Submitted by Jack Wyman
On January 20, 2017, as the Obama team were vacating their White House offices for the noon inauguration of President Trump, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice took the time to email herself a memo chronicling some commentary from a January 5, 2017, meeting in the Oval Office with former President Obama. The meeting’s cast of characters were former Vice President Biden, former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Rice—all top aides for national security. The following day, Comey would visit Trump and alert him to the existence of the Steele dossier. Rice took care to note that Obama declared everything must be done “by the book.” To quote her memo:
“President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities ‘by the book’. The President stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.”
With the release of Inspector General Horowitz’s report, it’s abundantly clear the FBI and intelligence community did very little “by the book” in their efforts to surveil and discredit the Trump campaign, transition team, and administration. Among other misdeeds, the report found “at least 17 significant errors or omissions in the Carter Page FISA applications” — every one of these errors going against the interests of President Trump. The garbage Steele dossier was the smokescreen to cover their continued efforts to trap the President.
Why would the specific words “by the book” need to be recorded by Rice two weeks later in the rush of vacating offices? The letters CYA come to mind. The January 6, 2017, Trump Tower meeting where Comey, former Directory of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan briefed President-elect Trump on the most salacious elements of the dossier was leaked to the press. Predictably, the leaked meeting provided cover for the media to run with the full publishing of the Steele dossier.
As each layer of this onion is peeled back, we are finding that the Obama era leadership of the FBI, DOJ, and intelligence agencies were operating outside the normal and legal processes and channels. It is inconceivable that a manufactured counter-intelligence investigation was undertaken without the knowledge and approval of the President—Barack Obama.
Fast forward three years, and this multi-faceted assault on civil liberties continues to tie the nation in knots and hinder our Constitutionally elected President in carrying out the duties of his office. However, this effort is not merely an attack on President Trump; it is a direct assault on the freedom of every American to choose their representatives. It is tyranny.
If unelected, politicized bureaucrats can do this to a billionaire and the most powerful elected leader in the world, you and I do not have a prayer. How can a small businesswoman in the 26th Congressional District stand up and afford to defend her rights against an out-of-control, politically driven bureaucracy? How can a person of faith withstand those in power who oppose his beliefs?
This shameful saga has damaged our reputation in the world, distracted from pressing business of the nation, and immensely harmed our national security interests. There is a place for a FISA court, but if it is effectively unaccountable and used to spy on political opponents, it must be promptly reformed.
It is time for members of Congress who have hid in the shadows, afraid to stick their necks out for this President, to step forward and fiercely defend the rights of the American people—for we are the ones ultimately defrauded and harmed. If elected to represent the citizens of Denton and Tarrant counties, I will make it a top priority to work with my colleagues to reform the FISA court to protect innocent American citizens and to significantly stiffen the penalties for defrauding the court.
Remember the old saying: “A fish rots from the head down.” The buck stops with Mr. Obama. May God help Attorney General Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham to be relentless in exposing and holding accountable every person who abused their power and oath of office in this egregious violation of civil liberties, no matter how high it goes.
Jack Wyman is a Highland Village, TX resident and Republican candidate for Congress in House District 26.
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