In Parts 1 and 2 we walked through some of the facts bearing on the recent attention to classified documents seemingly found in strange places. I think it is obvious, but there is a huge-legal-ethical-difference between presidential papers found in secured areas where secret service and video security and other precautions are employed, and some ex-government person’s house, cottage, garage-no matter how high in government rank that person was (because they do not have the authority to have the documents without question below the presidential level, period) e.g., in some non-secure, unapproved for storage space, where unaccounted for or ill-begotten documents-obtained through some illegal or immoral means-are found.
Mistakes happen, sometimes accountability is rushed or harried, and stuff sometimes just happens. Which is the reason that we have set procedures in place when these problems are discovered to identify, assess and contain the damage done to the United States of America by the disclosure-the compromise-of any such incidents.
It is obvious but it may not be apparent that we have 16 components in the Intelligence Community (IC) led by the 17th-the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI,) who is responsible for consolidating the intelligence products produced by the IC-the proverbial “IC Homework-” for consumption by the number 1 customer-the President of the United States (POTUS.) From a mechanical standpoint, these products-the homework-consist of the top IC (ODNI led team) daily focus-the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB)-where high interest or priority topics/products or requested analysis are considered “in the book” or briefing. Those products or topics that don’t make the PDB-the book-are considered “outside the book,” and it is not a statement or judgement on importance or priority, but simply the fact that the IC production is relentless like the tides and if there wasn’t a filter on it to modulate what ends up in front of POTUS-they would have time for little else-and it would not get the attention it deserves.
That’s not to say all IC entities contribute equally. If pressed to break it down the top 4-5 likely routinely produce 90% or more of the content (CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA, INR, DoD.) Often the topics “outside the book” are produced for the administration cabinet and somewhere around 250 government senior executives who frequently consume such information.
I belabored the above because you can be reasonably certain (like 100%) that products, documents and information consumed in this process is highly sensitive, definitely classified, and positively controlled and safeguarded to track dissemination and usage. Some of the most bigoted programs (those that only single digit numbers of government officials are cleared for) make the PDB: the material is rigorously and dogmatically controlled, protected and safeguarded.
When a classified document under control is misplaced-lost, or an obvious chopped up classified document where the security markings have been removed is found, whether temporarily misplaced, lost, found in somebody’s garage-car-office, professional papers stuck in between innocuous emails-whatever-the process calls for a damage control assessment by the DNI. Why the DNI you might ask-well technically it is not required to be done by the DNI, but since the DNI has oversight on the 16 IC members and is responsible for what goes into the PDB process, they have the insight and subject matter expertise and contacts to get to the bottom of the assessment quickly. You are probably thinking-I keep hearing about the FBI doing these looks into “schtuff,” like the HRC emails, or DOJ looking into Trump or Biden’s material.
Do you recall what the damage control assessment revealed about the HRC illegal server information that at the very least made it through to myriad unsecure computer devices, including HRC laptops, her Blackberry, Huma Abedin and perverted husband the Wiener guy? It’s a serious question because the entities that got involved in the assessment were all distracted by the issue of whether the information was classified or not, whether the level was correct, and focused on bean counting the total. The process seemed more like an exercise to show that it wasn’t very many that were truly classified in relation to the total, when the real issue concerned the illegal servers: emails make great squirrels…
The FBI or the DOJ-who simply lack the core IC expertise to properly assess the damage (the FBI just frankly sucks at intelligence, while the DOJ regards the FBI as their IC experts-and that is hysterically tragic-,) but the damage assessment should have been led by the DNI in concert with the State Department Intelligence and Research arm (INR.)
You don’t recall it because there was no damage control assessment accomplished: an inventory is not an assessment, while a whitewash is not accountability. Comey’s FBI would have you believe there was tremendous pressure to complete the work, but had they taken it seriously from first discovery, they would not have been pinned to the wall at the eleventh hour to meet the requirement levied by President Obama that HRC had to be cleared of the email problem before he would join her on the campaign trail on 5 July 2016: and again, don’t chase that squirrel, it was an illegal server that was the major issue, but the email focus allowed that criminality to become background noise.
Were that you or I attempting to make a presidential run with that kind of scandal hanging over us-can you imagine the DOJ and FBI doing the “hustle” to choreograph a series of events to clear us on the day Obama joined us on the campaign trail? The greatest malfeasance and criminality committed in this systematic, deliberate, calculated, callous and indefensible compromise was the violation of her oath of office and security agreement-“so help me god-” obligations that she willingly undertook when she was delegated Original Classification Authority based on her position as Secretary of State. Each and every classified document produced by State was classified in accordance with her authority delegated by President Obama: how poor did that judgement turn out to be?
