Committee “Nunez Memo”, over spurious objections of the FBI, the mainstream media’s propaganda mill, conspiring with Congressional Democrats, went to work, in their wrongful, hurtful, spiteful attempt to make short shrift of it, downplaying the Memo’s significance, and attacking specific portions of the Memo, in minute detail.Minority House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—never one to be lost for words and always giving her “two cents,” if her words were ever worth that much—denounced the Nunez Memo, too, asserting the Memo is “false,” “horrible,” and a “release of distorted intelligence.” The American public can dismiss outright Pelosi’s use of the adjective, ‘horrible,’ since the word is nothing more than a pejorative, devoid of rational significance. Pelosi’s claim that the Memo is “false” and that it amounts to “distorted intelligence” is more problematic and requires clarification. Is Pelosi saying the entirety of the Memo is false or just portions of it? And, if she is claiming that portions of the Memo are false, then which portions is she referring to? And, as for her claim that the Memo amounts to “distorted intelligence,” the American public has a right to ask Pelosi to explain in what way the Nunez Memo distorts intelligence? For all that she has to say about a myriad of subjects, Pelosi has, apparently, nothing noteworthy to say about the Nunez Memo apart from making presumptuous and impertinent claims about it. The mainstream media Press of course, does not ask Pelosi to explicate her remarks. It never does. It simply wishes to give Pelosi a platform for airing them.The New York Times does provide an account of purported failings of the Nunez Memo. But, does The New York Times’ analysis of the Nunez Memo buttress Pelosi’s bald claims? Or, does it simply add to burgeoning media obfuscation to defeat the import and impact of the Memo?
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA WRONGLY CRITICIZE CHAIRMAN DEVIN NUNEZ FOR FAILING TO REVIEW THE UNDERLYING FBI APPLICATION UPON WHICH THE MEMO IS BASED.
Before, the Arbalest Quarrel begins with its critique of the NY Times’ criticism of the Nunez Memo, we wish to make abundantly clear that Chairman Nunez and other Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee who took part in the drafting of the Memo were assiduous and meticulous in their preparation of it. Further, while Congressional Democrats and the mainstream Press are quick to point out that Chairman Nunez did not himself review the underlying FBI Application upon which the Memo is based, this is but one more lame attempt to discredit the Memo. For, the fact remains that the FBI would not permit every member of the Committee to view the Application through which the FISC issued the warrant permitting surveillance of Carter Page. The Mainstream Press obscures this point.Chairman Nunez appointed Trey Gowdy (R-SC)—a licensed attorney and former Prosecutor, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and who, as with all the members of the Committee—to review the Application, and to report back to Chairman Nunez. Thus, Representative Gowdy’s review of the underlying FISA Application serves as the basis for the Memo.
THE NUNEZ MEMO WAS PREPARED WITH GREAT CARE: TRUTH AND ACCURACY; CLARITY AND COGENCY; FORTHRIGHTNESS; CANDOR; TERSENESS; AND RECITATION OF SALIENT, CRITICAL POINTS, ARE THE KEY FEATURES OF IT.
Before we begin with our analysis of the NY Times’ criticism of the Nunez Memo, keep in mind that Chairman Nunez and other Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee who took part in the drafting of the Memo were assiduous and meticulous in their preparation of it. The DOJ/FBI would not permit every member of the Committee to view the Application upon which the FISC issued the warrant permitting FBI surveillance on Carter Page and which served as the basis for the Nunez Memo.
TREY GOWDY IS LEAVING CONGRESS.
