Crazy but likely so....

✌🏼

Here's one article on him.

[link:https://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/27/derek-harvey-trump-middle-east-adviser-dismissed-241037|

He worked with Parnas on Ukraine

]https://www.thedailybeast.com/docs-show-parnas-helping-nunes-aide-derek-harvey-set-up-interviews-with-ex-ukrainian-officials

[link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Harvey|

He works for Nunes. Nunes is the minority leader on the Intelligence Committee, which is actually an oxymoron if you think about it.

What's wrong with this picture?🤔

not good friend.

Starting today.

nm

One of the great things about DU is we have people of diverse backgrounds and specializations. Maybe you could elaborate on what you are piecing together.

Yes indeed, the conspiracy is wide and deep and has been in the works for a long time. Ultimately, with evolving demographics not in their favor, the only way kkkonservatives can win is to destroy democracy itself. They had that moment of clarity a long time ago... and it could be too late for us.

the day after the election i said the big danger is in the power vacuum that was about to take hold. he clearly doesnt have enough working brain cells to come up w all this shit.

and it is not just russia.

Guess I sort of knew this. But it's more organized than I imagined. Like it's been in the planning for quite a while. What would have happened to this effort had it not been for Trump? Would it have died a natural death, or would they have found some other "vehicle"?

Last edited Sat Jan 18, 2020, 10:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Edit: I found the answer elsewhere in this thread.

WASHINGTON — Retired Army Col. Derek Harvey, a longtime intelligence analyst who had been close to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, has been fired from his job on the National Security Council — the latest twist of intrigue in a White House beset by competing power centers.

National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster "removed" Harvey, NSC spokesman Michael Anton told NBC News.

"General McMaster greatly appreciates Derek Harvey's service to his country as a career Army officer, where he served his country bravely in the field and played a crucial role in the successful surge in Iraq, and also for his service on Capitol Hill and in the Trump administration," Anton said in a statement. "The administration is working with Colonel Harvey to identify positions in which his background and expertise can be best utilized."

In a statement, Harvey said, "I will be leaving the National Security Council today to take advantage of a new opportunity to continue serving our President and the United States of America in an important capacity."

He did not elaborate on his new role, but he portrayed the change as his decision, adding that "I look forward to shouldering greater responsibilities in support of the President."

Harvey, a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst with long experience in the Middle East, had been brought in by Flynn, who was fired as national security advisor a month after Trump took office. He is also close to Gen. David Petraeus, who is said to be advising the Trump administration from the sidelines.

McMaster has sought to push out some Flynn loyalists from the NSC. He unsuccessfully tried to fire Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence coordination, but Trump personally saved Cohen-Watnick's job, officials have said.

No reason was given for Harvey's removal.

"Derek Harvey is one of the finest intel analysts that I've ever encountered, so I'm befuddled as to why he is being removed," said retired Army Gen. Jack Keane. Keane was an adviser to former President George W. Bush who told NPR that he turned down an offer to become defense secretary for Trump.

Harvey has been credited with understanding the insurgency in Iraq far ahead of most of his compatriots during the Bush administration, and also with understanding the threat from al Qaeda before 9/11.

He is a hard-liner on Iran, and he was appointed recently to a White House working group examining whether Iran is complying with the nuclear deal, a task that is officially the responsibility of the State Department.

Some former Obama administration officials and State Department officials view the White House effort as undermining objective intelligence analysis, and they fear it harkens back to the Bush administration's efforts to pressure the intelligence community about alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the 2003 invasion.

It has also been reported that Harvey grew close to White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

"I treasure having had the opportunity to support committed and visionary leaders such as Mrs. K.T. McFarland, Mr. Jared Kushner, and Mr. Steve Bannon, and consummate professionals like Mr. Jason Greenblatt and Ms. Dina Powell," Harvey said in his statement.

Woodward in his book Fear suggests the opposite, saying Bannon disliked Harvey and called him to his face (or maybe told Trump) he was a "warmonger."

In that same book, there are depicted some clashes between McMaster and Harvey. At one point Harvey wants to visit Israel and McMaster tells him he can't. (Jared also favored the trip, as did the Israeli ambassador to the US).

I'm trying to recall the other episodes. I think one had to do with Trump's first official state trip being to Saudi Arabia. Harvey came out strongly in favor but I think McMaster opposed it.

(It is implied but never stated that Jared and Harvey were in agreement on many foreign policy issues, and that McMaster wasn't necessarily in agreement with either of them, at least most of the time.)

And lastly, there was some friction over the decision to retaliate against Syria after the chemical attacks. Harvey wanted to go big, take out airports, bases, etc...

McMaster was frustrated because he could never get a hold of Tillerson or Mattis, and he would ask Harvey to set these meetings up and they would never happen.

Not sure what the final straw was for McMaster. Could be he got sick and tired of Harvey's ineffectuality and trying to set up important trips with Jared behind his back.

he wants with the stooge that is Nunes. I do wonder as well if the Flynn Middle East scheme is still active, with Harvey as his conduit. That would explain why Trump has never said a bad word about Flynn.

A controversial White House aide has gone back to work on Capitol Hill for the chairman of the House intelligence committee, which is currently investigating connections between Donald Trump’s allies and Russia.

The Daily Beast has confirmed that Derek Harvey, the former Mideast chief for the National Security Council (NSC), is once again working for Devin Nunes, the California Republican. Both men are considered Iran hawks, pushing for a more aggressive stance with Tehran. It’s an outlook they share with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired after serving as Trump’s national security adviser for 23 days for his involvement in the growing Russian influence scandal.

