Can somebody explain to me why the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation of the Russia-U.S. Election thing starts out with any credibility whatsoever ???

Republican Chairman, Senator Richard Burr says that unlike their House counterparts, Democratic Vice-Chairman Mark Warner and he are “partners”…..   

Now isn't that just WONDERFUL ! ! !

Did anybody listened to the outlandish stuff this clown Mark Warner spouted out at the Chairman and Vice-Chairman’s joint press conference  ---  Warner said that he was worried because he has seen “some reports” that over 1000 Russian hackers set up “botnets” in key counties in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania,  where they set up malware on computer servers to redirect computer traffic to fake news and other stories unfavorable to Hillary Clinton  [of course, he added that he didn’t want to re-litigate the results 2017 election].

According to an article in the Daily Caller  ---  “The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that he has seen reports which make him concerned that Russian interference targeted Hillary Clinton in key swing states….   ‘As a former tech guy, what really concerns me is at least some reports, and we have to get to the bottom of this, that there were upwards of 1,000 paid internet trolls working out of a facility in Russia, in effect taking over a series of computers, which are then called a ‘botnet,’ Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said at a press conference. These botnets place malware on computer servers and are able to redirect traffic….   The Senate Democrat went on to say that these botnets would ‘generate news down to specific areas,’ and that he has received reports, which he needs to verify, that these areas targeted were the key swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania….”  (See  “Top Dem Senator Is Concerned Russia Made Hillary Lose Key States”  by Alex Pfeiffer, 3/29/17,  Daily Caller/ Politics   [http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/29/top-dem-senator-is-concerned-russia-made-hillary-lose-key-states/]).

That particular concern by Warner was also detailed in the "Paper of Record,"  the New York Times in its coverage of he Burr-Warner presser.....

WARNING TO ALL REPUBLICANS

This guy Warner is a mendacious Democrat bastard, who is getting his plays from the same playbook as Chuck Schumer,  Nancy Pelosi,  Maxine Waters,  and all the rest of the disgruntled and rabidly anti-Trump Democrats in Washington.   

Almost as important as all that, this Democrat senator looks like he came out of central casting for the part of some kind of deranged predator targeting teenagers partying in the woods.

Judge Andrew Napolitano is back "On Air" at Fox

The man President Trump referred to as "a very talented legal mind" is back on Fox News as their "senior legal analyst".....

More important, he's full of piss and vinegar, and he is standing behind his earlier report that the Obama Administration used the British "signals intelligence" branch, called the GCHQ to obtain electronic surveillance on Trump and some of those persons, places and things around him..... Napolitano also says that his sources in the U.S. intelligence community are likewise still standing behind their original story..... 

And today he said that the government needs to follow up on his reporting, because  >>>  "there is more to come" <<<

What more needs to be said.....

Jim Webb IS a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy

He was a distinguished graduate of "Canoe U" when he was my platoon commander in 1970.....

He was a distinguished graduate of "Boats, Barges and Billylegs on the Severn" when he wrote his controversial article about women being there (and in combat) 38 years ago.....

He was a distinguished graduate of the place where America's first Nobel Prize experiment was conducted --- when many years later he experimented by trying to be the Democratic Presidential nominee for 2016.....

Whether some women "alumni" like it or not, James Webb, war hero, author, former Secretary of the Navy, former U.S. Senator, former presidential candidate and a very solid all-around character was and continues to be one of the very distinguished members of the Alumni of "Annapolis".....

Too bad, some of the ALUMNAE still don't get it.....

Will the 2017 City Council races introduce the new star of the Brooklyn GOP ???

No, it’s not the ruggedly handsome Uberman,  Liam McCabe  ---  Wrong again,  if you guessed the media-savvy man-with-a-plan,  Bob Capano  ---  and I certainly am not talking about Marty Golden’s amanuensis and almost-but-not-quite Chief of Staff,  John Quaglione…..

 

THEN, MANY OF THE NOT-YET-IN-THE-KNOW GOP RANK-AND-FILERS COULD WELL BE ASKING THIS QUESTION AT THIS TIME:  

“GALEWYN, WHO COULD YOU POSSIBLY 

BE TALKING ABOUT  ? ? ?” 

THE ANSWER ACCORDING TO  >>> THE BROOKLYN EAGLE <<<  IS …..

>>>  STEVE  SAPERSTEIN  <<<

THE NEWCOMER TO CHALLENGE INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT COUNCILMAN CHAIM DEUTCH IN BROOKLYN’S 48^TH COUNCIL DISTRICT  [WITH RUFFLES AND FLOURISHES BY THE ACCOMPLISHED HIGH STEPPING STRUTTERS, THE BROOKLYN GOP’S OWN,  THE WORLD'S ONE-AND-ONLY MARCHING CHAMBER QUARTET]  

.

In a year that already has produced a bumper crop of outstanding Republican candidates in just one Southwest Brooklyn council district,  none of us should be surprised that a real fist-sized diamond in the rough has emerged in a part of Brooklyn where Republican wonders never cease  >>> Sheepshead Bay -Brighton Beach.  

