The Guardian: FBI had Trump report in summer but were obsessed with Clinton's private email server

[sabra]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/11/trump-russia-report-opposition-research-john-mccain

The story of the Trump dossier: secret sources, an airport rendezvous, and John McCain

What began as opposition research during the Republican primary slowly grew from a covert investigation into an extraordinary but unverified global story

...

In this case, the request for opposition research on Donald Trump came from one of his Republican opponents in the primary campaign. The research firm then hired one of its sub-contractors who it used regularly on all things Russian: a retired western European former counter-intelligence official, with a long history of dealing with the shadow world of Moscow’s spooks and siloviki (securocrats).

By the time the contractor had started his research, however, the Republican primary was over. The original client had dropped out, but the firm that had hired him had found a new, Democratic client. This was not necessarily the Hillary Clinton campaign or the Democratic National Committee. Opposition research is frequently financed by wealthy individuals who have donated all they can and are looking for other ways to help.

...

He delivered a set to former colleagues in the FBI, whose counter-intelligence division would be the appropriate body to investigate. It is believed he also passed a copy to his own country’s intelligence service, but it felt constrained in what action it could take and left it up to the Americans to do their own investigation and draw their own conclusions.

As summer turned to autumn, the investigator was asked for more information by the FBI but heard nothing back about any investigation. The bureau seemed obsessed instead with classified material that flowed through a private email server set up by Clinton’s aides. The FBI’s director, James Comey, threw the election into a spin 11 days before the vote by announcing his investigators were examining newly discovered material.

The former intelligence official grew concerned that there was a cover-up in progress. On a trip to New York in October, he decided to pass the material to the press. He met David Corn, the Washington editor of Mother Jones, who first reported its existence on 31 October.

[Chasstev365]

1. Jail Time for Comey!

[TBA]

4. I wonder if Russia has something on Comey

I though from the beginning he might have been blackmailed into announcing the reopening email investigation fiasco. I have no knowledge. It was just my thought at the time.

[Chasstev365]

5. Makes sense to me!

[hedda_foil]

10. Either that or Comey is Russia/USSR's most successful mole EVER.

Well, if you're right, it will eventually come out. If I'm right, it may take a little longer. The Soviets planted several highly placed agents in western agencies. Putin was their chief spy pre-glasnost, so he would know the sources and methods ... and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Hmmmm

[mcar]

2. No surprise there

Comey and his Hillary-hating FBI cronies should be in jail but it won't happen under Benedict Donald.

[LisaM]

3. Obama should have fired Comey.

This is ridiculous. I don't care if it was seen as a politicized move. A lot of us are going to suffer from the consequences of this.

[cureautismnow]

7. He should never have been hired in the first place.

If we ever get power back again, no Repukes should ever be appointed to ANY positions of power. Period.

[LisaM]

9. No, he should not have been hired.

I couldn't agree with you more. But it doesn't mean that at some point you can't cut bait.

[unblock]

6. can you imagine a world where comey leaked this stuff 11 days prior to the election

and kept mum about the email crap?

[herding cats]

8. The FBI let us be put in a compromising position as a nation.

They knew about Trumps ties to Russia and the potential for them to blackmail the Republican candidate for president. So, what did they do? They led an unfounded investigation into the Democratic candidate and announced to the wold that they were doing so. Yet, they never said a peep about Trumps dirty little secrets.

Marinate on that for a bit.