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In light of this recent letter from Senators Johnson & Grassley, concerning, primarily form State Department official Jonathan Winer, I've got some questions on Winer. https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2019-09-12%20RHJ,%20CEG%20to%20State%20OIG%20re%20Christopher%20Steele%20Meeting.pdf
First, let's note that the Senators' inquiry concerns whether Winer violated the Hatch Act (outlawing political activity while on the job for the Feds) or State Dept. policies regarding intelligence gathering, as well as why the DOS IG didn't interview the key witnesses.
We’ve know for quite some time what Winer self-reported in this WAPO editorial. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/devin-nunes-is-investigating-me-heres-the-truth/2018/02/08/cc621170-0cf4-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true
Don't worry if you hit a paywall, I'll annotate the WAPO article here. In it, Winer states as background information that he had known Chris Steele for years, did a little private sector business with him, and that in 2014-2016, he shared many Russia reports from Steele with DOS
Winer stated that in the "Summer of 2016," Steele started telling Winer about disturbing Trump/Russia ties. Winer does NOT say what Winer did with that info, what questions Winer asked, nor if Winer knew whom Steele was working for. Too bad DOS IG chose not to ask either.
Circumstantially, it appears that Winer would have passed his two pages of notes to Nuland on or about Monday, September 19, 2016, during a face-to-face meeting in New York.
But Winer also met with Sid Blumenthal in "late September 2016."
And, at that meeting, Sid gave Winer information from Cody Shearer that echoed what Winer had seen in Steele's dossier.
If you don't know who Cody Shearer is, read here (and then go on the DOS Foia website and search for "Cody" - a CLOSE Clinton friend and confidante): https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/06/meet-cody-shearer-strangest-character-hillarys-vast-left-wing-conspiracy-brendan/
In any event, Winer then shared the "Shearer notes" with Steele (and, allegedly, ONLY with Steele).
Winer claims that he didn't expect the Shearer material to be shared with the Feds, and Winer didn't share it with DOS, but Winer "learned later" that Shearer shared that material with the FBI.
What Winer DIDN'T tell us, but we know now, is that Winer is the one that brought Steele into meet Kavalec at DOS on October 11, 2016:
And the FBI was almost certainly aware of the Kavalec/Steele meeting before it even occurred.
So here are a few questions. 1. How much of the "Russia" material that Steel gave the FBI and Kavalec came from Shearer - a well known Clinton operative and friend? 2. If Steele's info was so IMPORTANT and Winer was so INVOLVED, why didn't Winer tell the Feds about Shearer?!?
3. And exactly how, when and from whom did Winer learn that Steele had shared the Shearer information with the FBI? Winer doesn't say. 4. Was the FISA Court informed that Shearer & Sid (mega-Clintonistas) were pushing this story?
Winer also chose not to mention Bruce Ohr in his WAPO article. Why not? They went way back...
Ohr didn't have much to say about Winer, either.
Nor does Winer mention in his WAPO article Winer's contacts with Glenn Simpson. WHY NOT???? h/t @GTS_Watch (and Chuck Ross): https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/04/glenn-simpson-jonathan-winer-dossier/
Bottom line: Winer's article may have been "the truth," but ii sure wasn't the WHOLE TRUTH. If a Trump witness had written such a half-true article during the Mueller investigation, it would have been cited in Volume II as supporting a legally-strained theory of obstruction. fin
PS. Foia request on the above. No substantive response yet.