Curiously, Representative Gowdy, an individual, demonstrating both abundant intelligence and integrity, has, inexplicably, announced his retirement from Congress at the end of his term, and that he will be setting up a private law practice. Even more inexplicably, Fox News reported that President Trump offered Gowdy a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, but the Congressman turned the offer down.Federal Judgeships are lifetime, prestigious, coveted appointments. Seats on the United States Appellate Courts are especially rare, prestigious appointments, second only to appointments on the United States Supreme Court. No attorney or jurist turns down an opportunity for a federal Court appointment, especially an opportunity to serve on a United States Circuit Court of Appeals, but Trey Gowdy did so.One cannot but wonder as to Trey Gowdy’s motive or motives: first, for announcing his departure from Congress; and, second, for turning down a U.S. Circuit Court judgeship.On “Face the Nation,” that aired on Sunday, February 4, 2018, Representative Gowdy said that he is a “pretty lousy politician.” That self-deprecating statement is certainly untrue. There are lousy politicians in Congress to be sure, and from both Political Parties. The laundry list is long. But, Trey Gowdy is not one of them. Contrary to this acutely odd, self-effacing statement, Trey Gowdy is one of the best Congressional Representatives this Nation has. The Arbalest Quarrel suspects that much more is going on here. What has Gowdy learned about Government that disturbs him? What does he know and isn’t telling? We may speculate on this, but this much we do know: a war—a secretive war—to gain control over the minds of the American citizenry and, in fact, to gain control over the minds of the populations of Western Nation States generally has been waged at least since—or has been gaining speed since the end of World War II. We may trace this to the first meeting of the so-called “Bilderberg Group” in 1954, which coincided, likely not coincidentally, with the Treaty of Rome in 1957—a singularly critical Treaty that created the European Economic Community (EEC). We can readily infer that the EEC, that, today, we know as the Union (EU), is the master-plan, under the guise of promoting Economic unity. It is the mechanism through which the trans-national, international globalist “elites” intend to control the political processes over all the Nations of Europe and, not incidentally, eventually over the U.S. as well. The European Union is also the vehicle through which these abjectly ruthless, immensely powerful, exorbitantly wealthy, and inherently insidious, secretive forces intend to compromise the Governments of Europe; to compromise the constitutions, and institutions, and social fabric of those Nations; to subvert the core values and culture of the Nations of Europe; to create discord in those Nations through infusion of unassimilable, diffuse races; to disassemble moral, ethical underpinnings of the Nations of Europe; and to belittle the import and purport of the concepts of 'patriotism,' and 'national identity,' and 'citizenship.' The rapacious forces that control the EU intend to exert their control over the United States as well; and we are seeing their influence through the insinuation of the Deep State and Shadow Government into our political processes and through a massive disinformation and misinformation campaign carried out by the mainstream Press.
THE ISSUE OVER THE NUNEZ MEMO AND ITS DETAILING OF MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN THE UPPER ECHELONS OF THE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY WILL NOT GO AWAY, EVEN THOUGH REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, THE RANKING DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBER ON THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, AND HOUSE MINORITY SPEAKER, NANCY PELOSI, AND SENATE MINORITY LEADER, CHUCK SCHUMER, AND RANK AND FILE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS, ALONG WITH CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS' FELLOW TRAVELERS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA, WOULD LIKE IT TO GO AWAY.
The battle over the minds of the American citizenry is now being fought in the public square. It is being waged through the liberal social media, and by the liberal “tech” Companies, and through the mainstream Press. And it is being waged in the Halls of Congress. The Nunez Memo, important as it is, serves an even greater need. For the message it conveys to the American citizenry is that this Nation is under siege. The institutions, comprising the federal law enforcement community and the intelligence Community—that Congressional Democrats claim the public must continue to have faith in at all costs—have contemptuously betrayed the trust of the American people. They have betrayed their oath to serve this Nation. They have betrayed their oath to preserve this Nation’s Constitution. So, what ought the American citizenry place their faith in? First and foremost, Americans should place faith in themselves, for it is within the American citizenry that true authority and power exists and has always existed. Second, the American citizenry should place their faith in their sacred rights and liberties as etched in stone in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution, by the Nation’s Founders. For, the Bill of Rights long predates the creation of both the FBI and DOJ and long predates the creation of the agencies that comprise the vast, secretive intelligence community, all of which are of relatively recent vintage, and a few of which are of very recent vintage. In the great scheme of things, the Americans’ faith in themselves must not falter; all else is fair game.The Arbalest Quarrel begins its assessment of the NY Times analysis of the Nunez Memo in the next article of this multipart series.
ALERT: CONTACT YOUR REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS
Tell your Congressional Representatives to investigate corruption in the law enforcement and intelligence communities and to bring corrupt officials to justice. Phone: 202-224-3121.______________________________________________Copyright © 2018 Roger J Katz (Towne Criour), Stephen L. D’Andrilli (Publius) All Rights Reserved.