According to the John Alexander’s report last week in the  “Brooklyn Daily Eagle”:   “Brooklyn-born Steve Saperstein is challenging incumbent Chaim Deutch for the City Council seat of District 48. Saperstein believes he’s up for the job as he takes on Deutch, who’s held the office since 2014. District 48 includes Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Midwood and Sheepshead Bay….   Saperstein, a new face on the political scene, says he would bring fresh ideas and a change to the status quo in City Hall. He graduated from Midwood High School and received a B.A. in metropolitan studies from New York University, with a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. After receiving his law degree, he earned an M.A. in deaf and hard of hearing education from Hunter College and a second M.A. in school leadership from Touro College….   He grew up in the Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach communities. His grandparents were among the first residents of Coney Island’s Trump Village in the 1960s, and it’s where Saperstein and his family still reside today….”  (See  “Republican candidate Steve Saperstein runs for City Council”  by John Alexander,  3/24/17, Brooklyn Daily Eagle   [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/3/24/republican-candidate-steve-saperstein-runs-city-council]).

SO FAR,  STEVE SAPERSTEIN HAS APPROACHED HIS QUEST FOR PUBLIC OFFICE BY DEGREES AND A LONG TENURE OF SPECIALIZED TEACHING FOR THE NYCBOE

Mr. Saperstein is very well-credentialed for a first time candidate for any public office,  but he is particularly suited for his upcoming run for the New York City Council.

As is often the case for many seekers of public office,  Steve Saperstein has his law degree.  However, unlike most other candidates, or even officeholders,   Steve has two additional post-graduate degress.   At present,  he is a tenured member of the New York City Department of Education, where he’s  been employed for six years as specialized teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing.   His specialized teaching duties take him to ten (10) different schools throughout Manhattan, working primarily with high school and middle school students.

After graduating from law school, Steve decided to pursue a career that would allow him to have a  real impact on students with certain disabilities,  similar to those that he had experienced at home.  ---  And during Steve’s worklife,  he’s been all about the students,  because  for him, their education is key.   ---  “That’s what I do every day….   I advocate for my students to make sure they have access to the curriculum,”  said Mr. Spaerstein during his interview by the Eagle.

While he loves his job, he feels that running for office now will only compound what he has been doing and it will help him to impact many more people in a variety of  meaningful ways.

SAPERSTEIN IS A BELIEVER IN GRASS ROOTS DEMOCRACY  ---  SAYS HE’LL HAVE A STRONG VOICE TO STAND UP TO THE MAYOR FROM DAY ONE

Steve Saperstein says that he believes in grass-roots democracy and wants to make community budget decisions clear and accessible to all the people effected by them.   Saperstein has big ideas,  for example, he has a plan that calls for opting his district into citywide participatory budgeting.  ---  That would give power back to his constituents and ultimately result in better locally-based decisions and allocations of funds from the city budget.

Steve Saperstein believes that as a new candidate  ---  “My situation is unique but I know in my heart that I was born into this role from day one. When I am elected councilman, I will be a strong voice and stand up to Mayor [Bill] de Blasio. I want my newborn daughter Rebecca to grow up in a New York where she can ride the subway safely, get a good education, and have a career and family of her own. The best way to guarantee that future [is] to run for City Council.”

GOP battle lines being drawn over Southwest Brooklyn Council seat --- Is this just an endorsement ???

GOP Coalition Endorses Capano in Brooklyn City Council Race (CD-43)  ---  Capano’s  “…Business, Education & Community Experience Make Him the Right Pick for Bklyn GOP Voters…”  ---  Dany Esquilin

 
Capano communications rep Rob Ryan sends out release for the  >>> Capano Campaign <<<

QUESTION REMAINS  ---  IS THERE A CONTINUING WAR FOR CONTROL OF THE BROOKLYN GOP

Here is the body of the text in the Capano-Ryan release announcing the endorsement:

“…   Bob Capano, the leading Republican candidate for Brooklyn's 43rd Council District (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) and staunch supporter of the NYPD was endorsed today by the Kings County GOP Coalition. The Coalition is made up of Brooklyn Republican State Committee Members, community leaders, and grassroots GOP activists and voters….   Dany Esquilin, Chairman of the Kings County GOP Coalition stated, ‘Bob Capano is our candidate in this race. He is the Republican that best represents the change our voters yearn for today. Bob is not part of the status quo political establishment. Unlike his Republican primary opponents, who have spent their careers working for elected officials and living off the taxpayers' dime,  Bob has real-world experience managing a business and teaching high school and college students. As “Citizen Capano”, he has already been on the front lines fighting Mayor de Blasio's far-left policies. He offers the new leadership that Brooklyn Republicans so desperately need.’…” 

For his part,  Bob Capano, a Bay Ridge resident and graduate of Saint Patrick's elementary school and Xaverian High School responded to the endorsement as follows:   “I am grateful for the support of Chairman Esquilin and the Kings County GOP Coalition. Their Coalition represents grassroots Republicans who are looking for leaders who will fight for our shared values and are not part of the business as usual crowd that is running our city into the ground. Mayor de Blasio's progressive policies are progressively bad for New York City, and I will continue to fight against them with every fiber I have. Brooklyn deserves better.”

The question remains whether the Kings County GOP Coalition is setting up a shadow Kings County Republican Organization and is using the Capano Campaign as a catalyst or sword in it’s bigger battle to regain control of the Brooklyn GOP from the Golden-Ghorra cabal that was put into its current position by a court order and not support by the GOP rank & file. Let's see what kind of petitions the Esquilin group circulates.....

What’s up with the GOP Candidates in the 43rd Council District….

