Schiff memo full text: Read the Democrats’ rebuttal to the Nunes FISA memo
There are really only four things you need to know:
1. Nunes probably lied in saying that the judge was not informed that one of the sources of the warrant request was politically-charged (Steele Dossier). The judge was informed. It is clearly in the warrant request.
2. Nunes' explanation is that he didn't lie - he simply never read the warrant request. (Which really doesn't seem a whole lot better, since that is what his memo was supposed to be about!)
3. Carter Page had no affiliation with the Trump campaign at the time the requested surveillance took place.
4. The FBI had been watching Page since 2013, and were monitoring his communications as early as 2014. It is not a matter of the FBI trying to eavesdrop on the Trump campaign, but rather a matter of Trump making a really bad decision to employ a guy who was already being watched by the FBI. Carter Page, like Paul Manafort, is a bad egg among the "I know the best people" hires.
One of the most amazing things to me is that Trump never seems to hire anyone competent enough to delegate authority to. (Possibly excepting Tillerson, at least on paper, although ol' Rex does not seem to have done a good job at State). How the heck did Trump run a business that way? He either played golf or worked on his reality show, so who was running his corporation?
UPDATE: Everyone in the comments seems to be telling me that Jim Mattis is competent. Mea culpa. I guess I just don't know that much about him.
Tillerson, although ostensibly qualified, has been just as incompetent as the average Trump appointee.
ReplyDeleteThe only one with a semblance of competence has been Matthis.
I would argue that Mattis is extremely competent.
ReplyDeleteeverything is relative.
ReplyDeleteTo judge the frequency with which his real estate holdings went into receivership, no one.
ReplyDeleteMattis may be evil, but at least he's good at it. Standing next to the rest of this gaggle, he positively shines.
ReplyDeleteKind of frightening to think that the most rational member of the administration has the nickname 'Mad Dog.'
ReplyDeleteWell, "Mad Dog" is s better name for a Secretary of Defense than for the HUD guy. A lot of good generals had intimidating names: Mad Anthony, Ol' Blood and Guts, Black Jack, Bloody Bill, War Horse, Stonewall ...
DeleteI imagine many of those guys were rational.
Or not.
I appreciate that, and I recognize that nicknames can also be ironic like "Little John" (whether he really existed or not, that is a genuine example of an ironic nickname.)
DeleteThe only thing I would point out is that only one of those examples you sited there had "Mad" in their nickname.
Of course, not necessary indicative of anything.