HILLARY’S ‘SMOKING GUN’ CANNOT BE UNDONE
“Let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is King. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other.” ~ Thomas PaineLost in the moment of the Dallas shooting tragedy is the serious matter of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s mishandling of official Government information. Many are those who would excuse this conduct. Most citizens likely would not. No American should.As awful as the gunning down of police officers by a lunatic is to contemplate, our Country, a Sovereign Nation, grounded upon a system of laws and a Bill of Rights, can survive this tragedy and others like it. Police departments around the Country can cope with lunatics, criminals, and terrorists if politicians in Washington D.C. would not second-guess police officers’ actions and if they would restrain themselves from running roughshod over them, and let due process take its course.But, can this Nation cope with a renegade ex-Secretary of State occupying the White House? It is more than doubtful. If Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes the 45th President of the United States, she will have the willingness and power to undermine the Constitution, more than any U.S. President in recent times, beginning with the Second Amendment. The scorn she holds for our Second Amendment is evident. The American People know exactly where she stands on gun possession and gun ownership in this Country.The damage she might do is not only limited by her determination and desires but by the powers she would wield as U.S. President. Those powers she would wield as President would be second to none. She would control the vast intelligence apparatuses, the military, and the federal police forces. She would mold public education and even exert control over mass media.Should Congress fail to yield to her devious determination, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as United States President Hillary Clinton, would make law through executive fiat. Hillary Clinton has proved, time and again, she does not respect “the rule of law”—the bedrock of our Nation. Yet, we are a Nation grounded on the rule of law, as our founders intended. Our Nation is not grounded on rule by mere mortal men (or women).Mrs. Clinton’s behavior as Secretary of State makes up “Exhibit A” of her willingness to break the law. We see this through her obvious incompetency, through her disrespect for our Nation’s laws, and through the harm she would inflict on this Country—harm she would inflict on our Country with abandon and alacrity. Mrs. Clinton’s behavior as Secretary of State should serve as a warning to the American People. For, as she has operated as Secretary of State—as someone who perceives herself well above the law—so she will most certainly operate as President of the United States. Hillary Clinton’s actions as Secretary of State presage her actions as U.S. President.The mainstream media says F.B.I. Director, James B. Comey, determined—after investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of several private email servers to conduct official Government business—that Clinton committed no crime. The mainstream media says this because Comey told the American public, in his July 5, 2016 statement, that he will recommend, to the Attorney General, that no criminal charges be filed against Hillary Rodham Clinton.The mainstream media has it wrong. The mainstream media is misleading the public. The F.B.I. Director’s recommendation to the Attorney General not to indict Hillary Clinton on criminal charges does not, ipso facto, mean Hillary committed no crime. The F.B.I. Director, James B. Comey said no such thing, nor did he intimate any such thing. The F.B.I. Director said, in his July 5, 2016 statement to the American People, though tacitly, that Hillary Clinton did commit a crime; that she had, in fact, committed a crime continuously over several years. Further, the F.B.I. Director said, though tacitly, that Hillary Clinton’s conduct amounted to a felony—that she committed a felony repeatedly.The F.B.I. Director’s recitation of a long list of Hillary Clinton’s criminal misdeeds make these points abundantly clear. Cataloging Hillary Clinton’s misdeeds in a public statement for the American People is the primary purpose for the F.B.I. Director’s unprecedented public statement to the American People. Comey intended that such evidence of Clinton’s criminal misdeeds be made manifestly clear to the American People. The tacit question posed to the American People as implied through Comey’s recitation of Clinton’s criminal misdeeds is this: Is Hillary Rodham Clinton a person whom American citizens truly wish to represent both them and their Country?James Comey, F.B.I. Director, the top police official in the Land, intended for the American People to understand, full well, Clinton’s culpability for her actions. Contrary to some commentators’ remarks, Comey’s statement to the American People is not a political stunt. It isn’t grandstanding. The F.B.I. Director delivered his statement in deadly earnest.Comey sets out, clearly, cogently, comprehensively, categorically, and convincingly a litany of damning evidence against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Listening to Comey’s lengthy delineation of Hillary Clinton’s wrongful conduct as Secretary of State, one expects him to conclude with something like this:“I will make the following recommendation to the Attorney General: In the F.B.I.’s estimation, after conducting an extensive investigation of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s actions, in which she used several private email servers, exclusively and continuously over a period of years, to conduct official Government business, in her capacity as Secretary of State, a Cabinet level position, under the U.S. President, Barack Obama, the F.B.I. concludes that Hillary Rodham Clinton did in fact violate—either with actual knowledge of the wrongful, criminal nature of her actions and conduct in the handling of classified information, or through gross negligence in the handling of classified information—Section 793 of the United States Code, captioned, ‘Gathering, transmitting, or losing defense information,’ that falls under Chapter 37 of the United States Code, captioned, ‘Espionage and Censorship,’ of Title 18 of the United States Code, captioned, ‘Crimes and Criminal Procedure.’ As Director of the F.B.I., I, James B. Comey, do therefore recommend to the Attorney General that Hillary Rodham Clinton be indicted and prosecuted forthwith for the aforesaid federal crime, having forsaken her duty to the United States Constitution and to the American People.”But Comey made no such recommendation to the Attorney General. This much we know. This he made clear. To the contrary, after reciting a lengthy list of criminal misconduct by Hillary Clinton, Comey asserted, singularly incongruously, that he would recommend to the Attorney General that no criminal charges be brought against Hillary Rodham Clinton.The F.B.I. Director made this assessment of Hillary Clinton’s actions: She was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified Government documents. Still, notwithstanding his failure to recommend indictment of Hillary Clinton on criminal charges, the Director never said—nor did he imply—that Hillary Clinton had not committed a crime. The tacit conclusion to be drawn from the F.B.I. Director’s statement was that Hillary Clinton did commit a crime.Failure to recommend indictment is not equivalent to and is not indicative of an absence of criminal conduct; and, failure to recommend indictment does not entail lack of evidence of criminal conduct. In this instance, upon the cataloging of a laundry list of criminal misconduct on the part of Hillary Clinton, James Comey makes Hillary Clinton’s criminal conduct patently clear. So, then, why didn’t the F.B.I. Director recommend bringing criminal charges against Clinton? He said he wouldn’t recommend indictment because, as he asserted, he didn’t believe that, among other things, Clinton’s criminal actions were prosecutable. That is an odd declaration to make and one that Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor and a former United States Attorney, took immediate exception with. Giuliani said he was “shocked” by James Comey’s conclusion that Clinton’s actions were not prosecutable.More shocking still was Comey’s testimony before Congress. For, two days later, on July 7, 2016, in sworn testimony before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, James Comey seemingly retracted his tacit conclusion that, in his estimation, Hillary Clinton did break the law. For he asserted, clearly, categorically and unequivocally—in contradistinction to his earlier statement to the American public—that, in his estimation, Hillary Clinton didn’t break the law.There is an obvious disconnect between James Comey’s statement to the American public on July 5, 2016 and his testimony before Congress just two days later. Second, there exists an obvious disconnect between Comey’s litany of evidence supporting indictment of Hillary Clinton and the flimsy arguments he makes against it. Third, concerning whether Hillary Clinton lied to the F.B.I., there’s also a clear disconnect between Comey’s testimony in response to questions posed by U.S. Congressman, Jason Chaffetz, Republican-Utah, and Chairman of the Committee conducting the Hearing, and questions posed to James Comey by U.S. Congressman, Trey Gowdy, Republican-South Carolina, at the same Hearing.U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy chairs the Select Committee on Benghazi. His worked helped bring Clinton’s criminal handling of classified Government information to light.But that isn’t all. Since Clinton had lied to the F.B.I., she has also violated another federal law: 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which sets forth in pertinent part,“Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and willfully-falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact; makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry; shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years or, if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism . . . imprisoned not more than 8 years . . . or both.” So, there exists a basis to indict Clinton under federal Statute, apart from the matter of her mishandling of classified Government information. She lied outright to the F.B.I.Clinton carries within her an air of supreme imperiousness and a feeling of imperviousness to personal harm. Indictment on criminal charges for lying to the F.B.I. would certainly preclude Clinton from continuing her campaign. So why isn’t Hillary Clinton charged with lying to the F.B.I.?Recall, Martha Stewart—wealthy businesswoman and television personality—was sent to prison was sent to prison in 2004 precisely because she lied to the F.B.I. on a matter involving insider trading—a matter significantly less critical to our Nation’s well-being than the matter at hand. The Attorney General’s Office could forgive Martha Stewart for the crime of insider trading. But the Attorney General’s Office clearly would not forgive Stewart for lying to the F.B.I. Why, then, is our Justice Department so