As far as we can tell  ---  they’re all pretty much resting and waiting for nicer weather

Bob Capano seems to have continued his >>> “strategy”  <<< of staying a bit behind the other two GOP contenders,  but using low cost methods of keeping his name in front of the public  ---  mostly by way of his repeated press releases,  which still seem to be succeeding  in getting him "earned media.".   Liam McCabe  (yes,  he bought me breakfast, so I figured I’d stop with the “Will/Liam” stuff  --  but it wasn’t a quid pro quo, or anything like that…..)  is doing some of the old fashioned retail campaigning things between Uber calls:  you know,  going around on foot, meeting shop keepers, political bloggers like me and many of the plain folks;  oh,  did I mention the posters !   And then there is JQ,  who, except for his very good fundraising  so far, seems to think that doing his day-job for Marty Golden and continuing his prior civic activities is sufficient “campaigning” at this stage of the contest  (but wasn’t that exactly what he did until the very sad end in 2013?).

I could make this a longer article by giving a few recent details and examples,  but that minutia wouldn't  be very informative nor would it add to the big picture in any way.....  Also, I've already lost interest in this post.....

Top Republicans on Intelligence Committee joining in Trump Team’s Attack on Former President Obama’s “Wiretapping” of Trump, Trump’s Businesses and Trump’s Team

Nunes and King seem to agree that Trump was basically correct in accusing Former President Obama of seriously abusing his office by allowing key parts of his administration to engage in electronic surveillance of Trump and/or members of his top team of advisors  ---  WITHOUT SIGNFICANT  NATIONAL SECURITY JUSTIFICATION(S)

Peter King >>> “Trump Surveillance Report Shows 'Shameful' Intel Violations”  ---  “99.5 Percent Accurate to Say Obama Admin Surveilled Trump Transition 

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ABUSE OF POWER SCANDAL is growing as congressional Republicans give very visible credence to Trump’s very serious accusations against Obama and the Obama administration 

 Let’s start with Politico’s report about House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes bombshell remarks at the White House yesterday  ---  “…   Devin Nunes declared Wednesday that members of Donald Trump’s transition team, possibly including Trump himself, were under  [ ]  surveillance following November’s presidential election….  (See  “Nunes claims some Trump transition messages were intercepted”  by Austin Wright, 3/22/17,  Politico/ Magazine/ Trump Presidency/Policy    [http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/devin-nunes-donald-trump-surveillance-obama-236366]).   [NOTE:  THIS POLITICO ARTICLE DEVOTED ALMOST AS MUCH TIME, SPACE AND “INK” TO THE DEMOCRATS’  COMPLAINTS ABOUT CONGRESSMAN NUNES’  COMING FORWARD WITH THIS INFORMATION DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE --- I WON”T DEAL WITH ANY OF THAT;  IF YOU CARE WHAT SOME DEMOCRATS WERE WHINING ABOUT, READ THE POLITICO ARTICLE YOURSELF].

Back to what Nunes had to say  ---  the Politico article also said this:   “….  The White House and Trump’s allies immediately seized on the statement as vindication of the president’s much-maligned claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower phones — even though Nunes himself said that’s not what his new information shows….”

POLITICO DESCRIBES NUNES’ NEW INFORMATION  

“….  Nunes set off the firestorm with a news conference earlier in the day [3/22] in which he described the surveillance of Trump aides through what’s called  ‘incidental collection,’  something he noted was routine and legal. Such collection can occur when a person inside the United State communicates with a foreign target of U.S. surveillance. In such cases, the identities of U.S. citizens are supposed to be shielded — but can be  ‘unmasked’ by intelligence officials under certain circumstances….   Nunes, himself a Trump transition member, said a ‘source’ had shown him evidence that members of the Trump transition team had been unmasked — and that their identities had been revealed in U.S. intelligence reports. Nunes had previously raised questions about the unmasking of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, whose communications with Russia’s ambassador were intercepted by the U.S. government and whose identity was leaked to the news media….”

WHAT THE NUNES DISCLUSURE MEANS  --  INTELLIGENCE ON TRUMP INCLUDED MATTERS THAT WEREN’T RUSSIA RELATED

According to Politico  ---  “….  Nunes suggested this unmasking might have been done for political reasons, saying the evidence he had seen had been widely disseminated across the intelligence community and had  ‘little or no apparent intelligence value.’   He added that he was trying to get more information by Friday from the FBI, CIA and NSA….   ‘I have seen intelligence reports that clearly show that the president-elect and his team were, I guess, at least monitored,’  the California Republican told reporters. ‘It looks to me like it was all legally collected, but it was essentially a lot of information on the president-elect and his transition team and what they were doing.’   He said the information he had seen was not related to the FBI’s Russia investigation.

POLITICO SAYS FUTURE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS WILL GET INTO THE ISSUE OF  ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF TRUMP AND HIS TEAM

The Politico article ended with this:  “….  [Nunes’] committee is set to hold a public hearing next Tuesday with members of the Obama administration, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired by Trump in January after refusing to defend his first travel ban executive order in court….   They are almost certain to face questions on the matter….   FBI Director James Comey appeared before the panel on Monday and confirmed that the FBI launched a counterintelligence investigation in July into Russia’s election meddling, including possible coordination with the Trump campaign.”

CONGRESSMAN PETER KING SAYS THAT TRUMP WAS PROBABLY RIGHT WHEN HE SAID HE WAS “WIRETAPPED” BY OBAMA 

Wednesday,  Peter King,  the Republican Congress that sits on the House Intelligence Committee said  that the committee’s review of the president’s claim that his transition team was surveilled by the Obama administration was right on-target; meaning that, according to King, Trump was justified in to bringing it all up in his Tweets.