I’m wandering a bit here but the point is-as I somewhat jokingly pointed out in Part 2-that the US government officials involved in nearly all of the malfeasance I listed-were of the same “ilk,” given the casual manner in which they approached and executed their duties and responsibilities they swore an oath to uphold and honor, and the constitution they committed to when they agreed to the positions they held. In the final analysis these cheats, dishonorable civil servants and liars were well compensated by taxpayers to break any and all rules and laws that stood in the way of the evasive, devious and illegal actions they undertook.
How deep is the corruption you might ask-and make no mistake or harbor false delusions about it-this is corruption of a high order-the violations of classified statutes and US Code alone are staggering to consider with the small list I provided in Part 2.
What do we do about it? I believe the most important thing to do is to expose it every time it is encountered. Call out public officials who have violated their oaths of office and their obligation to execute their duties within statutes and US Code. Politicians who fight such exposure or attempt to downplay the serious nature of these problems should be called out, exposed, dragged through the mud, tarred, feathered and sanctioned (doused with gas and lit on fire): just like would be done to any one of us found guilty of this type of malfeasance.
Sadly, nothing will be done about the corruption, which may be the biggest incentive against people speaking up, while also exemplifying the bigotry of low expectations as those tested on the edge-whose fealty to oaths and integrity aren’t quite strong enough to help them make the right choices-find it too easy and attractive and personally rewarding to commit these illegal acts.
The most heinous result of a society that overlooks these illegal acts is the messaging to those who will be tempted to act because of these supposed higher causes, beliefs, or rationale to point to that justifies these actions-that the means to the end-in spite of being quasi-or actually illegal, immoral, require cheating or lying or fudging-unethical behavior or actions-justifies the means.
Which is why exposure and public shaming is the poor substitute to official government accountability. People are busy, times are tough, sound bites are easy. Even the most die-hard advocate of accountability can go bleary-eyed sifting through the tales of corruption if they go much beyond a robust sound bite. That is why we need to have folks like Project Veritas or better yet-Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. document malfeasance to the proverbial 9s and then publicize the biggest or worst parts to call people out and to get them to stop-but moreso to pursue getting them out of positions of responsibility so they won’t continue to wreak havoc on some aspect of government and our lives.
I can’t leave the mention of Kennedy lay there without amplification-he is a die-hard Orange Man Bad hater-and it does speak to judgement, reason, a lot of things that result in a jaundiced-furry eyeball treatment from me. However, he has been relentless in going after the government to hold them accountable-particularly the Environmental Protection Agency and a host of others, and his recent book “The Real Anthony Fauci” does the American people a solid-a great service exposing big Pharma and the corrupt government cozy relationships that benefit from such relationships-while acting against the best interests of the American people. But he still somewhat creeps me out…
The other SQUIRREL that is running around is the content of the documents. Have there been any allegations that Trump or Biden had sensitive data that was being trafficked to somebody for gain or influence or whatever?
Well, there was that scurrilous, scummy, dirty trick Rumint (rumor intelligence) that Trump had nuclear documents destined for Putin. Which seemed strange considering that NARA and or DOJ had a catalogue of sorts with a listing of the documents-and we haven’t heard another peep about that issue: regardless, as noted above, those documents can be considered unclassified, but in any case, were apparently secured. And, yes-OMG-they leaked a picture of all those cover sheets-which are unclassified, OBTW-and not unlike spinning a great tale about a bank robbery and showing random pictures of money as a SQUIRREL-and here is a picture of “him,” absolute winky, winky linkage-he did it…
Part of the scope of a damage assessment is to see what sensitive information has made it out-leaked-as evidenced by publishing in the public domain, or actions taken that would require knowledge aforethought or inside information that could only come from the sensitive material, or the publishing of what can whimsically be referred to as the “antidote” when it comes to some sensitive government operation or effort that has been compromised. Like-I don’t know-maybe tarpaulins suddenly appearing on mechanized vehicles in East Germany or seemingly useless metal awnings installed on storage overhangs or porch-like storage units in the wake of the KH-11 technical manual compromise documented in the Falcon and the Snow Man.
For instance, if you showed me something like the following that came from an unclassified Hunter Biden email, that would be very concerning because this type of document is a product that is put together in the document tree prepared under the PDB portfolio, where you have myriad white papers or fact sheets prepared as point papers and trip summaries for our top several hundred government civilians or military.