willing—so readily willing—to forgive Hillary Clinton for lying to the F.B.I.?Less known, but just as serious, is the matter of the F.B.I.’s criminal investigation into the nefarious goings-on of the “Clinton Foundation.” Mr. Chaffetz specifically asked the F.B.I. Director whether the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct Government business was tied into the F.B.I.’s investigation into the “Clinton Foundation.” Most curiously, James Comey refused to discuss that issue at all, simply responding essentially with a terse, no comment.Given inconsistencies and, in some instances, curt utterances and evident reticence of the F.B.I. Director, James Come, during his testimony before Congress on July 7, 2016, and, too, given the odd dissembling in messaging and peculiar dislocation of meaning in the statement he delivered to the American People on July 5, 2016, we conclude that hidden, nefarious forces are at work protecting Hillary Clinton—are protecting the Executive Branch of Government that President Barack Obama, at the moment, presides over. This amounts to a tremendous miscarriage of justice.There is one supreme maxim that dictates the actions of the Executive Branch of Government: The President of the United States “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.” This is mandated by Article 2, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. By extension, as is certainly clear, this means that the entirety of the work force under the U.S. President—from the highest Cabinet Official to the lowliest office worker—is expected to faithfully execute the Laws of our Nation. President Barack Obama has chosen in many critical instances, not to do so; neither did Hillary Clinton who was appointed by him and who worked under him as Secretary of State; neither would Hillary Clinton, in her capacity as U.S. President Hillary Clinton. What can be done to remedy this dire state of affairs?The Attorney General, Loretta Lynch could, of course, have indicted Hillary Clinton on criminal charges, regardless of James Comey’s recommendation to not bring criminal charges against the ex-Secretary of State. The Attorney General isn’t bound to accept the recommendation of the F.B.I. Director because a recommendation is just that—a suggested course of action. A recommendation is not a command. The Attorney General’s Office conducts its own review of the F.B.I.’s files.But, Loretta Lynch won’t indict Hillary Clinton. That won’t happen because the Attorney General and the U.S. President, Barack Obama don’t want that to happen. Obviously, the two of them—the Attorney General and the U.S. President—never wanted that to happen. Indeed, they never intended for that to happen. So the President, Barack Obama, carries on as if the entire matter of Hillary Clinton’s criminal conduct never happened. He takes to the road, campaigning on behalf of and together with Hillary Clinton (“Birds of a feather flock together”). The Attorney General, for her part, is happy to have this matter behind her as well. And both Hillary Clinton and her campaign officials breathe a collective sigh of relief.Indictment of Hillary Clinton on criminal charges would likely occur only if the Director of the F.B.I., James Comey had recommended indictment. Loretta Lynch has remarked she would adhere to the Director of the F.B.I.’s recommendation. But she said this only after her clandestine meeting with Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill, on July 2, 2016, came to light.The Attorney General realized the singular impropriety of that meeting, even as she tried to argue the innocuousness of it. It was only after that meeting came to light that Loretta Lynch said she would accept whatever recommendation the Director of the F.B.I. makes. What is left unsaid, because of this imbroglio, is that the Attorney General knew, as did the President of the United States, Barack Obama, that the Director would make “the right decision”—the only acceptable decision for Obama’s plans to have Hillary Clinton succeed him—that the F.B.I. Director would recommend to the Attorney General that no criminal charges be filed against Hillary Rodham Clinton.The American People face a sad—horrific—and inescapable truth. Wealthy, powerful, secretive, seditious elements within the United States and wealthy, powerful, secretive, insidious interests outside the United States, have, together, orchestrated a charade of justice. The U.S. Department of Justice and its salient enforcement arm, the F.B.I. has been compromised.Can Congress set things right? Specifically, can Congress appoint independent counsel? Can Congress appoint a special prosecutor or team of special prosecutors, to review the accumulated evidence in the F.B.I.’s files and, after duly investigating those files, make its own recommendation to Congress? If that special prosecutor deems an indictment of Hillary Rodham Clinton appropriate, and recommends indictment, can Congress then compel the Attorney General to indict Clinton? Much is at stake for the future of this Country and for our sacred Constitution. The thought of a likely criminal occupying the highest Office in the Land should give every American pause. A likely criminal occupying that Office is not only farcical, it is appalling.In the next article we look at the intricacies of the special prosecutor appointment process to ascertain if this is feasible—if anything can be done to override a serious travesty of justice.[separator type="medium" style="normal" align="left"margin-bottom="25" margin_top="5"] Copyright © 2016 Roger J Katz (Towne Criour), Stephen L. D’Andrilli (Publius) All Rights Reserved.