According to Congressman Rep. Peter King  ---  President Trump has “a legitimate case to make,” vis a vis Trump’s  assertion on Twitter that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower  (See  “GOP Rep Peter King: 99.5 Percent Accurate to Say Obama Admin Surveilled Trump Transition”  by Jeff Poor,  3/22/17,  Breitbart News/ [ http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2017/03/22/gop-rep-peter-king-99-5-percent-accurate-say-obama-admin-surveilled-trump-transition/]).   

However, it should also be noted that King also indicated  that Trump might have “overstepped” or “overplayed his hand.”The Breitbart article went on to say that  ---  “Host Bill O’Reilly pressed King on the seriousness of Trump being ‘surveilled,’ to which King said it was at least 99.5 percent correct [Trump] was surveilled….   ‘I would say, from all I know, you’re at least 99-and-a-half percent accurate, and probably 100 percent,’ he replied….”

Fox’s own report on the O’Reilly interview with Congressman gives all of this slightly different flavor.   According to Fox, when King said Trump "overplayed his hand" by flatly making his accusation that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower,  the Long Island Congressman clarified his statement by adding that information pertaining to Trump was used and leaked illegally in the process of conducting other surveillance….   He said authorities must find who gave the order to "unmask" Trump or his associates and who allowed the information to be leaked out.…  [B]ut what we do know is, to me, this is shameful….” (See  “Peter King: Trump Surveillance Report Shows 'Shameful' Intel Violations” by Staff Writer 3/22/17, Fox News/ Insider   [http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/03/22/trump-wiretapping-report-shows-shameful-intelligence-violations-peter-king-says]).

                                                                                          

Breitbart News says Obama isn’t in the clear after yesterday’s Congressional hearing

Conservative Media Giant says Democrats had Hoped to Hurt Trump at Intelligence Committee Hearing, but Testimony by Comey and Rogers only Raised Suspicions about Obama and His White House Staff

Breitbart News:   There was only one new revelation at the House Intelligence Committee hearing  --- AND  ---  IT WAS THIS BOMBSHELL >>>  senior Obama administration officials probably knew the identities of surveillance targets

 A report by Breitbart News’ Joel Pollak says that what really came out of yesterday’s Congressional hearing is NOT WHAT IS BEING REPORTED ON THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA…..

Here’s some of what the Pollack-Breitbart article said:
“The mainstream media have been doing a victory lap since the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) confirmed on Monday in testimony before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee that President Barack Obama did not wiretap Trump Tower. But that was already known.

There was only one new revelation at the hearing, and it was a bombshell: senior Obama administration officials could have known the identities of surveillance targets….   One of those targets, retired General Michael Flynn, lost his job after it was revealed that his conversation with the Russian ambassador had been monitored, and that he had discussed sanctions relief, contrary to his early private and public claims…. 

Yet Flynn’s identity was never supposed to have been revealed. The surveillance of the Russian ambassador, routine though it may have been, yielded classified information, and the identity of any U.S. citizen swept up in it should have been redacted…. 

[Congressman] Gowdy’s questioning revealed an astonishing list of potential suspects [among President Obama’s White House operative]. And given that the FBI and NSA testified that there was still no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, the fact remains that the only crime that is known to have occurred with absolute certainty was the leaking of Flynn’s name and the contents of his conversation with the Russian ambassador.

Democrats hoped to hurt Trump. Instead, they raised more questions about Obama’s role."

(See  “Democrats Hoped to Hurt Trump, but Raised Suspicions of Obama”  by Joel B. Pollak, 3/21/17,  Breitbart News/ Big Government   [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/21/obama-hearing-media-victory-lap-ignores-fbi-nsa-bombshell-congress/]).

Is the political landscape in Bay Ridge changing forever --- even if it’s not for good

Rev.  El-Yateem’s fundraising numbers shows a very big footprint  ---  Well, at least among a lot of Arabs,  who look like they have addresses inside the 43^rd Council District

Usually, a newcomer to local politics,  like Nader El-Yateem,  makes a lot of “rookie” mistakes  ---  but, this time, this rookie looks like he’s doing many things right

The Reverend Nader Al-Yateem’s top showing in the candidate fund raising sweepstakes, thus far, has earned him some of that campaign Milk and Honey that I often talk about,  “Earned Media”…..  

Here’s some of that earned media from the Brooklyn Eagle and Paula Katinas:   “Rev. Khader El-Yateem may be a political newcomer, but he is proving to be a prodigious fundraiser, according to figures released by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB), which showed that he has garnered more financial support than any other candidate running for the City Council seat representing the Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights area….  Figures released by CFB showed that El-Yateem, the pastor of Salaam Arabic Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge and a first-time candidate for public office, has raised an impressive $81,611….   El-Yateem, a Democrat, said the CFB figures demonstrate that there is widespread, grass-roots support for his candidacy….”   (See  “Rev. El-Yateem leads council field in campaign fundraising”  by Pala Katinas, 3/20/17, The Brooklyn Eagle   [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/3/20/rev-el-yateem-leads-council-field-campaign-fundraising]).

Here's how Nader Al Yateem described his financial supporters:   “We raised this money without the support of PACs, special interest groups or big corporations. My donors are deli owners, cab drivers, health professionals, teachers, parents and students, who are investing in a new political reality where all people in our district can thrive and live with dignity….”

When Nader El-Yateem says  “…  that there is widespread, grass-roots support for [my] candidacy…”  ---   he must mean widespread, grass-roots support for his candidacy from Arabs,  because that’s what his numbers to the NYCCFB actually show.

