Trump suggests Clinesmith guilty plea 'just the beginning' of Durham probe fallo

[Graybeard]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-clinesmith-guilty-plea-durham-russia-just-beginning

By Caitlin McFall | Fox News


President Trump said Friday the news that former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith will plead guilty to making a false statement is "just the beginning" of the fallout from U.S. Attorney John Durham's review of the Russia investigation.

"That's just the beginning, I would imagine. This... what happened should never happen again," Trump said at a White House briefing Friday afternoon. "You'll be hearing more."

He also called Clinesmith a "corrupt FBI attorney," part of former FBI Director James Comey's "very corrupt FBI."

Clinesmith was referred for potential prosecution by the Justice Department's inspector general's office over an altered email about former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page claiming he was "not a source" for another government agency. Page has said he was a source for the CIA.

The DOJ relied on that assertion as it submitted a third and final renewal application in 2017 to eavesdrop on Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.


Two sources close to the investigation told Fox News on Friday that Clinesmith will plead guilty.

"Kevin deeply regrets having altered the email. It was never his intent to mislead the court or his colleagues as he believed the information he relayed was accurate," Shur said in a statement.  "But Kevin understands what he did was wrong and accepts responsibility."

The Department of Justice charging document states the Clinesmith “did willfully and knowingly make and use a false writing and document, knowing the same to contain a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and entry in a matter before the jurisdiction of the executive branch and judicial branch of the Government of the United States.”


The charges say that Clinesmith altered another officials email to say that Page, was not a CIA "source," which had not be specified in the original email. Page was in fact a CIA informant, which was omitted in the 2017 FISA warrant.

Durham was appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019 to investigate the FBI's origins of the Russia Probe.

“I said the American people need to know what actually happened, we need to get the story of what happened in 2016 and ’17 out. That will be done," Barr said in an interview with Fox News' "Hannity."


Adding that “if people crossed the line, if people involved in that activity violated criminal law, they will be charged.”

Trump has voiced his vested interest in the case saying that he hopes Durham will not be “politically correct" and added that Barr could go down in history as “the greatest attorney general” or just “an average guy," depending on the outcome of the investigation.


Democrats have voiced thier concerns that Barr will use his position as AG to go after Trumps "enemies."

In a recent podcast, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif, said Barr “may be using the power of the Justice Department through Durham or others to go after the president's enemies.”

The Associated Press, Brooke Singman and Bill Mears contributed to this report.

[NWBear]

"email about former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page"
from above

Carter Page, campaign adviser?

"He's certainly not part of the campaign I'm running," said Kellyanne Conway (Sept. 2016)
"I have not spoken with him at all, in fact, meaning he's not part of our national security or foreign policy briefings that we do now at all,"  Kellyanne Conway (Sept. 2016)

"Trump campaign communications director Jason Miller said of Page, "He’s never been a part of our campaign. Period." Another campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, stated, "we are not aware of any of his activities, past or present."

I wonder who he advised?

[RaySendero]

Carter William Page (born June 3, 1971) is an American petroleum industry consultant and a former foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential election campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Page

[NWBear]

Carter William Page (born June 3, 1971) is an American petroleum industry consultant and a former foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential election campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Page

From wikipedia:

"Trump campaign communications director Jason Miller said of Page, "He’s never been a part of our campaign. Period." Another campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, stated, "we are not aware of any of his activities, past or present." [35]

Even Carter page says he

"I never spoke with him since. I never spoke with him any time in my life," Page said when asked by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos if he had spoken to the president since a secret surveillance warrant against Page was approved in October, 2016. Stephanopoulos followed up with Page, asking, "no e-mail, no text, nothing like that?" to which Page replied, "never."

That has to bee the most undercover of all advisers ever... never spoke to the man he "advised" and no one on the campaign says he had any part of the campaign??

From wikipedia:
"The Trump Administration attempted to distance itself from Page, saying that he had never met Trump or advised him about anything,[2] but a December 2016 Page press conference in Russia contradicts the claim that Page and Trump never met.[47] Page responded to a question about his contact with Trump saying, "I've certainly been in a number of meetings with him and I've learned a tremendous amount from him."

Lying then or now?  No one seems to know what he did.

[Casull]

I think the point of the OP is that it was the FBI agent who lied.  Do you have any response as to that?

[NWBear]

That is true, he said that Page had not been a source for any other agency.  He in fact was a source for the CIA in the past.  THAT of course is a serious mis-statement, but may not have prevented the FISA warrant from being issued. 

Are they now claiming that they are just mad about the FISA warrant being inaccurate for some random suspect?  Or are they still claiming he was a "campaign adviser" and they were "spying on the campaign"  If this is not about "spying on the campaign" I wish they would so state.  Or, correct previous lies about the status of Dr. Page.