The Morning Briefing: Battle of the Memos, Clinton Cartel Fed Info to Steele and Much, Much More

Good Tuesday morning.

I do not have the president’s schedule today.

Carter Page, partisan snoop victim, appears on Laura Ingraham

Senators: The Hillary Cartel fed info Christopher Steele

Clinton associates were “feeding” allegations to former British spy Christopher Steele at the same time he was compiling the controversial anti-Trump dossier paid for by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign, according to an unclassified memo from senior Senate Republicans who recently made a criminal referral.

Those Republicans, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had asked the Justice Department in January to investigate Steele based on evidence they say suggests he lied to the FBI about his contacts with the media (a violation of 18 USC 1001) — or the FBI misrepresented Steele’s statements.

The lawmakers are now asking the FBI for an emergency review of their criminal referral so it can be made public, with limited redactions.

The memo states that Steele got information from “a foreign sub-source who is in touch with (redacted), a contact of (redacted), a friend of the Clintons, who passed it to (redacted).” Anyone want to play RUSSIAN-collusion Mad Libs?

“It is troubling enough that the Clinton Campaign funded Mr. Steele’s work, but that these Clinton associates were contemporaneously feeding Mr. Steele allegations raises additional concerns about his credibility,” the senators wrote to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

“…there is substantial evidence suggesting that Mr. Steele materially misled the FBI about a key aspect of his dossier efforts, one which bears on his credibility,” the senators wrote.

House votes to release Democrat “response” to FISA abuse memo

Despite the hullabaloo from Democrat grandstanders like Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee (HPSCI) voted to release the opposing memo, which responds to the Republican memo on partisan FISA court abuse. They did it unanimously, which is more than the Democrats did for the GOP memo when they all voted against releasing it. (The Democrats favor secrecy among the elites over transparency.) The president has five days to review the memo and decide if he wants it released. The WH has said it will “entertain” the request to release it. RELEASE IT.

HPSCI chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) revealed yesterday that the FISA warrant to spy on campaign volunteer Carter Page included a footnote to the court informing them that the dossier alleged to be the centerpiece of the FISA application “might be political.” Is that sufficient? I’m not a lawyer but it seems like that is NOT sufficient. Don’t forget, the content of the dossier wasn’t independently verified, so the dossier is nothing more than campaign propaganda. It would be one thing if the dossier had been corroborated by the FBI, but according to holiest of hoelies, fired FBI director James Comey, the dossier was “salacious and unverified.” Which means it was simply campaign propaganda.

“A footnote saying that something might be political is a far cry from letting the American people know that the Democrats and the Hillary campaign paid for dirt that the FBI then used to get a warrant on an American citizen to spy on another campaign,” he told Fox & Friends.

President Trump slammed Schiff yesterday, calling him a liar, which as far as I’m concerned is an understatement. He also coined a new nickname for him, “little Adam Schiff.”

Little Adam Schiff, who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper! Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2018

Miscellaneous RUSSIA-collusion investigation update

President Trump’s lawyers are wary about letting him talk to Mueller. Don’t do it, it’s a trap!

Lawyers for President Trump have advised him against sitting down for a wide-ranging interview with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to four people briefed on the matter, raising the specter of a monthslong court battle over whether the president must answer questions under oath.

His lawyers are concerned that the president, who has a history of making false statements and contradicting himself, could be charged with lying to investigators. Their stance puts them at odds with Mr. Trump, who has said publicly and privately that he is eager to speak with Mr. Mueller as part of the investigation into possible ties between his associates and Russia’s election interference, and whether he obstructed justice.

Newly released emails show sad FBI brass after the Comey firing last year. Do these FBI employees — most were senior management-type FBI people and not rank-and-file agents in the field — not know the FBI director serves at the pleasure of the president and can be fired at any time?

Your Daily WTF

Yale dental students, professor seen in selfie with 2 severed heads

Historical picture of the day:

The American Thunderbolt fighter squadron which have destroyed more than 200 German planes to date, have added to their score when they escorted American heavies in bombing raids on French airfields in France on Feb. 6, 1944. Pilots of the best flight in the crack Thunderbolt squadron from left to right: Lieutenant Joe Powers, Lieutenant Joe Hamilton, Captain Robert Johnson, Lieutenant Andrew B. Stauss and Lieutenant Joseph H. Perry. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Dow plunges more than 1,100, largest single-day point drop in history

Trump to establish National Vetting Center for immigrants, visitors

Congress grapples with immigration, averting funding fight

Super Bowl draws 103 million viewers, down 7 percent from 2017

Freedom Caucus backs GOP plan to tie CR to defense spending

More cities trying to sue energy companies over “damages” from climate change

Cardin files to run for third term

MSNBC’s Katy Tur And Her Twitter Followers Mock Americans Excited Over Tax Cuts And Bonuses

Feds investigating why Amtrak switch was set in wrong position

Christie Brinkley recalls time married Donald Trump tried to pick her up on his private jet

McDonald’s french fries contain chemical that may cure baldness, study says