The Morning Briefing: RUSSIA Reboot, Clinton Email Investigation 'Irregular' and Much, Much More

Good Tuesday morning.

Here’s what is on the president’s agenda today:

In the morning, President Donald J. Trump will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
In the afternoon, the president will have lunch with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

RUSSIA narrative go BOOM, damage control level turns up to ELEVEN: Fusion clowns speak out

Two Fusion GPS cracker jacks have penned a curious editorial for The New York Times to try and repair their business image (honestly, who would hire these guys? Clients aren’t keen on hiring firms at the center of a federal criminal investigations) and to re-calibrate the RUSSIA collusion investigation yarn, which is in tatters.

No matter what spin these dervishes are spitting out in the Times, here’s what you need to know: Fusion GPS, paid by a cutout for the Clinton campaign and the DNC, hired a former British spook to get dirt on President Trump. The ex-spook got his information from RUSSIAN government operators and then the Trump-hating spooksuits at the FBI and DOJ used this RUSSIAN propaganda to trick the FISA court into giving permission to spy on the Trump campaign. It’s that simple.

The garbage editorial tries to make the case that there are mountains of evidence of Trump’s relationship with the RUSSIANS and how their garbage dossier merely corroborated “credible allegations” of a Trump-RUSSIA partnership to win the election for Trump, BUT WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE? Such evidence is only ominously hinted at in the op-ed but never provided. And based on the information leaked by Trump foes like Rep. Adam Schiff and former director of national intelligence James Clapper, there was no “collusion” or partnership. And even holier-that-thou former FBI director Comey has admitted the details in the dossier remain “salacious and unverified.”

But the Times set up this partisan stinkbomb op-ed with a sad attempt at narrative shift the day before. The narrative is that obscure Trump team advisor George Papadopoulos, not Carter Page as the media has been barking for over a year, was the impetus for the RUSSIA collusion investigation. Andy McCarthy at the National Review has a proper take-down of this effort.

Also of note: the Fusion guys want their congressional testimony released to the public.

NEWSFLASH: Investigators find irregularities in FBI handling of Clinton email case

The Hill is reporting that:

Republicans on key congressional committees say they have uncovered new irregularities and contradictions inside the FBI’s probe of Hillary Clinton’s email server.

For the first time, investigators say they have secured written evidence that the FBI believed there was evidence that some laws were broken when the former secretary of State and her top aides transmitted classified information through her insecure private email server, lawmakers and investigators told The Hill.

My, my, my.

Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee who attended a Dec. 21 closed-door briefing by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe say the bureau official confirmed that the investigation and charging decisions were controlled by a small group in Washington headquarters rather the normal process of allowing field offices to investigate possible criminality in their localities. The Clinton email server in question was based in New York.

“Controlled by a small group.” A small group that maybe met in “Andy’s office”?

The FBI also confirmed that a key witness, a computer technician who deleted Clinton emails from her server in March 2015 after a congressional subpoena had been issued for them, originally lied to the FBI during his interviews, memos show. The witness’s name was redacted from documents released by the FBI but he was identified as an employee of a computer firm that helped maintained Clinton’s email server.

Why didn’t this criminal “key witness” get the Mike Flynn “liar” treatment from the FBI? Very interesting. Go read the whole article. It’s long but it’s good.

Trump delivers epic smackdown to Palestinians, after epic smackdown of Pakistan

This is AMAZING:

It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018

…peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018

Bonus: Trump tweets about his “big button”

Less than 48 hours into 2018 and Trump is on fire.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

[Alleged] sexual harassment roundup

New York Ballet leader retires after claims of sexual, physical abuse

Report: MSNBC staffers describe Chris Matthews as abusive, sexist

Ethics committee members investigating Rep. Kihuen announced

Silicon Valley’s elite throw secretive, drug-fueled sex parties where young women feel pressured to participate

Vice suspends 2 top execs after sexual misconduct report

NBC names Hoda Kotb as Lauer replacement on ‘Today’

Historical picture of the day:

Captain Patrick Devine, Roman Catholic chaplain, says a prayer and makes the ign of the cross over the body of a Viet Cong soldier killed in attack on South Vietnamese district headquarters, at Ly Tin, Vietnam, northeast of Saigon, on Jan. 3, 1968. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Democratic AGs sue Trump at record pace

Environmentalists freak out over Trump’s repeal of rule which never went into effect

Trump lawyers met with Mueller’s team in December: report

Woman shot while streaming argument on Facebook Live

Trump throws full US support behind protesters in Iran

North Korea plans to reopen cross-border communications with South, Seoul says

Nikki Haley Confirms US Will Scrap $250 Million Aid To Pakistan

Bill Kristol Gets Owned For Iran Flip-Flop On MSNBC

Israel’s Knesset passes law to prevent the government from giving up East Jerusalem

No one won. Mega Millions winning numbers announced for $361 million jackpot

Mike Tyson to Open 40-Acre Marijuana Resort ‘Tyson Ranch’ in Southern California