We are in the midst of a classic example of collaboration between Democrats and the mainstream media. The operation is aimed at directing public attention away from the serious and historic Obama administration abuses uncovered by Chairman Nunes:  nothing short of spying on a rival presidential campaign using the NSA’s universal surveillance of electronic communications. The mechanism is the manufacturing of a fake controversy enabling readers and viewers to discount the evidence.

As most AT readers already know, strong suspicions exist that the Adam Schiff-drafted 10-page memo, intended to “rebut” the 4 page Nunes memo, was salted with references to sensitive intelligence “sources and methods” that would have to be redacted in order to protect future intelligence-gathering capabilities.  This was done in order to be able to scream that the rebuttal was being blocked.

Dutifully following the exact protocol used to vet the Nunes memo for sources and methods, the Schiff memo was submitted to the FBI. Yesterday saw the issuance of a letter signed by Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein – a darling of the left for appointing Robert Mueller as special counsel --  and Christopher Wray, head of the FBI. And, as the Dems have told us repeatedly, any criticism of the FBI is helping Vladimir Putin destroy us, and therefore borderline treason.

The attachment to the letter is still under wraps because it specifies things that must be redacted.

Update: President Trump minutes ago tweeted his repsonse:

The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency. Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2018

But instead of even mentioning the redaction process being insisted upon by those dedicated public servants, the media – led by the New York Times is going ballistic over Trump “blocking” the memo, as if the critical counterpoint is being censored. Here is the Times’s headline and lede paragraphs:

Trump Blocks Release of Memo Rebutting Republican Claims

President Trump on Friday blocked the release of a classified Democratic memo rebutting Republican claims that top federal law enforcement officials had abused their powers in spying on a former Trump campaign aide, a move that Democrats denounced as politically motivated hypocrisy.

Last week, the president moved quickly, over the objections of the Justice Department and the F.B.I., to declassify the contents of a rival Republican memo drafted by House Intelligence Committee staff members. He claimed, incorrectly, that the Republican memo had vindicated him in the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.

But Donald F. McGahn II, the president’s lawyer, said in a letter to the committee on Friday night that the Democratic memo could not be released because it “contains numerous properly classified and especially sensitive passages.” He said the president would again consider making the memo public if the committee, which had approved its release on Monday, revised it to “mitigate the risks.”

Only 14 paragraphs later – long after a majority of readers give up – was there any mention of the actual process:

In his letter, Mr. McGahn said that Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, and the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, had identified portions of the memo for which they had “significant concerns.” Mr. McGahn referred the committee to a separate document — not released publicly — in which Mr. Wray and Mr. Rosenstein were said to provide details to the committee about those concerns.

The publicly available letter is not even mentioned. It is just McGahn saying that Wray and Rosenstein had reservations, but saying that the recommended changes are being kept secret. Because Trump can’t be trusted.

Taxpayer supported and by law supposedly nonpartisan NPR was even worse in its lengthy coverage, and the title says it all: “The Russia Investigations: Democrats Try To Counterattack But Lose A Key Weapon”

This sort of media collaboration will keep the true believers among the Trump hating 35% or so of Americans comforted, and that is its purpose. Meanwhile, the wheels of Congressional investigators keep turning, and more information will be coming out way. The DOJ Inspector General’s report is due in a month or so, and resignations and early retirements from the DOJ and FBI are mounting.

Sooner or later, there will be indictments, either from a new special counsel or from the DOJ itself.

Then, the MSM will be forced to cover them, no matter how reluctantly, and their readers and viewers will be shocked at what they have missed.