Published by Chief Editor, Sammy Campbell. Researched and written by Mark Pullen.
I had a security clearance from the Department of Defense through the ’80s. During my briefing for my clearance, they explained how the enemy intelligence services work to compromise people with access to classified information. Blackmail is a leading choice for them.
They told me homosexuality wasn’t a disqualifier as long as the person admitted their homosexuality on the security form so they couldn’t be blackmailed. I was asked if I was a homosexual. I said no. They told no one ever got rich from selling secrets. Once you sell a secret, they own you forever. Instead of paying you for information, they threaten to out you for the information that you have sold.
There was an hour of questions along with my briefing on how to protect classified objects and information. Then I took an oath and signed my life away. For every security breach, I faced a maximum fine of $250,000 along with 15 years in prison. In four months, I did receive my security clearance and was read into my first assignment.
Now I move to General Flynn’s case as compared to FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page case. All three parties had top-secret security clearances. All three parties were theoretically vulnerable to blackmail by a foreign power.
According to Sally Yates’ testimony, she alerted the FBI to a lie that Flynn had told to Vice President Pence. Yates had reviewed a transcript of a phone call between Flynn and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Yates testified her concern was Flynn was open to blackmail because of the lie he had told to Pence.
The surest way to remove the possibility of blackmail is to be open about the behavior. That’s not what occurred. The FBI’s head of counterintelligence, Bill Priestap, did open an investigation on Flynn instead of informing either the Vice President or the President. In fact, Comey did conceal this investigation from President Trump and Vice President Pence. Then the FBI sought a FISA warrant on Flynn. When Flynn went on a vacation with his wife in the Carribean Sea, the FBI was surveilling all of Flynn’s phone calls and text messages. I have no doubt that the FBI deployed agents to surveil Flynn too.
When Flynn returned to Washington D.C. Comey called Flynn to set-up an interview. Comey told Flynn he could have counsel present during the interview, but if Flynn chose to do so, he, Comey, would have to inform the Department of Justice. Comey instructed Strzok and Pientka not to inform Flynn that it is a crime to lie to an FBI agent.
Months later, Comey would testify that Flynn had no right to counsel.
Comey sent agents, Strzok and Pientka to interview Flynn. I have seen the summaries of these two agents. They wrote, Flynn only hedged on one answer and we believe he was telling the truth and he believed he was telling us the truth.
Over twenty days passed before Strzok wrote the summary of Flynn’s interview. I have seen the text messages to confirm this between Page and Strzok. That time span was in violation of FBI guidelines.
Then someone, maybe Comey, decided Flynn had lied, which is a crime. Three days later, Comey had a private dinner with President Trump. Comey does not tell the President that Flynn, his security adviser, has committed a felony.
The FBI leaks Flynn’s conversation with the Russian ambassador which outs Flynn’s lie to Pence.
The media rakes the President over the political coals for not firing Flynn sooner, despite the fact that the President did not know that Flynn had lied to the Vice President and lied to FBI agents.
The fact is, the FBI’s pursuit of Flynn was not about national security, Flynn was just a tool that Comey exploited for a political purpose. I will repeat myself, Yates or Comey should have told both the President and the Vice President about the lie. Flynn at the most would have lost his position in Trump’s administration.
Bill Priestap became aware of rumors that Strzok and Page were having an affair. Both of whom are married. Priestap confronts Page and Strzok about the rumors and does not give them a chance to lie. He tells them if the rumors are true, this affair better not affect either of their job performances, and he ends the discussion.
It is likely they used hotels rooms. It is also likely Russian agents monitor who comes and goes from FBI headquarters. Agent Strzok was a high-value target because he was the best counterintelligence officer that the FBI had and he had exposed Russian agents which had led to their arrest or expulsion.
Agent Strzok did take his smartphones into Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (pronounced “skiff”), a U.S. Department of Defense term for a secure room. It can be a secure room or data center that guards against electronic surveillance and suppresses data leakage of sensitive security and military information. SCIFs are used to deny unauthorized personnel, such as foreign intelligence services or corporate spies, the opportunity for undetected entry into facilities for the exploitation of sensitive activities.
During Strzok’s and Page’s testimony they claimed they were invulnerable to blackmail from enemy intelligence services because of their training and their love for the country.
It is interesting that General Flynn wasn’t afforded the same considerations as Strzok and Page were by the FBI management. In my opinion, Page and Strzok posed a greater threat to national security than Flynn.
I refute McCabe’s claim that there is no double standard at the FBI.
