Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, authorizes subpoenas for testimony from Obama officials

Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis

 Senate Homeland Security Committee authorizes subpoenas for testimony from Obama officials as part of the Russia probe

Includes John Brennan, James Clapper, and James Comey

The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday voted to authorize subpoenas for former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, and other Obama administration officials as part of its broad review into the origins of the Russia investigation.

The committee on Wednesday held a business meeting to authorize committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to issue notices for taking depositions, subpoenas, for records, and subpoenas for the testimony to individuals relating to the panel’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, the Justice Department inspector general’s review of that investigation, and the “unmasking” of U.S. persons affiliated with the 2016 Trump campaign, transition team and the Trump administration.

JOHNSON SUBPOENAS FBI AS PART OF REVIEW INTO ORIGINS OF THE RUSSIA PROBE

The committee voted 8-6 to authorize the subpoenas.

The committee also authorized subpoenas for Sidney Blumenthal, former Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough, former FBI counsel Lisa Page, former FBI agent Joe Pientka, former ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, former FBI director of counterintelligence Bill Priestap, former White House national security adviser Susan Rice, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith – who pleaded guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham's review of the investigation into links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign – among others.

The committee further authorized subpoenas for “the production of all records” related to the FBI’s original Russia investigation and the Department of Justice Inspector General’s probe, as well as the process of “unmasking” for James Baker, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, DOJ official Bruce Ohr, FBI case agent Steven Somma, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Teftt, former deputy assistant attorney general Tashina Gauhar; and Stefan Halper.

The committee, earlier this summer, authorized subpoenas for the majority of the individuals that were named. But on Wednesday, after a back-and-forth between Johnson and the top Democrat on the panel, the committee gave the final go-ahead, leaving authority on timing and scheduling of depositions and issuance of subpoenas up to the chairman.

LIST OF OFFICIALS WHO SOUGHT TO UNMASK FLYNN RELEASED: BIDEN, COMEY, OBAMA CHIEF OF STAFF AMONG THEM

Halper, a Cambridge University professor who reportedly is deeply connected with British and American intelligence agencies, has been widely reported as a confidential source for the FBI during the bureau’s original investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Last year, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz was reviewing Halper’s work during the Russia probe, as well as his work with the FBI prior to the start of that investigation.

During the 2016 campaign, Halper contacted several members of the Trump campaign, including former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and former aide Carter Page. Page also was the subject of several Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants during the campaign

The committee also authorized a subpoena for James Baker, the director of the Office of Net Assessment at the Defense Department. That office awarded government contracts to Halper, including one in September 2015.

Last month, Johnson issued the panel’s first subpoena as part of the committee’s Russia review to the FBI, demanding that the bureau produce “all records related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”

"This includes, but is not limited to, all records provided or made available to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice for its review," the subpoena states, referring to Horowitz's review of abuses related to the FISA warrants.

The subpoena also demands "all records related to requests" to the General Services Administration or the Office of the Inspector General for the GSA for "presidential transition records from November 2016 through December 2017."

In June, the committee voted to give Johnson the authority to send subpoenas as part of the panel’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe and the process of “unmasking.”

The committee authorized subpoenas to the FBI for the production of all records related to the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation — the bureau’s internal code name for the Russia probe, which began in July 2016.

SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE AUTHORIZES SUBPOENAS TO OBAMA OFFICIALS AS PART OF RUSSIA PROBE

The committee also authorized subpoenas to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the production of all records related to the process of “unmasking” U.S. persons or entities affiliated “formally or informally” with the Trump campaign, the Trump transition team, or the Trump administration from June 2015 through January 2017.

Unmasking occurs after U.S. citizens' conversations are incidentally picked up in conversations with foreign officials who are being monitored by the intelligence community. The U.S. citizens' identities are supposed to be protected if their participation is incidental and no wrongdoing is suspected. However, officials can determine the U.S. citizens' names through a process that is supposed to safeguard their rights.

Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee, in June, also approved a slew of subpoenas for documents and testimony from Obama administration officials involved in the Russia investigation as part of the panel’s review of the origins of that probe.

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Congress  The Hill: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden By Maggie Miller  FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that Russian agents were trying to undermine Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the lead-up to the November election. "The intelligence community's assessment is that Russia continues to try to influence our election, primarily through what we would call malign foreign influence," Wray said during testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee. "We certainly have seen very active efforts by the Russians to influence our elections in 2020 through what I would call more the malign influence side of things - social media, use of proxies, state media, online journals, etc. - in an effort to both sow divisiveness and discord ... and primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as an anti-Russian establishment," Wray added.  Wall Street Journal: From Russia (to Biden) With Love By Kimberley A. Strassel Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Oregon's Ron Wyden on Wednesday accused a GOP colleague of essentially working as a Kremlin operative. They called Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson's work a "disgrace," claimed his committee was funneling "Russian disinformation," and introduced a resolution demanding he cease... The catalyst for these surreal claims: Mr. Johnson will soon release the findings of his investigation into the Biden family's dealings with Ukraine. It's a probe for which Democrats can thank Rep. Adam Schiff. Since 2016, the left and their press cheerleaders have insisted there is no greater risk to this nation than foreign interference in our elections. Duly, Mr. Johnson and Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley looked into reports that Democrats worked in the last election with Ukrainians on opposition research against the Trump campaign... The unearned mileage Democrats continue to get out of the false "Russia collusion" claim is mind-boggling. They used it to gin up an investigation into their political opponents. They used it to try to discredit the results of an election. They used it to keep a three-year cloud over a presidency. They used it to give cover to the weakest impeachment proceeding in history. Now, they are using it to muddy up straightforward questions about their own nominee for president. *********** Friends of Liberty, As a fellow intelligent patriot, I’d like to send you a Betsy Ross flag. The design of this flag, with its 13 stripes and 13 stars—representing America’s original 13 colonies—dates to the American Revolution. The Betsy Ross flag evokes the Founding Era. A time where the principles of the Declaration of Independence was first set forth: that “all men are created equal,” that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, [and] that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  These principles have been a source of unity and pride among all Americans throughout most of our nation’s history. Sadly, this is no longer the case, and the cause is the Left’s hijacking of American education and how too many of our public schools teach history. As an indication of the Left’s influence in promoting anti-American bias, consider the 2019 controversy surrounding the same Betsy Ross flag. That year, just before Independence Day, Nike announced plans to release an athletic shoe featuring this Betsy Ross flag. Almost immediately, sparked by the objections of Nike spokesman Colin Kaepernick, a social media storm condemned the Betsy Ross flag as a symbol of racism and slavery. As a result, Nike backed down and announced that it was halting production of the shoe. This athletic shoe issue was trivial. But the episode points to something else… What is NOT trivial is the push to insert anti-American ideology into every aspect of American life… ....and that too many in positions of authority back down to the loud voices of political correctness and anti-Americanism. This is how progressives are rewriting our nation’s history and undermining the informed patriotism essential to preserving liberty. If successful, they will transform the American government and remake society according to their ever-changing ideas of “progress.” The Nike shoe controversy and everything we’ve witnessed in the last few months is the bitter fruit of their “long march through education.” We must confront this destructive ideology on the battlefield of education. And we must nurture informed patriotism among young Americans if our nation, and the liberty that has been its hallmark, are to be saved for future generations. Because as always, liberty’s only sure defense is an educated citizenry prepared to defend it. In that same spirit, let us continue to defend our great American heritage of liberty and work to revive limited government under the Constitution through education.

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