posted by ptown_trojans_1You know, fuck it.
According to the OIG Report, the actual Crossfire Hurricane was opened up in July 2016 and it started from the conversation that a friendly government official, from Australia, heard Papadopoulos talking about some shady items. That prompted the FBI to formally open the investigation. Steele was a traditional handler of intel that the FBI used going back to 2010. A field office was handling some of his information, raw information that was unverified. In May 2016 that was forwarded to another field office in NY. However, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation did not get access or information from Steele until September 2016 and then it was only a piece of information as they knew it was not verified.
Read the report for more information. Chapters 3 and 4 actually explain the timeline of the start of the investigations.
Now, yes the report goes on to rightly criticize the FBI. However, the report clearly outlines that the Steele Dossier DID NOT lead to the start of the investigation of Crossfire Hurricane.
https://www.justice.gov/storage/120919-examination.pdf
I'll also add that the investigation into Manafort that led to his arrest had nothing to do with Steele as well.
From that far right wing USA Today...
Specifically the October part...It specifically said they went to the FISA report based on the information from Steele to monitor Page.
I mean come on ptown, the FISA court was given information straight from the Steele Dossier as their main reason for monitoring Page. Read the last paragraph a few times if you still don't want to believe in the facts.
They got the information on Page directly from the Steele Dossier, which was hired/paid for by Fusion GPS, who received the funding from the Clinton and DNC law firm.
I will say it again for those in the back of the room. It's right there in black and white. What was taken to the FISA court as the main reason for investigation/monitoring/spying was the Steele Dossier funded by the DNC, which has since been proven to be fake/false.
October 2016
The FBI asks the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a warrant to eavesdrop on Page. In its application, the FBI says it believes Page "has been collaborating and conspiring" with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the election.
The FBI's application says Page also met with two allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on his July 2016 trip to Moscow. He spoke with Igor Sechin, president of a Russian energy company, about lifting sanctions against Russia. Igor Nikolayevich Divyekin, a high-ranking Kremlin official, talked to Page about giving the Trump campaign damaging information about Clinton.
Page, in media interviews, had denied meeting with Sechin and Divyekin.
The FBI learned of these meetings from former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, author of the infamous "dossier" alleging ties between Trump and Russia. Steele had been hired by the research firm Fusion GPS, which received funding from a law firm representing Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, to dig up information about Trump's ties to Russia.
