emptywheel

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May 26, 2018

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The influence operation document Mueller's team is examining suggests that online trolls may have swung Richard Burr's state of North Carolina.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

The White House Hid Paul Manafort's Enthusiasm for the June 9 Meeting When Leaking Don Jr's Email

107 Comments

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May 25, 2018

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emptywheel

Several exchanges from Don Jr's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee provide a good idea about why Mueller's team wants to know about Trump's role in hiding Paul Manafort's enthusiasm for the June 9 meeting.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

On Credico and Stone and Hillary's Purported Libya Email

59 Comments

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May 24, 2018

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emptywheel

The WSJ story reporting that Roger Stone asked Randy Credico for specific emails may reflect he was fishing for emails he himself planted there.

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Cybersecurity

Did the FBI Have a Chance to Fix Their Lies about Encryption in 2016?

15 Comments

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May 23, 2018

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emptywheel

I identified a methodological problem with the way FBI counted devices it couldn't access because of encryption in 2016. The FBI just admitted to a probably different methodological problem with that count that has existed since 2016.

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2016 Presidential Election, FISA, Mueller Probe

A Thinking Person's Guide to the Stefan Halper Conspiracy Theory

227 Comments

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May 22, 2018

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emptywheel

It sure looks like HPSCI staffers have leaked details to support their conspiracy against Stefan Halper.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

George Papadopoulos Was Trying to Hide Evidence He Thought Might Amount to Treason When He Lied to the FBI

102 Comments

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May 21, 2018

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emptywheel

Thanks to Chuck Ross for making it clear George Papadopoulos thought he was covering up evidence of treason when he lied to the FBI.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

The Flynn Conspiracy Call Is Coming from Inside the [White] House

43 Comments

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May 21, 2018

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emptywheel

NYT's report of a White House letter to DOJ about Flynn makes it clear that the conspiracy theories floating around the far right come from the White House.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Nunes Outraged that [American] Spies Paid to Brush Up against Trump Aides

95 Comments

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May 20, 2018

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emptywheel

After months of disinterest in the many documented times spooked up foreigners dangled money and other goods to get close to Trump and his aides, Devin Nunes has finally found an instance he objects to: when American spies do so.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Does Devin Nunes' Unmasking Pseudo-Scandal Betray Knowledge of the "Collusion" with the Saudis and Emirates?

68 Comments

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May 19, 2018

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emptywheel

When Mike Flynn's plea deal revealed that he lied about efforts to stave off criticism of Israel's illegal settlements, I noted that that (and the efforts to cozy up to Saudi Arabia and UAE) was what the unmasking panic was probably about. The…

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Cybersecurity

The He Said, She Said That May Render MalwareTech's Arresting Agents Useless on the Stand at Trial

24 Comments

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May 17, 2018

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emptywheel

Here's why MalwareTech's lawyers are accusing one of the FBI agents who arrested him of lying.

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2016 Presidential Election, Department of Justice, Law, Mueller Probe, Trump Administration

Re: The Bogus Manafort Challenge To Mueller's Jurisdiction

212 Comments

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May 16, 2018

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bmaz

One court has already slapped down Manafort's motion to dismiss based on Mueller exceeding his authority, there is one left to weigh in.

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Informants, Mueller Probe

The Frothing Right Prefers Oleg Deripaska as an FBI Asset to Christopher Steele

94 Comments

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May 15, 2018

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emptywheel

After months of beating up the FBI for using former MI6 officer Christopher Steele to obtain information, White House mouthpieces are now trying to spin Oleg Deripaska's one time role as an FBI asset to spin him as a hero.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Concord Consulting Aims to Make Russian Bots Legal

62 Comments

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May 14, 2018

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emptywheel

In its last challenge to its indictment, Concord Consulting posed just a long term risk to Mueller's approach to prove a conspiracy to tamper in the election. Its lastest filing poses a more immediate threat.

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EO 12333, FISA

I Con the Record Transparency Bingo Part One: Consider the Full Surveillance Playing Hand

7 Comments

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May 14, 2018

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emptywheel

To understand what the I Con the Record Transparency numbers mean, you first have to understand that these numbers measure just one part of all national security collection.

