GOP Congressman Claims FBI Leaked Info and Used Stories to Get FISA Warrants

FBI Special Agent Jonathan Moffa told Congress on Friday that the FBI has used leaked stories to obtain FISA warrants, according to a congressional source. The FBI is disputing the claim that an FBI analyst told Congress that the bureau uses information leaked to the press to obtain surveillance warrants against American citizens.

On Monday, North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows tweeted that Congress had “learned NEW information suggesting our suspicions are true: FBI/DOJ have previously leaked info to the press, and then used those same press stories as a separate source to justify FISA’s. Unreal.” 

A congressional source told The Daily News Foundation that Meadows was referring to information provided during a congressional interview on Friday with Jonathan Moffa, an FBI analyst who worked on the Hillary Clinton email investigation. 

The source said that Moffa “more or less admitted that the FBI/DOJ have previously leaked info to the press and then used stories from the press as justifications for FISA warrants.” 

Moffa’s claim, if accurate, would have been a major development in House Republicans’ investigation into possible FBI abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 

Republicans have accused the FBI of misleading FISA judges by relying heavily on the unverified Steele dossier to obtain spy warrants against former Trump campaign chairman Carter Page. Republicans have noted that the dossier was cited despite being unverified. 

Bruce Ohr Testimony

Justice Department official Bruce Ohr testified to lawmakers on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Tuesday about his relationship with former British spy Christopher Steele and his ties to the salacious anti-Trump dossier. At least seven GOP lawmakers, members of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, attended including, Reps. Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Trey Gowdy, John Ratcliffe, Darrell Issa, Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs. No Democratic lawmakers were on hand, but staffers of both parties attended. 

While lawmakers told reporters that Ohr was being cooperative in the closed-door session, Rep. Darrel Issa, (R-CA), said that Ohr “has a poor memory.”

“He seems to not remember a lot of details and, you know, poor memories are often claimed by people who want to stick to what they can say and not be caught in perjury,” he told Fox News. 

Bruce Ohr has become a key point of contention for Republicans and President Trump, who see the revelations about Ohr as the latest development that calls into question the FBI’s actions that led to the beginning of the Russia probe. The dossier was used by federal officials to justify the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant on Trump aide Carter Page. 

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) said Tuesday that the American people will be “appalled” at what happened within the FBI and DOJ to start the Trump campaign-Russian collusion probe. 

About two hours into the session, Rep. Meadows, came out and told reporters that the FBI knew there were “credibility” issues surrounding the dossier before it was used to secure the first FISA warrant on Page in October 2016. Rep. Meadows said the DOJ leaked information to the press and used those reported stories as evidence to get FISA warrants. 

“We know that some people at the Department of Justice and FBI actually gave information to the media and then the stories were reported, then they used those reports to justify further investigations,” Meadows said. 

Reps. Matt Gaetz, Mark Meadows and Darrell Issa told reporters that Ohr’s testimony revealed that the FBI had more significant doubts about the credibility of the Steele dossier than the bureau revealed when it applied for a court-ordered surveillance warrant on a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, in October 2016. 

“Not only did the FBI know that the dossier was unverified, but they also knew that there were real credibility issues where it would never end up in a courtroom,” Meadows said.

Michael Cohen Traveled to Eastern Europe: He Says That He Didn’t

The Justice Department special counsel has evidence that Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, secretly made a late-summer trip to Prague during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Investigators have traced evidence that Michael Cohen entered the Czech Republic through Germany, apparently during August or early September of 2016 as the ex-spy reported, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is confidential. The sources did not say whether Michael Cohen took a commercial flight or private jet to Europe and gave no explanation as to why no record of such a trip has surfaced. 

Last August, an attorney for Cohen, Stephen Ryan, delivered to Congress a point-by-point rebuttal of the dossier’s allegations, stating: “Mr. Cohen is not aware of any ‘secret Trump campaign/Kremlin relationship.’”

Cohen’s trip to Prague was included in the dossier of reports written by former British intelligence official Christopher Steele.  

