Topic: Christopher Steele

Representative Jim Jordan claims the intelligence community altered assessments in December 2016 at the prompting of President Obama to support the Russia interference narrative. The discussion highlights the use of the Steele Dossier and alleges that high-ranking officials like James Clapper and John Brennan lied to Congress without facing immediate consequences.

The historical animosity between the United States and Great Britain is explored, noting that anti-British sentiment was prevalent in American textbooks until World War I. The role of British intelligence, specifically Christopher Steele and MI6, in modern American politics is viewed as a continuation of "running games" on the U.S. Figures like Robert Maxwell and organizations like Reuters are cited as pillars of British influence in American media and finance.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard discussed declassified documents suggesting the Obama administration pressured the intelligence community to find evidence of Russian election interference in 2016. Gabbard claims a President's Daily Brief was altered to support a narrative of Moscow's influence. The hosts criticize Gabbard's communication style while revisiting past claims of collusion made by Representative Adam Schiff.

Donald Trump has filed a massive RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, Christopher Steele, and 30 others. The suit alleges a conspiracy to fabricate evidence of Russian collusion during the 2016 election. Critics debate the constitutionality of using RICO laws in this context.

Author Seamus Bruner claims that the Steele Dossier was originally a "neutralization effort" by the Clinton campaign to distract from Peter Schweitzer's book, "Clinton Cash." The goal was to scare Republicans away from using the Clinton family's Russian business ties as an election issue by preemptively accusing Donald Trump of the same. This strategy effectively buried the Uranium One scandal during the 2016 election cycle.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report confirmed significant failures and "significant problems" in the FBI's FISA applications for Carter Page. The report revealed that an FBI employee doctored an email and that the Steele dossier played a "central and essential" role in the surveillance warrants. This contradicts years of media claims that the FISA process was handled appropriately.

FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith is accused of altering a CIA email to falsely state that Carter Page was not a source for the agency, which was used to justify continued FISA surveillance. Despite Page's claims that he had reported his Russian contacts to the CIA, the FBI proceeded with wiretaps based on the Steele dossier. The hosts emphasize the danger of a "superiority complex" among federal employees who view the general public with disdain.

The primary sub-source for the Steele dossier told the FBI in January 2017 that Christopher Steele's reports were based on "rumor and speculation" heard at a bar, specifically disavowing the "pee tape" allegations. Despite this, the FBI informed the FISA court that the source was "truthful and cooperative" to secure two additional warrants against Carter Page. The hosts call for the abolition of the FISA court system due to these systemic deceptions.

The hosts investigate the influence of billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, who funded primary opponents of Trump. They suggest a deep-state connection involving Katie Walsh, Mike Shields, and British intelligence (MI6), potentially linking the Steele dossier to high-level Republican "Never Trump" operatives.

Greg Miller of the Washington Post describes the newspaper's efforts to verify the Steele Dossier, including sending reporters to Prague to investigate claims about Michael Cohen. The hosts criticize the modern state of journalism, arguing that reporters have become "experts in nothing" who merely rewrite Twitter trends. They debate whether podcasters should be considered the new standard for investigative journalism.

Congressman Jim Jordan discussed the closed-door testimony of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr regarding his contacts with Christopher Steele. Ohr reportedly admitted to knowing about Steele's bias against Donald Trump while funneling information from Fusion GPS to the FBI. Critics argue these facts were not disclosed to the FISA court when obtaining warrants to monitor Carter Page and the Trump campaign.

Legal analysts clarify that while "collusion" is not a specific crime in the federal code, Robert Mueller is utilizing "conspiracy to defraud the United States" as a primary charge. This legal standard is applied to the Trump investigation but could arguably be applied to the Democratic National Committee's actions against Bernie Sanders in 2016. The discussion highlights the use of opposition research, such as the Steele Dossier, as a potential form of electoral interference.

Reports from The Telegraph indicate that poisoned spy Sergei Skripal was a close consultant to Christopher Steele, the author of the Trump-Russia dossier. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has blamed the Kremlin for the attack, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the accusations as a "Russophobic game." The connection to Steele suggests the incident may involve cleaning up intelligence loose ends rather than simple state-sponsored warfare.

Former State Department official Victoria Nuland revealed that Christopher Steele provided early reports on Russia to the State Department for free through a "friend" in the agency. Nuland claimed the department passed the information to the FBI after realizing it was outside their purview. This timeline suggests that Steele's relationship with the State Department predated the formal funding of the dossier by the Clinton campaign, potentially serving as the genesis for the subsequent investigation.

Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses the revelation in the Nunes Memo that Christopher Steele was a "longtime FBI asset." This status raises legal and diplomatic concerns regarding the "Five Eyes" agreement, as Steele may have been working for American intelligence while still an active MI6 agent, potentially constituting espionage.

The Nunes memo details allegations of legal process breakdowns within the Department of Justice and the FBI regarding surveillance of Carter Page. The document claims that officials failed to disclose that the Christopher Steele dossier, used to obtain FISA warrants, was funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Journalist Michael Isikoff discussed his interactions with former MI6 agent Christopher Steele on his podcast, Skullduggery. The conversation highlights Steele's meetings with multiple media outlets and his professional relationship with Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, while noting that Steele is collaborating with David Corn on a book titled Russian Roulette.

The release of Fusion GPS testimony reveals that the law firm Perkins Coie acted as a conduit for DNC and Clinton campaign funds. The testimony includes redacted names of three journalists who reportedly had meetings brokered with Christopher Steele, raising questions about media complicity in the dossier's distribution.

Congressman Jim Jordan questioned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein regarding Peter Strzok's "insurance policy" text message. Jordan suggested the FBI used a dossier funded by the Clinton campaign to obtain FISA warrants to spy on the Trump campaign. The hosts argue that these revelations have severely damaged public trust in the FBI and the Mueller investigation.

Reports indicate that Nellie Ohr, the wife of a DOJ official, applied for a ham radio license while working for Fusion GPS. The hosts debunk the implication that she was using shortwave radio to communicate with Christopher Steele, noting that a technician-level license is insufficient for such activity. They suggest more modern methods like steganography would be more effective for covert communication.