Nonetheless,  if that Arab grass-roots support translates into equivalently impressive signatures on petitions and votes on Primary Day, then the Reverend Yader El-Yateem phenomenon will mean that there has been real political change in Bay Ridge  ---  and everybody needs to hope for the best.

Don’t be fooled --- Tomorrow’s Congressional testimony by FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers might be a >>> DOG-AND-PONY-SHOW <<< intended to sweep under a rug >>> President Trump’s charges that former President Obama had Trump’s and/or the Trump Campaign’s lines “wiretapped”

Look out for Congressional questioners who are limiting their inquiry to questions tailored to be narrowly focused on the issue of “wiretaps” “ordered” by the FBI;  and/or the DOJ;   and/or the U.S. Intelligence or Security Agencies  

Tenor of Sunday article in Newsday downplays significance of Monday’s testimony by Comey and Rogers to House Intelligence Committee  ---  UNLESS  ---  something bad for President Trump comes out

So far,  based upon the articles that have appeared in the mainstream media, the prospect of tomorrow's hearing does inspire any real confidence that either the Republicans actually want to find anything that might help President Trump’s claims against former President Obama or that the Democrats will let-up on any of the Trump-Russia election conspiracy theories any time soon.

NEWSDAY’S PRE-HEARING OUTLOOK

An illustrative example of what everybody is being told by way of the MSM coverage of the upcoming hearings is an article appearing today in Newsday.

Here is a soupcon of what Newsday wants you to expect in its Sunday article and tomorrow’s Congressional hearing:  

“HIGHLIGHTS….   Lawmakers seek definitive answer to surveillance questions….   Panel to press on whether Trump campaign, Russia colluded….”

The actual article opens with these paragraphs:   : “The stakes will be high when FBI Director James Comey testifies before a House panel Monday morning on President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor ‘wire tapped’ Trump Tower during the campaign last year….   It will be Comey’s first public discussion of the explosive charges that Trump leveled in a series of tweets early on a Saturday morning two weeks ago, accusing President Barack Obama of wiretapping or conducting surveillance last year on Trump and his campaign….   ‘This could be high drama,’  said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is holding the hearing. ‘I have no idea where this hearing is going to end up at the end of the day.’…   Lawmakers said they want Comey to give a definitive answer to questions that have hung over Washington: Did the FBI wiretap Trump Tower, Trump or his associates last year as part of an investigation into Trump and the campaign’s ties to Russia? And did Obama have a role?...   The committee members also will press Comey on whether the FBI has probed or discovered evidence that Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia or that the Obama administration illegally leaked surveillance transcripts for political purposes….   All the indications now are that the FBI had no evidence that Obama wiretapped Trump….”  (See.. “FBI Director James Comey to testify on  President Trump’s unproven wiretap claim”  by Tom Brune, 3/19/17,  Newsday/ News/ Nation   [http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/fbi-director-comey-to-testify-on-president-trump-s-unproven-wiretap-claim-1.13287142]).

It takes quite a while before Newsday  gets around to the fact that also testifying before the Congressional Committee will be the head of the NSA  ---  “….   Yet it is not clear how much Comey will reveal as he and National Security Agency director Mike Rogers testify as part of the committee’s investigation of Trump’s wiretapping assertion and Russian interference in last year’s presidential election….”

Also according to the Newsday report,   “….  House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and ranking member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — as well as Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and vice chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) — have all had closed-door briefings by the FBI. They said last week they have seen no evidence for Trump’s claim against Obama….   Schiff said Sunday he expects Comey will say the same….”  

The Brune-Newsday article continued its report by indicating that  ---  for his part, Republican Intelligence Committee Chairman “…   Nunes said Friday that the committee had received information it requested from the FBI on ‘possible surveillance related to Donald Trump or his associates.’…   He told ‘Fox News Sunday’ it did not prove wiretapping….   ‘Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower?  No,’  he said.  ‘There never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction.’...”   However, Newsday also noted this caveat by the Committee Chairman:   “….  Nunes did not rule out other types of surveillance and continued to condemn intelligence leaks….”  

The Newsday article closed with these observations about what will be coming up in the near future:   “….   The intelligence committees in both the House and Senate will continue to investigate….   The House will hear testimony from former Obama officials — Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates — at a hearing on March 28….   And the Senate Intelligence Committee said it will hold a hearing on Russian interference in other countries and cyberwarfare on March 30….”

WHAT NEEDS TO BE ASKED IN A PROPER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HEARING

Any inquiry actually looking for proof of Obama Administration wrong-doing vis a vis Trump and/or the Trump Campaign and/or President-Elect Trump’s Transition Team, needs to be open- ended and broad enough to reach all of the techniques and modalities that might have been used to tap into and mine Trump’s phone and computer lines. 

The questioning by the Congressional Members needs  to include broad and open-ended questions about any and all Trump-related surveillance and/or information recovery by electronic or other technical means by the FBI, DOJ, U.S. Intelligence Agencies,   any joint and/or combined actors or agents, whose activities were authorized by any law enforcement and/or security agency within the chain of command to the Obama White House. 

Anything less, would be an a obvious attempt NOT TO FIND EVIDENCE of any misuse of the law enforcement, intelligence and other security agencies by the prior administration.

