Citing a “high-level source,” Rep. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul claimed in Twitter post on Wednesday that former CIA Director John Brennan “insisted that the unverified and fake Steele dossier” be attached to a classified intelligence community report on Russian interference in the 2016 elections in order to convince everyone that the dossier had validity. This was likely the move that provided the initial momentum for the Russia collusion investigation.
Information from the author of the discredited dossier was also used in October 2016 to support a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil then-Trump aide Carter Page.
Just nine days before the FBI applied for the warrant to monitor Page, bureau officials were battling with a senior Justice Department official who had “continued concerns” about the “possible bias” of a source pivotal to the application, according to internal text messages obtained last week by Fox News. (Sources tell Fox News the DOJ stonewalled congressional investigators by not releasing those text messages last year.)
Fox News is told the texts were connected to the ultimately successful Page application, which relied in part on information from Steele. In its warrant application, the FBI incorrectly assured the FISA court on numerous occasions that other sources independently corroborated Steele’s claims but did not clearly state that Steele worked for a firm hired by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Other newly obtained text messages between former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and bureau lawyer Lisa Page revealed a high-level meeting among senior intelligence officials was held weeks before President Trump’s inauguration – during a critical period for the Russia probe.
In a Dec. 12, 2016, text reviewed by Fox News, Page wrote to McCabe: “Btw, [Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper told Pete that he was meeting with [CIA Director John] Brennan and Cohen for dinner tonight. Just FYSA [for your situational awareness].”
Brennan was one of the loudest and most virulent voices to trumpet the Russian collusion theory over the past two years, asserting falsely just weeks ago that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was likely planning to indict members of the Trump administration’s family in a scene reminiscent of the “ides of March” and the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Paul had supported the White House’s decision to revoke Brennan’s security clearance last year. Trump administration officials said Brennan was implying improperly that he had insider information to bolster his outlandish accusations. In the same interview in which he told MSNBC that an “ides of March” redux may soon materialize, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell even remarked at one point, “You have the inside knowledge.” Brennan attempted to dismiss that suggestion.
https://twitter.com/TerryMoran/status/1110010116361932800
Source: Fox News
H/T: The Gateway Pundit
Image: Gage Skidmore
