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Ex-FBI Director James Comey: ‘Facts Matter’ Regarding Informant
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Former FBI Director James Comey, who headed the agency at the time of the 2016 presidential campaign, defended the bureau against attacks by President Donald Trump and his allies. Comey says the attacks on the U.S. law enforcement agency “will do lasting damage to our country,” Politico reports. “Facts matter. The…
More Blurry Lines: John Kelly to Attend DOJ Briefings on Controversial Informant
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The lines continue to get blurred in the Trump era. White House chief of staff John Kelly plans to attend two briefings at the Justice Department on Thursday about an FBI informant who interacted with the Trump campaign in the 2016 election. Kelly’s presence comes despite previous White House assurances that…
FBI Seizes Control of Key Server in Kremlin’s Global Botnet
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The FBI, through a court order, has seized control of a key server in the Kremlin’s global botnet of 500,000 hacked routers, The Daily Beast reports. The move will allow the bureau to build a comprehensive list of victims of the attack, and short-circuits Moscow’s ability to reinfect its targets. The…
Paul Manafort To Ask Judge to Toss Evidence Seized in FBI Search
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is battling it out in federal court. On Wednesday, he plans to ask a federal judge to suppress evidence seized by FBI agents working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, saying they violated the U.S. Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures, Reuters reports….
James Clapper Says Spy Was Helping Look Into Russian Influence During Campaign
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, appearing Tuesday on “The View,” said a spy during the 2016 campaign was there for Russian meddling purposes and President Donald Trump should be happy such a person existed, Real Clear Politics reports. “With the informant business, well, the point here is the Russians,” Clapper…
FBI Admits It Overstated Number of Encrypted Cellphones Investigators Can’t Access
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Oops. The FBI has long used the figure of 7,700 when talking about the number of encrypted cellphones that investigators are unable to access in 2017. Now, USA Today reports that the number was inflated because of a flawed internal accounting system that relied on multiple databases. The FBI issued a…
Matthew Miller: Rod Rosenstein’s Decision Shows ‘The System is Failing’
Matthew Miller was director of the Justice Department’s public affairs office from 2009 to 2011. By Matthew Miller For the Washington Post President Trump on Sunday launched his most direct attack on the Justice Department’s independence since he fired FBI Director James B. Comey, taking to Twitter to “hereby demand” that it open a counter-investigation…
Indicted FBI Agent Has Exhausted Personal Savings For Forensic Experts in Oregon Case
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Indicted FBI agent W. Joseph Astarita has exhausted his personal savings to pay for his own forensic experts and has sought some federal funds to cover additional expenses, his attorney said in court, The Oregonian newspaper reports. On Monday, Astarita sat in a U.S. District Court hearing in Portland listening to government…