Fair is as fair does --- John-Q-not-so-public gets a boost of “Earned Media” for his boost of the League of Independent Theater

Quaglione gets a really nice article from the Brooklyn Eagle for his support of the arts

 ---  And maybe a new nickname  ---  “Show Tunes”

A few days ago I hammered Republican candidate John Quaglione with a real brickbat about his appearance at a "Meet the Candidates" forum sponsored by >>> The League of Independent Theater <<< .  (See  “He sure ain't Whimpy  ---  But, HOW OUT OF TOUCH can John Quaglione be ???”  by Galewyn Msssey,  3/15/17,   [my post below on this blog]).   Well, at least this one time,  Johnnycakes does get the last laugh…..

According to a recent article in the Brooklyn Eagle,   “City Council candidate John Quaglione— who’s running in District 43, consisting of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst— proposed the establishment of a New York City Independent Theater Week to be organized and promoted by the city's official marketing organization known as NYC & Company….   Quaglione announced the proposal during his remarks at a "Meet the Candidates" forum sponsored by The League of Independent Theater on Wednesday night at Manhattan's Kraine Theater. The League is an organization for the independent theater and performing arts population of NYC, serving more than 50,000 independent performing artists….”  (See  “City Council candidate John Quaglione proposes NYC Independent Theater Week”  by John Alexander,  3/17/17,  Brooklyn Daily Eagle   [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/3/17/city-council-candidate-john-quaglione-proposes-nyc-independent-theater-week]).

This one piece of “earned media” for candidate Quaglione is also accompanied by a portrait quality photo of Mr. Q, pictured with an emblem of The League of Independent Theater.     However, the tenor of the Brooklyn Eagle article,  taken as a whole,  would make one think that this GOP candidate is completely out-of-step with most main stream Republicans.   This fact was poignantly brought home, because it appeared in the same week that the release of the Trump Budget showed that the Republican President would completely defund the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nonetheless, since this blog frequently praised Bob Capano’s penchant for getting “earned media,”   fairness dictates giving John Quaglione kudos for succeeding in doing the same thing.

NEW NICKNAME

This is too good to pass up…..  The Democrat wag,  who brought this article to my attention also told me this:   “You know how some people like to call Kevin Peter Carroll,  “Show Hands”  ----  now you can call John Quags,  “Show Tunes.”

FLASH UPDATE --- OR MAYBE IT’S A JUST A PTSD FLASHBACK: THE “BACK TO THE FUTURE” EDITION

BROOKLYN GOP “JOINT OPERATIONS FIELD OFFICE” OPENS IN DYKER HEIGHTS --- MC CABE & QUAGLIONE MAKE A JOINT APPEARANCE WITH A FEW OTHERS

Is the March 13th article by John Alexander in the Brooklyn Eagle just a cut-and-paste job of something that I read in there a few years ago about Chairman Craig Eaton, Senator Marty Golden, Brooklyn Young Republicans and all their well-known acolytes opening a Brooklyn GOP headquarters ? ? ?

This is my favorite part of the recent article: “…. State Sen. Marty Golden attended along with City Council hopefuls Liam McCabe and John Quaglione...." I wonder if Golden declared his favorite or he put his arms around both of them like a proud old dad.

At any rate, this proves that there's REAL LIFE in the Brooklyn Republican organization; and that in 2017 the GOP, united behind the Ghorra-Golden team, will certainly sweep back into its formerly commanding position in Brooklyn politics --- nothing like the primary and general elections disasters of 2013,  when there was a split in Brooklyn's Grand Old Party between the Golden and the Eaton factions.

FLASH UPDATE: THE "Still more from John Quaglione --- No not the stuff about his fundraising $$$$" EDITION

Can anybody explain what this guy is up to on social media   ???  ---   It sure don't look like politics to me ! ! !

His most recent Tweet & Retweet are ever so typical.....

Here they are for your confusion:

First his Tweet:  

"John Quaglione‏ @JQuaglione  6h 
Waiting to participate in a panel hosted by the The League of Independent Theater "Meet The Candidates" Forum #Q4U2017 @indietheaternyc"
rs ago

Then his Retweet:
"John QuaglioneRetweeted 
Kirsten Theodos‏ @kirstentheodos   5 hours ago

@JQuaglione in regards to the arts ‘we need you more than ever to put on shows’ “

(See both  Tweet & Retweet at “John Quaglione  @JQuaglione”  3/15/17, Twitter   [https://twitter.com/JQuaglione];   [photo of Quaglione on panel with others  @pic.twitter.com/2XG8s17j8H]). 

"... WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER TO PUT ON SHOWS..."   

Good golly, Miss Molly ! ! !    Can this guy be serious ? ? ?

He sure ain't Whimpy --- But, HOW OUT OF TOUCH can John Quaglione be ???

Maybe, he's a crackerjack "Communications Director"  ---  OR  ---  Maybe, he might do a decent job as an Almost-Chief-of-Staff  ---  But, for sure he's not fit to give out useful dining & food advice to the people of Southwest Brooklyn

Here's something that the Quagmeister recently Retweeted:  "....  These days it can be hard to find a good burger in Brooklyn for less than $15 — before toppings..." (See "John Quaglione @JQuaglione"  3/14/17,  Twitter  [https://twitter.com/JQuaglione/status/841826535405424643]).

Really, I didn't know that....  In fact, based on my own recent experiences, I believe it NOT TO BE TRUE.

