The New York Times is reporting that the DOJ I.G. "found no evidence that the F.B.I. attempted to place undercover agents or informants inside Donald J. Trump's campaign."  Business Insider's headline reads, "In a huge blow to Trump, the DOJ watchdog found no evidence to support the claim that the FBI spied on his 2016 campaign."  It described Trump's accusations as "baseless."  The L.A. Times claims that the report is "expected to reject or dismiss the most explosive allegations from President Trump and his allies."  Former federal prosecutor Peter Zeidenberg claims that Trump supporters "don't deal in reality or in facts.  They deal in conspiracy."

An operation so complex and involving so many people cannot maintain consistency.  In order to maintain his credibility, Horowitz had to find fault with some of the FBI's actions.  Agents made mistakes: "FBI agents and lawyers [were] acting in careless and unprofessional ways."  Of course, all of these mistakes were to the detriment of the president and never in his favor.  It is a defense that the defendants at Nuremberg neglected to use.  Much of this is based on the fraudulent "dossier."  The fraud is revealed on its front page.  A former counter-intelligence official would never classify a report containing a "sensitive source" confidential.  Even Joe Biden recognized it as a fraud. 

Former director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper used the word "spy" while discussing the Trump campaign scandal.  He claimed that Trump should have been pleased with this because Russians were the target and not him.  Law professor Jonathan Turley also contends that Trump was spied upon.  However, FBI director Christopher A. Wray has said he would not use the term "spying" to describe FBI activities.  Denizens of the Deep State are masters of semantics.  Terms like "grossly negligent" can result in entirely different outcomes from what might come from "extremely careless."

The New York Times cites several examples of the FBI spying on people associated with the Trump campaign.  "The F.B.I. had not deployed those people to gather information on the Trump campaign itself."  What President Trump and his supporters considered spying was actually "typical law enforcement activities."  In other words, "spying."  The article mentions operations against George Papadopoulos and Carter Page.  The FBI had academic Stefan Halper meet them.  The Times neglects to mention that Halper had an assistant, Azra Turk, an attractive young lady.  Apparently, the U.S. government is not a averse to using "honeypots."

Several people believe that this report will be devastating.  This is unlikely.  It is being produced by members of the Deep State.  People associated with the Trump campaign have spent time in jail, like George Papadopoulos and Paul Manafort.  Others are facing the prospect of jail tim,e like Roger Stone and General Michael Flynn.  Known perjurers like Andrew McCabe and John Brennan are hired as consultants by the Deep State media.  

These attacks on President Trump are having a serious impact on our relations with foreign governments.  Foreign intelligence agencies are not foolish enough to base their conclusions on reporting by the Deep State.  However, these attacks do indicate some weakness.  They may advise their governments that if they hold off on making agreements until after the next election, they may face a more malleable negotiator.

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy(Algora Publishing).  He has a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from St. Mary's University.  He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Photo credit: Official photo.