On January 10, Cohen refuted the claim on twitter saying, “I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews.” In the tweet he attached a photo of the front of his closed passport. 

Then, on April 14, Cohen tweeted again saying, “Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!” 

Cato Study: U.S. States Ranked on Individual Freedom

Last week, the Cato Institute released the latest edition of Freedom in the 50 States, which ranks each U.S. state by how its public policies promote freedom in the fiscal, regulatory, and personal freedom spheres.  

To determine these rankings, authors William Ruger and Jason Sorens examine state and local government intervention across a range of more than 230 policy variables, from taxation to debt, eminent domain laws to occupational licensing, and drug policy to educational choice. 

Ruger and Sorens score all 50 states on their overall respect for individual freedom, and also on their respect for three separate dimensions of freedom: fiscal policy and regulatory policy (which are combined to create the economic freedom score) and personal freedom. 

In this edition, Florida, New Hampshire, Indiana, Colorado, and Nevada sit at the top of the rankings. New York again has the dishonor of being the least free state, preceded by Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and Vermont. 

Over the 2000-2016 period, Oklahoma is the most improved state, while over the 2015-2016 two-year period, New Hampshire has risen the most. There is strong evidence that states with more economic freedom attract more residents. 

California to Become First State to Eliminate Bail for Suspects Awaiting Trial

California will become the first state to eliminate bail for suspects awaiting trial and replace it with a risk-assessment system under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The new bill is called the California Money Bail Reform Act. 

Governor Brown's signature gives the state's judicial council broad authority to reshape pretrial detention policies ahead of the new law's October 2019 start date. 

Based on the council's framework, each county's superior court will set its own procedures for deciding who to release before trial. Most suspects accused of nonviolent felonies will be released within 12 hours of booking, while those charged with serious, violent felonies will stay in jail before trial. It's still unclear which suspects would fall into each category or how long they might spend in jail.

The new law gives judges wide latitude to decide what to do with other suspects based on their likelihood of returning to court and the danger they pose to the public. 

California's new law is the latest development in the nationwide debate over bail, which many people say unfairly punishes people for being poor. 

Other states including New Jersey, Alaska and New Mexico have overhauled their bail systems, although no other state has completely eliminated bail. 

U.S. Court Rejects Atheists' Appeal over 'In God We Trust' on Money

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota rejected claims by 29 atheists, children of atheists and atheist groups that inscribing the national motto ‘In God We Trust’ on bills and coins violated their First Amendment free speech and religious rights.

The court of appeals upheld in a 3-0 decision on Tuesday a lower court ruling from December 2016 that found that the national motto on money did not violate First Amendment free speech and religious rights. 

Circuit Judge Raymond Gruender said the motto, ‘In God We Trust,’ did not constitute an establishment of religion under a 2014 Supreme Court decision requiring a review of “historical practices.” 

The judge also rejected the argument that the atheists are being forced to uphold a message that goes against their beliefs by carrying money. Judge Gruender said the Constitution lets the government celebrate "our tradition of religious freedom," and that putting the motto on currency "comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause" without compelling religious observance. 

President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law making the phrase the national motto in 1956. 

"In God We Trust" began appearing on U.S. coins in 1864 during the Civil War, a period of increased religious sentiment. The motto was added to paper currencies between 1964-1966. 

Mail Time!

• Bill, first of all thank you for doing this podcast, this IS my source for my news. Please help me understand how the Trump Tower meeting is any different from Hillary paying for the now infamous dossier? Even if President Trump did know about this meeting ahead of time what's all the fuss about? I thought opposition research was legal. 

• I don't understand what Trump has done that's impeachable. Could you please explain in simple terms? 

• Bill, thanks so much for having Dr. Amen on Tuesday's broadcast. So enlightening with the results of his studies and, as you stated, so frightening when babies are born with these chemicals in their brains. Makes me angry just thinking about this. 

• When can we stop watching and talking about the propaganda news? How can we as consumers put an end to their influence in Society? How can we convince our politicians they are discredited when they appear on them?

Word of the Day: Visigoth