I often have meals at two or three of the places that are reputed to have "the best burgers in Bay Ridge"  ---  and, except for one where I almost always have a burger, I usually have some other protein dish off the other establishments' "Daily Specials" menu, but I also almost always look at and consider some version of each one's burger choices.  And, come to think of it, you can add to the list of those places, a little joint that purports to be a gourmet burger restaurant.

"$15... before toppings..."  ---  NO, I DON'T THINK SO.  

If JQ doesn't know the value of a burger, how can he know the value of a buck ???  And if somebody doesn't know what's a good buy and what isn't, how can they be an effective representative of the people ???

FLASH TV REPORT: THE "IF THIS PROVES-OUT --- THIS IS BIG" EDITION

Fox’s JUDGE NAPOLITANO says:   “President Obama went outside the [U.S.] chain of command. He didn’t use  [U.S.   intelligence services, the FBI or other parts of the]  Department of Justice…” to get [his set of] transcripts of Trump-related conversations

According to an up to the minute report on Breitbart,   “Fox News Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano claimed “three intelligence sources” say President Obama looked to British spy agency GCHQ to obtain transcripts of conversations involving President Donald Trump on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday….   Napolitano said, ‘[T]hree intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command. He didn’t use the NSA. He didn’t use the CIA. He didn’t use the FBI, and he didn’t use Department of Justice. He used GCHQ. What the heck is GCHQ? That’s the initials for the British [electronic] spying agency [roughly equivalent to our NSA].  They have 24/7 access to the NSA database. So by simply having two people go to them saying, “President Obama needs transcripts of conversations involving candidate Trump, conversations involving president-elect Trump,”’ he’s able to get it, and there’s no American fingerprints on this.’…”   (See  “Judge Napolitano: ‘Three Intel Sources’ Say Obama Looked to Brit Agency to Spy on Trump” by Breitbart Staff [with video link to Judge Napolitano], 3/14/17,  Breitbart News/ Television   [http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/03/14/judge-napolitano-three-intel-sources-say-obama-looked-to-brit-agency-to-spy-on-trump/]).
  
Here's the Fox News report about their own program broadcast earlier today:   "On 'Fox & Friends' this morning, Judge Andrew Napolitano said that even if the Obama administration did spy on Trump, there may never be a way to prove it....   He explained that the statutes allow the president to order the surveillance of any person in the U.S., without suspicion, probable cause or a warrant, but that would leave 'fingerprints.'...   In this case, the alleged surveillance was reportedly ordered in a way that left no record, he said....   'Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command,' Napolitano said. 'He didn't use the NSA, he didn't use the CIA, he didn't use the FBI, and he didn't use the Department of Justice.'...  Instead, Napolitano said, Obama used GCHQ, a British intelligence and security organization that has 24-7 access to the NSA database....  'There's no American fingerprints on this,' Napolitano said. 'What happened to the guy who ordered this? Resigned three days after Donald Trump was inaugurated.'..."  (See  "Judge Nap: Obama 'Went Outside Chain of Command,' Used British Spy Agency to Surveil   Trump" by Fox News Staff, 3/14/17,  Fox News/ Insider   [http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/03/14/judge-napolitano-why-there-may-never-be-proof-even-if-obama-spied-trump]).

A real story from this past weekend --- The ACTIVE candidates, who were out there working for it, got a little bit of real coverage in “EARNED MEDIA”

  ----  While others only seemed to be waiting around for what’s at the  End of the Rainbow

Capano, McCabe & Brannan get an earned media boost from the “Kings County Politics” blog for talking on the issues  ---  others take a pass

 Some candidates are doing “early campaigning”  ---  and others, like Abbate  & Quaglione, seem to be content with their “entitlement” approach,   just wishing & waiting for their >>> GREAT COME AND GET IT DAY.<<<

Lately, all the buzz has been about fund raisers, fundraising, possible matching funds and the filings by the 2017 City Council campaigns of their March 2017 disclosures.   That’s why, Stephen Witt’s weekend piece on the KCP blog about Bob Capano, Will/Liam McCabe and Justin Brannan was such a breath of fresh air.

CAPANO,  MC CABE AND BRANNAN

As told in the Kings County Politics piece:   Capano talked about waste and bad resource allocation in the City Hospitals;  Brannan was a little closer to home and every Bay Ridgeites’  pocketbook,  demamding answers from the MTA about R-train subway service and how the MTA justifies the coming rate increases;  and Mr. McCabe has been discussing how illegal home conversions into multi-family units  place financial and other burdens on neighboring residents and the entire infrastructure throughout the Council District where he is running   (See  “Capano, Brannan, McCabe Talk Issues”  by Stephen Witt,  3/11/17,  Kings County Politics/ Notes From The Campaign Desk   [http://www.kingscountypolitics.com/capano-brannan-mccabe-talk-issues/]).

QUAGLIONE AND  ABBATE

Meanwhile a couple  of the other  >>> ANNOUNCED  CANDIDATES <<<  seemed content to sit on their ….  LAURELS…..   For some reason these  >>> LEGACY CANDIDATES <<<  named Peter Abbate and John Quaglione are approaching this City Council race with some sense of  >>> ENTITLEMENT <<<  as if spending years and years on a public payroll is reason enough for people to vote for them to spend even more years on a bigger public payroll.   You see if either the Republican John Quaglione or the Democrat Peter Abbate were to get elected, the would get an immediate bump in their base public employee salaries  ----  and here’s the kicker  ---   after a few years,  if either  Quaglione or Abbate were to be elected to the City Council,  the would get a huge increase to their pensions  >>>  ESPECIALLY ASSEMBLYMAN ABBATE (many are saying that’s his only reason to be running for the Council).

