New DOJ documents pertaining to General Michael Flynn’s case show that the FBI wanted to close a probe of him after finding nothing, only to be overruled by Peter Strzok and the ‘insurance policy’ cabal within the Bureau.
The heavily-redacted documents handed over by the Department of Justice to Flynn’s legal counsel on Wednesday were made public on Thursday as part of a motion to dismiss the case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, on grounds of egregious government misconduct.
On the same day the FBI field office declared that it had found “no derogatory information” about Flynn – designated CROSSFIRE RAZOR – and Russia and that he was “no longer a viable candidate as part of the larger Crossfire Hurricane umbrella case” (the FBI probe into alleged Trump campaign “collusion” that became ‘Russiagate’), agent Strzok messaged the case manager urging him not to close the case.
This is slam dunk evidence that the FBI’s own field office investigative team knew they had no basis to continue to investigate Flynn about Russia, and wanted to close the case on Jan 4, 2017. Strzok/HQ stopped them, to jam him up about the Kislyak call https://t.co/5vKKT4V8mZ
“Don’t close RAZOR,” Strzok urges the official, whose name is redacted, as shown in the transcript of his message logs dated January 4, 2017.
He then texts Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer he was having an affair with, that the case is still open and thanks the FBI’s “utter incompetence” for the delay in closing it. Minutes later, messaging with another FBI official, Strzok mentions the “7th floor” – meaning FBI leadership – is involved with the RAZOR case, and references “DD”, as in Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Peter Strzok texts to the FBI Case Manager handling the Crossfire Razor (Flynn) case.
Strzok: "If you haven't closed RAZOR, don't do so yet"
McCabe is the “Andy” in whose office Strzok and Page discussed the “insurance policy” in the summer of 2016, in the unlikely case Trump – whom they despised, as evidenced by numerous other texts that have emerged – gets elected. That discussion took place on August 15, and the FBI opened a probe of Flynn the very next day.
Another previously disclosed exchange between Strzok and Page, discussing Flynn and Logan Act violations, was also dated January 4, 2017. This suggests that they used the pretext of the law dating to the late 1700s – under which no American has ever been prosecuted, which might be unconstitutional, and didn’t apply to Flynn anyway – to justify their “ambush” interview.
Documents revealed on Wednesday show correspondence between Strzok, Page and another FBI official, Bill Priestap, about Flynn – along with a handwritten note suggesting that the goal of the interview may have been “to get him to lie so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
Thursday’s release contains emails from Strzok to Priestap about a pretext of a “defensive briefing” to Flynn, and a response from someone (whose name is redacted) to Strzok and Page, saying “I think [redacted] would get to him regardless so we should try to frame them in a way we want.”
What ended up happening is that then-FBI Director James Comey – by his own admission – sent Strzok and another agent to the White House to interview Flynn, who talked to them without an attorney present. They wrote up a memo of the interview (“302”), the first draft of which concluded that he did not lie to them about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The Washington Post, however, reported otherwise – and Flynn was fired for allegedly lying to Vice President Mike Pence. Then he was indicted for lying to the FBI by special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, and pleaded guilty when the prosecutors threatened to go after his son.
Trump took the new evidence as a full vindication of Flynn and proof that Strzok, Page, McCabe and Comey were “dirty” cops who sought to illegally spy on his campaign and presidency. All four have since left the Bureau or been fired. Comey’s firing in May 2017 triggered the appointment of Mueller, who after nearly two years could find nothing to substantiate ‘Russiagate’ claims.
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