Padraig Martin on Gab: 'Trump 2016: It was the GSA all along... There is a great scene in the Godfather, whereby Michael Corleone is at the funeral of his father, Vito, and watches how the senior level members of his crime family acted. Tom Higgins and Michael watch as Tessio, one of the leaders within the Corleone family, warms up to Barzini (the mob boss' chief rival): Tom: "I always thought it would be Clemenza, not Tessio." Michael: "It's a smart move -- Tessio was always smarter. But I'm gonna wait..." For many Trump supporters, the primary issue for Trump in 2017 was the FBI. They saw a corrupt, vile institution led by leftwing activists. Whereas they were not wrong, established laws held back the FBI from doing its worst directly. It needed another agency to help destroy the incoming Trump 2016. The agency that did the most damage turns out to have been the Government Services Administration (GSA). Most think of the GSA as a government "buyers" organization, which is true. But one part of its buying responsibilities is to facilitate the smooth transition of the incoming administration. As it pertains to the Transition Services, the GSA is responsible for getting office space, telephones, computers, etc. It facilitates daily briefings for the President-elect. The purpose is simple: to make the transition seamless from day one after the inauguration. The Trump team in 2016 - brand new to DC - relied heavily on the GSA. That turns out to have been their greatest mistake. We now know by reading both Robert Mueller and Jack Smith's reports/indictments, that the GSA was using its transition responsibilities to spy on Trump and his team. A new Wall Street Journal opinion article summarized that which happened in 2016. It is a warning to Trump 2024. Due to the fact that the GSA is a procurement agency subject to public records keeping, an FBI team led by James Comey and Peter Stzrok, understood the implications. They could use the "public records keeping" rule to bypass domestic warrants (harder to secure than FISA warrants) and spy on the Trump team. In turn, Strzok reported back to political operatives led by the outgoing Obama team and key members of the intelligence community, including CA Representative Adam Schiff, due to his role as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. We now know that the GSA recorded every conversation of the 2016 Trump team and shared it with the FBI. When Trump directed Flynn to reach out to his Russian counterparts (a legitimate act of an incoming Administration), the FBI knew every facet of that conversation. When Trump discussed Stormy Daniels, they knew... when Trump discussed certain administrative selections, they knew those, too. The Obama team then took that information and shared it with key allies within the media while building cases against every single potential selection of the Trump team. From the minute that Trump took office, the Obama team, intelligence community, and the media had a plan in place and began their immediate attacks - starting with Comey, who knew what to do and who to target. Worse, since the Trump team was unaware of the GSA's loophole and complicity, the Obama team was able to make it look like leaking was coming from within his inner circle. Trump never suspected his family members were the problem (he was right), Thus, Trump fired people like Steve Bannon because he thought Bannon and others were leaking (Trump was wrong). The sneaky Obama Team was being fed information on every single meeting by Denise Turner Roth, a black nationalist activist in charge of the GSA at the time. They fed that information to the MSM while the Trump team remained perplexed as to "who" was speaking to the media. It quickly became a circular firing squad within the Trump inner team. The damage was enormous and difficult to quantify. The GSA was legally able to copy documents, share telephone records, and even record office "usage" (i.e., conversations). As a public record under classified rules, the GSA was able to share every single piece of information on Trump to those with clearance. Barak Obama was apparently heavily and directly involved in the operation. Allied Republicans were directed by the Obama team to help Trump select additional members who would undermine the incoming President in 2016 and beyond. The choice of Miley and Wray are two such examples. A warning to the 2024 Trump team: they do not need to use the GSA. That is an option. It provides about $15 Million of support to the transition team - chump change to Trump. Trump can decline the transition support and use preapproved facilities and his own money, as needed. One possible idea would be Elon Musk's SCIFs - secure facilities necessary to comply with DOD and NASA contracting rules. This would comply with transition rules while ensuring Trump's transition team is not monitored by external agencies. Communications technology that Musk has can easily shut down unwanted electronic monitoring. Other options exist. Either way, the Trump team should turn down the GSA support. The same people are still there - except Roth, who has since enjoyed a vast amount of wealth in her post-government career. If the Trump team learned anything, it should be to trust no one - beginning with the GSA.'