JUST A QUERY: THE “DOES THE ’COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR’ --- CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE WANT US TO PAY MORE IN PARKING TICKETS ? ? ?” EDITION

JOHN QUAGLIONE SEEMS EASILY CONFUSED  ---  AND  ---  MORE OFTEN, JQ REALLY IS CONFUSING  ---  HIS RECENT SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE ABOUT PARKING TICKETS IS A GOOD (OR SHOULD THAT BE "BAD") EXAMPLE

IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE >>> JQ <<< THINKS THAT BAY RIDGE, DYKER HEIGHTS, BENSONHURST AND BATH BEACH SHOULD PAY >>> MORE <<< IN THE WAY OF PARKING AND OTHER TRAFFIC TICKETS

Here’s a “COMMUNICATION” that John Quaglione recently posted on Facebook:   “John Quaglione…March 7 at 9:48pm... New York…   Report released from Rent Hop shows that the 62nd and 68th Precincts (Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights) were ranked #6 and #7 in revenue generated from tickets out of the 23 police precincts in Brooklyn in 2016….   Total money collected from our community - over $12 million dollars. This is absurd and we can do better folks….[with the image of the bright orange reverse side of a parking summons]” (See [https://www.facebook.com/search/latest/?q=john%20quaglione]).  

Does this so-called “Republican” City Council hopeful think we don’t pay enough and does he want us to pay MORE in parking tickets ????    

Based on his Facebook It’s not clear whether Quaglione wants us to move the home folks up toward NUMBER ONE (#1) or move his future City Council constituents further down on the list.  

His Tweet on the same topic wasn't quite so obviously bad (but he was limited in the damage he could do by Twitter's character count limit):  "John Quaglione‏ @JQuaglione  Mar 7...  Report from Rent Hop shows the 62nd & 68th Precincts ranked #6 and #7 in revenue generated from tickets out of 23 precincts in #Bklyn 2016...[also with the bright orange picture of the mail-it-in side of a parking summons]" (See  [https://twitter.com/JQuaglione/status/839307621391822848]).

Also can anybody venture a guess as to when Mr. Quagione will make up his mind whether he is employed as State Senator Marty Golden’s Not-quite Chief of Staff or Obviously-not Communications Director ????

Article ties President Obama directly to leaked stories about FISA surveillance of Trump Campaign

Order by President Obama causally linked to MSM publication of leaked sensitive material about Trump and Trump campaign communications with the Russians

FBI's explanation of direct activity involving a Trump server makes a fine distinctions between the surveillance of a computer server and tapping phones  ---  also between FISA criminal warrants and FISA authorized surveillance for national security

According to an online magazine called “Circa”  ---  A  “….   months-long FBI counterintelligence investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential campaign briefly investigated a computer server tied to Donald Trump's businesses near the end of the election but has not gathered evidence of election tampering to date that would warrant criminal charges against any of the president’s associates…”  (See  “The FBI investigated a Trump server in its Russia probe, but no charges are expected” by John Solomon & Sara Carter, 3/8/17,  Circa/ Politics   [http://circa.com/politics/fbi-probe-of-donald-trump-and-russia-during-election-yielded-no-evidence-of-crimes]).  This article was picked up and linked by the Daily Caller  (See  "Report: FBI Russia Probe Failed To Find Evidence Against Trump" by Kerry Pickett, 3/8/17,  The Daily Caller/ Politics  [http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/08/report-fbi-russia-probe-failed-to-find-evidence-against-trump/]).

What  some “US OFFICIALS”  said

The Soloman  and Carter  article in Circa went on to say this:   “….  U.S. officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said there is widespread frustration among intelligence professionals who have watched in horror as a normally secretive process has been distorted by media leaks and politicians uneducated about how counterintelligence operations actually work….”

It included this quoted material Circa’s source:   “.....   ‘I've never seen a case so misrepresented and leaks so damaging to a process that was meant to be conducted in secret.’  — U.S. official….”  And this:     “  ‘We have people spouting off who don’t know the difference between FISA surveillance and a wiretap or a counterintelligence probe versus a special prosecutor, and it has hurts our ability to get to the truth and has wrongly created the impression that intelligence officials have a political agenda,” said one source directly familiar with the drama.’…”    

Obama’s Order facilitates leaks of sensitive classified material related to Trump and the Trump Campaign  

The start of 2017 brought with it an unexpected politicizing of Trump-related intelligence gathered in secret.

Congress was briefed in early January, as were many other government officials; and separately, the Obama administration amended a long-standing executive order expanding who would receive the Trump-related information. That order allowed information intercepted through FISA warrants or by the National Security Agency to be shared to a wider audience in 16 government agencies as Obama was leaving office.  As a result,  intelligence which should have been available to just a handful of top intelligence officers was spread through briefings  to scores of workers in other intelligence- and security-related agencies.  Soon leaks of that information began appearing in the mainstream media  ---  usually in stories lacking the context of how national security investigations are actually conducted.

The leak of former General Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador alarmed career FBI officials, who knew that they had been gathered using the most sensitive of surveillance powers and should have remained secured as highly classified.

FBI’s reaction to President Trump's wiretap allegations

Circa’s article says that,   “....  Trump’s own claim this week that the FBI wiretapped his phone further irritated senior officials. Director James Comey even took the step of asking Justice to knock down the claim. While the computer server was investigted [sic], Trump’s phones and emails were never wiretapped, officials said….”