Nunes partially recused himself from the Russia investigation after he worked with the White House to shift the inquiry’s focus on the “unmasking” of Americans’ names in intelligence reports.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster fired Harvey from the NSC in July, despite their mutual pedigree as close allies of retired Army general David Petraeus. Harvey’s firing was widely perceived as McMaster clearing the highly influential council of staff brought aboard by his predecessor, Flynn. In rapid succession this summer, McMaster also cleared out intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick and strategic-planning staffer Rich Higgins.

It was not immediately clear what Harvey’s brief will be for Nunes, nor if Harvey will return to the House intelligence committee staff. Though Harvey is not known to have any dealings with Russia, any role Harvey might play on the House intelligence committee’s Russia investigation is likely to come under intense scrutiny – both due to Harvey’s pedigree in the Trump White House, and due to the ongoing saga concern the extent of Nunes’ noninvolvement.

Days after the committee held a contentious public hearing on Russia perceived as politically damaging to Trump, Nunes held a bizarre press conference intimating that the intelligence agencies had improperly disseminated “unmasked” intelligence on Trump aides, to include Nunes ally Flynn, incidentally collected after those aides appeared on lawful surveillance of Russian officials. The New York Times later reported that, despite Nunes’ denials, that his sources for the accusation were White House officials – including Cohen-Watnick – leading to the opening of an inquiry from the House Ethics panel.

Under intense political pressure that Nunes was using the committee meant to investigate Russia ties to carry Trump’s water, he “temporarily” handed the reins of the investigation to GOP colleague Mike Conaway of Texas in early April. But the extent of Nunes’ divestment from the inquiry has subsequently come under question.

Nunes in May visited the CIA to review intelligence on Russia, rankling committee Democrats who questioned whether Nunes had in fact recused himself at all. The next month, he unilaterally subpoenaed intelligence agencies for information on the alleged improper unmasking. And last month, Nunes issued more subpoenas, this time to the Justice Department and FBI for information related to ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele’s salacious and unverified “dossier” of rumors that Russia has compromising information on Trump.

Nunes’ Democratic counterpart, Adam Schiff of California, told NPR last week that Schiff’s rear-guard subpoenas were an “effort to somehow lend credence” to Trump’s baseless claim that Barack Obama had Trump Tower placed under surveillance.

“We are keeping the investigation on track, but there is this external effort by the chairman which, I think, is causing unnecessary turbulence,” Schiff said.

As for Harvey, Foreign Policy reported that he and Cohen-Watnick had pushed for the U.S. military to confront Iranian influence in Syria aggressively, something the Daily Beast was told had little purchase with Trump himself. Trump subsequently acquiesced to a Russian-led diplomatic process in Syria that will keep mutual Russian and Iranian client Bashar Assad in power.

Harvey had also backed adding U.S. troops to the Afghanistan war before McMaster let Harvey go, a proposal then out of vogue at the White House but which Trump ultimately endorsed last month.

Upon his ouster, Harvey emailed friends to say that he would “take advantage of a new opportunity to continue serving...in an important capacity.”

As an Iran hawk, Harvey’s return to Capitol Hill comes at a time when the Trump administration is reportedly looking for ways to tear up the Iran nuclear deal Obama brokered, a move that has significant purchase amongst congressional Republicans – but which former State Department nonproliferation official and deal advocate Thomas Countryman said would be based on “alternative facts.”

Rumors of Harvey’s employment with Nunes were first circulated by Laura Rozen of al-Monitor. A representative for Nunes’ office did not respond to messages seeking clarification and comment.

It’s not Harvey’s first time working for Nunes. The retired Army colonel and former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst served as a staffer on the House intelligence committee as recently as last year.

Important info.

Apparently, there were a lot of conversations with lev. He was running point for nunes I guess.

Excerpt...

The new text messages add another layer to Nunes’ potential involvement in the Giuliani-led effort to oust Yovanovitch and push the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation targeting Biden. Nunes' office did not respond to a request for comment.

Continues...

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/17/devin-nunes-aide-lev-parnas-100732

We’re gonna need a bigger paddy wagon.

Two more in his orbit:

Rich Higgins, who wrote the “Deep State” memo

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/a-national-security-council-staffer-is-forced-out-over-a-controversial-memo/535725/

*************************

Ezra Cohen-Watnick

https://investigaterussia.org/players/ezra-cohen-watnick

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/ezra-cohen-watnick/534615/

https://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/217488/wife-key-trump-aide-worked-make-putins-russia-look-good-west/

*************************

All have common ties to Flynn and Bannon.

(p. 151)

Talking about his dismissal:

The first to go was Rich Higgins, the director for strategic planning at the NSC, who had circulated a bizarre memo rife with conspiracy theories about Trump's purported "deep state" enemies in the US government whom he characterized as Marxists. In Higgins's telling, these Marxists were allied to Islamists in a conspiracy that also included the European Union and the UN. The Higgins memo concluded, "This is a form of population control by certain business cartels in league with cultural Marxists/corporatists/Islamists who will leverage Islamic terrorism threats to justify the creation of a police state." This was not the kind of sober thinking that typically came out of the strategic planning shop at the NSC. McMaster's deputy Rick Waddell gave Higgins his marching orders on July 21.

McMaster rooted out the crazies Flynn brought over from DIA.

Any day now Nunes will be shocked his aide was acting behind his back without his knowledge. And of course, Trump, has never heard of the guy; doesn't know him. 🙄

(p. 112)

Derek Harvey, the retired colonel who oversaw the Middle East at the NSC, pushed for a consequential strike against Assad rather than just the pinprick of eliminating a fraction of Assad's air force, which was one of the options on the table. Harvey advocated for taking out a larger target set of Assad's air force and helicopter fleet as this would dramatically curtain the dictator's ability to bomb his population at will.

Bannon confronted Harvey outside of the Situation Room and told the retired colonel, "We don't want you fucking neocons starting a war."

Mattis called McMaster, scolding him, "You let this get too far down the road."