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2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

The Credulous Right's Latest Dribbling Water Pistol

41 Comments

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May 14, 2018

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emptywheel

The Russian seeded conspiracy theories the Republicans are embracing next are getting crazier and crazier.

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Leak Investigations, Mueller Probe

Kashyap Patel Had Better Not Rely on the Bill Duhnke Precedent

112 Comments

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May 12, 2018

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emptywheel

Contrary to what a lot of people understand of the case, Jeffrey Sterling was not the CIA's first suspect for the Merlin leaks to James Risen. Senate Intelligence Committee Staff Director Bill Duhnke was. As former CIA press person Bill Harlow…

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2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

Stefan Halper Wasn't Downstream from the Steele Dossier

111 Comments

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May 11, 2018

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emptywheel

Stefan Halper may be the person Devin Nunes is trying to invent a scandal out of. But the story behind the scandal doesn't make sense.

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2016 Presidential Election, Financial Fraud, Mueller Probe

The Oligarch "Peace" of the Pie Plan

42 Comments

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May 11, 2018

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emptywheel

Mueller seems to be closely investigating the overlap between oligarch bribery and foreign policy. Otherwise known as the Jared peace plan.

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Torture, Torture Tape

Gina Haspel Destroyed the Tapes in 2005 to Hide What She Destroyed in 2002

27 Comments

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May 11, 2018

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emptywheel

The best way to explain apparent dishonesty in Gina Haspel's testimony the other day is that she was the ultimate target of the Durham investigation, the person who had been involve in destroying the tapes in a first round, in 2002, and in a second round to hide the first round of destruction, in 2005.

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2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

The Sekulow Questions, Part Six: Trump Exacerbates His Woes

12 Comments

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May 10, 2018

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emptywheel

In the year since Trump has fired Comey, he has just exacerbated his woes with his repeated public efforts to obstruct the investigation. But his involvement in the messaging about the June 9 Trump Tower meeting is probably the most damning thing he did in the last year, one backing real "collusion," not a cover-up.

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The Psy-Group Presentation Suggests Online Trolls Swung Richard Burr’s State of North Carolina

The White House Hid Paul Manafort’s Enthusiasm for the June 9 Meeting When Leaking Don Jr’s Email

On Credico and Stone and Hillary’s Purported Libya Email

Did the FBI Have a Chance to Fix Their Lies about Encryption in 2016?

A Thinking Person’s Guide to the Stefan Halper Conspiracy Theory

The Psy-Group Presentation Suggests Online Trolls Swung Richard Burr's State of North Carolina

The White House Hid Paul Manafort's Enthusiasm for the June 9 Meeting When Leaking Don Jr's Email

On Credico and Stone and Hillary's Purported Libya Email

Did the FBI Have a Chance to Fix Their Lies about Encryption in 2016?

A Thinking Person's Guide to the Stefan Halper Conspiracy Theory

George Papadopoulos Was Trying to Hide Evidence He Thought Might Amount to Treason When He Lied to the FBI

The Flynn Conspiracy Call Is Coming from Inside the [White] House

Nunes Outraged that [American] Spies Paid to Brush Up against Trump Aides

Does Devin Nunes' Unmasking Pseudo-Scandal Betray Knowledge of the "Collusion" with the Saudis and Emirates?

The He Said, She Said That May Render MalwareTech's Arresting Agents Useless on the Stand at Trial

Re: The Bogus Manafort Challenge To Mueller's Jurisdiction

The Frothing Right Prefers Oleg Deripaska as an FBI Asset to Christopher Steele

Concord Consulting Aims to Make Russian Bots Legal

I Con the Record Transparency Bingo Part One: Consider the Full Surveillance Playing Hand

The Credulous Right's Latest Dribbling Water Pistol

Kashyap Patel Had Better Not Rely on the Bill Duhnke Precedent

Stefan Halper Wasn't Downstream from the Steele Dossier

The Oligarch "Peace" of the Pie Plan

Gina Haspel Destroyed the Tapes in 2005 to Hide What She Destroyed in 2002

The Sekulow Questions, Part Six: Trump Exacerbates His Woes

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