All in Counterintelligence
ANALYSIS
By TATIANA PROPHET
Photo: In the film "Raiders of the Lost Ark," once Indiana Jones brings the Ark of the Covenant to America, the U.S. government locks it away in a crate marked "top secret." When Jones asks his government handler what will happen to it, the man says, "We've got top men working on it right now." "Who?" Jones demands. "Top men," he replies.
Top secret. That is the description we've been hearing from the top men running our counterintelligence investigations. "I'm sorry, that's classified." It's gotten to the point where everything is classified, and very little makes sense. Now It seems that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, led by co-chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), are ignoring warnings from the Department of Justice and Democrats, and are getting ready to vote to release some secrets about top men that may be potentially damaging to their reputation and the procedures they followed (or lack thereof).
By TATIANA PROPHET
In written remarks submitted to the U.S. Senate intelligence committee, James Comey described a dinner between him and the President in which Trump asked him for loyalty; and also separately confirmed that he had informed Trump that he was not under criminal investigation. This was a claim Trump made in a tweet shortly after firing Comey.
The former FBI director wrote in his testimony: "It is important to understand that FBI counter-intelligence investigations are different than the more-commonly known criminal investigative work. The Bureau’s goal in a counter-intelligence investigation is to understand the technical and human methods that hostile foreign powers are using to influence the United States or to steal our secrets."
This information was confirmed at the time in articles describing the investigation into Trump campaign involvement in Russian meddling in the U.S. election as a counterintelligence investigation, not a criminal one. Yet many media articles in May, after Comey's firing, expressed incredulity that Trump would assert Comey had told him that he was not under investigation.
By TATIANA PROPHET
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 election, choosing former FBI Director Robert Mueller. See Buzzfeed's story on the move.
The news came as a surprise to most in the media and government, even the President and attorney general, according to an anonymous source quoted in the Los Angeles Times.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself in March from any investigations pertaining to the 2016 election.
In fact, CNN just reported last week based on an anonymous source that Rosenstein would not be appointing a special prosecutor.
