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{{quotebox|Hockey neither transmitted any information to the FBI nor was approached by the U.S. about the tip. Rather, it was Mr. Downer who at some point decided to convey his information—to the U.S. Embassy in London.<br>That matters because it is not how things are normally done. The U.S. is part of [[Five Eyes]], an intelligence network that includes the U.K., [[Canada]], Australia and [[New Zealand]]. The Five Eyes agreement provides that any intelligence goes through the intelligence system of the country that gathered it. This helps guarantee information is securely handled, subjected to quality control, and not made prey to political manipulation. Mr. Downer’s job was to report his meeting back to [[Canberra]], and leave it to Australian intelligence. We also know that '''it wasn’t Australian intelligence that alerted the FBI. The document that launched the FBI probe contains no foreign intelligence whatsoever'''. So if Australian intelligence did receive the Downer info, it didn’t feel compelled to act on it.<br>But the Obama State Department did—and its involvement is news. The Downer details landed with the embassy’s then-chargé d’affaires, [[Elizabeth Dibble]], who previously served as a principal deputy assistant secretary in Mrs. Clinton’s State Department.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-curious-case-of-mr-downer-1527809075 </ref>}}  

{{quotebox|Hockey neither transmitted any information to the FBI nor was approached by the U.S. about the tip. Rather, it was Mr. Downer who at some point decided to convey his information—to the U.S. Embassy in London.<br>That matters because it is not how things are normally done. The U.S. is part of [[Five Eyes]], an intelligence network that includes the U.K., [[Canada]], Australia and [[New Zealand]]. The Five Eyes agreement provides that any intelligence goes through the intelligence system of the country that gathered it. This helps guarantee information is securely handled, subjected to quality control, and not made prey to political manipulation. Mr. Downer’s job was to report his meeting back to [[Canberra]], and leave it to Australian intelligence. We also know that '''it wasn’t Australian intelligence that alerted the FBI. The document that launched the FBI probe contains no foreign intelligence whatsoever'''. So if Australian intelligence did receive the Downer info, it didn’t feel compelled to act on it.<br>But the Obama State Department did—and its involvement is news. The Downer details landed with the embassy’s then-chargé d’affaires, [[Elizabeth Dibble]], who previously served as a principal deputy assistant secretary in Mrs. Clinton’s State Department.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-curious-case-of-mr-downer-1527809075 </ref>}}  

Downer's reliability as a source is further tainted by his securing $25 million from the [[Clinton Foundation]] while Foreign Minister. The information [[James Comey]] and [[Peter Strzok]] used to initiate a counterintelligence investigation and secure [[FISA]] warrants - labeling members of the Trump campaign as "agents of a foreign power" - did not come from allied intelligence agencies as [[John Brennan]] claimed. It came by a circuitous and illegal route that violated American law and was used to strip American citizens of their [[Constitutional]] protections.

Downer's reliability as a source is further tainted by his securing $25 million from the [[Clinton Foundation]] while Foreign Minister.<ref>https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/alexander-downer-dragged-further-into-trump-russia-probe/news-story/ceadb8c9446fd496a8d8dfdb033fdf08 </ref> The information [[James Comey]] and [[Peter Strzok]] used to initiate a counterintelligence investigation and secure [[FISA]] warrants - labeling members of the Trump campaign as "agents of a foreign power" - did not come from allied intelligence agencies as [[John Brennan]] claimed. It came by a circuitous and illegal route that violated American law and was used to strip American citizens of their [[Constitutional]] protections.

==See also==

==See also==