The prep of “in the book” material-briefings judged serious or pertinent enough for the president’s viewing-are often passed-briefed-throughout the cabinet on call or demand. There is an entire team dedicated to this process. These bullet point assessments or more properly talking point summations intended to bulletize complex issues, are often the facing or front matter provided as an overview or quick summary of existing positions and points of interest, friction, things to be avoided or nuances where the US is finessing some issue that the traveler needs to be cognizant and concerned about.
The fact that Hunter sent an email like this around is called a “clue bus” in the business: something totally out of character with his style and manner of communication. Almost like he had a POC in the State Department like Victoria Nuland who could consult INR and collaborate on his emails!
The reason President Trump is not in the same category with these documents is simply that he had the authority to “presto” declassify any and all of the documents in his possession: all of them-and nobody has the authority to overrule him in that regard-period (and many are just whining and drooling on themselves because it was Trump-if you refuse to acknowledge that basic fact, go read something made up that will make you happier and dumber and good luck with that.)
The other very interesting part of this is that the Trump documents were all-or mostly-not only secured, but in the presence of secret service details: with additional security precautions that had been recommended by the US government librarian-NARA- and or DOJ.
Which is nothing like Biden’s case where they are in unsecure locations-nobody apparently knew about them-they had been there for goodness knows how long-and they must be assumed compromised. Or did NARA alert somebody that some documents were apparently missing-as was alleged in the Bad Orange Man case-those nuclear documents that are eminently marketable?
The Trump documents are not and should not be assumed compromised if they were secured as described-so this is a meatball and a chimney brick as far as comparisons.
These bullet point assessments or more properly talking point summations intended to bulletize complex issues, are often the facing or front matter provided as an overview or quick summary of existing positions and points of interest, friction, things to be avoided or nuances where the US is finessing some issue that the traveler needs to be cognizant and concerned about.
The reason much of this material is classified is-of course-because it is sensitive based on sources and methods, but moreso because the “other guys” prep their big guys the same way and it is truly a bad day if talking points, positions or finesse points become compromised: really bad if you know it, but absolutely mortifying and debilitating if you don’t.
Like-I don’t know-if you think it is a smart idea to support bankrupt ideas, woke cause celebres, criminals and aberrant groups and policies as if you are virtue signaling to the world: and the world throws it back in your face. In fact it might lead to you being “pantsed” in the meeting like some rookie-novice-clueless rube (as happened to Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan when they met with and attempted to lecture and show China who the new “boss” was in Alaska-(meet the New Boss, same as the old boss) and I actually wrote that line (pantsed) before finding the article on the meeting from several years ago…))
The other big value in this kabuki finesse effort is if you are getting these documents from-maybe the State Department-but let’s say you have a lucrative deal to help the negotiation efforts of a foreign country with the US and there is a dialogue or tit for tat over energy policy, prices-whatever, how valuable would it be to have either sides talking points-or in this case, both, including hard and soft positions and ideas about costs? I seem to recall that Snowden or some other stalwart released information that said we were doing exactly that, most famously against Germany’s Angela Merkel.
These things are infrequently unclassified because of the often-sensitive nature or sources and methods employed to collect the information, which could include not only sensitive intelligence collection in terms of devices, but in the human intelligence world might include or have information that is known in a small enough circle that disclosure would compromise the source.
Which is why we do damage control assessments: because the only thing worse than burning and losing a source through sloppy handling, incompetence or stupidity, is doing it and not knowing it. It is very easy to turn somebody who has been outed inadvertently.
I’ve overused the SQUIRREL schtick in this article, but all the shake, shimmy, noise, rock and roll by the DOJ going after Trump and now Mike Pence is to propagate and leverage-ecoutez et repetez-the successful previous narrative of “nothing to see here,” everybody does it, projecting due diligence ongoing (Orange Man still Bad) just like with the minor issues with HRC emails that haters blew all out of proportion, and “let me be perfectly clear”-none of these documents was used by Hunter Biden to peddle influence to the Chinese, Ukrainians, Albanians, Burisma or any of his other clients, aided and abetted by the big guy in such a manner that DOJ had to bury the fact of finding the documents until they came up with the NARA, Bad Orange Man raid finesses-that had to be approved by the White House-that have distracted many from the damage control assessment that should be ongoing by the original classification authority.
And where were we at again? That’s right-SQUIRREL…
17 February 2023
LSMBTG: Lamestream media echo chamber (LMEC-L) social media (SM) big tech tyrants (BT) and government (G)
If you enjoyed this article, then please REPOST or SHARE with others; encourage them to follow AFNN
Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@AFNN_USA
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAzcXmIRjODNh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfnnUsa
GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/AFNN_USA
Parler: https://parler.com/AFNNUSA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA